[ Location: Konoha Hot Springs - Private Bath ][ Date: Day 2 of 5 - 5:30 AM ]
The bathhouse was full of steam. It was warm and quiet.
It was the perfect place to relax.
Unless you were me. I was wearing a towel around my waist and trying to stand on top of the boiling water.
"Okay," I muttered to the empty room. "Climbing trees is easy. You stick, you climb. But water? Water is rude. It moves."
I took a deep breath.
'Focus, Energy Core. Pulse the energy and match the rhythm.'
I gingerly placed one foot on the surface of the water.
Squish.
My foot went right through.
I flailed, arms windmilling like a cartoon character trying to fly, but gravity won.
Splash!
I fell face-first into the hot spring.
"Gah!" I popped up, spitting out water.
'My Damn hairstyle!'
I swam to the edge, soaking wet.
This was way harder than it looked in the anime ,To walk on water, I had to change my energy output every millisecond to match the shifting surface tension. It was like trying to stand on aggressive Jell-O.
'Try again.'
I tried again. And again.
Splash. Splash. Splash.
"This is suicide," I grumbled, floating on my back after the twentieth failure. "If Mf Sukuna saw this, he would laugh himself into a coma."
'Wait. Don't fight the water and be the water.'
I closed my eyes.
I felt the heat and the tiny ripples caused by the filter.
I pushed my Energy Core.
I made it pulse. Thrum. Thrum. Thrum.
I stood up. I stepped onto the water.
My foot sank a little bit... and then it hit resistance.
I put my weight on it and It held.
I took another step.
Then another. I was walking on water.
"I am Genius," I grinned, striking a cool pose on the surface.
[ System Notice: Energy Control Improved! ][ LEVEL UP! Energy Control is now Level 3. ][ Bonus: You won't get nosebleeds from lifting heavy things anymore. Your Magic and Spirit are finally playing nice with your Body. ]
I hopped off the water onto the tiles and grabbed my towel.
'Level 3. Finally.'
[ Location: Yamanaka Flower Shop ][ Time: 10:00 AM ]
"Why are we here?" I asked, adjusting my tie. "I thought we were training."
"I have to check in," Shikamaru sighed, scratching his head. "Ino wants to know about the mission and my mom wants tulips. It's a drag."
We walked into the shop.
It smelled amazing—like lilacs and sunlight.
A girl with long platinum blonde hair and purple clothes was arranging a bouquet. Ino Yamanaka.
"Shikamaru!" she turned around. Her face fell when she saw his bandages, but then she looked relieved. "I heard about Choji. Is he..."
"He's alive," Shikamaru said quietly. "Tsunade-sama is working on him."
Ino nodded.
Then, her eyes drifted to me.
She blinked. Her eyes narrowed slightly. As a sensory type, she could probably feel that my "Sprit volume" was massive compared to a normal civilian.
"Who..." Ino tilted her head. "Shikamaru, who is this?"
'Oops. Sensors. Forgot about them.'
I put on my best "Clueless Rich Kid" smile.
"Hi," I bowed awkwardly. "Vivan Frostwell. I am Merchant. Sorry, I've been really stressed. I got lost in the forest for a week and nearly got eaten by a demon ninja. It was awful. I haven't had a proper food in days."
Ino blinked again.
She looked at Shikamaru.
"He's a civilian," Shikamaru vouched, looking bored.
"Oh," Ino relaxed, giggling slightly. "Well... welcome to the village. You're safe here , can I help you?"
"Actually, yes," I said, walking to the display. "I need flowers. For... friends back home."
'Time to be a good boyfriend.'
"Blue hydrangeas for wisdom," I pointed.
'For Hermione.'
"Red carnations for admiration," I pointed.
'For Max.'
"And... yellow roses. For friendship and joy."
'For El.'
"That's a lot of flowers," Ino noted, wrapping them up efficiently. "You have a lot of girlfriends?"
"Just people keeping me sane," I smiled.
I paid with a gold coin.
'I could pay with ryo too, but I am rich and she is pretty'
Ino dropped her scissors in shock.
"Keep the change," I said. "For the... uh... aesthetic."
"This is solid gold!" Ino gasped.
"Run," I whispered to Shikamaru.
[ Location: Main Street ][ Time: 1:00 PM ]
We were walking down the street eating dango.
"You are attracting too much attention," Shikamaru grumbled. "Using too much Gold coins? You are terrible at being undercover."
"I have style," I argued, taking a bite of the sticky dumpling. "And I—"
I stopped.
Sniff. Sniff.
Behind us, about thirty yards back, a small pug dog was trotting through the crowd. It wore a blue vest with a funny face on the back.
Pakkun.
Kakashi's tracking dog.
"The dog," I whispered without turning around. "It's following us."
"Pakkun," Shikamaru sighed. "Kakashi-sensei suspects something. He smells lies with ease."
"He smells me," I corrected. "My scent is probably all over the forest where I fought the demon girl."
'I need to lose him.'
I reached into my sleeve for my wand.
"Ventus," I whispered.
I used a wind spell. But I didn't blast it forward. I made the air go up. I created a tight, vertical tunnel of wind around my body that carried my scent particles straight up into the sky, dispersing them in the clouds.
Behind us, Pakkun stopped.
He sniffed the ground.
He sniffed the air. He sneezed.
He ran in a circle, looking confused. The trail had just vanished into thin air.
"He lost it," Shikamaru whispered, looking impressed. "Wind Style Magic, such a drag"
"Yes," I said. "Very expensive magic. Import only."
We ducked into a side alley, losing the dog completely.
[ Location: Ninja Supply Shop ][ Time: 2:30 PM ]
The shop was dusty and filled with weapons.
"Why are we here?" Shikamaru asked. "You don't use throwing knives. You use... whatever that loud metal thing was."
"I need paper," I said. "The special kind."
I bought a pack of Chakra Induction Paper.
"And these," I pointed to a stack of red paper tags. Explosive Tags.
"You want... exploding paper?" the shopkeeper asked, eyeing my suit skeptically.
"I like origami," I said, dropping another gold coin. "Give me a hundred."
We went out the back of the shop to an alley.
"Okay," I said, holding a slip of the special paper. "Test time."
I pushed my energy into the paper. I tried to mix my Spirit and Body energy like Shikamaru taught me.
The paper reacted instantly.
First, the left side burned to ash. Fire.
Then, the middle crinkled up. Lightning and the right side became soggy and wet. Water.
"Three types?" Shikamaru's eyes widened. "That's... really rare. Especially for someone who learned what chakra was yesterday."
"Fire to burn things. Lightning to move fast. Water to... wash my clothes," I joked. "I can work with this."
I put the Explosive Tags in my Inventory.
"These," I patted my pocket. "Are for my friend pennywise. He loves fireworks."
[ Location: Civilian Hotel - Vivan's Room ][ Time: 11:00 PM ]
I was alone in my room. It was a nice room. Tatami mats, a scroll on the wall, and a window overlooking the village.
I sat on the floor, practicing my new Level 3 Energy Control.
I made a gold coin float. I spun it. I made it dance between my fingers without touching it. My nose didn't bleed at all.
'Smooth. This trip was totally worth it.'
Knock. Knock.
I froze.
The coin dropped. Clink.
It wasn't a stealthy knock.
It was a polite knock.
"Come in," I said, hand drifting toward my Glock in my inventory.
The door slid open.
It was Shikamaru.
He looked tired and worried.
"Shika?" I asked. "What's wrong?"
"Trouble," Shikamaru said, stepping inside and closing the door. "I just left the Hokage's office."
"And?"
"Tsunade-sama... she analyzed the medicine," Shikamaru said. "The stuff you gave me for my finger. The 'Spicy Water'."
My stomach dropped.
Phoenix Tears.
"She says it's impossible," Shikamaru whispered. "It regenerated cell tissue without shortening the lifespan. It's... it's better than anything she's ever seen."
He looked at me.
"She wants to meet the 'Merchant' who sells it. Tomorrow morning."
I sighed, rubbing my face.
"I gave you a healing potion to be nice," I groaned. "And you accidentally turned me into a Person of Interest for the most powerful medic in the world."
"Sorry," Shikamaru shrugged. "Ninja protocol. We have to report unknown substances."
"Great," I stood up. "So if I don't go?"
"Anbu will come," Shikamaru said. "And they won't knock."
I looked out the window at the Hokage Rock.
"I have three days left," I muttered. "And now I have a meeting with the Slug Princess."
'Just act natural , you're just a rich kid with good suppliers. Don't let her dissect you.'
"Fine," I said. "I'll go but if she tries to punch me, I'm hiding behind you."
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