"Damn it!" Tsunade slammed her fist down onto her thigh in sheer frustration. The abrupt end to the medical scroll felt like a cruel taunt. However, her anger immediately dissipated when she looked at Shen Mo, who appeared utterly neutral and professional.
The benefit of him positioning himself as a mere employee was now clear: the luck, the series, the missing pages—it was all an affliction of the system, not the merchant.
"You have more, right? More of those medical jars?" Tsunade glared at Shen Mo, feeling an agonizing pressure in her chest—the compulsion to complete the set. She had to draw again.
"Of course," Shen Mo confirmed, his heart swelling with silent elation. He knew this feeling intimately. The closer a collector gets to the final piece of the set, the more irrational and desperate they become.
Tsunade took a long, deep gulp of sake, slammed the cup down, and dramatically waved her hand. "Shizune! Get me the money!"
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune's calm, low voice cut through the air, carrying a heavy weight of despair. "There is no money left."
Tsunade blinked, momentarily stunned. "What?"
"Have you forgotten how much you lost yesterday?" Shizune's voice cracked with palpable exasperation.
"..."
Shen Mo was genuinely surprised. The eight jars she'd opened, plus the two free ones, only totaled 400,000 Ryo—a mere 24,000 Transaction Points in his system. Was this truly the total remaining wealth of a legendary Sannin and the Senju Princess? It seemed shockingly low, though he remembered well the plight of her desperate debt collectors in the future plot.
"Hah! Hahaha!" Tsunade laughed awkwardly, quickly trying to salvage the situation. She shoved her hands against the floor and leaned aggressively toward Shen Mo. "I'll buy on credit! Give me the jars now, I'll pay you back next week!"
Shen Mo's face instantly hardened. "I sincerely apologize, but that is strictly against our policy. We are a small, cash-only business and do not offer credit."
He was not joking. Tsunade's gambling debts were notorious. To offer her credit would be to guarantee years of fruitless chasing. The very thought made his metaphorical wallet clench.
"Hey, don't be so stingy," Tsunade protested, slapping his shoulder with surprising, stinging force. "Do you not know who I am? I'm Tsunade, one of Konoha's Sannin! Are you truly worried that I, a princess, can't repay a small debt?"
He silently reiterated his stance. I know exactly who you are, and that's precisely why I won't haggle. Shen Mo, shielded by his recently purchased, low-cost Vajra Body Protection Talisman (a negligible 100 TPs), didn't fear her punch.
He shook his head, resolute. No credit.
"Ah," Tsunade huffed, pouting like a child who had been denied candy. She would never stoop to robbery, but the inability to feed her sudden, irresistible obsession was deeply uncomfortable.
"However," Shen Mo continued, sensing the exact moment to pivot. "Our policy allows for alternative payment methods. You can exchange other items: Knowledge, rare components, weapons... anything will suffice. I determine the item's value, and that value is final."
Tsunade's eyes lit up again. "Is that so? You decide the value? How can a civilian like you possibly assess the worth of ninja artifacts?"
"I assure you, I have my methods," Shen Mo replied, allowing a mysterious, knowing smile to touch his lips. "I guarantee a fair price. If you object to the valuation, you are under no obligation to trade." This promise was easy to keep, as his system provided an instant, objective appraisal for any tradable item, listing its content, description, and market-equivalent value in Transaction Points.
"Shizune, show him the loot," Tsunade ordered, crossing her arms over her chest, emphasizing the word 'loot' as if daring him to try and lowball her. Despite leaving Konoha, the two often defended themselves against bandits and low-level rival shinobi—leaving them with a collection of stolen ninja goods.
Shizune, though clearly distrustful of the entire arrangement, returned moments later with a collection of scrolls and a few battered weapons.
"Here," Tsunade sneered slightly. "How much are these worth? All ninja tools, ninja work. Let's see your 'method,' merchant."
Shen Mo, seizing the perfect opportunity for showmanship, raised two fingers, placed them against his forehead, and dramatically intoned:
"Omniscient Eye... OPEN!"
A faint, luminous golden pattern subtly manifested on his forehead, centered between his eyebrows. It pulsed with an alien, indescribable aura of ancient power and nobility.
Tsunade's playful sneer vanished, replaced by a rigid look of surprise. She stared at the pattern, feeling an undeniable, subtle ache behind her own eyes.
Shizune instinctively lowered her head, an overwhelming, primal sense of awe and reverence washing over her. It wasn't the aura of a ninja, but something far older, far more untouchable. You couldn't stare at it; you couldn't disrespect it.
Shen Mo was intensely pleased. He had paid 25,000 Transaction Points for the Eye of Agamotto—not the time-manipulating artifact, but a customized superficial device that simply emitted an aura of profound mystery and power, serving as the perfect, self-justified "appraisal tool."
He proceeded to 'read' the scrolls and weapons, citing the system's objective analysis. "Three ninjutsu scrolls: a C-rank Earth Style: Earth Flowing Wall, a C-rank Earth Style: Earth Splitting Palm, and a B-rank Water Style: Exploding Water Wave. The B-rank jutsu includes highly valuable combat notes from a veteran ninja. Among the swords, only one qualifies as an elite-grade blade. The total value is... approximately 3.6 million Ryo."
The total system value was over 200,000 Transaction Points, far more than Shen Mo had expected. B-rank jutsu, especially with personalized experience, was indeed a highly prized commodity in the shinobi world.
Tsunade remained silent, her expression unreadable. "You didn't even unseal the scrolls. You didn't even touch the swords." She stared deep into his eyes, then slowly reached up to unclasp the simple, large stone necklace hanging from her neck.
"How much," she asked, her voice hollow and quiet, "is this necklace worth?"
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune cried out in genuine distress.
Tsunade ignored her disciple, her focus entirely on Shen Mo. There was a profound, unbearable sadness reflecting in her golden eyes.
Shen Mo looked at the necklace, a simple, dark mineral tied with string, and instantly accessed the core knowledge of the Naruto world. He knew this was the First Hokage's relic, a rare Chakra Crystal that had an infamous history.
Tsunade had gifted it to her brother, Nawaki, who died gruesomely the next day. She then gave it to her lover, Dan Kato, who also died and was nearly beyond the power of her medical treatment.
It was the "Necklace of Death."
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How should he value a priceless relic of the Senju Clan that, to the person holding it, represented nothing but grief and lethal misfortune?