"But..."
Although Kushina, after hearing Natsuhiko's plan, felt her blood boiling and sincerely hoped that the tavern would be built soon so she could battle more duelists from around the world, she still somewhat considered this game as a child's plaything.
Thinking about a group of grown men wearing duel disks, saying things like "It's my turn!" and "Draw a card!", Kushina felt an inexplicable sense of shame. She couldn't help but imagine using her feet to directly dig out the tavern Natsuhiko was so eagerly planning.
There was a strong sense of dissonance.
She didn't have words to describe what she was feeling, but to her, it just didn't feel right.
Seeing Kushina struggling to articulate her thoughts, Natsuhiko snapped his fingers and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, Kushina, in another year or two, you'll be an adult. Will you still find the Shinobi Cards appealing by then?"
Hearing this, Kushina tilted her head in thought.
In her mind, she quickly envisioned herself a few years later, possessing a devilish figure similar to Tsunade, engaging in card battles with a duel disk...
"Well, it would seem like a lot of fun!" reluctantly nodded Kushina, but she still had some concerns.
"But... while the game is entertaining, will people really be willing to spend real gold, and silver to buy these small pieces of paper?"
Despite Natsuhiko designing these cards beautifully, they were still just pieces of paper. Not to mention, considering Natsuhiko's previous design philosophy, these cards might have limited uses, making them even less appealing.
Unfortunately, Kushina was still too naive, unaware of how far Natsuhiko's limits could go.
"What, buy cards?" Natsuhiko couldn't help but chuckle. "Who would do such a thing?"
Shaking his head with a smile, he opened a drawer on the table, rummaged through it, and pulled out a conceptual drawing, handing it to Kushina.
Looking at it, Kushina saw a scene sketched in a monochromatic style. Two people sat on either side of a table, with a few small figures standing in front of each table, resembling characters from the Shinobi Cards.
From the overall picture, it seemed like they were playing a scaled-down Shinobi Card game through projection in the limited space of the tavern.
"Because the tavern space is limited, I've reduced the size of the projection. Of course, there's also a one-to-one imaging game console, but that's not what we should focus on right now," Natsuhiko pointed at a specific part of the conceptual drawing.
Looking where he pointed, Kushina noticed something she had been curious about earlier.
During the battle, the two individuals did not have duel-disks or cards in their hands. Instead, the cards seemed to float in front of them, as if subjected to a Ninjutsu.
Then, Natsuhiko explained, "The cards in front of them are also projections, integrated into the machine by me."
"So, in reality, what they are buying is just the right to use virtual cards."
Hearing this, Kushina's eyes widened in amazement.
"Virtual... virtual cards? And only the right to use them?"
Does that even make sense?
Originally, Kushina thought Natsuhiko selling small pieces of paper was outrageous enough, but she didn't expect his concept to be even more far-fetched. He intended to sell virtual cards!
It was beyond absurd – absurd to the point of believing Madara and Hashirama had an illegitimate child!
Concern emerged in Kushina's heart. She believed that Natsuhiko must have been blinded by the illusion of Shinobi Cards being popular in the Academy.
After all, in the Academy, Shinobi Cards were provided for free as a teaching tool. Coupled with young ninjas having limited exposure to the world and fewer entertainment options, it was natural for them to be deeply attracted to Shinobi Cards.
Even if Shinobi Cards gained popularity among the younger generation, would experienced and knowledgeable adult ninjas really be willing to spend money on these virtual cards that they could only see but not touch?
After listening to Natsuhiko's wild idea, Kushina couldn't help but think that selling small pieces of paper wasn't such an unacceptable idea after all.
Seeing Natsuhiko's confident expression, Kushina knew that pouring cold water on him at this point wouldn't make him listen.
So, she decided to take a more indirect approach, gather more information, and then make a decision.
"Oh, by the way, Natsuhiko, how did you suddenly come up with this idea?" Kushina asked.
"Actually, I had a similar plan before returning to Konoha. Otherwise, it would be impossible to suddenly bring out those cards and duel-disks. But back then, due to mission-related travels in the Land of Fire, I had to shelve the plan."
As Natsuhiko explained, he rolled up the blueprints and stored them in the drawer.
"Now that I'm serving at the Academy and have a lot of free time, I naturally decided to implement it. Also, being a Special Jonin with some savings, it's time to start a business."
"In fact, it's not uncommon. Most senseis at the Academy have similar side businesses. After all, ninjas live on the Power of Youth, and the risks are high. You never know when you might get injured and become unable to continue as a ninja. So, you have to consider transitioning after retirement..."
"As a commoner ninja like me, without the backing of a ninja clan, it's essential to plan ahead."
Initially, Kushina thought she could find some weak spots in Natsuhiko's reasons, but the more she listened, the more her mouth twitched uncontrollably.
She thought Natsuhiko would come up with some wild reasons, similar to selling virtual cards, but she didn't expect the actual reason to be so down-to-earth.
It was too grounded.
For someone who doesn't know, they might think it's a middle-aged ninja holding a thermos with soaked wolfberries talking!
Hey, Natsuhiko, you're only sixteen! Do you really need to plan so far ahead?
With you being like this, it's really hard for a fifteen-year-old like me!
Learning that Natsuhiko had planned for his future for several decades, Kushina, who usually only thought about playing Shinobi cards, started feeling anxious.
She felt that at her age and stage, she should be losing sleep.
"Of course, there's an even more important reason."
Seeing Kushina looking like she was questioning life, Natsuhiko secretly smiled and changed the topic.
"Kushina, as you know, learning Sealing Jutsu is quite expensive."
"So have you ever thought that our large class is probably impossible to sustain in the long run and is destined to be short-lived?"
"Even now, although Biwako-sama has increased funding a few times, the income and expenses of this course are just barely being maintained."
"When we get to the point of formally studying rune technique formulas, I can't rely on the cards I make to bluff my way through. That will require a significant amount of money."
"And the cost of learning Sealing Jutsu is impossible for the Academy alone to bear. Many students from ordinary families simply don't have the financial means to support post-class exercises."
"So obviously, one day, the Sealing Jutsu course will return to its original state, with each grade having only a handful of students interested in this niche subject."
Initially, when Natsuhiko suddenly brought up the Sealing Jutsu course, Kushina found it strange. However, as Natsuhiko explained, she gradually forgot about the trivial matters of the Shinobi Pub.
Each fact Natsuhiko listed hit Kushina's heart like a heavy hammer, making her suddenly startled and drenched in cold sweat.
If the number of students in this course decreased significantly, wouldn't they need her as an assistant anymore?
For a moment, various memories flashed in her mind like a carousel:
Correcting homework while listening to the happy laughter and cheerful voices of little ninjas playing cards;
Natsuhiko's various novel and interesting teaching methods in the Sealing Jutsu class;
Playing a few rounds of Shinobi cards with Natsuhiko after school every day, even though she often lost, she enjoyed it;
Sharing her daily experiences with Grandma Mito at night, making her happy, and going to bed with anticipation for tomorrow...
Although it had only been a short month, Kushina had unconsciously grown accustomed to this life and had fallen in love with it.
She had thought that this kind of life would continue indefinitely.
However, Natsuhiko's words heartlessly revealed a fact.
The daily routine she thought would continue forever was like a beautifully crafted sandcastle, ready to collapse at any moment due to a small wave.
Realising this fact, Kushina felt a hollow emptiness in her heart...
(End of this chapter)
P.S Please do support me on my Patreon. It will be a great help
pat reon.com/ReidAstrea