"Did you... just Apparate here?" Tsunade asked, staring at the rapidly drying figure of Shen Mo, then at the still-humming badge in her hand.
"The badge simply has a latent positioning function that activates when you call," Shen Mo explained, struggling to maintain his composure. His elegant businessman façade was slightly cracked by the ridiculous sight of a soaked kitten frantically trying to shake water from its pristine white fur.
The kitten, Himari, meowed angrily at Shen Mo, betrayed by the sudden shower he'd forced on her.
"Hold still, Himari," Shen Mo sighed, gently waving his hand.
The air shimmered, and a low-level cleaning charm—a small purchase from the Harry Potter system—snapped the kitten's fur dry instantly. Himari, now fluffy and perfect, let out a satisfied purr. She climbed down his trousers, scaled his tuxedo, settled on his shoulder, and licked his neck in a gesture of forgiveness.
"The cat's name is Himari?" Tsunade asked, intrigued despite herself. The sight of the powerful Sannin captivated by a tiny feline was a strange counterpoint to the gravity of their mission.
"Yes, she's a bit mischievous," Shen Mo replied, reaching up to gently scratch Hiju's chin, earning a soft, comforting meow.
Tsunade studied Shen Mo, who was now without his previous theatrical flair. The mysterious merchant from another world was also surprisingly gentle with small animals.
"Alright, Miss Tsunade," Shen Mo said, refocusing on business. "How many sets of Tier Two Jars would you like to purchase?"
"I can only buy the Tier Two Jars?" Tsunade asked, crossing her arms, a flicker of irritation crossing her face.
"You've been upgraded to a Junior Member, so Tier One Jars are no longer available," Shen Mo explained, maintaining his professional tone. "Also, you must purchase fifty sets of Tier Two Jars before you are eligible for the Tier Three Jars."
This was Shen Mo's personal rule, designed to maximize profit while maintaining a plausible system of progression. Once a rule was stated, it had to be followed—even by the merchant himself.
"That's excessively complicated," Tsunade grumbled, though she recognized the need to humor the eccentric merchant. "So, how many sets do you require?"
She held out her hand. Shen Mo looked down, slightly disappointed by the small sum of Ryo in her palm.
"Five sets?" Shen Mo guessed, masking his sigh. After the multimillion-Ryo transactions he'd just completed, five sets felt pitifully small.
"Five," Tsunade corrected quietly.
Shen Mo's polite smile instantly froze. Five? He'd spent thousands of TPs just to Apparate to Konoha, and the resulting transaction was only five jars?
"What are you looking at?" Tsunade challenged, her tone defensive. "It's your fault your jars are so expensive."
"But our jars offer incredible value," Shen Mo countered weakly, struggling to reconcile the effort with the reward.
He had to add some pressure.
"Miss Tsunade, if you fail to reach a certain transaction volume within a reasonable timeframe, your membership may be cancelled. Then you would have to start over with Tier One Jars. More importantly... I might be in another world and unable to contact you."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, instantly turning dangerous.
"Bring me the jars," she ground out, clearly fighting the urge to unleash a punch. If he were deliberately making up the rules, she would have already flattened him.
Shen Mo waved his staff, and five imposing Tier Two Jars materialized. He accepted the payment, the small sum negligible compared to his current 21 million TPs net worth. He now clearly understood that the true wealth in this world lay with the civilian nobles, not the power-obsessed shinobi.
But... Shen Mo thought, a faint, predatory smile touching his lips. Money isn't the only currency here. Ninjutsu, forbidden knowledge, combat experience, even sheer vitality—all have value.
He was already excited to see what lengths these clever shinobi would go to for capital.
Tsunade stepped toward the jars, her expression tense. Even if they were only Tier Two, the potential payoff was immense. She reached out, then instantly drew her hand back.
"Shizune, you draw," she commanded.
"Huh?" Shizune was startled.
"Don't argue," Tsunade said, stepping aside. "Your luck has to be better than mine." The great gambler rarely conceded her notorious bad luck so openly.
Shizune, nervous under her master's gaze, closed her eyes and smashed the first jar.
Inside was a bottle filled with a bright red liquid.
"Another Healing Potion?" Tsunade recognized the color immediately.
"Isn't that the item from the Tier One Jar?" Shizune exclaimed, her eyes widening with immediate indignation as she glared at Shen Mo. "A 500,000 Ryo jar only contains a Tier One item?"
Healing Potions were valuable, but not for the price of a Tier Two Jar. Shizune felt the sting of loss already.
"They are not the same," Shen Mo interjected smoothly, without a hint of guilt. "Since this is a Medical Series Jar, it contains various elixirs. However, the potion in the Tier Two Jar is ten times stronger than the Tier One version. Therefore, this jar is highly profitable—we are not unscrupulous merchants!"
He was technically correct. Due to system restrictions, the value of the contents had to be at least one-fifth of the jar's price. A Tier Two Potion was indeed worth the 6,000 TP minimum.
Tsunade took the bottle, inspecting the vibrant liquid. A small, relieved smile touched her lips. "Shizune, your luck is fantastic. With this, I can easily recoup the old man's savings... and then some."
The process of recouping the investment had already begun. What wonders await in the remaining four jars, and how will Tsunade turn a single potion into the five million Ryo needed for the next Tier?