Just as Shen Mo mentioned the concept of a red envelope.
Himari suddenly leaped onto the table, her tail wagging inquisitively at Shen Mo.
"Meow meow."
She wanted a red envelope too! That money could buy her mountains of dried fish snacks.
"You, wait until you can transform into a human form before even thinking about it," Shen Mo said sternly. "You can't even talk yet."
"Meow—" Himari instantly deflated, sprawling listlessly on the table, utterly defeated.
Ikaros looked at the round, fluffy creature, like a miniature furball, and reached out tentatively, mimicking Shen Mo's earlier gesture by gently stroking Himari's head.
Himari glanced at her, didn't protest, and instead squinted her eyes in quiet pleasure.
The touch felt surprisingly comfortable.
Ikaros's expression remained intensely focused.
"You really do have a soft spot for round things, don't you?" Shen Mo chuckled.
"Meow—!?"
Himari's ears instantly shot up. She swatted Ikaros's hand away with a quick paw, clearly annoyed by the implication.
She wasn't round!
She agilely bounded onto her small bed, angrily chewing on her private stash of dried fish snacks in frustration.
Ikaros wasn't upset, only slightly disappointed.
"Alright," Shen Mo suddenly turned his gaze toward the door. "It seems something intriguing is unfolding."
He still possessed the ability to sense his clients when they were in close proximity.
For instance, right now.
The members of Team 7, minus Kakashi, were gathered together.
And separately, Hyūga Neji.
Did they run into each other?
Shen Mo took Ikaros's hand. "Let's go. Perfect timing to introduce you to a few potential clients."
He instantly dismissed the spatial room, scooped up Himari, and vanished.
They materialized in an empty alleyway.
To Shen Mo's surprise, three distinct groups occupied the space:
Neji, alone.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.
And... the three Shinobi from the Sand Village!
How did this exact scene come to pass?
Shen Mo and Ikaros stationed themselves invisibly on a nearby tree branch. A bag of potato chips materialized in Shen Mo's hand, which he offered to Ikaros.
"Excuse me, Master, what is the purpose of this activity?" Ikaros took the chips, extracting a small piece, confusion in her beautiful eyes.
"Watching a show," Shen Mo said reflexively, then glanced at her and quickly corrected himself. "Observing the after-sales status of current clients and exploring opportunities to develop new ones."
"Oh."
Ikaros responded, though it was unclear if she truly understood. She settled beside Shen Mo, meticulously placing a chip into her mouth, imitating his previous action.
Her eyes widened slightly. This flavor...
"Is it good?" Shen Mo asked with a smile. "There are many other things in the world to enjoy."
"Enjoy..." Ikaros seemed to grasp the concept. She pinched another chip with her delicate fingers and carefully brought it to Shen Mo's mouth. "Does Master wish to enjoy?"
"Uh," Shen Mo was taken aback, realizing Ikaros hadn't entirely abandoned her programmed desire to be entertainment-use.
However, he opened his mouth and accepted the chip. The gesture, surprisingly, was pleasant.
Ikaros squinted slightly, a small smile forming on her lips, clearly pleased that she had done something to bring her Master enjoyment.
Meanwhile, the shinobi below were entirely unaware of the observers above.
Sasuke stared intently at Neji, his hand resting on his chest. His specialized badge, a recent acquisition, felt warm.
The badge signaled that the person before him, roughly his age, was a Jar Opener!
And those distinctive eyes...
"Someone from the Hyūga Clan?" Sasuke asked, his voice low and serious.
"That is correct," Neji met Sasuke's gaze. "Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto. I came here specifically to find you."
Neji had sought them out deliberately.
He glanced at Haku, whose badge also indicated he was a Jar opener, though clearly an outsider.
The three shinobi from the Sand Village showed no sign of leaving, instead studying the group with predatory curiosity. Judging by the Konoha headbands, these were merely local Genin.
"Looking for me?" Naruto put his hands behind his head, inexplicably pleased by the attention. "Is there something I can help you with?"
For Naruto, being sought out by a peer was rare.
Sasuke also fixed his inquiring gaze on Neji.
"You should be aware that the Chūnin Exams are about to commence," Neji said, casting a dismissive glance at the Sand Village group. "Those three are candidates from Sunagakure."
"Hmph," Sasuke also looked at the Sand Shinobi, a slight, arrogant sneer touching his lips, followed by a soft, disdainful snort. "I have absolutely no interest in this kind of children's exam."
Kakashi had informed them of the exams, but with their current, rapidly increasing power, participating seemed like a waste of time.
"Hey, hey," Kankurō looked provoked by Sasuke's scornful glance and stepped forward a few paces. "Are all the Leaf Genin this arrogant? Hearing that makes my skin crawl. I despise arrogant little brats like you the most."