A/N:- Spent past few weeks on prepping for an exam for job and further studies. The exam is on 18 Sep(exam name: CSIR-NET; a huge pain btw ) I have exhausted my brain cells by revising through 3 years worth of syllabus in 3 weeks. No chapter on 15 and 18. After which The updates will be stable, I promise!
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Izuna enters the building of the merchant association.
"Irasshaimase!"
A blonde woman with shoulder-length hair welcomes him. There is a beauty mark on her chin as she greets him with a warm smile.
Mmm…
Izuna nods and greets her.
"Sir, are you here to purchase something?"
The woman asks him with a friendly smile.
"Sort of!"
Izuna nods his head and walks upstairs. There are multiple items placed on display on the first floor.
Hmm…
Izuna's curiosity is piqued as he stares at the various items shelved into glass cases.
"Respected Sir! These are the recent batch of items dug out from the ancient ruins discovered on a nearby island."
The attendant introduces the items to Izuna.
"Ancient ruin?!"
Izuna tilts his head in confusion.
"Yes! Recently, one of the exploration team of sailor shinobis discovered a hidden archipelago that resurfaced nearby. Four small islands surround a tall mountain in the middle. There is an ancient temple in the middle of the mountain."
The attendant points towards various murals, wine jars, swords, and other antics kept on display.
"These priceless artifacts were scavenged from that place. The exploration team placed them here. Later, they will be auctioned to the collectors."
The attendant has a polite expression as he introduces them to Izuna.
"That makes sense!" Izuna nods his head.
He throws a momentary glance at the so-called priceless artifacts and prepares to leave.
'There is nothing noteworthy among them.'
He turns around to walk to the second floor to meet someone familiar.
Hmm…
Izuna notices a momentary glint from the corners of his eyes.
"This is…"
His attention is attracted by a dull blade with five hollow rubies embedded in it.
'I sensed some intense chakra fluctuation in it for a second.'
Izuna walks up to the shelf.
"I would like to take a closer look at this blade."
He turns towards the attendant.
"Ah… dear customer! They are carefully preserved in the case. I am afraid touching them might damage them and thus hamper their value. I am sorry but I can't fulfill your request."
The attendant apologizes to him.
"It's alright! He is a guest of mine."
A middle-aged man in a traditional green kimono walks down the stairs.
"Vice-chairperson!"
The attendant hurriedly bows to the newcomer.
He has long black hair tied in a topknot at the back of his head. He sports a petit handlebar mustache and a garibaldi beard. There are thick hairs on each side of his arms.
"It's a been a while, Ezume-san!"
Izuna greets the middle-aged man.
"Haha! It sure has been."
Ezume nods his head.
"Back then, you were still a kid when you escorted my supplies. Time sure flies away quickly."
Ezume laughs heartily. He turns towards the attendant.
"What are you waiting for? Show him the artifact!"
He waves impatiently.
"Yes… yes sir!"
The attendant hurriedly removes the blade from the case and carefully hands it over to Izuna.
Hmm…
Izuna grabs the blade in his hand.
'It's quite heavy for a one-handed blade and its hilt is quite small for two-hands.'
Izuna flips the knife in his hand. He carefully examines the gems embedded on the blade.
'These look like pure chakra ores. But they have dried up their reserves.'
"What's the name of this blade?" Izuna asks the attendant.
Ezume notices the interest in Izuna's eyes as the latter analyzes the blade.
"Ermm… Sir, let me check the details!" The attendant turns around to bring the log register.
"There is no need!" Ezume waves his hands.
"This blade was found by a squad of sailor shinobis working for me. It's called the 'Dragon Blade'. I was the one who put this on auction."
Ezume turns towards Izuna.
"Are you interested in this blade?"
"Sort of!"
Izuna nods his head.
"The material of this blade is quite rare. I was thinking of reforging it into a new katana for my personal use."
"I… I see!"
Ezume is surprised to hear Izuna's response since this blade is an old antique.
"Ezume-san! A blade is a weapon, a weapon meant for battles. It will be a waste to put such a fine weapon on display!" Izuna shakes his head.
"Well, I can't argue with you on that!" Ezume chuckles.
"Since you are interested in this blade, I will directly sell it to you for half the price." Ezume presents an offer.
"Really?!"
Izuna raises an eyebrow.
"Of course! It was thanks to your help back then that my supplies were safe, and I was able to grow this big. If not for that, I would probably be drowned in debt by now."
"Is that so?! Then I will appreciate your goodwill. Please state the price." Izuna gently caresses the blade.
"I was originally about to auction it at a starting price of 1 million Ryo, but since I promised to sell it to you for half the price, then what about five hundred thousand Ryo." Ezume has a smile on his face.
'Damn! That's too expensive for such a rusty blade. These businessmen sure are fickle-minded people.'
Izuna curses them in his mind.
"Fine! I will buy it."
He hesitatingly draws a stack of Ryo from his storage and passes it to Ezume.
"Haha… As direct as ever!" Ezume bursts out in laughter.
He passes the money to the attendant and gestures at Izuna.
"I am sure you are here for another batch of sake and tea. I will send someone to fetch them for you. Meanwhile, you can wait in my office and have a chat with them. I am thinking of expanding my business to Konoha."
Before Izuna could reply, he was dragged upstairs by Ezume.
Izuna has a helpless expression as he stares at Esme's back.
'Damn! I was here to grab some free cash from them, but instead, they scammed me for 500 thousand Ryo. Still, it's a steal even with the amount of sum.'
Izuna flips the dragon blade in his hand.
'This blade is made from meteorite iron, which is a very good crafting material and is extremely rare.'
'Brat! Can I take a look at that blade? It feels familiar!"
Yin Kurama's voice rings in Izuna's ears.
"Well sure!"
Izuna passes the blade to Kurama as he arrives in Ezume's office.
Ezume gestures to Izuna to sit on a sofa. He waves at an attendant to serve some tea.
"So, I would like to talk about the potential business expansion in Konoha…"
Ezume starts his long, boring monologue.
Izuna sips the tea and enters the Sin Space to take a look at the Dragon Blade.
Hmm…
Kurama is carefully inspecting the blade as it holds the weapon in its claws.
"Do you recognize it?"
Mmm…
Kurama nods his head.
"It's the Dragon Blade from Mount Koryū."
Kurama points towards the five-partite prism symbol engraved on the hilt of the blade.
"This is the symbol of Mount Koryū."
"Mount Koryū?!"
"Mount Koryū or the Ancient Flow Mountain is an ancient temple located at the junction of the chakra ley-lines of the shinobi world. This faction existed way before even the birth of the Sage of Six Paths.
Back then, humans couldn't channel chakra through their bodies. Instead, they use such special weapons, which absorb chakra from nature, to combat against various powerful beasts roaming throughout the world. However, not much is known about their origin and downfall."
Kurama shakes his head and passes the blade to Izuna.
"You can still restore this blade and use it without smelting and reforging it. The forging method of this blade has been lost centuries ago. It has a blood seal engraved on it. Just drop some blood at the hilt and you can summon it during the battle."
Kurama introduces the method to wield the blade.
"I see!"
BOOMM…
A loud explosion occurs in the middle of the city. Multiple sky shinobis fly through the skies of the Benisu Island as they wreak havoc everywhere.
"That's my cue to leave!"
Izuna exits his mindscape.
Ezume has a terrified expression on his face as he stares at the flying sky, shinobis.
"What… what's going on? Who… who are these people? Why are they attacking us? Where are the guards?"
Ezume shouts at his attendant.
Whoosh… whoosh…
Multiple sailor shinobis flicker through the rooftops as they engage in a battle against the Sky shinobis.
"They are the sky shinobis!" Izuna replies to Ezume.
"They attacked Konoha a few days ago and lost the battle. This time their target seems to be Benisu Island."
"Sky shinobis?! What grudge do they have against us?" Ezume panics as the Sky shinobis closes on.
"It looks like they are targeting the Merchant association!"
Izuna scans the pattern of their flight.
"Our Association?!" Ezume's expression turns ugly.
"Seems like it!"