Chapter 22: Can't Suppress the Smile
"Is that really not true?"
The little girl's gaze darted back and forth between Akiyama Makoto's and Tenten's faces. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and just as she was about to say something, Makoto quickly cut her off.
"She isn't yet, but who knows about the future."
The little girl's words were stuck in her throat, and she glared indignantly at Makoto.
Tenten also seemed shocked by Makoto's words, a faint pink blush rising on her cheeks.
The nearby elders chuckled and laughed. Watching the youngsters enact their youthful comedy made them feel a couple of years younger themselves.
"Come with me."
Makoto gestured for Tenten to follow him inside. As they walked, he said, "This little girl keeps pestering me, saying she wants to be my girlfriend when she grows up. I only said that just now to get rid of her. I hope you don't mind."
Although he had already been Tenten's husband for two lifetimes in the simulations, in reality, they had only just met. Makoto knew how to maintain a sense of propriety.
Once inside, Makoto served Tenten her favorite barley tea and some senbei rice crackers.
Only then did Tenten belatedly reply, "It's fine. Kids say whatever comes to mind."
"But on your end, how have things changed so much these past few days?"
"It's all thanks to you for giving me the opportunity to meet Lord Hokage."
Makoto briefly explained the events of the last two days, but he changed the narrative from him actively seeking an audience to the Hokage showing concern and care for a Konoha citizen harmed by rogue ninja. This subtly elevated Tenten's importance in the whole affair.
Tenten laughed, embarrassed. "I only took you to the hospital. If you thank me so much, I'll feel awkward..."
"If you feel awkward, then just come visit more often. That way, we'll be even."
Tenten paused, tapping her forehead as she thought for a few seconds. "Something doesn't feel right... Did you say that backward?"
"Shouldn't I be the one inviting you to my place to hang out? And besides, you also gave me this..."
Tenten took the opportunity to pull out Makoto's design schematic for the Fragmentation Kunai. She then got up, closed the door and windows, and her expression became serious and solemn.
"Although I don't know how you came up with the idea for this kind of ninja tool, are you really planning on just giving it to me?"
"I can't?"
"Do you have any idea what this is worth?! If my family turns this into an exclusive business, do you know how much money we'll make?"
Makoto hadn't really considered this problem, but he already had the answer from his simulations, so he said directly, "Without a war, the annual gross profit would be about 100 million Ryō. If there's a war, it could probably skyrocket to 500 million Ryō."
"Exactly, that's... wait, how much?"
The expression on Tenten's face gradually turned to stone. Why was the figure Makoto calculated for her off by a whole digit?
"Judging by your expression, you probably calculated its value like a normal kunai, didn't you? The Fragmentation Kunai has a much greater lethal effect, but that comes at the cost of it being non-recoverable."
"Therefore, its consumption rate will be three to five times that of a normal kunai. The gross profit from its sales will naturally increase accordingly."
Tenten looked completely lost. She then held up her ten fingers and quickly bent and straightened them, calculating. In the end, she was shocked to find that Makoto's calculation was the correct one. In fact, his calculation was very conservative, because this thing could actually be sold to foreign countries, but that was a business that couldn't be spoken of openly.
"Th-This... 100 million Ryō... You're really just handing it over to us, without any hesitation?"
Tenten's lips were trembling slightly. Her eyes, fixed on Makoto, were shining, but she just couldn't understand why he was being so generous.
Makoto refilled her teacup and said calmly, "Although it's a business with a gross profit of 100 million Ryō, managing it properly would require at least several hundred to a thousand people. You'd also have to face scrutiny from the Hokage's Office and the pressure of foreign villages trying to steal the information."
"Not to mention, once the business scales up, all sorts of characters will come looking for a handout. Your family will be lucky to see a net profit of 20 million Ryō."
The Fragmentation Kunai seemed incredibly profitable, but it was just one part of the manufacturing industry. Tenten's family couldn't just bypass Konoha and become stateless arms dealers, so the net profit naturally couldn't be that high. Besides, Makoto tacitly assumed he would become Tenten's family's son-in-law, so why would he care how much money they made? What was Tenten's was his.
Tenten calmed down considerably, realizing that this business would indeed involve a lot of trouble in the future, and it wasn't something Makoto could handle alone.
"Also," Makoto continued, "if I didn't give it to you, or gave it to someone else, not only would I likely not earn a single coin, I might even end up losing my head."
"By giving it to you, at least you'll let me live as a wealthy man, right?"
Makoto smiled at Tenten and said earnestly, "Tenten, you are a kind and beautiful girl. I trust you."
Tenten looked at Makoto's smiling face and suddenly felt her heart begin to melt. Her mind went blank, the only thing remaining being his words calling her beautiful and pretty.
Seeing the corners of her own mouth lift into a smile, Tenten finally snapped out of it and pinched her own cheek, leaving a red handprint.
"This is a matter of great importance. I have to go back and discuss it with my parents first."
Makoto pretended not to see the red mark on her face and said in surprise, "So you mean you brought this design back to me without even discussing it with your parents?"
"Yeah. I had to ask if you were just doing it on a whim. If I had given it to my parents directly, I probably wouldn't have been able to get it back."
"See? This is why I trust you. More than the huge profits, you care more about my thoughts, don't you?"
Faced with yet another compliment from Makoto, Tenten lowered her head and wrung her hands, almost dying of embarrassment. But at the same time, his praise made her incredibly happy, as if she really were that kind and outstanding.
"Oh, right! I heard you're writing a book. Can I see it?"
Sensing the atmosphere in the room was getting a little strange, Tenten awkwardly tried to change the subject.
Makoto didn't point it out. Instead, he confidently brought out his book for her to see. As it turned out, Tenten was captivated after reading for just a little while, as if she had been transported back to the Warring States period, personally experiencing the oppression and hope of the ninja of that era.
It wasn't until her stomach growled that Tenten realized it had gotten dark. She quickly said, "Ah, I have to go back!"
"Not staying for dinner?"
"No, no, that would be too much trouble for you... I'll go back and discuss the ninja tool with my parents first. Can I come back tomorrow?"
"Of course. My door is always open for you."
Tenten took the scroll and left the room, beaming. By the time she had walked out of Makoto's yard, she could no longer suppress the smile on her face. She had a feeling that coming to Makoto's house today was the best decision she had made all year.
"Well, well, if it isn't Tenten!"
A pleasant female voice called out. Ino familiarly linked her arm with Tenten's. She had been observing from outside for a while now. Tenten and Makoto had been talking behind closed doors for so long; there was definitely something fishy going on.
As someone about to start her mission, Ino had to gather good intel!