With the conclusion of the grand event, "The Uchiha Yato Construction Project,"
a brand-new sandbar appeared before the people of Sunagakure.
A larger, more orderly lake, surrounded by finer, softer sand free of impurities.
The unusual structures also evoked a sense of awe.
Even the Sand Ninja who had worked on the construction were surprised by the sheer scale of what they had built from the blueprints.
Uchiha Yato approached Sasori and said, "See? Tiny parts can come together to form something like this—a Ferris wheel.""Never underestimate your Puppet Technique. You must carry it forward and bring it to greatness."
While everyone was still marveling, Uchiha Yato took the opportunity to offer Sasori some motivational words.
Pakura, a character who hadn't appeared for several chapters, finally set aside her sharp tongue for once.
It had to be said—everything Uchiha Yato had done so far was astonishing. One could imagine that this Exchange Meeting would be nothing short of spectacular.
By now, Pakura was already rubbing her hands in anticipation. She was eager to defeat Uchiha Yato in this Exchange Meeting and proclaim the glory of the Hidden Sand Village.
Of course, Uchiha Yato was well aware of these petty schemes, so he set the tone right from the start.
Uchiha Yato glanced at Hizashi, who understood his meaning and stepped forward to explain.
"This Sandbar Exchange Meeting is not meant for fighting. If anyone is here solely for combat, please leave now."
"This is a testament to the friendship between our two villages, not an opportunity to indulge in personal displays of strength."
Hizashi was genuinely curious—why had Uchiha Yato insisted that he be the one to deliver this message?
The night before, Uchiha Yato had sought him out specifically, asking him to handle the opening remarks today.
Upon hearing this, Pakura's expression darkened instantly.
She recognized Hizashi's Byakugan and immediately turned to Granny Chiyo for confirmation on his identity.
After receiving Granny Chiyo's explanation, she realized this was Hyuga Hizashi—the younger brother of Hyuga Hiashi, whom she had previously defeated in the Hidden Leaf.
In an instant, her hostility shifted from Uchiha Yato to Hizashi.
Pakura assumed it was Hizashi's idea to prohibit all forms of combat.
Hizashi, too, noticed the scorching glare from the audience. He pondered who this woman was and what Uchiha Yato's motives might be.
A rather unpleasant realization suddenly struck him—Uchiha Yato was using him as a shield!
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yato observed Pakura's reaction and knew his plan had succeeded.
Being constantly hounded by a madwoman was beyond irritating. (Mission accomplished.jpg)
Unwilling to back down, Pakura spoke up directly.
"If we're not allowed to fight, then how exactly are we supposed to exchange anything? Surely we're not just sitting around chatting?"
Uchiha Yato smoothly took over. "There are plenty of facilities here. We'll tally points based on performance in these activities to determine the final winner."
"We've even prepared a grand prize. Feel free to compete for first place if you're up for it."
As he spoke, Uchiha Yato deliberately locked eyes with Pakura, his gaze challenging.
This only fueled Pakura's fury further.
Exactly the reaction Uchiha Yato wanted—she couldn't kill him, nor could she defeat him.
How infuriating?
If she was angry? Too bad—she'd just have to swallow it!
Seeing that the crowd had absorbed the information he'd just provided, Uchiha Yato continued.
"We'll be providing some cigarettes. Please consume them in moderation."
"Smoking is harmful to your health. Enjoy responsibly."
This announcement delighted the veteran smokers in the crowd.
Ebizo, the prime example, nearly set off fireworks on the spot.
After all, the Uchiha Clan's tobacco was renowned for its exceptional quality.
Following his discussion with Granny Chiyo, Uchiha Yato had even slipped him a pack of premium five-star cigarettes.When it came to Uchiha Yato's character, Ebizo still believed that Yato wouldn't resort to any flashy little tricks or poisoning.
But when he took his first puff of the five-star tobacco, he finally understood what real smoking was. That euphoric, floating sensation left him utterly enchanted...
So this time, he was absolutely determined to get the cigarettes prepared by Uchiha Yato!
While everyone was celebrating, our Sasori had always wanted to try smoking.
But the little guy was always strongly refused by Uchiha Yato.
The others didn't mind much in this regard—as long as no problems arose, it was fine.
This time, Sasori was dead set on succeeding because he had already seen the cigarettes provided by the organizers.
Using his Chakra strings with great finesse, Sasori managed to get his hands on a cigarette but then found himself at a loss.
He didn't know how to smoke it. He recalled how Rasa would always take out a lighter, light the cigarette, and take a puff.
Uchiha Yato had long noticed Sasori's little antics. Just then, the system spoke in his mind.
"I have a plan to obtain a large number of Emotion Coins through screenshots."
Hearing this, Uchiha Yato became interested and asked the system how to obtain a large number of Emotion Coins.
The system wasn't entirely confident either—it was just offering an idea. After all, if it succeeded, it could definitely take a screenshot, which it could then exchange for Emotion Coins with the main system.
The system explained its plan to Uchiha Yato in detail.
Listening to the system's plan, Uchiha Yato couldn't shake the feeling that this guy was up to no good.
But for the sake of Emotion Coins, he endured it.
And so, Uchiha Yato, smoking a cigarette, stealthily made his way to Sasori's side.
At this moment, Sasori was still fiddling with the cigarette dangling from his lips.
He couldn't understand why this thing was so addictive.
Uchiha Yato walked up to Sasori, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "You're such a naughty kid. Well, it's just your first try."
Uchiha Yato slowly brought his own cigarette closer to Sasori's.
Using the ember from his own cigarette, he lit the unlit one in Sasori's mouth.
Our system was very adept at capturing the moment and snapped a perfect shot of this scene.
In the screenshot, Uchiha Yato wore a faint smile at the corner of his lips, while Sasori looked youthful and inexperienced.
(Minors are prohibited from smoking. Smoking is harmful to health.)
Our system was also very good at naming things, titling this image "Yato Lighting a Cigarette."
It then sent it to the main system to obtain Emotion Coins.
Just as the system had guessed, this time the Emotion Coins earned reached an astonishing 20,000.
All from just a single image, it managed to obtain a massive amount of Emotion Coins.
The system didn't hide this from Uchiha Yato either—it truthfully informed him that they had earned 20,000 Emotion Coins.
Instantly, Uchiha Yato's smile grew even wider.
After stubbing out the rest of his cigarette, he decided to go enjoy himself.
After all, this exchange event was essentially just a big party.
Only after Uchiha Yato left did Sasori belatedly take a puff.
First-time smokers always end up coughing, and Sasori was no exception.
Sasori muttered to himself, "Why didn't he use Fire Style?"
"Could it be that he can't control the intensity of the flame?"
Later, Uchiha Yato explained to Sasori that this was a Hidden Leaf custom.
If someone didn't have a lighter while smoking, you could help them light their cigarette this way.
Sasori later successfully carried on this glorious tradition.
Which nearly caused Karura and Rasa's wedding to fall through...
(But that's a story for later!)
Uchiha Yato now led everyone to the first event.
The Swimming Competition!
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