Chapter 110 – I've Been Drinking It Since I Was a Kid
A warm breeze brushed past.
Peach blossoms bloomed in clusters.
Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke sat on the ground in a small circle.
"Why did you call me here?"
Sasuke's face was cold as he looked at the pair opposite him.
Naruto picked up a piece of fried shrimp and held it to Hinata's lips.
She obediently opened her mouth, bit, and began to chew.
"Sasuke, have some—don't stand on ceremony."
Naruto pointed at the food on the picnic cloth. "We'll talk while we eat."
"…"
Sasuke couldn't be bothered watching the two of them; he lowered his head and tackled the dinner on the table.
"I'm planning to open a cola shop."
Feeding Hinata, Naruto said, "Main product's cola—you've both tasted it. You know how addictive it is. It'll be a hit."
"What's that got to do with me?"
Sasuke lifted his head and shot him a glance.
Am I here just to eat dog food?
Damn it.
Sakura, come save me.
"I want you to buy in as a partner."
Naruto looked at him and shook his head.
You're living so free and easy now—do you realize you'll be paying a mortgage someday?
I'm giving you a chance and you're wasting it.
One of the strongest Ninja in the world, reduced to this.
That's it?
And you still keep shouting about strengthening the Uchiha?
"Opening and expanding a shop needs capital. I know you've saved quite a bit, but money doesn't breed money; one day you'll run out. So take part of it and invest."
Sasuke was a little surprised, but Naruto was right.
"Fine, we'll do it your way."
He had no head for business anyway; even if he lost money, he could live with it.
A Ninja as strong as he was could earn it back on a single mission.
Consider the investment payback for a friend.
"Count me in too."
Before Naruto could ask, Hinata had already answered eagerly.
Silly girl.
I could sweet-talk her into bankruptcy.
Naruto smiled and pinched her soft cheek.
"Naturally, you're not getting out of it either."
Sasuke frowned.
He felt like he was only there to make up the numbers.
"Anything else? If not, I'm off to train."
"Hold on—I'm not done. The three of us will invest and split profits three-three-three. The remaining share goes to the guy supplying the ingredients. Sound good?"
"No problem."
Sasuke didn't understand business; he only knew one rule: put in money, take a cut of the profit.
"By the way, when are you going to fight me?"
"Next time—definitely next time."
"…"
Sasuke tugged the corner of his mouth.
He wasn't stupid.
He could hear the perfunctory tone in Naruto's voice.
With a cold snort he turned and left.
"Guy moves fast—was gonna ask him to run an errand."
Naruto turned to Hinata.
She was staring at him without blinking.
"What are you looking at?"
Naruto rubbed his face, pondering. "Have I gotten even more handsome?"
Hinata burst into laughter, then nodded quite seriously.
Naruto scratched his head. "You're making me embarrassed."
"After we finish, let's hit the street and scout shop locations."
"Okay."
Hinata opened her mouth. "Ah—feed me."
[Congratulations, host, for achieving 'Oath of the Peach Garden'—one common draw obtained.]
Naruto's hand feeding her froze for a second, then resumed.
System, are you stirring trouble?
Oath of what, now?
I treat Hinata as my wife and you treat her as my sworn brother?
Another thought struck Naruto.
Sasuke's actually a few months older than him.
No—even if they were ranking, Sasuke could only be second brother.
If he disagreed, well, Naruto had fists the size of sandbags.
Naruto blinked.
Next time Sasuke acts cocky and gets beaten, Naruto could shout the line:
"Impossible! My second brother is invincible!"
After dinner Naruto took Hinata for a stroll.
Konoha's nights weren't very lively.
It didn't matter—they were here to check out real estate.
Naruto looked at several spots.
If you wanted to make real money, one shop wasn't enough.
He was going to blanket the whole of Konoha.
Cola suited young and old alike.
And his version was healthier and tastier.
As for staffing, he'd leave that to Hinata.
The Hyuga were a large clan; not every member had the talent to be a Ninja.
Hiring a few people would be easy.
With Hinata as the guarantor, reliability was a given.
Only the leasing was a bit troublesome.
Naruto had his eye on five storefronts.
North, south, east, west, and center—one in each direction of Konoha.
The other four were simple enough.
Thanks to the Hyuga heiress's face, negotiations didn't take long.
The last one sat next to the Hokage Building and belonged to the village.
"See you later, Hinata."
Outside the Hyuga gate, Naruto waved, ignoring the Byakugan glares of the two guards.
He used to care about the clan's strict rules.
Now, spiriting Hinata away late at night was routine.
The next day.
Naruto arrived at the Hokage Building.
His special status meant no one blocked his way.
"Tsunade big sister!"
Seeing the office door open, he dashed straight in.
Tsunade was asleep on her desk.
"Ah—no! I wasn't slacking off!"
She jerked awake, character marks on her cheek. Realizing it was Naruto, she relaxed. "Oh, it's you—I thought it was Shizune."
How tragic!
Naruto mourned for her.
He glanced at the three towering stacks of documents in front of her. I'd never accept the Hokage seat—kill me first!
"Naruto, what do you need?"
Tsunade propped her chin, fighting to keep her eyes open.
"Here's the thing, big sis—I want to open a drink shop and rent Number 996 Hokage Street."
"A drink shop?"
Tsunade blinked, her drowsiness fading. "Shouldn't you focus on training and missions? Why open a shop?"
"Gotta make money—nothing to be ashamed of."
Naruto said earnestly, "Master Jiraiya keeps borrowing from me—what can I do?"
"Hmph, that bastard Jiraiya!"
A tic mark throbbed on Tsunade's forehead; she didn't doubt him for a second.
Jiraiya was absolutely capable of it.
"Don't worry, sis—Hinata will hire people to run the shop. It won't get in the way of real work."
Naruto explained.
He was still a kid and a Ninja; in Tsunade's eyes, running a shop was a waste of time.
He had no intention of actually minding the counter.
Tsunade gave him a half-smile.
Not even married yet and already living off his wife, huh?
"If that's the case, fine—the house is sitting empty anyway."
She pulled out a contract, signed it with a flourish, and tossed it to him.
"Thanks, sis!"
Naruto pocketed the contract and added, "One more thing—I'd like you to be our drink's endorser. No hassle—just let us print your image on the can and one catchphrase."
"Oh? That's rare."
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
She knew what an endorser was; the Ninja Worldhad its celebrities.
"What catchphrase?"
"I've been drinking it since I was a kid."
Naruto grinned. "It shows the Hokage loves the product and gives it a sense of heritage. We'll pay endorsement fees, of course."
Tsunade's eyes lit up. "How much?"
Naruto raised two fingers. "Two million for permanent rights to your likeness and the line."