Naruto: The Ninja World's Life Buyer

Chapter 177 Kakashi: Times Have Changed

Dinner time.

The lobby on the first floor of Kikyo-kan is filled with the rich aroma of miso and grilled fish.

This was a rare peaceful night in Konoha. No battle reports from the front lines had arrived yet.

Sosuke sat at the head of the long table.

There were no extravagant delicacies. On the table were grilled saury, miso soup, and a plate of pickled cucumbers.

"I'm starting to eat."

Xi Yan clasped her hands together, her voice clear and crisp.

She picked up her chopsticks, opened the fish's belly, took out the tenderest piece of meat, and put it in her mouth.

"tasty!"

Kaori was kneeling beside him, serving soup to Sousuke.

She was wearing loungewear, the sleeves rolled up, revealing her fair forearms. There was a faint scar on her arm, a remnant from a mission she had performed years ago.

"This is fresh fish that just arrived today. It's slow-roasted over charcoal to lock in the juices."

Kaori placed the soup beside Sosuke.

"Boss, be careful, it's hot."

Sosuke picked up the bowl and took a sip.

The warm liquid slid down the esophagus, bringing a sense of satisfaction.

"It tastes great."

Chiba sat to his left, intently working on a saury.

He held chopsticks and, following the texture of the fish, precisely separated the flesh from the bones.

It didn't look like they were eating; it looked like they were performing a mini-surgery.

Chiba.

Sosuke, holding his bowl, watched the boy's actions and couldn't help but speak.

"When eating, you don't have to act like a doctor."

"Mr. Sosuke, fish bones can scratch the esophagus; the risk must be eliminated."

Chiba put a piece of whole fish meat, with all the tiny bones removed, into his mouth.

Maki sat next to him and couldn't help but point out his flaws.

Ryoma sat at the back, eating his meal silently, occasionally sharing the vegetables from his plate with the insects hidden in his sleeves.

After eating for a while, Maki put down her chopsticks, looking somewhat nervous.

"That—Mr. Sosuke."

"Hmm?" Sosuke looked at her.

"Tomorrow is the freshmen's practical assessment."

Maki gripped the hem of her clothes somewhat uncomfortably.

"The school notified us that because this is the first major assessment for freshmen, their guardians are required to attend."

Her voice trailed off at this point.

She was an orphan, so she had no guardian.

"I'll go."

Sosuke did not hesitate.

"I am your boss and your guardian."

"I want to go too!" Yugao raised her hand, a grain of rice still stuck to her lips. "I want to go cheer for Maki-neechan!"

"Okay, let's go together."

Sousuke smiled and reached out to remove the grain of rice from her mouth.

Early morning. Konoha Ninja Academy.

It was bustling with activity. Parents and students were everywhere.

But this wasn't the kind of heartwarming parent-child interaction scene.

"Son, do you remember what Daddy said?"

A simply dressed commoner father is squatting on the ground, organizing his son's ninja tool bag.

"If you encounter any Uchiha clan kids, don't try to fight them with ninjutsu!"

"First throw a flashbang! Then use the wire! Finally, blow up his feet with explosive tags!"

"Even if we lose, we'll make him look utterly humiliated!"

The child, who was only seven or eight years old, nodded vigorously.

-

the other side.

The heads of several wealthy families gathered together, their faces grim.

"This is outrageous!"

A Chunin from the Hyuga branch family watched this scene with a furrowed brow.

"A ninja should be an elite who hones their skills and refines their chakra!"

"What is this? A competition of who brings the most gadgets? A competition of who has the most money? This is an insult to the way of the ninja!"

"insult?"

Beside him, a merchant dressed in expensive silk clothes sneered. He had come to deliver supplies to his son.

"Hyuga-sama, you're mistaken. Your child has Byakugan, but what about mine?"

"We have no bloodline limit, no secret techniques. If we don't rely on equipment, are we just going to throw our lives away? Lord Takaya said that survival is the only thing that matters."

The Hyuga ninja was speechless, choked by the remark.

Sosuke stood at the back of the crowd.

He was dressed in a well-tailored black suit and wore an eye patch over his left eye.

Maki stood beside him, wearing a black combat suit, her ninja tool pouch at her waist a size larger than the other students'.

"It seems that this trend has been fully formed."

Sosuke commented calmly.

"The Ninja Tool School has narrowed the gap between social classes—that's good."

Maki was a little nervous.

"Mr. Sosuke—everyone is looking at me."

Indeed. As a "protégé" of the Takaya Trading Company and an older student, Maki has always been the focus of attention at school.

The ordinary students idolized her, while the children of the wealthy saw her as a thorn in their side—because she represented the possibility of external factors overcoming lineage.

"Let them see."

Sousuke patted Maki on the shoulder.

The exercise began quickly.

This is a real-world assessment.

Maki's opponent is Uchiha Inaho, a genius boy from the Uchiha clan. At the age of eight, he has already awakened the one-tomoe Sharingan and possesses superb taijutsu skills.

"That older sister is definitely going to lose, right?"

"I heard she got in through connections."

"Uchiha Inahi is the number one in this year's competition."

The students around them whispered among themselves.

Uchiha Inaho looked arrogant.

"Hey, big sister. If you admit defeat now, you'll suffer less."

"Although I don't hit women, ninja games are not child's play."

Maki wasn't angry.

She had seen too many Uchiha at Sosuke's shop. She knew that while these people had a sharp tongue, most of them weren't actually bad.

But that doesn't mean she will lose.

Please advise.

Maki pulled two kunai out of her ninja tool bag.

"start!"

At the command of the Chunin teacher.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"

Uchiha Inahi formed hand seals extremely quickly, then opened his mouth and spat out several balls of flame, which spread out like balsam seeds, blocking all of Maki's escape routes.

This is the Uchiha's signature ninjutsu—precise and dazzling.

Maki did not dodge.

She pulled a scroll from her waist and pulled it open abruptly.

"untie!"

Bang!

A huge shield appeared before her.

The flames struck the shield and were blocked.

What?!

'

Dao Huo paused for a moment.

"Why would he carry such a bulky thing around?"

Before he could react...

Maki threw three balls from behind the shield.

"Smoke grenade?"

Inahime activated his Sharingan, preparing to see through the smoke. But the sphere exploded in mid-air, releasing not smoke.

It was a cluster of blinding white light.

[High-intensity flashbang].

"Ah! My eyes!"

Inahisa screamed and covered her eyes. While the Sharingan has strong perception, it is also more sensitive to bright light.

This caused him to be temporarily blinded.

"Now!"

Maki didn't rush in for hand-to-hand combat. She knew her physical skills were inferior to her opponent's.

She pulled out a lightweight crossbow.

[Rapid-fire tranquilizer crossbow].

This type of light crossbow is not very powerful, but it has a fast rate of fire.

shhhhhh!

Three small crossbow bolts coated with anesthetic were fired.

Although he couldn't see the rice fire, he could still locate it by sound. He rolled around in a disheveled manner to avoid it.

He could dodge the crossbow bolts, but he couldn't dodge the things on the ground.

Just now, when Maki unfolded her shield, she casually scattered a handful of black beads on the ground.

Dao Huo stepped on it, instantly lost his balance, and fell flat on his face.

puff.

An arrow struck his buttocks.

The anesthetic takes effect rapidly.

Dao Huo struggled to stand up, but his body grew heavier and heavier.

"You despicable bastard!"

Before he could finish speaking, he fainted.

The entire room fell silent.

The Uchiha genius lost?

They lost to a waiter who only knew how to throw props?

Maki put away her crossbow and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She won.

Although the victory wasn't impressive, and it was entirely due to superior equipment.

But a win is a win.

"Is this... the Ninja Tool Style?"

The looks in the eyes of the other students from wealthy families around them changed.

The way they looked at Maki was no longer mocking, but filled with awe.

If she can defeat the Uchiha, she can certainly defeat them too.

"Winner, Maki!"

The teacher announced the results.

Maki bowed to the unconscious Inahisa, then silently walked off the stage.

She did a quick calculation in her mind. The battle just now had consumed supplies worth three thousand taels.

It was expensive, but worth it. She proved herself and the boss's theory.

In a corner of the playground.

A silver-haired boy wearing a mask was quietly watching all of this.

Kakashi Hatake.

"Is this the new type of ninja that Mr. Sosuke admires? —"

Kakashi's eyes held a complex expression.

As a traditional genius, he instinctively rejected this fighting style that relied on external aids. But he had to admit that it was effective.

If this were a real battlefield, Uchiha Inahi would already be dead.

"Times have truly changed."

Kakashi turned and left.

He should also check out the Tenten Ninja Tools Shop.

Perhaps, equipping your dagger with a few flashbangs wouldn't be such a bad thing.