The shopkeeper shook his head seriously and held up a blind box.
"Not at all! Our figurines are made by eight master clay sculptors from the Land of Earth. Every detail is carefully crafted.
These aren't just toys, They're masterpieces, true works of art. These kusa Blind Boxes? They're the masterpiece edition!
Even the boxes themselves are sealed by professional sealing jounin, so no shinobi can tell whats inside. They're collectibles! If you're lucky enough to get a hidden edition, you could make a fortune!"
With a wistful sigh, he added, "Life's like a kusa Blind Box, you never know what you're going to get next."
Just then, Tsunade suddenly exclaimed, "Well said! Boss, give me a hundred of them!"
Shizune was taken aback and quickly tried to intervene, "Lady Tsunade, each figurine costs a hundred ryo..."
Before she could finish, Tsunade waved her off confidently, patting her chest. "Enough! I have the money! A hundred ryo each is nothing! This new kind of gambling... looks interesting."
The shopkeeper gave a weak smile and said, "Well, like I said, its not gambling. Its an exchange of art."
"Tch. Don't try to fool me with that nonsense. Enough talk, give me a hundred now!"
Seeing that she was determined, Shizune sighed helplessly and went ahead to pay.
'Well, a hundred ryo each... I guess That's better than losing it all gambling, right?'
Not long after, the shop owner found himself trembling as he stared at the countless figurines spread out before him. They were all identical, a chibi-style young man with spiky white hair and eye shadow, striking an exaggerated pose with his right hand stretched out.
It was the Toad Sage, Jiraiya! Except, of course, it was a super cute chibi version, with a big head and tiny body.
"Hey, boss, are you messing with me?" Tsunade's face twitched in frustration as she looked down at the figurines scattered all over the floor. Piles of them surrounded her feet, and even Shizune was holding a bunch in her arms. The result was infuriating.
Why were they all this loser? And in such a ridiculous pose, no less. Who even asked for this guy? She shot a furious glare at the shop owner.
"Explain yourself! didn't you say there'd be limited editions, rare variants, collectors items, and supreme versions? Ive opened hundreds of these, and every single one is this guy?"
The shop owner was speechless. 'If you're asking me, who else can I ask?'
When the delivery came from the Land of Grass headquarters, the drop rates were clear: out of every ten figures, one should be blue; out of every hundred, at least one purple; and if you were lucky, an orange.
Orange figures were so rare that you'd need to open around a thousand to get one. But this… this made no sense.
At first, he thought maybe Tsunade was just unlucky. Maybe others got a purple after a hundred tries, but she had to open two hundred.
But after two hundred figures, all the same? Three hundred and still nothing else?
Now, piles and piles of the same figure completely cleared out that row on the shelf, and yet, not a single different one in sight. If at least it was a different figure, or even just other plain ones, it would be easier to accept.
But every single one was the exact same chibi Jiraiya figure! Damn it! The headquarters must have messed up the odds!
At that moment, he paused briefly before walking over to the shelf and picking up a blind box. He hesitated for a second, bit his lip, and finally opened it.
Suddenly, it exploded with a purple glow! These boxes were specially made using a new sealing technique developed by the Uzumaki clan.
When opened, they emitted a light that matched the rarity of the figurine inside. This time, the purple glow meant the figure inside was at least of purple rarity, very rare.
Looking down at the figure nestled inside, his hands instinctively forming seals, he saw the God of the Shinobi himself, Senju Hashirama, surrounded by towering trees. The shop manager breathed a sigh of relief. 'At least it wasn't another blank Jiraiya figure. No problem! '
Just then, Tsunade, Shizune, and some passersby noticed the purple glow and stopped to look curiously.
Seizing the moment, the manager held up the figure with a smile and announced, "Kusa blind boxes, just like life, you never know whats coming next!" He then glanced at the woman in front of him. "Looks like... theres no problem."
"We'll then, what am I, "
"Maybe you're just... extraordinarily unlucky!"
There was no arguing with that! Shizune, holding a pile of Jiraiya figures, hesitated and gently tugged on Tsunade's sleeve, whispering, "Lady Tsunade, maybe we should just stop for today?"
But before she could finish,
"Stop? Stop?!" Tsunade snapped, her voice sharp as she glared fiercely at the chibi Jiraiya figure in her hand.
"you're calling me unlucky? I refuse to believe it! I'm going to get another figurine than the Pervert Toad Sage today!" With a determined wave of her hand, she called out, "Boss, another hundred boxes!"
"Alright, please wait a moment," the manager said.
Soon, more blind boxes were stacked densely around Tsunade. She rubbed her hands together, eyes shining with determination as she pulled out another box.
"I dont believe it! Its going to be that idiot again!" she muttered.
She opened it quickly, no glow. Another blank. And there it was, the same chibi, big-headed Jiraiya figure again.
Silence fell over the room; even the passersby quieted down. But Tsunade only twitched the corner of her mouth and kept opening the rest, one, two... a hundred.
Soon, the floor was once again covered with the same little figures. "Boss, another hundred!" came the call.
Not long after, "Boss, another hundred!" again.
And again, "Boss, another hundred!" kept repeating.
Before long, even the shops shelves were packed full of the same chibi Jiraiya figures. The manager started to realize something was seriously wrong.
Meanwhile, several passersby had stopped by, curious enough to buy a few boxes themselves. And yet, when they pulled their figures, at least blue glows appeared, some even orange!
The little girl next to Tsunade even pulled a purple on her first try! It was as if all the trash pulls had been snapped up by this blonde-haired woman alone.
The manager bowed slightly, hands clasped respectfully, looking at the increasingly frantic Tsunade. "Dear customer... may I ask your name?"
If he were pulling like this, he'd probably lose his mind too!
"Ive heard rumors of a legendary cash cow in the Land of Fire, a female Bodhisattva known throughout the shinobi world for her kindness and for saving countless struggling shops. Could you be...?"
Before he could finish, Tsunade shot him a sharp glare. "What is this? Do I need to register my identity just to buy stuff here?"
"Uh, no, no need," he stammered.
"Then what are you waiting for? Bring me as many as you have."
"Right away! And to make up for earlier inconvenience, heres a coupon, buy ten blind boxes, get one free. Please accept it."
"That's it?" Tsunade looked at the flimsy coupon in her hand: [Buy 10 blind boxes, get 1 free!] She crushed it without a second thought, confident and impatient, waving her hand. "Hurry up and get them for me!"
She shoved the coupon into Shizune's arms, rubbing her hands in frustration. "I dont believe I'll get that idiot again!"
She was ready to make a big move. Shizune, trembling as she clutched a pile of Jiraiya figures, looked at Tsunade surrounded by the little toad sage figures and whispered, "Lady Tsunade, maybe... you should stop?"
But Tsunade is not hearing it, "Stop? Dont be ridiculous. I refuse to believe it! Today, even if it means dealing with that annoying Orochimaru, I'll accept it!"