After the negotiations with Kumogakure ended, the village kept its promise and transferred all of Shinju's earnings straight onto his account.
Shinju instantly became a wealthy man.
Of course, when people get rich, they should aim higher — for example, figuring out how to make even more money.
Shinju was exactly that kind of person.
The moment over six million ryo landed in his hands, his very first thought was to invest in Ichiraku Ramen.
However, Ichiraku-san explained that the ramen shop was a family business and that he had no plans to open a chain. Shinju had no choice but to give up on that idea.
A few days later, Shinju and Naruto were summoned by Tsunade to the Hokage's office for a new mission.
"Are you kidding me? I'm already this rich — why do I still need to take missions?"
Shinju lazily complained.
Ever since getting rich, he felt that life was truly worth living!
All he wanted now was to enjoy life — being a lazy salted fish lying under the sun without flipping over sounded perfect to him!
Tsunade, however, was extremely dissatisfied with Shinju's extravagant and idle lifestyle these past few days. She slammed the desk and roared:
"Enough is enough!"
"You think missions are something you can accept or refuse whenever you feel like it?!(▼ヘ▼#)"
"You're already a full-fledged shinobi now! Having money means you should have more self-control!"
Shinju pouted.
"Then, Tsunade-sensei, does your gambling back in the day count as 'mature'? (*￣3￣)"
Tsunade: (▼皿▼#)
"Don't you dare bring up my past, brat!!"
And just like that, Shinju and Naruto took on a C-rank mission.
The task was simple — find a ferret with distinctive black markings on its fur.
As for the ferret's location, rumors placed it somewhere on a mountain within the Land of Fire.
"This is insane… such a huge area, and we're supposed to find one tiny ferret? We'll be looking until the end of time.〒_〒"
Naruto said dejectedly.
Shinju nodded in agreement.
Wild animals moved around constantly, and searching for a single ferret in the endless mountain ranges of the Land of Fire was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"Quit complaining. Haven't I already marked out a rough area for you?"
Tsunade crossed her arms.
After getting used to Shinju acting like he could do everything, seeing him actually troubled for once gave her an odd sense of satisfaction.
"And also," she added, "because of Sasuke's departure, the village has assigned you a new teammate."
As Tsunade finished, she clapped her hands.
The door to the Hokage's office opened, and a pale-skinned shinobi walked in.
"This is Sai," Tsunade introduced.
Upon hearing this, Shinju and Naruto began sizing up their new teammate.
He had jet-black hair, fair skin, sharp features — the type of guy many girls would call handsome.
But Shinju, ever observant, noticed something odd. He raised his hand and asked:
"Why is this guy wearing a crop top when he's clearly a dude?"
Tsunade -_-||:
"Can you, for once, focus on something actually useful?! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ)"
Sai: ¯\(ツ)/¯
Despite Shinju's remark, Sai's expression didn't change one bit.
He extended his hand and forced his facial muscles into what he probably thought was a friendly smile.
(｡◝ᴗ◜｡)
"Hello, I'm Sai."
Shinju, Naruto, and Tsunade: "…"
Why did his face look like it was rented?!
Was he even on speaking terms with the muscles in his own face?
Why did his smile look so painfully awkward?!
"Shinju," Shinju greeted back, shaking his hand politely.
"I'm Naruto. From now on, we're teammates," Naruto said warmly.
Shinju blinked in surprise.
He had expected Naruto to start complaining, maybe shouting that no one could replace Sasuke.
It seemed that after everything he'd gone through, Naruto, who used to be stubborn and reckless, had grown up quite a bit.
Tsunade waved her hand, shooing them away like bothersome flies.
"Alright, enough stalling. You three, get going already!"
...
Outside the Hokage's office,
Sai, still maintaining his awkward smile, asked,
"How are we getting to the mission site?"
"That's easy," Shinju said as he quickly formed a summoning seal.
In the next instant, a massive hawk appeared before them.
The three climbed onto its back, and with powerful wingbeats, the hawk soared toward their destination.
...
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade frowned as she watched the hawk carrying the three away.
"I still don't know if this kid Danzo arranged for can really be trusted…"
...
High above the clouds, Naruto couldn't hide his excitement.
"Sasuke's gone… and I still don't know when he'll be back."
At that moment, Sai, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke:
"Someone like Sasuke, who betrayed Konohagakure and ran away, won't be welcomed back even if he returns."
Naruto froze for a second, then shot up from the hawk's back and grabbed Sai by the collar, yelling:
"What did you just say?!"
Sai's awkward smile didn't falter.
"Are you hard of hearing?"
"Then I'll repeat myself. I said, someone like Sasuke, who betrayed Konohagakure and ran away, won't be welcomed back. He's a traitor. A coward."
Naruto couldn't believe this guy actually doubled down on it.
Without hesitation, he swung his fist and punched Sai square in the face!
Shinju, watching from the side, began to suspect that this "teammate" Tsunade-sensei had shoved onto them was… a little strange.
Even after taking Naruto's punch, Sai's face remained frozen in that same forced smile.
It was like watching a robot.
Sai's left cheek instantly swelled and bruised, yet he stubbornly said:
"I don't understand why you hit me. I was only stating a fact."
"And if you want to fight," he added, reaching behind his back for a scroll, "I'm more than happy to oblige."
He unrolled the scroll, revealing a blank surface.
Then, out of nowhere, he pulled out a calligraphy brush and began drawing on the scroll.
Before long, a fierce-looking beast came to life on paper, its features vivid and terrifying.
"Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
With a soft shout, the lion he drew suddenly stood up, peeling itself off the paper, and roared as if alive!
Naruto gaped.
"What kind of weird jutsu is this?! (⊙o⊙)"
"Since we're teammates now, let me introduce you to my ninjutsu," Sai explained casually.
"Simply put, my Super Beast Imitating Drawing allows me to materialize whatever I draw onto the scroll."
Shinju was just as stunned.
He immediately asked, dead serious:
"So, anything you draw can become real?"
"Then… can you draw money?"
Sai actually paused to consider it. After a few seconds, he shook his head.
"No. I've trained mostly in drawing beasts. Drawing money would require extremely fine detail, and I'm not skilled enough for that."
"Fair enough. ┓( ´∀` )┏"
Shinju nodded.
Still, Sai's ability really showcased the endless possibilities of chakra applications.
To draw something and have it come to life… what an insanely enviable technique!
"Hey, can I try?" Shinju suddenly asked.
Sai generously handed him the brush and scroll without hesitation.
"Go ahead."
Shinju accepted them and started drawing intently on the scroll...
What he drew looked absolutely massive and magnificent. Naruto and Sai, though clueless about what it was supposed to be, could sense it was something impressive.
Sai thought to himself:
No wonder Danzo-sama warned us to keep an eye on him… this guy is hiding a lot of secrets.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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