Tsukamoto Nao heard a terrifying rumor.
Terrifying, not because it was a potential danger... No, it was terrifying because of what such rumors entailed.
Nao had to confirm such a rumor personally — it wasn't that hard. After all, she was privy to a small detail she never expected to encounter.
It was as if fate had guided her to stand before the young man named Amai.
First, her younger sister mentioned meeting a strange vendor on the streets of Sunagakure.
Then, Nao encountered a masked shinobi asking her if there was a certain merchant named Amai inside Sunagakure at the moment.
Lastly, she was then informed by the Kazekage himself that there was a rumor going around — someone was selling an eye.
To be more specific...
Someone was selling the Sharingan of Konohagakure's Uchiha Clan.
Thus, Rasa had informed her to investigate in secret. Should the opportunity arise, she would have to seize the merchant's goods and comb through the items he had for sale. If he indeed had the Sharingan...
Rasa told her to act as she deemed fit.
A merchant willing to sell such a treasure instead of using it themselves was a threat in more ways than one.
'Whether we become enemies or good friends depends on this interaction,' Nao thought as she looked at the young man before her. She kept her bloodlust hidden but prepared.
Ready to eliminate any threat to her and her younger sister.
"Hello, Amai-san. I'm Tsukamoto Nao. Can we talk?"
Nao started cordially upon noticing the gentle smile Amai had given her sister. It was sublimely void of ulterior motives.
'An excellent act,' Nao thought.
"Ah, Nao." Amai looked at her.
No honorifics? Nao raised a brow.
"Do you not remember me?" Amai sighed, "That's heartbreaking. After all, you saved my life."
Squinting, Nao scanned Amai's figure, trying to discern whether those were truths or lies. Long black hair and beautiful blue eyes...
'No matter how much I think, I can't remember anyone like this.'
Nao thus decided to anchor the conversation. "Unfortunately, I cannot remember anyone like you, Amai-san."
"Aww," Amai didn't seem affected by this fact. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"
With a thoughtful nod, Nao appreciated Amai's prudence. "Let's talk somewhere more private."
"I know a good tea shop. Let's go there," Kaori added.
Amai blinked, and Nao noticed a little hesitation on his face. However, his mind spun quickly and he nodded.
"Sounds nice~ I'll finish packing up and then we can head over."
***
Three teacups were placed before three shinobi. Although one was a missing-nin posing as a merchant, the other two wore their headbands with pride.
Amai sipped on his tea without a care for the nervous Kaori and the tense Nao. Since the two couldn't pose a threat to his life, he was carefree.
On the other hand, Nao didn't know how strong Amai was. From what she could tell, his chakra was at the civilian level. However, to be a Sharingan merchant, a certain amount of strength would be needed.
Nao opened her mouth to speak, feeling the tense atmosphere.
Suddenly, Amai stopped her with his sudden change of demeanor.
"Give me something you think has the same value as what I'm selling. Only if you have something equivalent will I even mention what I sell."
The playful smile on Amai's face no longer existed as he spoke to Nao.
"What does Sunagakure have? No... What do you have that is worth the price? I won't be selling anything to the village. If they try to seize my wares by force, then be prepared for the corresponding retaliation."
Amai placed his teacup down. "I'm selling only to you and Kaori."
Hearing Amai get straight to the point, Nao's schemes lost their momentum. She could only come up with something on the fly.
There was one thing that Amai mentioned that bothered her.
"What do you mean, me and my sister?"
Amai chuckled, "I mean that the two of you can only get one treasure each. Of course, that would be after we've conducted enough business for me to trust you."
Nao was further confused. "What do you mean?"
Amai glanced at Kaori and nodded, "I think you know what I mean."
Recalling the Fuinjutsu seal-filled paper, Kaori pulled it out of her pocket. Seeing it, Kaori noticed that a seal had somehow disappeared while she wasn't looking.
Seeing it, Amai smiled, "This piece of paper symbolizes our friendship. By treating me to a cup of tea, I've erased one seal. All you need to do is return this paper to me when it is blank along with an item of equivalent value."
"Only then will I complete our transaction."
Nao's frown deepened, "How can we further decrease the number of seals? I don't think treating you to tea several times would be enough."
"Right on the money," Amai said, "Each seal represents a different aspect of friendship. You'll have to figure out what action corresponds to which seal yourselves."
Amai took another sip of his tea. Nao met his gaze and saw a vague amusement in his eyes.
"Can you give me an example of what an item of equivalent value is?" Nao asked.
To which, Amai took out a vial of blood.
Seeing it, Kaori's eyes widened and Nao raised her guard.
"This is the blood of someone with a very special Kekkei Genkai."
Placing the vial gently on the table, "I work for a certain researcher, you see. And he's quite fond of unique things. So, as long as it's something unique, such as this vial of blood, then we can proceed with our exchange."
Amai paused.
"Of course, if you can give me a sample of the Ichibi's chakra, then that would work just fine as well."
Amai's smile widened.
"Just don't implicate me in the rampage you will cause, okay?"
Hearing all of this, Nao fell deep into thought. She recognized the nuances in Amai's words — an organization was backing him, and he was there to collect a variety of items using business. It was an odd way to go about things.
Usually, shinobi would achieve this through assassination and secrecy. However, Amai and his companions were using a very unorthodox route.
Selling Sharingan out in the open...
Were they unafraid of the villages collectively dealing with their group? More importantly, were they prepared to deal with Konohagakure's reaction?
Nao pursed her lips.
There were a lot of risks, yet there were even more gains.
'If I can get a Sharingan for Kaori, then she can make better use of her speed.'
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