The air inside the store was too clean.
Sakura stepped in slowly, her fingers brushing against a floating display scroll. The walls felt solid, but also off—like the shop wasn't part of the world they knew. The glow of the lanterns didn't flicker. The shelves moved when you weren't looking. It wasn't natural.
Naruto strode forward confidently.
"This is it! Told ya!"
Sasuke stepped in last, his gaze sharp and cautious. His hand hovered near his pouch—not in fear, but preparation. He scanned everything. Seal structure. Barrier layout. Lighting. Spatial symmetry.
"This isn't genjutsu," he muttered. "This isn't chakra-based at all…"
Behind the obsidian counter, Ryuu greeted them with a calm nod.
"Welcome, Team 7," he said. "You're now inside the Dimensional Store."
Sakura whispered, "What even is this place…?"
"An anchored dimensional space," Ryuu replied. "My shop. Neutral ground. Everything inside is real."
Sasuke didn't speak. But his eyes burned with a quiet suspicion.
He walked past the shelves until he found one of the jutsu displays.
[Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu – Basic] – 180 ryo→ Intermediate: 550 ryo→ Expert: 1,200 ryo→ Master: 2,500 ryo
He frowned. "Is this real?" he asked, without turning around.
"Every tier functions as described," Ryuu answered.
Sasuke kept walking. He stopped in front of a locked cabinet labeled:
[Bloodline Arts – Restricted Access]
He didn't even hesitate.
"What do you have on the Sharingan?"
Ryuu's voice remained level.
"For most customers, I offer bloodline access. Without it, the Sharingan can't be turned off. It becomes unstable. Dangerous."
Sasuke froze. He turned.
"You're saying… you sell the Sharingan?"
Ryuu met his eyes.
"To those willing to pay the price. Bloodlines are just dormant paths. I sell the right to awaken them."
There was a long pause.
Then Sasuke's hand snapped toward his hip. A kunai glinted in his palm.
"You think you can hand out my clan's legacy like candy?" he said, voice low, shaking with fury.
Sakura gasped and took a step back. Naruto froze.
Sasuke's chakra flared—not massive, but needle-sharp. Focused. Controlled. Deadly.
"You don't get to sell our eyes. You don't get to profit off my clan's blood."
Ryuu didn't blink. He studied the boy carefully as a shimmering blue interface opened before him.
[Bloodline Classification: Top Tier – Uchiha (Indra Line Confirmed)]Customer: Sasuke Uchiha
Inherited Trait: Indra's Chakra
Sharingan Evolution Path: Natural
Bloodline Purchases: Disabled (Purity 100%)
Emotional Flare Risk: High
"I'm not selling your legacy to you, Uchiha," Ryuu said calmly. "You were born with a version of it no one else can buy."
Sasuke's hand trembled on the kunai.
Ryuu continued. "You don't need to purchase a bloodline. Your Sharingan will evolve on its own. All you have to do… is awaken it."
"…Then give me the next tier."
"No."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"
"Because you don't take from this store. You earn."
The silence between them crackled.
Then, slowly, Sasuke lowered the kunai and turned back to the jutsu scrolls.
He didn't apologize.
He didn't need to.
Naruto, oblivious to most of the tension, had wandered to the pedestal bearing his name.
[Shadow Clone – Intermediate Proficiency] – 400 ryo
He pulled out his pouch, counted, and winced.
"Still enough," he muttered, and tossed the coins on the pedestal.
[SYSTEM NOTICE – Customer: Naruto Uzumaki]
Skill Purchased: Shadow Clone (Intermediate)
Memory sync ↑ / Chakra cost ↓ / Creation speed ↑
Store Points Gained: +140
Owner Bonus Applied
The scroll opened in a burst of white. The knowledge flowed into him smoothly—like sliding into shoes that had always been his.
He crouched, focused chakra, and formed the seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
Two perfect clones appeared, grinning back at him with understanding eyes.
They were sharper. Quicker. Smarter.
When they vanished, their memory feedback was crisp—not dizzying.
"I could train with ten of me now!" Naruto cheered. "This is… awesome!"
Sakura hovered near a floating scroll labeled:
[Memory Scroll – Team 7 Bonds] – 90 ryo
She placed the coins quietly.
The scroll unfurled, and light poured into her eyes. Visions flickered across her vision: Sasuke catching her during a failed leap. Naruto shielding her from a rain of kunai. Kakashi standing silently behind them, proud and unreadable.
How often had she relied on them? How little had she contributed in return?
The scroll sealed and vanished.
[SYSTEM NOTICE – Customer: Sakura Haruno]
Memory Scroll: Activated
Emotional Reflection: Triggered
Tactical Insight (Minor)
Store Points Gained: +70
She didn't speak. But her expression had hardened, just slightly.
Ryuu watched them regroup near the counter.
Sasuke stepped up first and placed two scrolls and a glowing pill on the counter.
[Phoenix Flower Jutsu – Intermediate] – 550 ryo[Chakra Control Pill – Genin Grade] – 120 ryo
"I'll take both."
[SYSTEM NOTICE – Customer: Uchiha Sasuke]
Purchases Confirmed
Store Points Gained: +320
Owner Bonus Applied
He walked to the side range, formed a single seal, and let the flames fly.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
The spiraling bursts shot forward with controlled, elegant precision. Nothing like the unstable jutsu he'd used before.
He turned back, cold satisfaction in his eyes.
"It works."
"Of course it does," Ryuu said. "And that's only Intermediate."
Sasuke didn't smile. But his gaze lingered on the Expert tier now.
He was hooked.
As Team 7 left the store through the ripple doorway, Ryuu remained at the counter, hands clasped.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Store Points: 3,400 → 3,960
Trust Ratings:
Naruto: 28%
Sakura: 22%
Sasuke: 43% (Flag: High Risk / Bloodline Tension Active)
Passive Trait Activated: Indra's Chakra – Purified Lineage
Unlocks Available: Dimensional Display Room I
Ram appeared behind the counter.
"Should we have stopped him from seeing that bloodline shelf?"
Ryuu shook his head.
"No. Let him feel violated. Let him feel hungry."
He turned toward the display pedestal.
"Now he knows the store is real. Now he'll chase it."