Chapter 110: The Cover Is So Beautiful, I Just Can't Resist It!
Seeing Kenichi tuck the book away, Jiraiya's mouth curled into a brotherly grin, and the warmth in his gaze rose a notch.
"Jiraiya sama, I heard you're the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku. Is that true?" Kenichi asked with a smile.
The reason he had taken the risk and accepted that book was simple. The cover really was too well done.
On the front was Orochimaru, drawn with long, straight black hair, seated in a chair. The illustration captured him in the middle of a mundane motion, biting a hair tie while lifting one leg to pull on a black stocking. Sunlight slanted through a window, and his eyes looked straight toward the viewer, creating a strangely compelling atmosphere.
Of course, there was another reason Kenichi had chosen to speak up now.
He wanted to get closer to Jiraiya and try buying some of Mount Myōboku's toad oil, the kind rumored to help people sense natural energy.
If he could coat metal with it, maybe he could temporarily give chakra metal the ability to absorb Sage Chakra.
"Hm?" Jiraiya's brows lifted. "Yeah. Kid, you want to learn Sage Mode?"
Kenichi shook his head without hesitation. He was not interested in Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode, especially since learning it meant developing toad like features on your face.
Besides, he had already learned Sage Mode.
"It's like this, Jiraiya sama." Kenichi kept his tone polite. "I heard Mount Myōboku has a kind of toad oil that can help people sense natural energy. Could you sell me some?"
He did not ask for it as a favor. He understood his relationship with Jiraiya was not that close. Buying it had a better chance of success.
"Oh?" Jiraiya's eyes darkened slightly as he studied Kenichi. He did not answer immediately.
After a long silence, he finally shook his head.
"No. Toad oil is a precious item from Mount Myōboku, and only those who have mastered Sage Mode can use it." Jiraiya's voice was calm, measured.
There was also something he did not say out loud. Even among those who mastered Sage Mode, not everyone could use toad oil and receive the special treatment of the black rod method.
After all, extracting toad oil from Mount Myōboku was extremely difficult. Otherwise, what did Kenichi think happened to the toads who failed their training and became stone statues?
"Alright." Kenichi exhaled softly. He had expected as much. If toad oil were that easy to get, far more people would be practicing Sage Mode.
"Sage Mode is dangerous." Jiraiya hopped back onto the toad. "If you want to learn it, ask your teacher."
Then he left, clean and decisive, as if he had suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation.
Kenichi did not mind.
He had only thought of toad oil because he happened to run into Jiraiya. If he could get it, great. If not, it only meant things would be more troublesome.
After watching Jiraiya go, Kenichi put on his mask and walked into the black market.
He had no intention of showing his real face here. He was an A rank rogue ninja from Konoha. There were always people willing to trade a head for a bounty.
S rank rogue ninja were dangerous targets.
A rank rogue ninja were much more realistic.
The black market was the same as ever. Kenichi did not linger and went straight to a weapons shop to ask his question.
"Hm? Sir, you mean you want a chakra conducting metal that can hold even more special properties?" The shop owner was a sturdy middle aged man. He looked tough, but his build was not the kind meant for swinging a massive forging hammer all day.
"Yes. Ordinary metal won't work." Kenichi nodded. "It can't withstand this chakra. It's too fragile. The moment it tries to hold it, it explodes."
The shop owner's expression turned awkward. He clearly had not received a request like this before.
Kenichi could only demonstrate.
He took out a piece of chakra metal, but he did not want to blow up the store, so he only poured in a tiny amount of chakra.
Even so, the metal still burst apart.
"This kind of chakra…" The man's eyes sharpened with interest. "That's rare."
He had checked the material just now. It really was chakra conducting metal, and high quality at that, yet it still could not contain Kenichi's chakra.
"Yes." Kenichi nodded. "So I wanted to ask if you have any solutions."
If he researched it alone, he would have to start from scratch. But if he handed the problem to professionals, there might be unexpected gains.
"This will take time." The man sighed. "We previously acquired a meteorite from outer space. It can absorb a large amount of chakra, but it's still being smelted."
The meteorite's melting point was terrifying. They had not fully processed it yet, and removing impurities would take even longer.
Kenichi's interest rose immediately.
He suggested taking a look. The man hesitated at first, but once Kenichi paid a deposit, he led him there without another word.
"Is this the meteorite?" Kenichi stared at the lump of dark material. Despite being baked by extreme heat, it had somehow kept most of its original shape.
"Yes." The man spoke with growing enthusiasm. "Meteorite from outer space. It can absorb a lot of chakra, then release it all at once."
With permission, Kenichi carefully poured in a tiny amount of Sage Chakra.
The meteorite absorbed it.
There was no explosion.
Kenichi's eyes narrowed slightly, his curiosity sharpening.
"How much does this meteorite cost?" he asked.
If it truly released power after absorbing a certain amount of chakra, then in his hands, it could become a thermobaric weapon perfectly suited to his needs.
"Hehe, you know how it is, Ninja sama." The man rubbed his hands together, clearly preparing a long story about rarity and market value.
Kenichi was not interested in the performance. The goal was obvious: raise the price.
He cut in directly. "Name the price."
The number the man finally gave made Kenichi inhale sharply.
One hundred million ryō.
No more, no less.
Exactly one hundred million, the exact amount Kenichi had left. And that did not even include the cost of later smelting and forging. If he needed them to help finish the work, the price would climb even higher.
Kenichi fell silent for a moment.
"Fine." He made his decision. "I'll buy a portion first. If it works for me, I'll buy the rest."
The man's enthusiasm cooled a little, but he still agreed. He sold Kenichi a piece of meteorite, neither too large nor too small.
Ten million ryō.
Kenichi took it, feeling the weight in his hand.
"I hope this works," he muttered.
Improving the thermobaric weapon really was a long and brutal road.
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