With Tsunade's experience, she could already imagine what kind of miracles could happen if that Elixir of Life existed in large enough quantities.
Immortality?
Rapid healing?
Maybe even invincibility?
Her gaze toward Takuya had already changed.
Someone who could bring out something like that couldn't possibly be just an ordinary merchant.
"You've got some real tricks up your sleeve, kid." Tsunade swirled the bottle in her hand. "Mind telling me where you got these jars from?"
Kid to "bro"—yep, this fountain water shook her more than he expected.
Thoughts flashed through Takuya's mind, but his smile didn't waver. "Sorry, that's a trade secret. We signed a contract—can't disclose it."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly.
We?
So there's more than one seller.
Her brain automatically went to: some mysterious organization might be scheming behind the scenes.
But then—
"Never mind. I was just asking. Just asking." She emphasized it twice, like trying to convince herself.
After all, she'd already left Konoha.
What happens in the world had nothing to do with her anymore.
Takuya noticed her forced smile and the gloom in her eyes.
Right—this Tsunade was still deep in her depression phase.
Losing both her little brother and lover had wrecked her.
"Well then, I'll be going."
Takuya deliberately pulled out a rope and started slowly tying up the remaining eight jars, acting like he was ready to leave with them strapped to his back.
"Wait."
Tsunade's voice rang out as expected.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Takuya smiled inside and looked up. "Is there something else you need, miss?"
"You're carrying so many jars—looks like a hassle. How about selling me the rest for cheap?" Tsunade stared eagerly at the remaining jars.
Yup.
She might want to stay out of trouble, but her curiosity toward the jars was burning.
If there's an Elixir of Life, who knows what else might be in there?
That unknown—that gamble—that was a huge part of the jar's allure.
"Afraid there's no discount." Takuya declined firmly, still wearing an apologetic smile. "That's policy. In fact, even for those two jars earlier, I have to pay the full price out of pocket when I get back."
Never open the discount door.
Once it starts, it never stops.
He had to keep up the branding: Just a middleman. I've got perks and a bit of power, but I don't make the rules.
"Tch." Tsunade looked annoyed, but didn't push it. She raised her hand dramatically. "Shizune, pay him."
"But, Lady Tsunade..." Shizune hesitated.
Tsunade had racked up massive gambling debts. All she had left was basic living money.
"It's fine! These jars are worth it!" Tsunade waved the bottle again, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Jar Allure #2:
You're not losing!
Every item feels like it has some value. No one stops to think, "Hey, do I actually need this crap?"
Takuya knew.
Tsunade was in.
"You're helping me out big time," Takuya said cheerfully as he accepted the money from Shizune. The system confirmed the transaction, and he pushed the jars forward. "Mind if I watch while you open them? If anything rare pops up, I can explain."
Tsunade nodded without a care, then smashed one down.
Smack.
Another 10,000 ryo?
She frowned. Next one.
This time, it was a bag of powder.
"This is powdered water hyacinth root, worth around 30,000," Takuya explained right away. "Mix it with a certain mugwort stem extract and you can brew a strong sleeping agent called Water of Life and Death—odorless, colorless, highly effective."
From the Harry Potter world.
Actually—
Out of these eight jars, five were filled with potions or herbs from Harry Potter.
Healing potions, petrification agents, and the priciest: a tiny vial of Veritaserum he claimed was worth 80,000.
In truth, each item was only worth about 10,000 ryo in the system—roughly 600 Trade Points. Just enough to meet the one-fifth minimum trade ratio.
"Hit the jackpot!"
Tsunade's excited shout and Takuya's smug inner joy hit at the same time.
"Such amazing potions and herbs."
Her face was flushed with excitement as she looked at Takuya.
For once, Lady Tsunade wasn't losing.
"You really have luck on your side." Takuya praised her without hesitation, just the right amount of awe in his eyes. "Even for a medical jar batch, pulling this many valuable items is rare."
"Hahaha!"
Tsunade laughed loudly, zero elegance, then smacked open the last jar.
Inside—
A book.
Here it is!
Takuya's eyes narrowed slightly.
This was the real gift.
"What's this?" Tsunade picked it up and flipped it open. "On the Application of Chakra in Cellular Regeneration."
"This one!?" Takuya burst into acting mode, eyes wide. "That's a medical ninja's holy grail! They say anyone who collects the full series can become the greatest medical ninja of all time!"
"The greatest, huh?" Tsunade side-eyed him and scoffed. "Tch."
She was already one of the best.
Probably the most useless pull so far.
She skimmed a few lines—
Then—
Her expression shifted.
"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune whispered, but Tsunade lifted her hand to silence her.
The room fell silent.
Only the sound of pages turning remained.
This book...
So many of the theories inside matched her own research—perfectly.
And more—detailed supplements and explanations she had never seen before.
Takuya just smiled.
In truth—
This book's author was Tsunade herself—fifteen years from now. It was a future medical publication Takuya pulled from the system.
He'd trimmed it to include only a small section.
And he even spent extra points to scrub out any names or dates.
Because, hey—if you're gonna hustle with system support, make it clean.
"Where's the rest?"
Tsunade was fully immersed but then realized it stopped short.
Just ten pages or so.
For a top-tier medical ninja like her, it was maddening.
"It's part of a series," Takuya shrugged helplessly. "Only shows up in the medical jar batches. Collecting the full set is really tough."
Jar Allure #3!
Collection!
Just like those waifu gacha games—
One copy? Useless.
Two? Still weak.
Three? Might as well be an NPC.
Four? You better max her out, bro.