In response to Shen Mo's subtle prompt, Tsunade merely gave Kakashi a pointed look, a clear sign that her reserves of Ryo were depleted.
"Open it!" Kakashi's voice was strained, a tight mix of rising excitement and sheer terror. Having witnessed Tsunade's successful job change, his hope for Rin and, by extension, Obito's resurrection, was acutely palpable.
"Alright," Tsunade agreed, confirming their arrangement once more: "The first resurrection item that appears will go to you, Kakashi."
Though Tsunade still held the desire for Nawaki's return, the intense, soul-crushing anxiety she previously felt was gone. She now possessed the Holy Light Seed—the undeniable proof that achieving resurrection was simply a matter of time and persistence, not a futile battle against irreversible fate.
"So, ten Tier Three Paladin Special Jars," Shen Mo confirmed, turning to Kakashi. "The payment will proceed as previously agreed: the transfer of Ninjutsu memory and usage experience?"
"Yes!" Kakashi affirmed, his acceptance sealing the transaction.
Shen Mo waved his hand. Kakashi felt another profound, psychic void as the memory of countless hours of training and technique mastery—a significant portion of his identity—was erased, the mental space becoming cold and blank. The cost for these ten Tier Three Jars was steep: 50 million Ryo, equivalent to three million Trade Points of his remaining unique knowledge.
Ten colossal, pure white jars materialized on the ground.
"Pure white jars?" Sasuke stared at the size and color with fascination. "These are the special Paladin Series Jars. What makes them different from the standard Tier Three jars?"
Tsunade, too, looked at Shen Mo. She knew the resurrection probability was higher, but surely that wasn't the only difference.
"The jars are right here," Shen Mo replied with a knowing smile, offering no further explanation. "You'll understand as soon as you open them."
"Then let's proceed," Tsunade announced, her hands outstretched in anticipation. Before touching the jar, she placed her hands over her chest, closing her eyes in a quiet moment of focus.
"May the Holy Light protect me," she murmured. The action was purely subconscious, a spontaneous affirmation of the hope now rooted in her heart.
Shen Mo sighed inwardly, already predicting the worst. Prayer rarely overrides the randomness I programmed in.
As expected, the jar Tsunade chose to open first yielded the worst possible result.
CRACK!
The contents were not a magical artifact, but a thick bundle of new paper currency, neatly bound.
One Million Ryo.
"Why in the world is there money in a Tier Three jar?!" Tsunade's fists clenched, veins bulging, her face a mask of betrayed fury.
"It truly doesn't get any worse than that," Shen Mo said, unable to fully suppress his own amusement. Following the principle of "Big prizes need big garbage," he had included a couple of joke prizes, including this exact amount—the cost of a Tier One Jar—to heighten the tension. He just hadn't expected the client to pull it on the very first try.
"Let's... just move to the next one," Kakashi interjected, his voice shaky. He was now facing the existential dread of spending his limited, irreplaceable memory for nothing. He had only enough memories remaining for maybe two more sets of Tier Three Jars before his effectiveness as a ninja would be severely compromised.
Tsunade, now deeply annoyed, tore into the second jar.
Fortunately, it was not money, but a glowing blue sphere of light.
"Explain this," Tsunade demanded, holding up the sphere.
"That is a Power-Enhancing Aura," Shen Mo clarified. "The Paladin is a combat class, so these Auras are common drops. They come in four types—Strength (Red), Speed (Yellow), Stamina (Green), and Spirit (Blue). Each type enhances the corresponding attribute. Since they are common, this is considered a minor, but useful, prize."
Tsunade considered this. A Tier Three enhancement would have to be incredibly potent, possibly ten times the strength of a Tier Two item.
"Furthermore," Shen Mo added, anticipating her thoughts, "each of these spheres subtly increases the overall intensity of your Holy Light. Therefore, only you can absorb and utilize them."
Since leveling up through combat was impossible, these Auras served as the primary method for artificially increasing her Paladin Level. Though disappointed she couldn't share the buffs, Tsunade was pleased she could enhance her core spiritual power. She absorbed the blue sphere instantly.
The second, third, and fourth jars all yielded various colored Aura Spheres.
Then, the fifth jar shattered.
After an initial flash of intense white light, a massive, imposing shape materialized. The object was a giant cross, carved with intricate, glowing patterns and radiating a dull, fluorescent light.
Its vertical arm was significantly longer than the horizontal arm, which was thickened at the ends, and the bottom of the long arm featured a perfect grip groove—clearly designed as a weapon.
The sheer size exceeded the jar's capacity, towering over them.
"Behold: God's Grace!" Shen Mo announced, his voice filled with genuine enthusiasm. "This is a premium drop—a piece of Paladin Special Equipment! It is worth 80,000 Trade Points. It grants you an 80-point increase to Strength and a 30-point increase to Stamina. It also comes imbued with the skill Judgement, which consumes Holy Light to briefly induce paralyzing fear in enemies!"
"A Paladin's weapon..." Tsunade's eyes gleamed as she reached out and gripped the weapon. She felt an immediate, tremendous surge of power and heft. "It is incredibly powerful! Does it strike like a hammer? I must test its power!"
She inhaled sharply, letting out a bellowing shout, and brought the gigantic, cross-shaped weapon—nearly as tall as she was—down with cataclysmic force.
BOOM!
The forest clearing shuddered. Mud, rocks, and debris were flung over ten meters into the air. When the dust settled, a massive, crater-like pit, easily three meters deep, marred the earth.
Sasuke and Sakura stared in stunned silence. The sheer, untamed physical force displayed was terrifying. She had instantly changed the terrain; had the cross struck a human, they would have been reduced to nothingness before they could scream.
"What a glorious weapon!" Tsunade crowed, utterly delighted. She swung the cross a few more times, creating powerful gales of wind. "It feels perfect. I was clearly meant to wield a war-hammer!" After a moment, she skillfully pulled a thick rope from her gear, securing the massive cross to her back.
This single Tier Three Paladin Jar—the fifth one opened—had contained a rare, specialized piece of equipment. The difference between the standard and the specialized jars was now terrifyingly apparent, making the remaining jars exponentially more tempting.