The nearly tangible killing intent made the middle-aged man sober up in an instant, and his anger vanished completely. He stood there trembling with fear, feeling cold all over.
He had no doubt that he would be torn to shreds in the next second. The imagined pain already felt real, and even though it hadn't happened, his whole body felt like it was already hurting.
"Not taking action?"
Naruto glanced at him and thought to himself, 'What a pity, this little jerk was quite a coward.'
At the same time, he was also a little surprised that Ajisai and Yakumo could be so patient.
"If you're not going to do anything, then scram! Don't be an eyesore here!"
"Gulp!"
The sweaty middle-aged man felt as if he'd been granted a pardon. His legs gave out, and he scrambled away on all fours.
No matter how tough he acted, he knew better than to mess with someone truly ruthless. If he didn't leave now, he'd be leaving in a body bag.
"Tch, boring." Naruto sighed and turned back to the two girls standing next to him, "You two, stop looking so stern."
Hearing this, Ajisai seemed to snap out of a daze and swallowed her saliva. As she glanced at the bustling crowd around them, a chill ran down her spine, 'Just now, I almost lost control… I wasn't sure why, but I'd had an overwhelming urge to slaughter that man who'd been standing in front of us.'
"I'm sorry, Master. It's my fault. I was distracted just now." Yakumo said with a smile and walked over to massage Naruto's shoulders.
Ajisai: "…"
Faced with such blatant brown-nosing, she had no words.
It was almost four in the afternoon, and more stalls were popping up around them. The flow of pedestrians had also increased, but after witnessing what had just happened, the nearby vendors noticeably kept their distance.
The three of them stood by their stall, like an isolated little island in the middle of the bustling streets. Ajisai also noticed the strange atmosphere and felt a little complicated.
"They… seem afraid of us?" She asked.
"Of course they are. You two looked ready to eat them alive earlier." Naruto said lazily, " "Though I'll admit, I'm surprised you didn't lose control."
"It's my fault that my level has dropped recently. That guy didn't get angry enough to flip the stall. What do you think? If I'd insulted his mother first, would he have smashed our stuff?"
Ajisai: "…"
Yakumo: "..."
Seeing that no customers approached their stall, Ajisai became a little impatient. While she hadn't come here just to sell fish, but since they were already here, they might as well sell a few.
Just as she was about to ask what they should do, Naruto suddenly raised his voice and started shouting, "Fresh wild blackfish! Perfect for soup or stew… tender, juicy, and delicious! Slice it up with some bitter melon, and you've got a feast! Come take a look… only a bowl of ramen's price per fish."
Ajisai was stunned, and turned to look at Yakumo, who also looked stunned.
Feeling the weight of the crowd's attention, Ajisai suddenly felt embarrassed, 'How can he just yell like that?'
Yakumo was also stunned, but she quickly recovered and immediately pulled out a handkerchief from her arms, chuckled and whispered something to Naruto while dabbing at his forehead.
Ajisai: "…"
But the effect was really good. Two women hesitated for a few seconds but still came over to ask, "Is the fish fresh?"
"Of course, ma'am! Perfect for fish soup, and it's great for your skin too!" Naruto said with a smile.
Naruto had no airs about him. He was sweet and enthusiastic. He kept calling the two women 'sisters' and charmed them effortlessly. His words were like magic, leaving them glowing with delight.
After glancing at the lively blackfish, they each bought two.
"Done." Naruto took the money, narrowed his eyes and sat back down.
The first sale had gone smoothly, and he made 2,000 ryo in one go. He was quite satisfied with the result.
Ajisai was stunned, with her mouth slightly open.
"That's it? They just… bought it?"
"What, you expected a negotiation?" Naruto said without even looking up, "500 ryo is almost like picking it up for free. People in the Land of Hot Water aren't exactly strapped for cash."
"Come, you two try it."
With that, Naruto stood up and gave his seat to Ajisai and Yakumo. While the two girls were still processing his words, he spoke casually, "Just sell them however you want. 500 ryo each. Most of these fish were caught by you two anyway, so there's no point letting them go to waste."
"But… I-I can't do this!" Ajisai was a little nervous. She was afraid that once she saw someone, she would not be able to suppress her urge to kill them again.
"Yeah, you really can't do it, Ajisai, you're too weak." He shrugged, "But if you sell them, the money's yours. Fair deal, right?"
Hearing this, Yakumo beside her was somewhat moved. She knew that Naruto's efforts were just to help the two of them get rid of their suppressed bloodthirsty state.
"Master… we'll give it a try." She smiled brightly.
Naruto turned his head to look at Yakumo, and saw the girl's sunny smile, with clear naivety in her eyes. His face remained impassive as he looked away.
'The gift from fate had already been secretly marked with a price, but these two people didn't know it.'
The whole afternoon passed quickly as they manned the stall. By the time dusk fell, every last fish had been sold.
Naruto threw the basin he brought into a nearby alley and didn't care about it anymore. Under the setting sun, the three of them began to divide the earnings, and stacks of bills rustled in their hands.
"Ajisai, this is yours. Twelve fishes, so it's 6,000 ryo. All yours. Consider it your first paycheck. Oh, and don't forget… you're paying for dinner tonight."
As he spoke, he handed over 6,000 ryo to Ajisai.
"For… me?" Ajisai seemed a little overwhelmed. She'd never expected Naruto to actually give her the money. "But I just sold a few fish… Is it really worth this much?"
"Of course it is. You earned it."
"Thank you, Mas—Master." Ajisai barely caught herself, flustered, "Then… I'll really take it? I…"
"This is yours." Naruto gave Yakumo her share, and she accepted it without hesitation, smiling sweetly, "Thank you, Master."
Naruto couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'What green tea? This is clearly a considerate and good sister. Come one by one, who can resist it?'
"Alright, let's go! It's time to eat!" Naruto raised the remaining thin stack of bills in his hand high, waved it and shouted.
"Yeah!" Both girls cheered, following him as they headed toward the heart of the city.
The sunset blazed like fire descending upon the mortal world, painting the Land of Hot Water in golden hues. Crows perched on power lines, laughter filled the streets, and vendors hurried home with their empty baskets… all blending into a scene as vivid as an oil painting.