I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 49 The Deal with Mrs. Cat!

Tian Huo, with cat-like steps, stepped onto the carpet and obediently walked to Mrs. Cat's feet.

It turned to its side, fell to the ground, shook its paws, and rolled over, each movement executed with practiced ease.

The pale yellow tail gently hooked around Mrs. Cat's fair ankle, rubbing back and forth around her slender ankle. The soft cat fur and the delicate, silky bare feet shone brightly.

"Hello, Mrs. Cat."

Nara Rinkazu said calmly, without looking to the side.

"I'm here to order custom ninja tools."

Sniff sniff

Mrs. Cat did not respond to Nara Rinka's words immediately. She flared her nostrils and then reached out her index finger to scratch Tahi's chin.

The affectionate gesture made the ninja cat purr contentedly.

"It smells like catnip~"

Mrs. Cat withdrew her slender white fingers and glared at Nara Rinka with a mixture of reproach and resentment.

"Young man from the Nara family, such expensive drinks will make the cats picky eaters."

Nara Rinka pursed her lips, then lightly bit her tongue to focus.

"I just considered that cats mostly like the plant *Potamogeton crispus*."

"Truly worthy of being a child of the Nara family~"

Mrs. Cat chuckled softly.

"I do accept custom ninja tool orders. What type of ninja tool would you like to order?"

"Ninja Sword".

Nara Rangsei offered a pre-prepared answer.

"To be precise, it's a 'small dachi'."

"A knife-like weapon?"

Mrs. Cat's eyes sparkled, and she gave a reply without hesitation.

"Then I recommend going to the Land of Iron to commission the forging of swords."

"The Land of Iron is rich in samurai, and they have a wealth of experience in forging swords and other weapons, surpassing even the artisans of the Land of Craftsmen."

"The Land of Iron?"

Nara Rinka raised an eyebrow; he hadn't forgotten the huge mystery concerning the Land of Iron.

"Does Mrs. Cat mean I also need to go to the Land of Iron?"

"If it's convenient, I suggest that Nara-kun make a trip to the Land of Iron."

"After all, forging weapons is different from other crafts; there must be a sufficient degree of understanding and compatibility between the ninja and the weapon."

Since we've started talking about serious matters, Mrs. Cat has switched to a more formal title.

"Of course, I know what trouble Konoha is facing recently... war!"

"So, if Nara-kun wants to entrust me with the entire task of forging the kodachi, including supervising its production, it's not incomprehensible... but the fee would be higher in that case."

Mrs. Cat extended her thumb and forefinger, gesturing to indicate a small space.

A sly smile slipped out from between his fingers, yet it was not offensive.

"It's really inconvenient for me to leave the village."

Nara Rinka nodded.

"I'll leave the forging and supervision of the swords entirely to you, Mrs. Cat."

"no problem!"

Mrs. Cat patted her chest and said confidently.

"Let's discuss the specifics of our intentions."

"The first and most important thing is, Nara-kun, what is your approximate budget for weapon forging?"

It's just like an explosive tag.

A simple, weak detonator and a high-quality, powerful detonator will definitely have different prices.

Nara Langui estimated and gave a number.

"At most... around two million taels?"

Previously, they had received a research guarantee fund totaling one million taels from the clan chief.

To forge a suitable ninja tool, it's not unreasonable to ask the clan leader for a month's research funding in advance, right?

"Two million taels!"

Mrs. Cat's purple pupils suddenly contracted slightly, and her breathing under her upturned nose unconsciously became heavier.

"This budget is more than enough to hire even the best swordsmiths in the Land of Iron!"

The key point is that the more budget a customer has, the more profit she can extract from it.

This is the first time Mrs. Cat has taken on such a large single commission since leaving the cat village.

"What about the materials used for forging the sword?"

Mrs. Cat unconsciously licked her lips.

"The Land of Iron possesses a considerable amount of high-quality ore."

"I can also help you acquire some special ores from the black market... but that will cost extra."

"I will provide the weapons and materials myself."

Nara Rinka took out the scroll and, following the instructions given by the clan chief, opened it in front of Mrs. Cat.

"Chakra metal".

bang——

With a burst of smoke, one piece of pitch-black ore after another appeared before Mrs. Cat's eyes.

Mrs. Cat inwardly gasped.

Who is this Nara clan member, the god of wealth?

These few pieces of chakra metal alone are worth over a million taels!

Such a wealthy tycoon, such powerful connections, I absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip by...

"Since we're providing our own materials, the price of forging the sword can be reduced even further."

Mrs. Cat subtly wiped the corner of her lips.

"According to my estimate, it will not cost more than one million taels to forge the weapon that Nara-kun wants."

"One million taels?"

Nara Rinka was somewhat surprised.

"Is this little bit of money enough?"

Nara Rankei still remembered the time when he tried to ask the clan leader about the price of [Chakra Crystal], only to be humiliated.

"Such a small amount of money..."

Mrs. Cat clutched her heart, feeling as if she had been hurt by the unseen extravagance emanating from her guest.

"Please do not compare the money views of ninjas with those of ordinary people."

"Furthermore, even for ninjas, one million ryo is already the maximum amount that can be paid for a commissioned mission."

"All right!"

Nara Rinka readily accepted Mrs. Cat's offer; the one million taels commission was well within his acceptable range.

"These pieces of chakra metal are mainly used to forge kodachi (small daggers)."

"But if there are any left over, please mix them with other metals to make some special kunai."

"no problem!"

Mrs. Cat agreed readily.

"Temporarily commission the 'Ninja Sword Forging' task with a price of one million taels."

"Before the mission begins, please pay one-fifth of the mission deposit in advance, Nara-kun."

"Also, my rule here is to take five percent of the task amount as compensation. Is that alright?"

Five percent?

Nara Rankei shook his head. "Let's just sign the contract."

"That felt great, Nara-kun!"

Mrs. Cat was extremely satisfied with the guest's performance and called for Ninja Cat to bring the commission scroll, making two copies for both parties.

Nara Rinka handed over the chakra metal, along with the 200,000 ryo as a deposit, to Mrs. Neko.

"How long does it typically take to forge a ninja sword?"

"Based on my past experience, the master craftsmen of the Land of Iron can forge short swords in no more than a month."

Nara Rinka nodded, skipping the topic of "ninja sword forging" and bringing up another matter.

"Mrs. Cat, I just saw the names of quite a few ninjutsu techniques in the product list scroll that was provided."

Nara looked at Mrs. Cat while holding the cassia tree.

"Do you still sell ninjutsu scrolls from here?"

"certainly!"

Mrs. Cat's eyes lit up. She had underestimated the big fat sheep in front of her—no, the big fat deer!

"Tahi, bring over the general outline of the products and present it to Nara-kun!"

Tian Huo nimbly flipped over and quickly retrieved the scroll that Mrs. Cat had requested.

Nara Rinkei unrolled the scroll and quickly began searching through the catalog according to his needs.

He still lacks a considerable number of surgical techniques.

For example, physical techniques, illusion techniques, and medical ninjutsu.

However, Nara Rinkei is not interested in general martial arts, even though he has already acquired a C-rank martial art called "Arhat Fist".

As for medical ninjutsu, Nara Rinka can also consult Yakushi Nonou.

As for the others...

"Water Release!"

Nara Rinka quickly found the target ninjutsu and searched through the catalog.

He possesses five attributes: Yin, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and already has his own techniques for each. He only lacks Water Release.

Nara Rinka wanted to buy a B-rank Water Release ninjutsu scroll from Mrs. Cat.

But perhaps his expectations were too high.

The only B-rank Water Release ninjutsu that Mrs. Cat provides here is called the Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

That's the Super Flower Hand Ninjutsu with forty-four hand seals!

Even Kisame Hoshigaki would have to shake his shark arm for half a minute before he could use this B-rank water jutsu.

Nara Rinka silently closed the scroll in his hand and asked Mrs. Cat.

"Mrs. Cat, do you have any advanced Water Release ninjutsu without hand seals?"

"..."

Mrs. Cat, who had always appeared cunning and shrewd, showed a rare expression of bewilderment and speechlessness at this moment.

Advanced Water Release ninjutsu without seal?

Nara family, do you want to listen to what you're saying?

Nara Rinka saw the answer in Mrs. Cat's face and, without waiting for her reply, decisively changed targets.

"I need to purchase two illusion scrolls."

Nara Rinka handed the scroll back to Mrs. Cat.

"D-rank illusion techniques, Kasumi Servant Technique, and Illusionary Naraku Appearance Technique."

"Two illusion scrolls, totaling fifty thousand taels."

Mrs. Cat then sent another ninja cat away.

"The Kasumi Servant Technique costs 15,000 ryo, and the Illusionary Naraku Technique costs 35,000 ryo."

Both of these D-rank ninjutsu are very basic genjutsu, and many ninjas in Konoha Village know how to use them, so they are not expensive.

Nara Rinka easily obtained these two D-rank illusion techniques by paying money on the spot.

A message pops up on the panel at this point.

[Detected D-rank spell [Mist Servant Technique], learn it?]

[Detected D-rank technique [Magic Illusion: The Technique of Seeing Naraku], would you like to learn it?]

After learning with one click, two D-rank illusions appeared in Nara Rinka's [Spell Abilities] section.

"One last thing."

Nara looked at Mrs. Cat while holding the cassia tree.

"Mrs. Cat, is there any information about [Chakra Crystals] on the black market?"

"【Chakra Crystals】? How did Nara-kun learn about this treasure?"

Mrs. Cat looked at Nara Lan Gui with some surprise.

"In consideration of the transaction we just made, I'll give Nara-kun a free message."

"Recently, news of a [Chakra Crystal] has been circulating on the black market, but it seems to have been bought by someone from the north."

(End of this chapter)