After finishing dinner at Obito Uchiha's house and listening to him share some advice from his beloved sensei, Minato Namikaze, Neo Uchiha excused himself and left.
Neo had first become acquainted with Obito because Obito's grandmother lived next door and often came by to chat. Over time, they had grown familiar with one another.
Unlike other characters in the Naruto world, Neo felt comfortable keeping a close relationship with Obito.
After all, this was Obito. Those who knew the story knew what that meant.
No matter how deep the bond, it wouldn't stop him from stabbing you in the back once he turned to the dark side.
After leaving Obito's house,
Neo strolled through the streets of Konoha with his wallet in his pocket.
Although the looming war had yet to fully spread fear among the villagers, the atmosphere of peace in Konoha was beginning to show cracks.
Signs of tension were appearing here and there.
Neo pushed open the curtain of a ninja tool shop and stepped inside.
"Yo, Neo! Back to buy more exploding tags?" The store owner, a burly man with a bushy beard, greeted Neo with a grin.
"Nope. I'm here for some shuriken this time."
"Bad timing—prices have gone up. Shuriken and kunai are up by 20%, and specialty wires have increased by 30%. Still, if you ask me, it's better to stock up now. According to the Matriarch Cat, these essentials will get even pricier."
"Alright then—give me six sets of ninja tools with wire slots, two large rolls of wire, and a sealing scroll. And... let's see... I've got 200,000 ryo left—convert all of it into exploding tags." Neo smiled as he patted his wallet, showing no sign of hesitation.
D-rank missions usually paid between 5,000 to 10,000 ryo. Some only paid a few hundred, but Neo never accepted those. Since he completed missions alone, he didn't have to split the reward.
After grinding away for a year, Neo had managed to save up a seven-figure sum.
And he had saved all that money for moments like this.
"Whoa, Neo! That's a serious haul!" The shopkeeper's eyes widened. Neo's spending power could rival that of elite jonin.
Neo smiled faintly. Unlike other ninjas who saved money to support their families, Neo only needed to fund... his own self-destruction.
Of course, he wasn't like the cautious ninjas who scrimped and saved for their retirement.
In the ninja world, tool prices varied greatly.
Exploding Tags cost 2,000 ryo per tag. Shuriken were the cheapest, costing around 50 ryo each. Kunai ranged from 200 to 30,000 ryo, depending on their quality—those meant for throwing and those meant for blocking blows differed drastically in price.
A high-quality set of ninja tools—including throwing weapons, melee weapons, and protective gear—cost nearly 200,000 ryo.
Ninja swords and katana were even more expensive. The cheapest training katana started at 3,000 ryo, while chakra-metal weapons weren't even available for sale. If they were, their prices would be astronomical—often calculated in "Asuma units."
Why was Neo buying so many ninja tools and exploding tags?
The reason was simple:
Neo wanted to die... but he couldn't make it look like he wanted to die.
It might sound contradictory, but that was the truth.
If he deliberately took his own life, the Will of Heaven would classify it as insurance fraud. Not only would he gain nothing—he'd die for nothing.
However...
If a determined ninja wagered everything he had, put forth the best techniques he had honed through relentless training, and fought with his life on the line for a noble cause...
And still died in such a battle—who could say he hadn't died a worthy death?
Wouldn't that be like a shinobi version of the tragic emperor who "died in the middle of his great endeavor"?
I gave it my all—I burned myself out until there was nothing left!
You have no choice but to give me my insurance payout!
Before long, the shopkeeper returned, carrying a hefty pile of items. The six sets of tools weighed so much that he was sweating bullets.
With a loud thud, he dropped the equipment onto the table.
He then fanned out the stacks of exploding tags like playing cards, making it easy for Neo to count.
"Neo, are you taking on a dangerous mission or something?"
The shopkeeper's smile faded as he realized Neo wasn't buying all this just for practice.
Neo looked up, his brows furrowed.
"Don't take it the wrong way—I know ninja are bound by confidentiality. But I'm part of the ninja tool trade under the Matriarch Cat and also dabble in intelligence work."
"If it's a dangerous clan mission, it's either heading to the Land of Rain battlefield or the Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water." The shopkeeper's expression grew serious.
"Either way, it's not something someone at your level should be involved in."
He was blunt and didn't mince his words.
After a brief pause, the shopkeeper reached under the counter and pulled out a parchment, placing it in front of Neo.
"Considering how much you've supported the Ninja Cat Clan's business, I'll give you something extra."
The shopkeeper laid out the parchment.
"This is a one-time Ninja Cat Contract. Once you sign it, you'll be able to summon a ninja cat with Summoning Jutsu."
Ninja cats were an elite breed of summonable creatures.
They often operated in chaotic regions, with their main base hidden within an abandoned city.
However, unlike traditional summoned animals, ninja cats were independent and notoriously difficult to control.
The Ninja Cat Clan ran a lucrative ninja tool trade and had a strong partnership with the Uchiha, who were experts in handling ninja tools.
Neo knew that the Matriarch Cat, the leader of the Ninja Cat Clan, had a fondness for children—especially Uchiha children.
The fact that the shopkeeper had brought out a single-use summoning contract suggested that he believed Neo's mission was a near-suicidal endeavor.
By offering Neo this contract, the shopkeeper wasn't just helping him—he was trying to dissuade him.
"You understand what I'm saying, right?" The shopkeeper's gaze was intense, and his pupils narrowed into vertical slits.
His tone had become somber.
Neo smiled and took the one-time contract from him.
Ninja cats were a neutral clan that didn't interfere in shinobi conflicts—unless you paid them enough.
For Neo, who had just emptied his entire wallet, the contract was useless. It wouldn't stop him from playing his cards to win that insurance payout.
With that thought, Neo turned and walked out of the shop.
He left behind only one sentence:
"Thanks, old man."
"But I have something I must do—even if it means facing death."
"This... is my nindo."
Once Neo left the shop, he pinched his wallet and felt its emptiness.
With a sigh, he turned into Konoha's red-light district.
The prospect of facing death tomorrow stirred both excitement and fear in his heart.
So, he decided to wipe away one last regret tonight.
Three minutes later—