The weather was clear, the autumn air crisp, and Konoha was peaceful as always.
Inside the internet cafe, Sasuke, who couldn't find Ge Liang, asked Haku, "Where is the boss?"
"The boss? Ah, he went to Hidden Sand Village to open a branch."
"Open a branch? Does that mean opponents in the games won't be limited to just Ninja from our Village anymore?"
Among the few games currently available at the internet cafe, *diablo ii* and *the king of fighters 97* have online capabilities.
Because of its dark tones and dark setting, *diablo ii* has not gained popularity among the Ninja; only a few people currently enjoy playing this game.
But *the king of fighters 97* is different.
Its numerous characters, flashy combos, and powerful Finishing Moves are greatly loved by the Ninja.
The Konoha main store currently has over fifty computers, and more than thirty of them are running *the king of fighters 97*.
This level of usage clearly shows the Ninja's fondness for the game.
Since it's a fighting game, Ninja occasionally come to play Challenge Matches.
Regarding this, if both sides agree to the match, Ge Liang doesn't prohibit it; winning or losing depends entirely on one's skill.
However, Ge Liang absolutely forbids anyone from setting up bets.
A private Challenge Match between two parties and setting up large-scale gambling are two different concepts.
Sasuke also enjoys Challenge Matches; he has basically challenged every player in the Village, and aside from Kakashi, Guy, and a few other Jonin, his win rate against other Ninja is very high.
Those he could beat wouldn't fight him, and those he couldn't beat he didn't want to fight, so he was particularly eager for new players to join.
A few days ago, some Chunin and Genin came to the internet cafe, but faced with the price of Ten Thousand Ryo per hour, most backed out, and very few actually paid to play.
Now it's better; as soon as Ge Liang's branch opens, there will definitely be many more opponents.
Honing his skills is one aspect, but more importantly, it's about increasing his battle experience to close the gap between himself and Uchiha Itachi.
He's already decided that once he reaches a certain level of growth, he will leave the Village and find Uchiha Itachi.
Then he would make Uchiha Itachi obediently stay in Konoha and become a mere tool for procreation.
"I hope the boss opens the branch soon; I can't wait."
...In Hidden Sand Village, Ge Liang's branch has already opened, but currently, no customers have come through the door.
This situation is similar to when he first arrived in Konoha; those who didn't understand would see his price, shake their heads, and leave immediately.
He didn't just sit around waiting; besides the Gourd Siblings, he also knows Baki in Hidden Sand Village.
As long as he tells Baki that he has opened a branch here, Baki's loyalty to Sunagakure guarantees he will report it to the higher-ups, and then customers will naturally pour in.
Unfortunately, Baki, like Gaara and the others, is out of the Village on a mission.
There's no choice. Hidden Sand Village lost its source of Gold Dust and paid Konoha a massive indemnity, so Sunagakure now only maintains minimum security.
The remaining Ninja have all gone out to take missions.
Of course, there aren't that many missions available, so some of these people have gone to become Bounty Hunters.
Completing missions from the Underground Exchange also yields a considerable profit.
"Damn it, do I have to go and kidnap the old hag Chiyo?"
Given Chiyo's status, as long as she approves, the internet cafe won't have to worry about customers in Hidden Sand Village.
"Heh, speak of the devil."
Just as Ge Liang was considering whether to kidnap Chiyo, Chiyo appeared right before him.
"I heard you know Gaara?"
Gaara is the Jinchuriki of Hidden Sand Village. The fact that someone from an outside Village knows Gaara must certainly be reported to the Village's higher-ups.
Chiyo's main purpose for coming this time was to see who dared to befriend Gaara.
Although Gaara is not as violent as he used to be, that doesn't change the fact that he is a Jinchuriki.
Everyone in Hidden Sand Village knows that their Village's Seal is imperfect, and there is a risk of the Jinchuriki going berserk.
Therefore, even though Gaara's personality has improved greatly, he still hasn't made any new friends in the Village.
Perhaps only time will allow everyone to slowly accept Gaara.
"I met Gaara in Konoha Village, specifically during the Chunin Exams a while ago."
"So, you are a person from Konoha?"
Chiyo naturally knew when Gaara and Ge Liang met. Her main goal was still to test whether Ge Liang was affiliated with Konoha.
"As you can see, I am merely a merchant, not someone from Konoha."
Ge Liang chuckled, denying Chiyo's assertion.
Hearing this, Chiyo nodded, appearing relatively satisfied.
Of course, this didn't mean Chiyo completely trusted the other party; she needed to continue probing.
"Elder Chiyo, would you like to be my first customer?"
Ge Liang didn't want to continue being tested. He came to Sunagakure to open an internet cafe, not to be a spy.
Ge Liang believed that if Chiyo played the game for just one hour, even if he wanted to close the shop and leave Hidden Sand Village, Chiyo would probably try everything to make him stay.
"You haven't opened yet?"
She looked around. The area did seem quite remote with few pedestrians.
"Then I shall be your first customer."
Chiyo smiled and walked into the shop named 'Internet Cafe' just like an ordinary person.
"Oh? Your shop looks unremarkable from the outside, but who knew it held a different world inside."
Although she said that, Chiyo was actually very surprised internally.
In just one day, Ge Liang had not only set up all the equipment but also completed the renovation. This speed utterly astonished Chiyo.
"It seems Baki was right. This internet cafe is indeed a wondrous place, and you are a wondrous person."
Ge Liang smiled without speaking.
It wasn't surprising that Baki would report the internet cafe's situation to the Sunagakure higher-ups.
The strange thing was that Sunagakure didn't send anyone else to investigate, but instead had Chiyo come to test its authenticity.
Perhaps Baki described the internet cafe as too bizarre, which might have piqued Chiyo's curiosity.
"Ten Thousand Ryo an hour, right? Here!"
Ten Thousand Ryo was small change to Chiyo. After handing the money to Ge Liang, she felt a little impatient.
"First, turn on the computer, and then..."
Ge Liang diligently explained things to Chiyo, and soon Chiyo completely understood.
"In other words, as a beginner player, the first game I should play is *the legend of jin yong heroes*, correct?"
Ge Liang nodded and said, "The reason we have beginner players start with this game is mainly to help them understand the gameplay mechanics, enhance the player's real-world strength, and prove that the games in this internet cafe are absolutely real and effective, not some kind of deception."