The air still hummed with the residual shockwave of the halted clash. Sasuke stood amidst the pulverized earth, his chest heaving, his gaze locked on Shen Mo with a raw, agonizing reluctance.
"I lost," he finally admitted, the words tasting like ash. "Even the Sky Fairy's Descent… my ultimate Sword Intent… it wasn't enough?"
His shame was absolute. In terms of pure, measured strength, he was exponentially more powerful than he had been just yesterday. The chasm between his current self and the boy who failed the Bell Test was a canyon. Yet, the gap between his current self and the true masters of the ninja world remained insurmountable. But the Sky Fairy's Descent—the move that had drained him entirely—that was supposed to be the difference-maker.
Shen Mo, the enigmatic proprietor, maintained his composure, his voice a steady, chilling counterpoint to the boy's inner turmoil.
"The power of the Tianwai Feixian is indeed formidable, strong enough that even the Copy Ninja Kakashi would have struggled to deflect it without injury. However, had I not intervened just now, you would be severely, if not mortally, wounded. As for Kakashi? He would, at worst, have suffered a minor abrasion."
"Mortally wounded?" Sasuke's pupils constricted again.
The full weight of his recklessness crashed down on him. In his blind, furious zeal for vengeance, he had poured every ounce of his new power into an attack without considering the defensive consequences. The Sky Fairy's Descent was a technique of absolute offense, an unstoppable force that offered zero protection or recovery. A head-on collision with a master like Kakashi, who was using a concentrated technique like the Chidori…
I really would have died. A genuine shiver of fear, untainted by rage, coursed through the Avenger.
Sarutobi Hiruzen moved swiftly, his movements betraying none of his advanced age. He knelt beside Sasuke, gently helping the boy to his feet and even brushing the dust and grime from the Uchiha crest on his shirt.
"Sasuke," the Hokage said, looking him squarely in the eyes with a paternal warmth. "I understand your deep-seated hunger for revenge. But as this fight demonstrated, a true Shinobi requires more than raw strength. You need combat experience, tactical cunning, and the ability to assess the situation under pressure. You have much to learn from Kakashi, much to integrate."
Sasuke bowed his head, his posture a mixture of shame and fierce reluctance. The lesson had been brutal, undeniable.
Standing nearby, Naruto watched the exchange with a profound, bitter envy. The Third Hokage was showing a level of personal recognition and concern for Sasuke that Naruto had craved his entire life. To Naruto, it was clear: the grandfatherly Hokage was acknowledging Sasuke's power, comforting the recognized genius.
"The Hokage is absolutely right," Shen Mo chimed in, stepping closer with a helpful, yet slightly sinister, smile. "I only intervened because your reckless move demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of the product's capabilities. Consider this a one-time emergency service. If you continue down this path, there will be no more transactions between us. Because you'll be dead."
Hiruzen nodded subtly, relieved that the merchant was reinforcing the critical lesson of caution.
"Therefore…" Shen Mo continued, his voice suddenly shifting, a salesman's irresistible hook replacing the gentle warning, "I strongly recommend you acquire a few sets of our Battle Experience Jars!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's jaw practically dropped beneath his cigar smoke. Experience Jars?
"Jars… for battle experience?" Sasuke repeated, his eyes widening with renewed fervor, the shame instantly forgotten.
"Naturally," Shen Mo affirmed, his confidence radiating. "Never try to guess what's inside the jar. That is the mantra of the Omniscient Chamber of Commerce. Our Battle Experience Jars can instantly grant you years of tactical acumen: how to set lethal traps, how to defeat the strong with the weak, how to execute impossible counterattacks… If your battle experience were superior to Kakashi's, the outcome of today's duel would have been entirely different."
The entire scene—Sarutobi, Kakashi, and even the formidable Tsunade—were momentarily stunned into silence.
Gaining raw strength quickly was one thing; it was dangerous, but conceptually possible. But battle experience? That was forged over decades of brutal, life-or-death struggles, not learned in a classroom or purchased. The idea of acquiring such nuanced knowledge instantly defied all common sense of the Shinobi world.
"Your jars are truly astonishing," Tsunade finally managed to exhale, a tremor of awe in her voice. "Every time I think I have grasped the limits of your wares, something appears that utterly refreshes the boundaries of possibility."
Sasuke, recalling his recent transformation, nodded eagerly. His eyes were once again glazed over with a singular, desperate desire. Jars. I need to buy more jars.
"I want to buy a jar too!"
The sudden, loud shout came from Naruto. He stomped his way into the center of the training ground, his hands balled into frustrated fists. He pointed an accusatory finger at Sasuke.
"This is completely unfair! Just buying one box makes you this strong? That's basically cheating!"
Naruto, for all his idiocy, had correctly assessed the vast, visible chasm that separated Sasuke from the rest of his generation. Even though Sasuke lost to Kakashi, the current Uchiha was strong enough to flatten a hundred Narutos from a day ago. The optimism was gone, replaced by profound, aching despair.
"Hmph," Sasuke scoffed, tilting his head with mocking derision. "These jars cost money, idiot. I have the money. Do you?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep, contemplative drag on his pipe, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. Indeed. Power could now be purchased, but the problem of currency remained. As Hokage, he constantly struggled to extract more wealth from the Fire Daimyō.
The Shinobi life was not one of production; it was supported by the labor of the common folk. Any attempt to simply seize that wealth—to 'kill the chicken for the eggs'—would lead to collective action from other villages to stop the madman who threatened the balance of the economy.
"I... I have money," Naruto insisted, his gaze dropping to the ground, a nervous uncertainty clouding his features. He looked back up at Sasuke. "How much... how much did you spend?"
Sasuke leaned in conspiratorially, delivering the number with relish: "Not much. Two hundred million Ryo."
"Two… two hundred million?!"
Not just Naruto, but Tsunade gasped, instantly recognizing the outrageous sum. Naruto, struggling to comprehend the sheer number of zeroes, was reduced to counting on his fingers.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was caught between two conflicting emotions: surprise that such a vast fortune had been left behind by the Uchiha clan, and a sharp, political suspicion about where exactly that money was kept and who had handled the clan's assets after the massacre.
"In truth," Shen Mo interrupted calmly, sensing the conversation veering too far into simple economics, "the transaction is not purely about money."
He needed to steer them away from the narrow-minded idea of simply trying to earn Ryo to buy jars. He needed to encourage the creation of value.
Why are these ninjas obsessed with just using money? Shen Mo thought, his eyes flicking to Tsunade. She has created revolutionary medical techniques and jutsu. She should be using those skills, developing new medicines, and selling the knowledge back for value! That's how a truly virtuous cycle begins.
Shen Mo felt compelled to offer a powerful, undeniable reminder.
"Tsunade," he addressed her directly. "You should understand that all things possess inherent value. The price of a jar is merely a number, the conversion rate of that value."
He raised his hand and pointed to his own forehead. In an instant, the air shimmered, and a familiar, unearthly image appeared directly before Tsunade's eyes: the majestic, all-seeing, all-powerful Third Eye, radiating an ancient, noble air that spoke of omnipotence.
The faces of the new witnesses—Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kakashi—tightened instantly. Even with Tsunade's prior warning, seeing the terrifying, otherworldly power with their own eyes was a shock that defied preparation.
Especially for Sarutobi Hiruzen. He had been told. Now, he knew. The Jar Merchant was an anomaly that transcended the power structure of the entire ninja world.
The true lesson has been delivered: power is not just for sale, but the currency itself is more than mere Ryo. What value will the Leaf Village now offer to buy the power they so desperately need?