Chapter 59:
"Let's divide this money according to the proportion of the capital contribution," Asakawa Naoki suggested.
"Agreed." Everyone nodded.
According to their initial investments, everyone's capital was multiplied fifty times.
Uchiha Mikoto's 100,000 ryo turned into 5 million ryo. Asakawa Naoki's 90,000 ryo became 4.5 million ryo. The rest of them, having contributed smaller amounts, each walked away with 1.5 million ryo.
These 20 million ryo might not sound like much in the grand scheme of war funds, but for a group of fresh graduates, it was an incredible windfall.
To put it into perspective, Sarutobi Asuma — a powerful Konoha jonin, protector of the Land of Fire, and the Hokage's own son — only had a black market bounty of 35 million ryo.
In other words, Tsunade had just cleaned up for over half of an elite jonin's bounty in one night at the casino.
If certain money-grubbing types ever found out about Asakawa Naoki's swordsmanship, they'd probably kidnap him and drag him to the casino daily to rake in fortunes.
As they held the thick stacks of silver bills, excitement filled the eyes of everyone present — mixed with a tinge of disbelief at their good fortune.
"Thank goodness I handed our mission bounty to Lady Tsunade," someone muttered.
For members of established ninja clans, a few million ryo might not shake the ground. But for civilian-born ninjas who'd just graduated from the academy, 1.5 million ryo was practically a fortune — enough to support half a household's worth of expenses.
Only Rope Tree looked toward Asakawa Naoki, suspicion flickering in his eyes. No one knew his sister's gambling luck better than him. It was impossible for Tsunade to win like this without something unnatural at play.
Rope Tree was sure Asakawa Naoki had intervened in some way. But with so many people around, he kept his thoughts to himself for now, planning to question him when they were alone.
"Alright, everyone — remember what Lady Tsunade said. Don't go flaunting your wealth," Asakawa Naoki reminded them.
"Got it."
Everyone quickly stashed their money in their bags or pockets. When they left the tent, it was impossible to tell that these kids were now carrying fortunes.
"Okay, let's go take a walk around the camp market. We can pitch our tents when it gets dark," Namikaze Minato suggested cheerfully.
Despite his early maturity, Minato was still only ten years old. Who wouldn't be thrilled after suddenly landing a windfall like this?
"Yeah!" Everyone echoed in unison.
The front-line encampment market was rough but lively, with high prices and limited selection, yet almost everything could be found if you looked hard enough.
With money burning a hole in their pockets, most of the group began picking up small trinkets or snacks they'd been eyeing.
As for Asakawa Naoki, he wasn't short of money now — but there wasn't much in the market that truly interested him.
Until the corner of his eye caught a ninja tool shop.
He made his way over.
"Boss, how much for these rayion pills?" Naoki asked.
He wasn't after weapons — his pair of flying swords was enough to handle any strong opponent, and his old defective sword sufficed for weaker ones. What caught his eye now were the rations pills, essential for stamina and chakra recovery.
On the journey from Konoha to the Fire Nation border, the hundreds of ration pills Rope Tree had bought — supposedly enough to last ordinary ninjas more than half a month — had already been devoured by Naoki alone.
Now, seeing a shop selling them, he naturally planned to restock.
"Which grade are you after?" asked the shopkeeper.
"Ordinary ration pills go for 70 ryo each. A pack of 100 costs 6,000 ryo."
"High-grade ones are 130 ryo each. A pack is 12,000 ryo."
Asakawa Naoki glanced over the stock. The high-grade ration pills were identical to the ones Rope Tree had provided before. The ordinary ones looked a little rough — and probably tasted even worse.
He could handle bad taste, but ordinary rations pills likely wouldn't provide enough energy for his needs.
"Naoki-kun, you're buying ration pills?" Uchiha Mikoto approached curiously.
"Boss, why are these pills so much pricier than back in Konoha?" Uzumaki Kushina frowned as she stepped closer.
Back home, ordinary ration pills went for about 50 ryo apiece, and high-grade ones were 100 ryo. Buying in bulk even earned a discount. Here, prices were jacked up by 30–40%.
The shopkeeper chuckled. "You kids just graduated, huh? Well, this isn't Konoha. War could break out any minute. It's dangerous running a business here."
"I'm risking my life to sell supplies on the front lines — a 40% price hike is nothing. I'm already being generous."
Uzumaki Kushina wanted to argue, but after a moment's thought, she realized he wasn't wrong. In places like this, prices naturally climbed.
"Alright then. I'll take ten packs of high-grade ration pills," Naoki decided, taking out twelve 10,000 ryo notes.
He'd seen worse markups in scenic spots back in China, where vendors jacked up food prices four or five times normal rates. Compared to that, this 40% increase for life-saving goods in a war zone was downright reasonable.
"Right away, customer!" The shopkeeper's grin widened as he accepted the payment, then leaned in as if remembering something.
"My friend, if you're buying this many, perhaps you'd like to try something even better?"
"Oh?" Naoki raised a brow. "Better than high-grade ration pills?"
The shopkeeper nodded eagerly. "Indeed. A special-grade version, tailor-made by the Nara Clan for the Akimichi Clan."
"Made from rare medicinal herbs cultivated by the Nara Clan, these special-grade ration pills are much stronger than the regular ones. One pill's enough to replace an entire meal — plus, it greatly accelerates chakra recovery."
"Since production's been up recently, there's a bit of surplus beyond what the Akimichi need. I happen to have a supply."
"However… they're quite pricey."
"How much per pill?" Naoki asked, intrigued. "Can I try one first?"
"One thousand ryo each," the shopkeeper replied, taking out a packet of particularly well-packaged pills. He opened it to reveal bright red, marble-sized pills.
Normally, these sold slowly due to their cost. But if he could move a batch today, he wouldn't mind trimming his profit.
He handed one over.
Naoki didn't hesitate. He swallowed it directly. It tasted much the same as an ordinary ration pill, though with a faint medicinal note.
Moments later, a surge of intense energy burst forth inside him. Tempered by the Fire of Essence, it swiftly refined into pure essence, then mana.
The energy contained in this single special-grade pill was over three times what a high-grade pill could provide.
Asakawa Naoki's eyes gleamed.
This was exactly what he needed.
******^^
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