A quiet fruit forest somewhere deep in the Land of Fire.
Biwa Juzo crouched near the ground, his sharp eyes fixed on the motionless figure of Pain lying prone. Then, his gaze shifted towards the cabin where Nagato was resting. Only then did realization dawn on him, and he muttered with a mix of disbelief and shock, "Could it be... that the person inside is the leader?"
Everyone else present ignored Biwa Juzo's outburst and instead stared curiously at the cabin, eager to see what was happening inside.
Under their stunned gazes, something incredible occurred—Nagato's shriveled, frail body was slowly recovering before their eyes. His skin regained a healthy glow, and even his broken legs, which had long been a source of agony and immobility, were healing gradually, as though time itself was rewinding.
Biwa Juzo, ever the curious one, pointed at the strange device next to the treatment cabin. "Boss, what is this?" he asked, nodding toward the rapidly increasing numbers displayed on the screen.
At his prompt, everyone's attention shifted to the device. Sure enough, the numbers were jumping swiftly upwards, ticking over five hundred... six hundred... seven hundred, and climbing.
Peter, standing beside the apparatus with a calm smile, answered, "This is the price you have to pay for the treatment. Right now, it's already at five million taels."
The crowd's eyes widened in disbelief. Five million taels just for healing treatment? That was an astronomical sum! How long had Nagato been inside to rack up such a cost?
Peter noticed their stunned expressions and shrugged lightly, "The device charges by the second. The longer the treatment, the higher the price."
Konan, who was silently observing, did not show any reaction. For her, no price was too high when it came to Nagato's wellbeing.
Biwa Juzo's jaw practically dropped. "Five million?! Boss, why don't you just rob it?" he blurted, half-joking, half-serious.
Peter spread his hands with an indifferent shrug. "What do you think I'm doing now?" he said with a sly grin.
Originally, Peter had intended to trade Senzu Beans for Nagato's treatment, believing them to be the best healing resource available. However, after careful consideration, he concluded that this treatment cabin was more cost-effective. It healed by the second, and while expensive, it wasn't as buggy as the beans, which had an odd way of functioning.
Besides, with the money spent on the treatment cabin, Peter would still make a handsome profit. It was a win-win.
He just wished the price of Senzu Beans could be increased a bit.
Suddenly, a system notification chimed in Peter's mind: "Host, since the cat fairy's beans were taken by a fat man named Yajirobe and eaten, there are almost no beans left. The Cat Fairy has announced that the magical beans are almost out of print and cannot be reproduced quickly. Therefore, the system has temporarily adjusted the price of Senzu Beans from 500,000 taels per bean to 10 million taels per bean."
Peter blinked. "What...?" he muttered.
He had only been thinking that the price should be raised, but now it was actually happening.
Peter groaned inwardly. "What a sin... what a sin."
Henceforth, the indigenous people of the Ninja World could no longer afford cheap Senzu Beans.
All blame lay with a fat man named Yajirobe...
---
Dragon Ball World
The Cat Fairy buried his head in the jar, despairing. "No more... not a single one is left," he mumbled.
The Cat Immortal, frustrated beyond words, glared at the overweight man sleeping soundly beside him.
"You bastard! You actually ate all my Senzu Beans!" the Cat Immortal shouted angrily.
The fat man, utterly unconcerned, simply scratched his butt, turned over, and continued snoring peacefully.
The Cat Immortal, defeated, lay back on the ground, gazing up at the azure blue sky, tears welling in his eyes.
"Meow... without Senzu Beans, how will I ever survive with my dried fish?" he lamented quietly.
---
Back in the Land of Fire, Biwa Juzo stared in horror as the numbers on the device kept climbing. "F**k, it's so expensive!" he exclaimed, hopping in place.
As a ninja, Biwa Juzo had never been one to save money. During his years in the Mist Village, he spent every coin he earned from missions on shurikens, explosive tags, and other weapons.
So, when Peter had tried to sell him weapons earlier, Biwa Juzo had refused—not because the weapons were poor quality, but because he had no money at all.
Right now, he only had 10,000 taels in cash—the exact amount he had picked up from outside during their last mission.
Seeing the soaring price on the treatment device felt like watching all his hopes being crushed. Although it wasn't his money, it still hurt.
He had never seen so much money in his life.
Biwa Juzo glanced at the Beheading Sword resting behind Peter and wondered silently how much such a sword would sell for.
"Ding ding ding."
The device beeped repeatedly and finally stopped as the numbers froze at 5,000 taels.
Simultaneously, the green liquid inside the treatment cabin began to drain gradually. Nagato's eyes, which had been closed in silence, slowly opened.
A faint clicking sound echoed as Nagato gently pushed the door open.
He stepped out of the cabin carefully, feeling the changes coursing through his body.
Gone was the frail, withered man they all remembered. Nagato was fully healed—his body restored to peak condition, even healthier than before.
The miraculous recovery of his long-broken legs surprised him most of all. They felt as if they had never been injured.
Nagato took a cautious step forward, his face brightening with a newfound hope.
For years, he had been confined to a dark room, unable to move or feel the earth beneath his feet.
Now, he could finally stand and walk freely.
He had never dared to dream of standing again—let alone walking—but that wish had now come true.
And with his own legs intact, he no longer needed the Pain Six Paths to fight for him.
---
Konan, the most excited among the onlookers, rushed to Nagato's side.
"Nagato! Your body... is it really healed?" she asked, voice trembling with emotion.
Tears welled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
Nagato looked at Konan, moved by her tears, and instinctively reached out to gently wipe them away.
"Yes," he whispered softly, "it's healed."
Konan's cheeks flushed deeply. She shyly lowered her head and took a small step back.
Nagato suddenly realized that his action might have been a little too intimate and felt awkward.
They exchanged a quick glance, then both quickly looked away, unsure how to break the tension.
Just then, Peter cleared his throat loudly to interrupt the awkward moment.
Standing in front of the treatment cabin, he pointed at the display and grinned.
"You two, the total cost for this treatment is ten million taels. Please pay up."
Peter's words shattered the silence and made Nagato and Konan snap back to reality.
Nagato quickly pulled out two scrolls bursting with cash from his robes and handed them to Peter.
Peter counted the money carefully, then nodded with satisfaction.
Leaning close to Nagato's ear, he teased with a mischievous smile, "So, do you like this girl?"
Nagato's face instantly flushed red. "No... no," he stammered.
Peter laughed heartily at Nagato's embarrassed reaction. He patted him on the shoulder and said cheerfully, "You know what you've done, whether you admit it or not."
"Boss, we're leaving now," Nagato said hastily as he turned to exit.
Peter sighed contentedly, "Ah, youth is such a beautiful thing!"
Though his current body was less than twenty years old, Peter's combined memories from his previous life made him feel like he was about forty—old enough to appreciate such emotions deeply.
Konan, curious about Peter's teasing words, watched Nagato leave, then hurried after him.
The Red Sand Scorpion, who had been quietly observing, nodded to Peter. "I'm leaving too," he said, eager to explore his new body.
Biwa Juzo shouted after them, "Wait for me!" and dashed out of the cabin.
He had made a firm decision. From now on, he would save every penny to buy the Blood Demon Sword, no matter how expensive it was.
Though he dared not ask Peter for the price, he was sure it would be astronomical—at least tens of millions of taels.
After everyone had left, Peter walked to the door and called out cheerfully after them, "You must come back often!"
---
The forest fell silent once more, but the echoes of hope, healing, and new beginnings lingered in the air.