Chapter 296: If You Have Feet, How Can You Be Without Silk?

Konoha.

As the ninja clans moved in, the village's development began to stabilize, and everything appeared orderly; the storefronts that the ninja clans had pre-arranged were opening one after another, with an endless stream of noise.

At this moment, on the bustling street, the hot topic of discussion for everyone was who would ultimately land the position of Hokage.

In a barbecue restaurant that had just finished renovations not long ago, several people sat around a stove; among them, a stout man was impatiently flipping the sizzling meat on the grill, his small eyes filled with anticipation.

The few people beside him were holding tea, chatting idly.

"Shinji, is this the barbecue place you were talking about that's insanely delicious? It doesn't look like anything special~"

Kenichi Shimura looked around at the interior decor, finding nothing out of the ordinary; it was just a plain barbecue joint, only a bit more crowded than usual.

"You'll know once you taste it in a bit; the barbecue at Boss Daro's place is truly one of a kind!"

Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, Choji Shinji, eyes fixed on the grill, recommended it highly.

"The owner of this shop is an Uchiha?"

Sipping his tea, the pineapple-haired man sitting opposite him glanced at the fan crest hanging on the wall and asked.

"Ah!"

No sooner had the pineapple-haired man finished speaking than the woman sitting in the corner shrieked as if triggered.

"Minako, this is a public place, keep it down; I can't even hear the ingredients responding anymore~"

Choji Shinji, focused intently on flipping the meat, looked up helplessly at the dazed, decadent woman in the corner and reminded her in a low voice.

"My bad, my bad, I forgot this is a forbidden word for Minako."

Rubbing his temples, the pineapple-haired man apologized.

"Sigh~ I don't know what Uncle Jin'er was thinking, actually letting us accept that debt."

Whenever the Uchiha were mentioned, Kenichi Shimura was filled with rage; when they were ransoming Jin'er Shimura a while back, their Shimura clan had spent a fortune, and in the end, unable to scrape together enough money, they even signed an IOU.

He had thought that after rescuing the person, they could appeal and welsh on the debt, but he never expected that the elders who came out of the Uchiha clan's dungeon would all tacitly choose to accept the debt and state that they would definitely repay the principal with interest.

"Yeah, Minako spent the most; I'm afraid that money won't be paid off in this lifetime~"

Choji Shinji shook his head sympathetically; although their Akimichi clan had also spent quite a bit, it was still within an acceptable range, unlike the Yamanaka clan, which had spent over a billion, right?

"This money was worth spending."

Sasuke Sarutobi, who had been watching the street outside the window, joined in after hearing his childhood friends discussing the topic.

"After Master Takinosuke was captured, he experienced inhuman torture; according to him, his brain had already been damaged at the time, but under the meticulous care of a jailer, he miraculously recovered his sanity."

Recalling the experience his master had shared, a faint light flickered in Sasuke Sarutobi's eyes, and his gratitude toward a certain someone in his heart grew even stronger.

"Grandpa Soichiro is already over seventy, but his body is still very robust."

Yamanaka Minako, perking up slightly, smoothed her withered yellow hair, a trace of a smile appearing on her pale face.

"Besides, those clothes I drew in the lottery sold like hotcakes in the capital of the Land of Fire; many nobles scrambled to buy them, so I managed to recoup quite a bit."

Under Choji Shinji's murderous gaze, Yamanaka Minako picked up a piece of golden, fatty-yet-lean grilled meat with her chopsticks, tossed it into her mouth, and began to savor it carefully.

"Mmm~ Oishii~"

As the tender, smooth, and fragrant meat entered her mouth, a look of surprise suddenly lit up Yamanaka Minako's dim eyes; she covered her small mouth and praised it repeatedly.

"Hmph hmph~ I told you, didn't I? This barbecue place is definitely the best in the ninja world!"

Although his carefully grilled pork belly had been snatched, seeing that Minako was already having such a miserable time, Choji Shinji let it slide.

As long as it wasn't the last piece, it was fine.

"Clatter!"

Kenichi Shimura, who was drinking tea, dropped his teacup the moment he heard Yamanaka Minako's words; even as the scalding tea spilled into his crotch, he didn't feel a shred of pain.

After all, it was too small~

"What, those rags are actually worth that much?"

He stood up and shouted in disbelief.

One had to know that after he brought home the crate of strange clothes he had won, he had immediately chosen to use Fire Style to incinerate them, just to avoid the annoyance of looking at them.

"Yeah, especially those bras and swimsuits with very little fabric; nobles spent huge sums of money to bid on them~"

Licking her greasy, rosy lips, a trace of confusion flashed in Yamanaka Minako's eyes; she still couldn't understand why anyone would spend millions of ryo to buy a bikini only a finger's width wide.

What was the difference between wearing that and being completely naked?

As she spoke, she held up five slender fingers and said with an unreadable tone,

"Just that limited-edition summer bikini went for five million ryo~"

"Damn it!"

Feeling like he had missed out on a fortune, Kenichi Shimura slammed the table hard; his narrow heart was filled with regret at that moment.

Once, there was an opportunity to get rich placed before him, but he didn't cherish it; now, no matter what he said, it was too late for regrets.

Wait!

"I remember, the lottery was 168, 00 per draw, right?"

After calming down, Kenichi Shimura started doing the math in his head, looking at the people in front of him, and asked with a strange expression.

"Yeah, what about it?"

The others were currently calculating how to sell the idle prizes from their clans; they weren't as extreme as Kenichi Shimura, who had reduced the clothes to ashes before even getting home.

"Nothing, nothing, I was just asking~"

With a cunning glint in his eyes and a calm expression, Kenichi Shimura secretly rejoiced in his heart; he had finally found a way to make a fortune.

"Oh, is that so..."

The others who answered all kept their heads down, unable to see each other's expressions, and it was unknown what they were thinking at that moment.

That lottery Uchiha Gin had set up previously guaranteed one limited-edition swimsuit for every ten draws, so that meant 1. 8 million to secure a swimsuit; if they took it to the capital of the Land of Fire, ran some ads, and did some marketing, selling it for three or four million would be easy.

Thus, the people present, each with their own hidden agendas, revealed self-satisfied smiles and began to toast each other, having a grand old time~

【Today is another day full of hope~】

On the bustling streets of Konoha,

Two beautiful figures walked with joyful steps, engaging in their daily shopping activity on the newly emerged commercial street.

On the left was a tall, curvaceous girl with short hair; her black and white hair color made passersby look twice. A youthful smile hung on her pretty face, and the purple mark on her forehead shimmered in the sunlight.

Accompanying her on the right was a serene-looking purple-haired girl; cold yet charming, her long wavy hair made her look like a noble young lady, giving people a sense of being high and unreachable.

On her forehead, there was also a mark identical to the one on the girl beside her, only slightly smaller and lighter in color.

"Sister Zhili, why are you out so early?"

Senju Banka, eyes full of curiosity, tilted her head and asked Uchiha Zhili, who had an unreadable expression beside her.

Today was the day the two women had agreed to go shopping, but usually, Uchiha Zhili would meet her after lunch; today, for some reason, she was much earlier.

"Mother said she isn't cooking lunch and told me to eat out with you."

Uchiha Zhili frowned, recalling the strange way her mother had waved goodbye to her, which made her feel suspicious.

"Uh... that curly-haired baboon said the same thing to me!"

Senju Banka, who was looking at the goods on the street, turned her head in confusion after hearing Uchiha Zhili's words; why did this sentence sound so familiar to her?

"Mr. Gin said that too?"

Uchiha Zhili suddenly stopped walking, her inner sense of unease growing stronger; how could there be such a coincidence?

"Yeah, he went for a night run again last night and fell asleep the moment he got back; he smelled like oysters, it was so pungent."

Making a look of disgust, Senju Banka couldn't help but complain about the curly-haired man who had been drenched in sweat and reeking of a pungent, fishy smell at midnight last night.

"Speaking of which, is the food at the night market really that delicious? Should we go try it too?"

However, since it could make that guy Uchiha Gin visit so many times, that seafood restaurant must have some real skill.

"Mr. Gin has been obsessed with night runs lately?"

Squinting her beautiful eyes, Uchiha Zhili, who felt that things were ten out of eleven parts wrong, asked.

"He goes out every few days anyway."

The carefree Senju Banka, though suspicious, didn't think too much about it; as long as Uchiha Gin didn't stay out all night, she was very relieved.

"Is that so..."

Looking at her honest and simple-minded best friend, Uchiha Zhili sighed inwardly.

They say the one close to the water gets the moon first, so why is this silly Banka so uncompetitive!

If it were her, the child would probably have already awakened the Sharingan by now~

The carefree Senju Banka didn't notice Uchiha Zhili's flushed face at all; the purple-haired girl's cold eyes held a hint of charm, and the corners of her mouth curled into a subtle arc, her thoughts of "riding the master and despising the clan" growing even stronger.

Mr. Gin, the Uchiha clan is very good at seizing opportunities~

"Forget it, let's not talk about that curly-haired baboon; I heard a lot of new shops opened on the commercial street, let's go on a shopping spree today~"

Seeing Uchiha Zhili fall into a strange silence, Senju Banka scratched her head, then grabbed her best friend and walked toward the new commercial area opened by the ninja clans.

The shops along the way had grown exponentially compared to before, and the many novel products left the two women overwhelmed; as they walked, Senju Banka stopped in front of a stall because she had discovered something that interested her.

"Sister Zhili, look, there's a cute doll here!"

With stars in her eyes, Senju Banka waved to Uchiha Zhili behind her, pointing at the fluffy little fox in front of her, and said excitedly.

"Hmm... it has nine tails; it is indeed a bit cute."

Uchiha Zhili walked up, looked at the fiery red little fox placed on the shelf, and nodded in agreement.

"Boss, how much for this fox doll?"

"Sorry, just a moment."

The owner of the stall was a red-haired boy with a somewhat green, reserved face; he pulled back the curtain behind him and shouted inside,

"Grandpa, how much for that Nine-Tails doll?"

"Phew~ Is that you, Gin?"

A voice full of vigor came from behind the curtain, followed by an elderly man with a slightly hunched figure; his graying hair was interspersed with a few streaks of bright red.

"Eh? So it isn't him~"

The old man who walked out was none other than the nearly seventy-year-old Zhouxuan Uzumaki. Now retired behind the scenes, he had left the business to his grandson to manage. Rubbing his slightly presbyopic eyes, he looked at the two young women in front of the stall and asked with some confusion,

"You are Uncle Zhouxuan, long time no see~"

Itama Senju, who was examining a Nine-Tails doll, asked with some surprise after seeing the old man emerge.

"Uh, you're that tag-along behind Gin. I remember you looked just like this the last time I saw you. Being a ninja is really nice; you age slower than us ordinary people~"

Although Zhouxuan Uzumaki was old, his mind was still as clear as a mirror. Looking at Itama Senju, whom he considered an acquaintance, he said with a chuckle,

"Hehe, I see you're still in good health, why have you retired?"

Not expecting to meet an acquaintance, Itama Senju also wore a smile. Pointing at the green youth beside Zhouxuan Uzumaki, she asked,

"Who is this little brother?"

"Zheng Yan, this is an old regular customer of ours. Remember to give her a discount in the future~"

Patting his grandson on the head, Zhouxuan Uzumaki reminded him.

"Hello, my name is Zheng Yan Uzumaki. Please continue to support our family's business in the future~"

Following his grandfather's reminder, the youth tactfully stepped forward to bow.

"I am advanced in years, so the business in the Land of Fire will be left to my grandson to manage from now on."

"A grandson? No wonder he looks so much like you. Then what about your son?"

Her gaze swept across the faces of the old man and the youth. Itama Senju suddenly realized, then clapped her hands and asked with some confusion,

"That rebellious son, Jing Tong, has too impatient a temperament, so I let him watch the shop back home. This kid Zheng Yan has been smart since he was little, so I let him come to the Land of Fire to broaden his horizons so he can inherit my family business later."

Whenever his son was mentioned, Zhouxuan Uzumaki would be full of anger. That brat wouldn't do a proper business and, at his age, still thought about being a ninja every day; he was truly useless. Better to cultivate his grandson.

"Oh, oh, oh~ Then this doll?"

Since it was family business, Itama Senju did not continue to ask. She pointed at the cute Nine-Tails doll, already having a bit of an understanding in her heart.

"A bargain at 9000 ryo~"

"I'll take two!"

"Coming right up~"

After the two women holding the Nine-Tails dolls walked away, Zheng Yan Uzumaki, looking confused, had a face full of hesitation. Watching his grandfather happily counting the banknotes, he finally made up his mind and asked,

"Grandfather, I just checked the price list, that doll should only be 900 ryo, right?"

"Cough, cough, Zheng Yan, today Grandfather will teach you the most important lesson in business."

Clutching the banknotes, Zhouxuan Uzumaki was momentarily choked up after hearing his grandson's words. But considering the boy's youth and ignorance, he chose to pass on the business wisdom he had realized over many years.

Thus, under Zheng Yan Uzumaki's expectant gaze, Zhouxuan Uzumaki put away the banknotes, sat up straight, and spoke slowly with a profound look in his eyes,

"Kill the regulars; the closer they are, the more you must slaughter them~"

"."

"Hmph, hmph~ Finally collected them all. That curly-haired baboon will definitely be very happy~"

Not caring how much the Tailed Beast doll was actually worth, Itama Senju held up the cute Nine-Tails doll and celebrated happily.

"Mr. Gin, he actually likes this kind of creature?"

Stroking the Nine-Tails doll gifted by Itama Senju, Zhili Uchiha asked with an inexplicable tone. In her eyes, this strange Tailed Beast doll shouldn't be within Uchiha Gin's aesthetic, right?

"That's right, that guy often stands in front of the display cabinet, sighing about how the Tailed Beasts haven't been collected yet."

Rubbing the chubby little face of the Nine-Tails doll, Itama Senju had a thoughtful look in her eyes as she exposed Uchiha Gin's strange behavior.

"Is that so... Mr. Gin likes collecting Tailed Beasts..."

Also pinching the round little face of the Nine-Tails doll, Zhili Uchiha had an inexplicable look in her eyes. She then turned to ask Itama Senju beside her: if Mr. Gin really liked them that much, then she...

"I heard that Hashirama Senju and the Clan Leader are currently having a competition to capture Tailed Beasts. I wonder what the true form of these Tailed Beasts is like?"

Zhili Uchiha's knowledge of Tailed Beasts was limited to the level of the doll in her hand. As for how big the real Tailed Beasts were or how strong they were, she still knew nothing.

"Hmm... I heard that Big Brother has already caught two Tailed Beasts and placed them in the forest, but that area has already been placed under martial law by Second Brother, so I can't see them."

Since her identity was already exposed, Itama Senju didn't hide anything and poured out all the inside information she knew to her good friend.

Having played with Tailed Beast dolls for so many years, it would be a lie to say Itama Senju wasn't interested in real Tailed Beasts. When chatting with her Second Brother a few days ago, she had already learned the news that Hashirama Senju had caught a Tailed Beast.

She had immediately proposed to go observe it, but was cruelly rejected by Tobirama Senju on the grounds of danger.

"Stingy! It's a pity the Clan Leader hasn't had any news yet. If he were the one who caught it, he would definitely let us watch it up close~"

Hearing this, Zhili Uchiha whispered a complaint, then brought up Madara Uchiha. Although the Clan Leader had a cold face, he was warm-hearted and loved to show off. If it were a Tailed Beast he had caught, he would definitely ride it and circle Konoha for three days and three nights before being satisfied.

"Hmph~ Big Brother would definitely let me ride the Tailed Beast to play too, unlike Second Brother who is so rigid."

Hearing this, Itama Senju pouted and complained indignantly about Tobirama Senju.

Both women had been kicked out before mealtime. After strolling for a while, they felt hungry and entered a newly opened restaurant to begin their lunch time.

"Enough talk, let's order first!"

The dazzling array of dishes on the menu in her hand made them dizzy. Rubbing her own flat little belly, Itama Senju looked up with a smile and said to the chubby waiter,

"Give me one of everything~"

As a member of the Akimichi clan, the waiter showed a look of surprise. Looking at the slim Itama Senju, he subconsciously confirmed,

"Customer, our shop focuses on value, you..."

"Two of everything!"

After the rich dishes were served, the two women actually felt a bit of guilt. They were eating so sumptuously outside, while they didn't know how their families were eating at home.

"I wonder what Mother/the curly-haired baboon ate for lunch?"

"Pop~"

Accompanied by a heavy panting sound, a sound similar to opening a bottle of red wine came from a room filled with seductive purple.

"Gulp~ Gin-san is as enduring as ever, my jaw is almost dislocated~"

Hearing a gulp, Lady Yongmei, covered in fragrant sweat, lowered her head, her purple hair spilling down. She licked her red, full lips, looked at the man in front of her with watery eyes, and said coquettishly with a thick nasal tone,

"Sorry, I've been a bit busy lately and neglected you."

Uchiha Gin, who had just released a wave, reached out to stroke the fair, tender face of the beautiful woman in front of him, his tone filled with deep apology.

"It's okay, as long as you remember me, Gin-san, I am already very happy."

The lady squinted her eyes, enjoying Uchiha Gin's caress, and replied with great relief.

Uchiha Gin, easily handled by the lady, no longer stood on ceremony. He lowered his head, staring intently at the dripping eyes of Yongmei Uchiha, and with deep affection, resolutely embarked on the journey.

"My lady, you maintain yourself quite well, you even smell fragrant~"

"I have cleaned myself very carefully, you know~"

"Hehe~"

Ps: Several words omitted here~

"Phew~ Gin-san, little Zhili seems to have become smarter lately; she has actually started to suspect me."

After the clouds and rain, the exhausted Yongmei Uchiha had eyes full of satisfaction. Leaning against Uchiha Gin's side, a pair of beautiful feet adorned with purple nail polish swayed mischievously.

"Our relationship has been hidden like this for so long, it's not a solution. Should we tell little Zhili?"

The woman in his arms suddenly stopped her foot movements.

"Let's wait a bit longer. I'm afraid little Zhili won't be able to accept it for a while."

Stroking Yongmei Uchiha's long purple hair, Uchiha Gin smacked his lips unnaturally. Feeling the faint fragrance in his mouth, he asked with a strange expression,

"My lady, you shouldn't have athlete's foot caused by fungus, right?"

"Hmph~ I am very careful about dietary safety. How could something that Gin-san puts in his mouth carry germs~"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's questioning, Yongmei Uchiha at his side immediately exerted force with her beautiful feet and protested with great dissatisfaction.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, I know, I know~"

Uchiha Gin couldn't help but gasp. Looking at the seductive, fair jailer, he said with some embarrassment,

"It's just that I came over without eating lunch. Who told you, this jailer, to look so delicious, making one unable to resist tasting it."

A slightly shy and annoyed Yongmei Uchiha stretched her leg to bring her jade-like foot up, placed it in front of Uchiha Gin, and complained coquettishly.

The snow-white beautiful foot, paired with the seductive purple nail polish, made Uchiha Gin's appetite stir once again.

How could such a delicacy be without the seasoning of Balenciaga? His eyes shifted slightly, and he said with a smile,

"Hehe, next time I'll bring you a little gift, my lady. Feet without silk always feel a bit bland."

(End of chapter)