"Cooperation?" Ippongi's voice dragged out, his chubby face stretching along with it.
Reiji nodded.
"That's right. Cooperation.
You provide the materials, the forge, and the storefront—I'll handle the technique and the labor."
At those words, Ippongi fell silent, mentally weighing the proposition.
Cooperation like this wasn't unusual. In fact, it was quite common.
Ippongi knew that many master smiths in the Land of Iron only worked through partnerships. Nothing rare about that.
The benefit was clear: merchants could secure higher-quality ninja tools, while master smiths enjoyed more freedom.
After all, for those famous craftsmen, forging wasn't just a job—it was an art.
With that in mind, Ippongi looked at the boy just tall enough to see over the counter and hesitated slightly.
If the quality of all his products matched the senbon stuck in the counter, then yes—he'd certainly be qualified to propose a partnership. But could he really manage that?
As if reading his mind, Reiji pulled a ninja pouch from his coat without hesitation.
He opened it and tipped it over.
In an instant, a full pouch of senbon spilled out across the counter.
Ippongi only gave them a cursory glance before his pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He might just be a merchant, but when it came to assessing ninja tool quality, he was as sharp as they came.
The senbon scattered across the counter were indistinguishable—like they'd been copy-pasted.
Length, grooves, even the curve of the tips—perfectly uniform.
Ippongi lifted his head and stared hard at Reiji.
"How do you want to cooperate?"
Reiji felt a flicker of joy—he knew he'd already cleared most of the hurdle.
"After subtracting the cost of materials, I want thirty percent."
Thirty percent?
Ippongi instinctively wanted to refuse. Letting someone take thirty percent of the store's profits? No way. But then he paused and forced the rebuttal back down.
"Reiji, what about output? How much can you produce?"
Reiji turned and gestured broadly at the wall lined with ninja tools.
"In a month, everything you see here."
Before he could finish, Ippongi cut him off.
"Not enough, not nearly enough!" He shook his head rapidly, cheeks jiggling.
Reiji rolled his eyes.
"I said ten times all of this."
Ippongi froze, eyes wide in shock.
If Reiji could really produce that much, he could fire the two average smiths working in his shop.
That would save him twenty thousand ryō. A huge gain.
With no hesitation, Ippongi nodded.
"Deal. I'm in."
And just like that, the agreement was sealed. Ippongi was thrilled.
If Reiji really delivered that kind of output with consistent quality, he'd be a goldmine.
"Since we've reached an agreement, I won't take up any more of your time. Goodbye, Ippongi-san."
"Hold on." Ippongi reached out to stop Reiji and Rie, then moved with surprising speed around the counter.
"If I may ask, is this your first time in Konoha, Reiji-kun? With your sister?"
Reiji nodded.
Ippongi rubbed his hands together with a grin.
"In that case, why not stay at my place for a while? No need to waste money on some random inn."
Reiji hesitated. He didn't mind—it wasn't like he had any pride to lose. Free food and lodging didn't bother him at all.
But he was worried Rie might be shy.
He looked down at her. She was focused on licking the sugar off her candied apple. For once, even he wasn't sure what to do.
Ippongi noticed the hesitation and panicked a little.
It wasn't every day you found a young, highly-skilled blacksmith. He couldn't risk letting this golden goose walk off.
The ninja tool business in Konoha was brutally competitive.
Top-ranking clans all had their own shops, staffed with high-paid master smiths. If not for his father's trade network, which helped him secure decent materials at low prices, his shop would've been out of business long ago.
Thinking of that, Ippongi smiled brightly.
"No need to worry. My wife, Kyōko, loves little girls. But we only have an eight-year-old son—it's our one regret.
I'm sure she'll be thrilled if Reiji-kun brings his sister to stay."
Reiji crouched down and gently held Rie's chubby hand.
"Rie, would you like to stay at this uncle's house?"
Rie had already licked all the sugar off the candy and was now trying to figure out how to eat the big red apple. Distracted, she replied,
"Wherever big brother goes, Rie goes too."
Reiji nodded, stood up, and gave Ippongi a slight bow.
"Then we'll trouble you, Old man Ippongi."
Ippongi laughed.
"No trouble at all! We've got plenty of spare rooms."
As dusk settled, the last rays of sunlight faded away.
Lanterns lit up along the bustling street. People in yukatas moved shoulder to shoulder, filling the road with life and chatter.
In high spirits after securing his money-maker, Ippongi gave himself the evening off and shut up shop early.
"Reiji, let's go—time for dinner." Ippongi gave his round belly a pat and swaggered off ahead.
Reiji nodded, took Rie's hand, and followed behind.
After weaving through several winding turns...
Ippongi led them to a quiet, secluded courtyard.
A rock garden with flowing water gave the place a refined charm. The traditional wooden house exuded an old-world elegance. In the center of the courtyard, a bamboo fountain struck rhythmically—donk... donk...
Seriously? This round, money-minded man lived somewhere this tasteful? Talk about not judging a book by its cover.
In the open area at the back, a boy about Reiji's age was drenched in sweat, focused intently as he practiced throwing shuriken. His hair was a pale white tinged with blue, his expression sharp and concentrated.
Nearby, on a low wooden platform, a poised and elegant woman knelt gracefully, her own white hair tied up like the boy's. She watched him with a warm, satisfied smile.
"I'm back!" Ippongi called out.
The woman turned her head and stood slowly, greeting him with a gentle smile. "Welcome home, dear."
Then her gaze fell on Rie, who was gnawing at her apple, and Reiji, whose face carried a strange expression. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Dear, who are these two?"
Ippongi casually stepped aside and pointed at Reiji.
"This is Reiji Sakuhō, and that's his younger sister, Rie Sakuhō. Starting tonight, they'll be staying with us!"
Then he gestured to the woman beside him. "This is my wife, Kyōko Katō."
"Hello, Aunt Kyōko," Reiji and Rie greeted politely with a bow.
After the introductions, Ippongi pointed toward the boy still practicing shuriken. "That's my son—Dan Katō."
Reiji's eyes shifted over, and something clicked in his mind.
Dan Katō? That name sounded familiar. Wasn't that Tsunade's first love? The hair color matched...
Man, what a tragic guy. Died young, didn't even leave a kid behind—not even one in Tsunade's belly.
With that thought, Reiji gave Ippongi a glance tinged with sympathy.
Poor guy... lost your son, no grandkids in sight. Maybe I should find a way to gently suggest having another.
Though, now that he really looked, something about Ippongi and his son didn't quite match. That kid might just be the neighbor's...
Reiji's scheming thoughts spiraled off in all directions.
Meanwhile, Kyōko Katō had already taken a liking to Rie. It was clear she truly loved children, just like Ippongi said.
"Dan, wrap it up—it's dinner time!" Ippongi shouted.
Dan Katō shook his head without looking back.
"Father, I want to finish a hundred more throws. You go ahead and eat."
He grabbed another shuriken and resumed his training.
Hearing that, Ippongi's face tightened, and he grumbled under his breath.
"Train, train... Even if you do become Hokage, you'll still have to take over the shop!"
Kyōko rolled her eyes at him. "Don't kill his motivation. So what if he wants to be Hokage? It's the most honorable goal there is!"
Then she gently took Rie's hand and smiled. "Rie-chan, come help Aunt Kyōko in the kitchen. Let's see if there's something you'd like to eat tonight."
"Okay!" Rie nodded eagerly, drooling a little as she turned a hopeful gaze to Reiji.
"Go ahead. Don't give Aunt Kyōko any trouble," Reiji sighed.
"Mm!" she chirped, running off with Kyōko.
While Kyōko prepared dinner, Ippongi pulled Reiji to sit with him at the edge of the courtyard, eyes still on Dan as he practiced.
"Reiji, tell me—what's so great about being Hokage?"
Ippongi looked at his sweaty son with an annoyed expression, muttering complaints under his breath.
"My younger brother was obsessed with becoming Hokage, and now my kid talks about it all day! It's driving me nuts!
Our family fought side by side with the Senju during the Warring States Era, helped build Konoha from the ground up...
And finally, with my generation, we didn't have to throw seven or eight-year-olds into battle. We could finally settle down and make an honest living."
"And now my son wants to follow the same path—tell me that's not infuriating."
"Yeah, that's infuriating," Reiji nodded.
Honestly, it just meant the kid hadn't been disciplined enough. If he got a light beating every three days and a heavy one every five, he'd straighten out real quick.
Of course, Reiji wasn't about to say that out loud. It'd be stupid beyond words for an outsider to butt into a father and son's business.
"By the way, Reiji-kun, do you want to be Hokage?" Ippongi asked, eyes glinting with a trace of expectation.
"No. I don't want to, and I wouldn't be able to," Reiji replied calmly.
He wasn't lying. He couldn't afford to.
After all, even showing a shred of ambition for the Hokage seat would be enough to get him shut out of Konoha for good.
But Ippongi heard something else entirely.
"That's true... There's never been a Hokage from outside the village. Still, Reiji-kun, do you really not want it?"
"No. I really don't."
Seeing how firmly Reiji answered, Ippongi nodded, then asked,
"Then why is my son always dreaming about becoming Hokage?"
"No idea. Maybe he just wants to prove himself," Reiji replied half-heartedly.
"Prove himself?" Ippongi frowned and muttered, "Shouldn't that kind of proving be done in bed?"
"Now that woke me right up!"
Reiji sat up straight, eyes lit.
"Old man, you really don't get it!"
"Come on, let me lay it out for you," he said, slinging an arm around Ippongi's shoulder.
"Tell me, how does a man make a woman fall in love with him?"
"Uh... there are probably a lot of ways, right?" Ippongi said hesitantly.
"Exactly!" Reiji nodded hard. "Now tell me—how does a man make a lot of women fall for him?"
Ippongi blinked, completely stumped, and shook his head.
He'd never thought about that before—and with Kyōko, who might look graceful but had the temper of a wild cat, he didn't dare think about it.
Seeing Ippongi's blank expression, Reiji clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Power. In the shinobi world, power is how you get a lot of women to fall for you.
Sure, some women like money, some like looks, others like the honest, reliable type—but it all comes down to one thing: a sense of security. Women want to feel safe."
"Now tell me, who gives off a stronger sense of security than the Hokage?"
"No one," Ippongi nodded slowly, thinking it over.
"Exactly. Now back to the whole 'proving yourself' thing.
Old man Ippongi, you're a grown man—you've been around. You know there are times when a man just can't perform, right?"
Ippongi nodded furiously.
"Brother, you nailed it. Sometimes it's not about capability. It's all the other crap in life getting in the way—makes you fall short."
Seeing him agree, Reiji continued,
"But why do we fall short? Is it age? Fitness? Mood? I don't think it's any of those."
"Then what is it? Hurry up—tell me!" Ippongi's eyes lit up, thinking bringing Reiji home was the smartest move he'd made in years. This kid was pure gold.
"It's the novelty," Reiji whispered with a sly grin, leaning in close.
"Think about it, Old man Ippongi—being Hokage gives women a sense of security, right? It'd let you sleep around, be a newlywed every day, constantly prove yourself—and never worry about losing your edge."
"So?" Ippongi asked.
"So everyone who wants to be Hokage is just a dirty old perv! You blockhead!"
Ippongi's face turned black instantly.
So after all that, you still didn't tell me how to fix the performance problem!
And I swear you just called me blockhead—and insulted both my brother and my son!