"Wow, it's so lively!"
Stepping into Little Fatty Beef Hotpot City, Karura looked around at the brightly lit halls and the sea of people, her face filled with surprise. You would never see a scene like this in Sunagakure.
"This place is actually an entertainment complex. Because its most famous attraction is Little Fatty Beef Hotpot—and that was also the first thing it offered—it ended up being named Little Fatty Beef Hotpot City.
"It includes countless forms of entertainment. Food is just one part of it. There are artificial hot springs, amusement parks, and much more. If you're just here to relax and have fun, you can find everything you want here."
Tamura Zairo said with a smile. In any world, money was an incredibly powerful tool, and as long as it was managed properly, it could snowball endlessly.
Of course, the key was self-restraint—never be too greedy.
As a certain tycoon from his previous life had once said: truly successful businessmen only take limited profits. Only then could wealth flow endlessly like living water.
Tamura Zairo had taken that lesson to heart. Employee benefits were generous, facilities were high-quality, staff service was excellent, and—most importantly—the quality of the food was strictly controlled.
That was the core of his competitiveness in the food and entertainment industry, something others simply couldn't imitate even if they tried.
At that moment, a uniformed young woman approached and handed over a thick booklet, smiling as she explained:
"Sir, Miss, this booklet contains detailed explanations and illustrations of all the entertainment projects in our complex. You can use it to familiarize yourselves with everything we offer.
"There are service staff stationed throughout the complex. If you need anything, you may contact them at any time, or you can ask any of the ninjas nearby for help. Our complex has long-term task postings at the Raikage Tower—ninjas within the village can accept requests from anyone here and will be compensated afterward according to the task's difficulty.
"Of course, all of this is free for guests. You can enjoy yourselves here with complete peace of mind. We wish you a wonderful time."
She was one of the greeters, responsible for observing incoming guests and approaching those who were clearly visiting for the first time to provide guidance.
Naturally, she was only one of many. The complex saw enormous traffic—there were eight entrances alone.
"So thick!"
Looking at the hefty booklet, even the usually aloof Pakura couldn't help but glance at it.
"There's even a system like this?"
Rasa was secretly astonished. Though the explanation had been brief, the information it revealed was substantial. One could easily imagine how terrifying this entertainment complex's money-making power must be.
"So many ninjas!"
Karura looked around and finally noticed that many people were wearing forehead protectors. And this was only the first floor. From outside, she had seen that the complex had dozens of floors—just how many people and ninjas must there be?
"Being a ninja is an extremely stressful profession. That's why entertainment projects like these are necessary for daily relaxation. This place is very popular among the village's ninjas,"
Tamura Zairo explained.
The mental pressure ninjas endured was truly immense. Just look at Hatake Kakashi in the future—he would end up relying on those kinds of novels just to numb himself.
"Come on, I'll take you to eat Little Fatty Beef Hotpot. It's not the best food in the entire complex, but it's definitely the most distinctive.
"There's a huge variety of ingredients, so everyone can find something that suits their taste. It's the best choice for first-time visitors."
He waved them along and led the three toward the Little Fatty Beef Hotpot restaurant, which occupied the entire second floor. It was extremely popular—nearly full—and was the most beloved dining option in the complex due to its unbeatable value for money.
Little Fatty Beef Hotpot was essentially an all-you-can-eat hotpot, but with much higher-quality ingredients—especially freshness. Nothing was ever kept overnight.
Of course, leftover ingredients were never wasted. Staff were allowed to buy limited amounts at half price, and some were sold at half price to ninja beast breeders. The remaining quantities were strictly calculated each day to avoid excess.
An hour later, Rasa and the others were soaking in a mixed-gender hot spring, their bellies slightly bulging.
Naturally, they were wearing bathrobes.
"The Raikage's son was right. Being friends with Zairo-kun really is enjoyable!"
Karura said contentedly, enjoying the soothing warmth of the hot spring water.
She had eaten happily and was now soaking happily. There were still plenty of entertainment projects to enjoy afterward.
She truly wished that something like this could also be built in her village.
Rasa and Pakura were also satisfied and relaxed—such an opportunity to unwind was rare.
"Life only lasts a few decades. What matters most is being happy,"
Tamura Zairo said, savoring a sip of fruit juice.
In truth, he didn't come to this complex very often. One reason was that his focus was on cultivation. Another was that it was quite far from where he lived.
Besides, there was a snack street near his apartment, where he usually ate.
"Are you all bloodline ninjas or secret-technique ninjas?"
Tamura Zairo suddenly asked, causing all three to tense up.
Ninja intelligence was confidential.
Tamura Zairo paid no mind to their reactions and continued:
"To be sent as representatives to another village, one must at least be a jōnin. But you're all still very young. To become jōnin at your age, your talent must be outstanding.
"Ordinary elemental ninjutsu wouldn't be enough. You must be either bloodline ninjas or secret-technique ninjas."
To be honest, becoming a jōnin in one's teens was extremely rare—true genius-level talent.
Someone like Hatake Kakashi, who became a jōnin at twelve, was a genius among geniuses. If not for being dragged down by the Sharingan and suffering a mental collapse, his future achievements would definitely not have been low—surpassing his father wouldn't have been a problem.
Rasa, Pakura, and Karura were undoubtedly geniuses as well. Rasa, in particular, would later suppress the One-Tail single-handedly—an unquestionable Kage-level powerhouse.
This explanation made the three realize that their intelligence hadn't leaked—it had simply been deduced.
"I'm a secret-technique ninja,"
Karura admitted calmly, though she didn't elaborate.
She specialized in the Sand Manipulation Secret Technique created by the Second Kazekage, using chakra to refine and control sand in combat. While it was far inferior to the Magnet Release of the Third Kazekage or Rasa in terms of scale and range, it surpassed them in fine control.
"I'm a bloodline ninja,"
Both Rasa and Pakura admitted as well. Since he had already deduced this much, there was no need to hide it.
Of course, they still wouldn't reveal any further information.
"I really envy you bloodline ninjas,"
Tamura Zairo sighed sincerely.
This was genuine envy.
The lower bound of talent for bloodline ninjas was far higher than that of ordinary ninjas—high enough to form powerful clans.
In the ninja world, bloodline ninjas ranked at the top, followed by secret-technique ninjas, and only then those who cultivated ordinary elemental ninjutsu.
Pure elemental ninjutsu was at a severe disadvantage when facing bloodline limits and secret techniques.
Just look at the Third Hokage—he possessed all chakra natures and mastered countless jutsu, yet among the Five Great Villages' Kage, his strength was only middling.
Among bloodline ninjas, the highest tier was the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, with both an extremely high lower bound and upper limit—far beyond what ordinary ninjas could reach.
Someone like him, who had nothing at all, could only look up in admiration. Wanting to surpass them was incredibly difficult—even now, he had little idea how.
The three all noticed this envy, and couldn't help recalling what the Raikage's son had said.
Perhaps this person's ninja talent really was quite ordinary.
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