Chapter 36: Preparing to Simulate Ino
Although Sarutobi Asuma would one day become one of Konoha's foremost Elite Jōnin, a true pillar of the village in both strength and character, in his youth, he had been a rebellious teenager. It was only after serving for several years as one of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve that his temperament had somewhat mellowed.
So, how could a man who dared to argue directly with the Third Hokage possibly respect someone like Danzō, the Darkness of Shinobi? Not to mention, the Shimura Taiji before them was nothing more than a stray dog from Danzō's clan.
"What's the matter, cat got your tongue? Don't tell me it's because you're broke?"
Sarutobi Asuma laughed without a shred of mercy. He then took out his wallet and shook it. "If you don't have the money, I can cover it for you first. I'll personally go to Danzō to collect it later."
"The elders of our two families are good brothers, after all. We juniors should get closer too."
Asuma's words were polite on the surface, but anyone could see that he intended to use this incident to embarrass the Shimura clan. He might not go and provoke Danzō directly, but he would absolutely dare to use this to mock Danzō in front of the Third Hokage in private.
Beads of sweat trickled down Shimura Taiji's forehead.
Might Guy alone was enough to put him under pressure. Now, Yūhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma were here as well, and even Asuma was backing this Akiyama Makoto. Wasn't this guy just a civilian orphan? How did he suddenly acquire such a powerful network?
Akiyama Makoto just smiled and watched him. It was true that he didn't know many of Konoha's Chūnin or Jōnin. But over the past few days, he had gotten to know at least eighty, if not a hundred, of Konoha's elders. And elders were the group most adept at chatting. Something one old person knew could spread to dozens of ears overnight.
And there was another crucial point: among the elders who could live healthily to their sixties and seventies in Konoha, how many didn't have ninja children or grandchildren?
The current situation was eighty to ninety percent within Makoto's expectations. The only thing he hadn't anticipated was that Asuma and Kurenai would also show up.
"Akiyama Makoto, are you really going to bring shame upon our Shimura clan?"
Seeing that he couldn't afford to offend most of the people here, Taiji could only glare viciously at Makoto. After all, he seemed to be the easiest one to bully.
"I never said I wouldn't pay. It's just not convenient for me to take on missions right now."
"Later, when I complete a B-rank mission, what's a mere 50,000 Ryō? I could pay back 150,000!"
"If you don't even have this much magnanimity, what's the point of you running a shop?"
Asuma frowned, about to say something more, but Kurenai made a gesture to stop him. Seeing Asuma's confusion, she said in a low voice, "Let's see if he can solve it himself first."
Although Asuma wouldn't ask for anything in return, a Jōnin's favor was still too valuable for an ordinary person and could easily make a young person arrogant. In Kurenai's view, if Makoto couldn't resolve this on his own, then perhaps it was better not to open this shop at all. At least that way, he could ensure his own safety.
"How could that be, Lord Chūnin?"
Akiyama Makoto spoke calmly. "I was just borrowing your name to let everyone know how much you adore this shop."
"If I really wanted you to pay your debt, I would have had people banging gongs and carrying the scroll to hang it on the Shimura clan's gate... I would never do such a thing."
"Please, feel free to continue running up a tab at our shop. I promise we will never come to collect. But please also allow us to keep this scroll here."
"Of course, if you are truly dissatisfied..."
Makoto took up his brush and, in front of everyone, painted over the words "on credit." He then said, "Surely you aren't angry now?"
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but laugh.
It was true that he had removed the words "on credit," but among the dozens of people present, who would forget? By tomorrow, the news that a Shimura couldn't even afford to pay for his meals would have spread throughout all of Konoha. By crossing out those two words, Makoto was merely showing a gesture of de-escalation. As for Shimura Taiji's reputation, it was clear that was not something he had considered.
Looking at it from another angle, even if he had considered his reputation, would that have stopped him from holding a grudge?
The only thing Makoto was trying to do was to confine this matter to a personal grudge between him and Taiji. If the Shimura clan really did hold a grudge against him because of this, he would just have to face it head-on.
Taiji's face alternated between green and purple, and the chakra in his body began to flow erratically. Makoto confirmed this with his sensory ability, knowing that if the man weren't being deterred by the crowd, he probably would have made a move already. It seemed he and those two Genin were cut from the same cloth.
"Good. Very good."
Taiji finally couldn't hold it in any longer and let go of his clenched fists. "I will come back in one week to pay. Now, take this scroll down and destroy it!"
"Of course."
Makoto glanced at Tenten. She immediately understood, leaped onto the wall, pulled the scroll up, tossed it into the air, and then drew a kunai. With a few slashes, the scroll became a flurry of white paper fluttering through the sky.
In the culture of the ninja world, the color white had no unlucky connotations. On the contrary, it represented purity and sanctity. The white paper scraps made many of the children cheer. Makoto took the opportunity to say, "Thank you all for your love for our little shop. I apologize as a shareholder for the unpleasant experience just now."
"I declare that today, every table here will receive a complimentary plate of beef. I hope everyone enjoys their meal!"
This time, even the adults began to cheer. Not a single person was paying attention to Taiji's expression anymore. This made him, who had been about to spit out some harsh words, feel like a clown. He could only quietly slip away from the crowd with a dark face, but not before shooting a venomous glare in Makoto's direction.
Makoto couldn't see his back, but he could sense the violent flow of his chakra. It seemed a violent conflict was still unavoidable... It was just that the next time they met, Makoto would no longer be at his current level of strength.
After that, business at the barbecue restaurant proceeded smoothly. For the first time, Makoto didn't spend his afternoon listening to the elders' stories but was busy at the restaurant until late at night.
After closing, at the owner's insistence, everyone tallied up the day's earnings. They were shocked to find that even with Makoto's aggressive promotions and giveaways, the restaurant's net profit still exceeded 20,000 Ryō. And because of the prepaid membership card event, the shop now had a cash flow of a full 130,000 Ryō.
Makoto wasn't surprised by this. The restaurant's kitchen only needed to handle prep and marinating; it didn't require a master chef. Plus, a food like yakiniku naturally drove drink sales, so as long as there were many customers, profit was more or less guaranteed.
However, he also knew that this level of profit was not sustainable. After all, even ninja families couldn't eat barbecue every day. But that was no longer his concern. The events of the past two days were just him putting a period on that incident. His energy still needed to be focused on training and writing.
And most importantly, it was time to begin the simulation with Ino.
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