The morning sun rose high as the scroll sale unfolded.
Maruboshi Kosuke calmly sipped tea from his thermos, eyes half-lidded.
Once a man passed his prime, he had little control over his own fate. His partner back home had already warned him: after proctoring the second exam, he better get back and cook dinner.
There wasn't going to be any dinner waiting for him. If there were, they'd have sent someone to the Nara clan's shop to pick up medicinal herbs. No—this was clearly a setup.
He'd cook. She'd criticize. And somehow, they'd still get hit with a delivery fee.
How pitiful... (￣ロ￣lll)
And then—
"One million ryo after the 50% discount," said a calm voice.
PFFFT!
Kosuke spat his tea out in shock.
He blinked. Was he hallucinating? Chakra fatigue? Delusion?
But judging by the stunned faces of the crowd, he wasn't alone.
Kisame and Kosuke exchanged looks and gave Saya simultaneous thumbs-up.
Solid move.
A burly Genin from Sunagakure—tanned skin, scarred chin, and flanked by two kunoichi—raised his hand in disbelief.
"Wait… didn't she say fifty percent off? Why is it still a million?"
"Shouldn't that mean two hundred thousand per scroll?"
Kisame grinned, baring his shark teeth.
"A reverse discount is still a discount."
"If you can't pay, feel free to try and take it."
The Genin immediately huddled with his teammates, whispering urgently.
Elsewhere, Utakata grabbed Youkimaru and Suigetsu and rushed forward, unloading all their gear and pooling every last ryo. After gathering four million ryo, they bought the scrolls and passed the round.
Fu, accompanied by two fellow Takigakure Genin, calmly handed over a check from the Konoha Bank. Done and dusted.
Kurotsuchi and Omoi's teams weren't far behind. They submitted village-issued checks, no questions asked.
As soon as Omoi received his scroll, he burst into tears.
"It's over... I used Bee-sensei's concert fund... he's gonna kill me… Wuwuwu..."
Gaara didn't rely on money. He crouched down, manipulating gold dust from the desert beneath them until he refined four million ryo worth. He handed it over and passed.
The remaining teams were all broke.
And no one dared try fighting Saya for a scroll—not when she had Kisame on one side and Maruboshi Kosuke on the other.
If anyone even twitched toward aggression, Saya just stared them down with the deadliest calm.
Try it. Go ahead. I dare you. (¬_¬)
At the edge of the crowd, one of the remaining Genin—stocky, built like a boulder, and clearly in charge—rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"What now? We don't have the funds."
One of his kunoichi teammates, hair dyed red and her cheeks slightly flushed, muttered, "I still have about two million saved... but I was hoping to use that as my dowry..."
The leader froze.
"Seriously?! That's perfect!"
He grabbed her hands, eyes intense.
"Then all we have to do is borrow another two million. Once we become Chunin, we'll get paid for B-rank missions. I'll pay you back in no time!"
The kunoichi's face turned bright red.
"I-It's okay… If it's you… you don't have to pay me back… just… marry me."
But the leader, famously dense, misunderstood entirely.
Seeing her red face and flustered tone, he panicked.
"Oh no! She's upset!"
Dropping to his knees, he shouted:
"PLEASE!!"
She squeaked, pulled out her village checkbook, and handed him a signed four-million-ryo check with trembling hands.
"I-I do!!"
He froze.
"...You do?"
"THANK YOU!! I'll keep my promise and pay you back!!"
One thought it was a loan.
The other thought it was a marriage proposal.
They were on completely different frequencies, but the scene was somehow touching, chaotic, and hilarious all at once.
Their third teammate stared blankly at the two.
What the hell just happened...
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