Chapter 367: Making a Fortune
Land of Bears.
Hoshigakure (Village Hidden Among Stars).
"The Hoshikage has issued a mission: we are to respond to the call of the Shinobi Alliance and support the construction of the new ninja concepts," Natsuhi announced to the ninjas gathered below.
"Yes, Lady Hoshikage!"
The ninjas responded in perfect unison. It was clear they had been working hard to revitalize the village over the past few years. With the guidance and healing provided by the First Hoshikage's occasional appearances, the side effects of practicing the Mysterious Peacock Method had been reduced to an absolute minimum, no longer threatening their health.
"These were imported from the Land of Fire. Take them and study them; this is a golden opportunity for our village to transform," Natsuhi said as she had subordinates bring out stacks of books. She handed a copy to every ninja.
The title read: "New Ninja Concepts".
To popularize these new ideas, she had spent a significant portion of the village's funds. She hoped to use this revolution to develop Hoshigakure. Even without the direct guidance of the First Hoshikage, she was prepared to catch this new wind of change as quickly as possible.
On the sea, a distance away from the Land of Fire.
Between two massive islands, a giant suspension bridge connected the landmasses. On the peak of the left island, buildings were scattered amidst the cliffs. This was Nadeshiko Village.
"Partners! The village is responding to the Shinobi Alliance's call to actively participate in the reforms of the World Hunter Association," Nadeshiko Shizuka announced, wearing the leader's robes of her village.
After all this time, she had established firm control over Nadeshiko Village and successfully changed the mindsets of many villagers. The old, restrictive traditions were slowly being unsealed. With the establishment of the Hunter Association, she saw a fresh breeze that could completely modernize the village.
"Respond to the call! Capture men!" a voice shouted from the crowd.
"Idiot! I said we're going to participate in the Sea Hunter examination! We are experts in that field. We'll secure our place there and use our professional status to attract more men to join us," Shizuka corrected.
"Uh... right. Exactly that." She felt like something was slightly off with that logic, but then again, it wasn't technically wrong.
Konoha.
Training Grounds.
"Oh yeah! Lee, Neji, look at this! Hehehe, I bet you guys don't have one!"
Tenten waved a newly acquired certificate in front of them, her grin wide and unstoppable.
"What is that?" Rock Lee, who was currently doing handstand push-ups, looked over at her. Neji did the same.
Due to the Fourth War, both felt a deep lack of power and had committed themselves to intense daily training. Lee, in particular, was full of passion after witnessing Guy-sensei's "Peak of Youth." They had heard of the new concepts but hadn't looked into the details.
"This is a One-Star Weapon Hunter license! With this, my ninja tool shop will definitely see better sales," Tenten said proudly.
Many of the tools she had invented had been officially recognized by the Hunter Association—and in large quantities. Thus, she earned the One-Star certification. It was a shame, however, that the Association told her that to become a Two-Star Weapon Hunter, she'd need to develop a tool with massive global influence.
She had asked for examples; they told her she'd need something on the level of Tonbo-sensei's five Genjutsu musical tools, the Six Paths tools, or a collection of legendary items of similar magnitude. That was incredibly difficult.
A Triple-Star Weapon Hunter was even more exaggerated. One would need to achieve a historical breakthrough in the research of ninja tools. She felt it was nearly impossible. But she also knew that a Triple-Star rank required "World-Class Influence" to achieve. She couldn't even imagine how to reach that level!
"What? You can sell that for money?" Might Guy appeared, also walking on his hands. He perked up at Tenten's words. Training the body required money. He went through those green, breathable jumpsuits like crazy, and they weren't cheap. With missions being scarce, he needed a new income stream.
"You can't sell the card itself, but with this, you get favor from corporations and mission priority!" Tenten laughed. Currently, she was the only one in the squad who had one, and it felt great.
"Yoshi! Lee, our squad's mission has arrived! We're going to go get these 'ninja licenses' right now!"
"Is that okay, Guy-sensei?"
"Of course! This is our youth!"
"Right! Let's go there on our hands!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Two green blurs blurred past, hand-walking into the distance.
"Tenten, I'll go take a look too," Neji said.
"Wait, I'm coming with you!" Tenten chased after them.
Entrance of the Konoha Hunter Association.
Two green figures and one white figure walked out with somber expressions.
"Guy-sensei, did you pass?" Tenten asked as she walked up. Seeing their calm faces, she assumed they had succeeded.
"Waaaaah!"
Suddenly, Guy and Lee grabbed each other and burst into tears. "Tenten... we failed! Waaaaah!" Tears flowed like rivers.
Tenten ignored the strange looks from bystanders and looked at Neji. "What about you, Neji? Surely you passed?"
"I failed. The examiner said my 'ability' wasn't enough," Neji said, stunned. "A One-Star rank is a title given to those who have achieved great things or left a legacy in a specific field. I didn't meet the criteria."
Neji hadn't expected that he, a "genius," would be outranked by Tenten. However, seeing that Guy-sensei and Lee also failed made him feel slightly better.
"That's not right. Even if Lee didn't meet the requirements, Guy-sensei definitely should have?" Tenten said suspiciously.
Lee looked up. "Oh, right! Guy-sensei, why did you fail?"
"Perhaps my youth hasn't reached the required standard yet," Guy wept. He felt he had failed his youth.
"Guy-sensei, what category did you apply for?"
"Category? Beast Hunter. I am the Sublime Blue Beast of Konoha, so I chose that. Is there a problem?"
"Guy-sensei, you're just like me! Amazing!"
"Amazing my foot! You guys picked the wrong category!" Tenten yelled, veins throbbing on her head.
Konoha Back Hills.
A massive lake reflected the sun and sky like a mirror. Two fishing rods were propped up over the water. The surface sparkled. Under the shade of a tree, two figures sat perfectly still.
Behind them, a stealthy Yamato poked his head out of the grass. Seeing Orochimaru lift his rod in the distance, Yamato quickly ducked back down.
"I really didn't expect such a constructive suggestion. It's truly an eye-opener," Orochimaru said, looking at the hook where his bait had vanished. "I wonder if I could get a Triple-Star title if I took the exam."
"If you spend more time on research, you might reach Triple-Star. For now, I'd guess you're a Double-Star," Tonbo Tobitake chuckled. "After all, even Tsunade's Medical Hunter rank is only pegged at Double-Star. Well... if you have some hidden abilities you're not telling me about, then disregard that."
If everyone reached the top immediately, there would be no point in creating the Association. But even if they did, Tonbo didn't care—his book was selling like crazy. He was making a fortune. Every day, a massive amount of gold was pouring into his accounts.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!