Chapter 28: The Shinobi World's Commercial King?
Chapter 28: The Shinobi World’s Commercial King?
On the streets of Konoha!
"Two thousand ryo for a shinobi tool pack, fully equipped with various tools and a free intelligence manual containing information on candidates from all major shinobi villages!"
"Guaranteed quality, no fake products!"
"Are you still troubled by a lack of shinobi tools or unsure about your opponents?"
"Just buy one of our tool packs, and all your problems will be solved!"
...
A loud and enthusiastic sales pitch drew a large crowd.
The crowd included many candidates, many of whom came from smaller shinobi villages. These candidates were in dire need of shinobi tools and lacked crucial intelligence.
"Give me one!"
After a brief discussion, a small team of candidates purchased a shinobi tool pack.
Inside were various tools like kunai, shuriken, senbon, and more.
As for the quality?
Sorry, that depends on where you buy them from.
High-quality tools start at several thousand ryo. Thinking you can get that level of quality for this price is wishful thinking.
It’s a bonus if you get anything at all.
"Here you go!"
Behind the stall, the fattest of three Leaf-nin, who moved with surprising agility for his size, quickly collected the money and handed over the tool pack and manual.
The lower-ranked shinobi from a small village left the stall satisfied.
He needed the tools, and the intelligence was a huge bonus.
After watching the customer leave, the boy behind the stall, dressed in a fitted black shirt and three-quarter-length pants, finally spoke up.
"Fatso, where did you get the idea to sell shinobi tool packs with intelligence as a bonus?"
The chubby boy looked at the black-haired youth with confusion, as if he didn’t understand why he was being asked this.
"Didn’t you say this before, Tohei?"
The other boy, who was thin and usually quiet, chimed in.
Indeed, behind the stall were Tohei, Yamashita Koji, and Honda Taka.
Today, they had come out for a gathering, and they never expected the fatso to pull this off.
"I never said that..."
Tohei was about to protest when he suddenly remembered that he had indeed mentioned something like this before.
Damn!
The clown was himself.
If the fatso’s business grew, he might even end up with the title of the Shinobi World’s Commercial King.
"But where did you get this intelligence?"
Tohei pointed at the manual.
Intelligence was crucial for shinobi, and if it came from a questionable source, there would be severe consequences.
"It’s all information I gathered from these candidates. Don’t worry!"
Honda Taka explained with a smug smile.
If it weren’t for the need to make the intelligence more convincing, he wouldn’t have asked his two friends to back him up.
Three Leaf-nin were the key to making these candidates believe in the product.
If it were ordinary people selling, they wouldn’t have bought it.
"Alright, as long as it’s not from a dangerous source..."
Tohei finally relaxed, relieved that the intelligence was legitimate.
Flip!
Yamashita Koji flipped through the manual, his expression growing more serious.
"What’s wrong?"
Tohei, curious, picked up a manual and started flipping through it.
He soon found the reason.
Too many strong candidates!
And looking at some of their builds, were they really lower-ranked shinobi?
They could easily pass for uncles.
Note that the Joint Chunin Exam only restricts participation to lower-ranked shinobi, but there’s no strict age limit.
Fifteen years old!
As long as they’re under fifteen.
The scenario where everyone is fresh out of the academy, like in the anime, is far from reality.
Don’t think becoming a chunin is easy.
Besides needing enough mission experience, you also need the strength. Many shinobi never advance to chunin, even after retiring.
So, it’s common to see lower-ranked shinobi under fifteen participating in the exam.
And the evaluations in the manual follow the system Tohei had previously mentioned.
Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Wisdom, Strength, Speed, Precision, and Seals.
These categories encompass all the skills a ninja should possess.
While the shinobi world does have its own evaluation system, it's often too broad and simplistic. Tang Ping's proposed method is far more intuitive and precise.
In Tang Ping's system, the data is broken down as follows:
- 1 point: Graduate
- 2 points: Genin
- 3 points: Chunin
- 4 points: Special Jonin
- 5 points: Jonin
- 6 points: Elite Jonin
- 7 points: Kage-Apprentice
- 8 points: Kage-Level
- 9 points: Peak Kage-Level
- 10 points: Super Kage
This data is much more straightforward and accurate than the original system.
Perhaps it's the simplicity and clarity of this evaluation that made Sanjima Koji take it so seriously.
He had heard Tang Ping talk about this system before but hadn't given it much thought then.
But seeing it written down in the intelligence report made it feel much more tangible.
The manual also provided a rough evaluation of the candidates.
It even included his own evaluation:
Sanjima Koji: Ninjutsu 3, Taijutsu 2, Genjutsu 1, Wisdom 3, Strength 2, Speed 2, Precision 2, Seals 2.
There it was, his data.
After comparing it with his own abilities, Sanjima Koji felt the evaluation was fair.
Ninjutsu specialist!
Indeed, that was his path, and his combat intelligence was solid.
The intelligence report also didn't reveal the specific jutsu he knew or any hidden cards, which was a considerate touch.
Tang Ping, on the other hand, flipped to the back of the manual and froze when he saw the "Top Ten Candidates Ranking!"
"Kakashi isn't first?"
The name at the top was not the super genius Kakashi, as he had expected.
Right!
Tang Ping suddenly remembered the reason.
The current Kakashi was just a little kid, not even seven years old.
Even with the fast-paced growth in the shinobi world, he was still too young.
Among all the candidates, he was the youngest.
Yet, he still managed to rank in the top three, a true prodigy among prodigies.
If Kakashi were in his teens, he would definitely be at the top without a doubt.
After all, the record of becoming a Jonin at 12 years old was set by his future self.
Unfortunately, even the most talented can't compete with those who have "cheats."
The likes of the Byakugan Wolf and the Filial Son entered the Kage level in their teens, thanks to their overwhelming advantages.
One can only say:
The Sharingan is indeed a super cheat, no wonder it's coveted by Danzo.
The top-ranked candidate was a young man named Kodo.
At fourteen years old, he was considered a "senior" candidate.
The issue was his impressive combat record.
The manual only listed data for Konoha candidates, without any detailed combat records or introductions. However, for candidates from other villages, the information was detailed and comprehensive.
The record showed that Kodo was the "Strongest Genius" from Iwagakure, even having a record of facing off against Jonin.
It was almost unfair!
He was definitely not a Genin.
Yet, Onoki forced him into the Genin category.
He had no shame.
Tang Ping spent a good amount of time mentally cursing the Third Tsuchikage after reading this.
This old man was the type who cared more about substance than appearance, and in every way, he was far superior to their own "Strongest Hokage."
However, since Kodo's age didn't exceed the limit and Iwagakure didn't officially recognize him as a Chunin, he technically met the competition rules.
One could only say that the three major shinobi villages all had their tricks.
They aimed to build their reputation while also dealing with the geniuses from other villages.
Both goals were equally important.
Ninjas weren't samurai; they didn't care about fair play. As long as the mission was completed, that was all that mattered.
"Can I have a ninja tool pack?"
As Tang Ping continued to rant about the lack of honor among the major shinobi villages, a hearty voice made him look up, and he froze.
(End of Chapter)
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