Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Quan Chuan Luk
Chapter 1: Quan Chuan Luk
Land of Fire, Konoha Village
In the bustling commercial district lined with various shops, Ichiraku Ramen has always been the most popular. However, on the day the Ninja Academy opens, a neighboring shop steals the spotlight.
Quan Chuan Blacksmith, a shop that moved from the residential area six years ago, is known for its affordable replica shurikens and kunai. The shop gained fame for its slightly inferior quality compared to official ninja gear, but at half the price.
In short, it's a store that specializes in selling flawed ninja tools.
Crafting ninja tools is a labor-intensive process with strict precision requirements and stringent material standards.
Quan Chuan Blacksmith rebranded its products from "ninja tools" to "training equipment," adding the prefix "replica" to the items. This relaxed the precision and material requirements, drastically reducing costs and increasing production efficiency, which allowed them to offer lower prices to customers.
No one dislikes a good deal.
Moreover, Quan Chuan Blacksmith introduced a series of innovative business strategies that were unprecedented in Konoha Village.
For example, they offered group buying discounts, where two people could buy together at a reduced price. They also had a "help cut" system, where customers could get discounts by bringing friends to inspect the goods. There were also bulk purchase discounts, where certain order quantities could waive part of the fees.
The most attractive feature was the free items. By inviting enough friends and family to help cut the price, customers had a 99% chance of getting a free ninja tool, and the more people they brought, the higher the probability!
When these policies were first introduced, Quan Chuan Blacksmith was swarmed with customers, and orders poured in like snowflakes. They had to outsource some orders to other blacksmiths to keep up.
Eventually, other shops learned the tricks and started their own businesses, gradually siphoning off Quan Chuan Blacksmith's customer base.
However, thanks to the founder's reputation and the initial buzz, Quan Chuan Blacksmith's business remained robust.
On the day the Ninja Academy opened, many people gathered in front of Quan Chuan Blacksmith to purchase weapons.
Whether it was the little kids starting their first day at the academy or the soon-to-be graduating genin, everyone needed shurikens and kunai. The only difference was that the former could only use unsharpened ones, while the latter had free rein to choose.
Luk held a forging hammer, sweating profusely by the furnace. He had been dragged out of bed by his father, Quan Chuan Taku, at five in the morning to stoke the fire. The two of them worked in silence, hammering away until now.
His mother, Quan Chuan Nixue, and his younger brother, Quan Chuan Guang, were also busy. After preparing the meals, they manned the front counter, selling goods.
Another heavy strike on the red-hot iron sent a jolt through Luk's hand, making his palm tingle. Only then did he truly understand the saying, "There are three great hardships in life: blacksmithing, rowing, and making tofu."
Every day, he woke up earlier than the rooster and went to bed later than the dog. Whether it was freezing cold or scorching hot, he had to work in the sweltering environment.
Only high temperatures could make the iron red-hot and malleable. The red-hot iron had to be hammered within a specific time to become a usable tool.
Initially, when he started forging shurikens and kunai with his father, his lack of strength, stamina, and skill resulted in subpar products that were often rejected, earning him many scoldings.
Ninja have much sharper eyes than ordinary people. Even the slightest error could result in rejection, and if the customer was in a bad mood, he might have to smile and offer a free replacement.
Later, he adopted a strategy from a certain online platform, selling flawed items that ninjas couldn't complain about, making his life a bit easier.
A crowd gathered at the shop's entrance until the academy's opening ceremony and the Third Hokage's lecture on the Will of Fire were about to start. Only then did the large number of young customers and their parents disperse.
Luk finally got a moment to rest. He wiped the sweat from his face with a towel draped over his shoulder and took the water flask his father, Quan Chuan Taku, handed him, drinking deeply.
Quan Chuan Taku, looking at his son's red face from the heat, spoke in a somber tone.
"Things will be tough for a while with the academy opening."
Luk exhaled a deep breath and nodded, "I understand. I'll finish the remaining batch of goods later."
Quan Chuan Taku glanced at him and shook his head, "Balance work and rest. Don't overexert yourself. As a blacksmith, you need to take care of your body."
From the living room, his mother's voice interrupted their conversation, "Breakfast is ready, come eat!"
Luk responded with a "Hmm," "We took on too many orders. If we can't deliver on time, those ninjas will get upset."
It only happens twice a year, and it will pass.
After all, ninjas are the village's protectors and economic backbone, and their status is high, even for newly graduated genin.
Quan Chuan Taku sighed, "The competition in the commercial district is intense, but the profits are higher. If you want an easier life, we don't have to run the shop here."
Luk remained silent. Making money wasn't his primary goal. Moving next to Ichiraku Ramen was the real objective.
He convinced his parents to move from their old location to the commercial district and deliberately opened the shop next to Ichiraku Ramen for safety reasons.
Luk had a vague recollection of many details from his original world. He couldn't guarantee that he could always dodge disasters, but he faintly remembered that he had never been destroyed during the subsequent upheavals at Ichiraku Ramen.
Six years ago, during the Nine-Tailed Fox's chaos, they had not been affected, but their original home had become ruins. If they hadn't moved away, their family might have already been reincarnated twice by now.
However, the disaster in Konoha wasn't just about the Nine-Tailed Fox; it continued to escalate.
"Whenever you have free time, go to Ichiraku Ramen and sit for a while. Didn't you say as a child that you liked Shizune, and that you would marry her when you grew up? How come you haven't seen her much lately?"
Seeing him not respond, Chikawa Taku added a reminder.
His son had already reached the age where he could help others with their household chores. He was in good health, had a decent appearance, and a sharp mind, and it was time to take action for the next generation of Konoha.
Luk...
Of course, he had forgotten. He seemed to use his fondness for Ichiraku's daughter Shizune to convince his parents to keep the shop open.
Of course, Shizune did indeed like it. She had a good figure and a pleasant personality, but he always thought about the future plot, not really interested in romance.
"Next time, next time."
Luk mumbled a few words and walked to the dining table with his father.
His mother and younger brother were already seated, waiting for the two of them to join. His brother, Chikawa Kogoro, was probably hungry, his eyes fixed on the two newcomers.
As the head of the household, Chikawa Taku glanced around the table, waving his hand. "Start eating."
"I'm moving." x4
The atmosphere at the dining table was peaceful, quiet, and courteous.
Luk’s mouth was stuffed with a rice ball, which wasn’t hard to eat, but he had tasted various delicacies from the Great Food Empire. He still didn’t feel much for this bland cuisine.
He couldn't help but think of the delicious food from his hometown.
He longed to eat the steamed Yang, red temple pastries, braised chicken, salted duck eggs, pearl quail, steamed trinity, and steamed Yang’s meat.
Sighing in his heart, the memories of his past life slowly surfaced.
In his previous life, Luk had been a gentle obstetrician, originally planning to work at a relative's hospital after graduation. But fatefully, the hospital had closed just as he graduated.
With no other options, he, like his peers, had to start from scratch, moving back to Fengning city to look for work. During the job interview, he encountered the classic question.
Interviewer: This job requires medical experience.
Luk: If you hire me, I will gain medical experience.
Interviewer: You don't have medical experience, so how can we hire you?
Luk: If you don't hire me, I won’t gain any medical experience.
Interviewer: You need to have medical experience to be hired.
Luk: I need to be hired to gain medical experience.
Interviewer: Go gain medical experience and come back for another interview!
Luk: I won’t!
Angry, Luk gave up on the hospital job and decided to work in the gaming industry. His goal was to play the currently popular "Nine Worlds" game, but seeing the high price of the game's helmet, his anger was stifled by his empty wallet.
Tossing and turning, he finally decided to rely on his face for a living, becoming a social media influencer and showing off his abs to get noticed by some wealthy housewives... Even the steel wool ball recognized him!
He finally landed a job at a company, with a somewhat famous female influencer willing to take him under her wing. But the next day, he was unfortunately hit by a car.
Opening his eyes, he found himself lying in a baby crib.
For a moment, there was no sign of death or mourning for Luk. He immediately rushed to the scene, where he was revived as a new Luk in Konoha.
Just realizing he was in Konoha, his eyes were drawn to the distant Konoha, where the ongoing plot of the Hokage and the village had become almost memorized by the villagers.
But soon, he discovered various inconsistencies.
His parents were still around. His father, Chikawa Taku, was an ironworker who crafted simple ninja tools, and his mother, Hirata Nayo, was a flower shop worker. After marrying into the Chikawa family, she became a devoted housewife.
Both of their surnames were quite common and had never appeared in the original story.
Realizing he wasn’t from the Uchiha or Hyuga clan, Luk’s heart grew cold as he searched the entire house, trying to uncover any hidden identities of his parents. His efforts failed, and his heart grew cold.
He had also once asked his father to practice the "Chakra Extraction Technique," but the control wasn't very strict. Unlike in fantasy cultivation novels, where levels and content were more detailed, here it was just a few guidelines.
It took about half a month to successfully extract a bit of chakra, and Luk realized his skills as a ninja were quite poor.
Following Professor Aoba’s precise instructions, he managed to extract two hours of chakra daily, achieving the status of a five-year-old ninja, a twelve-year-old ninja, and a peak-level ninja at forty.
Jounin? You don't have that kind of ability, do you?
Chakra is a combination of spiritual and physical energy, and the maximum amount of chakra a person can have is determined from the moment they are born.
But that's just the chakra capacity. A qualified ninja also needs to learn the pointless Will of Fire and somewhat useful skills like disguise, infiltration, assassination, and escape. They must master jutsu and have enough combat experience.
Of course, they also need to go on missions.
After listening to Sensei Kage's description, Luk clung to the last shred of hope and asked his father if there was any arranged marriage for him.
When he received a negative answer, he finally gave up, took his father's iron hammer, and started forging metal with a vengeance.
Surviving the Boruto era would be considered a success!
He kept hammering away, day after day, until he turned eighteen, until this very moment.
Perhaps because today was special, his mother hesitated slightly at the dinner table and asked her husband, Takuji Chikawa.
"Speaking of which, Koichi is almost six years old. Should we enroll him in the Ninja Academy when it opens next time?"
The tuition for the Ninja Academy is a significant amount, and most students come from the noble families of Konoha or are supported by powerful clans. Some groups have tuition waivers, such as the children of ninjas who died in the line of duty or during the Third Shinobi World War.
The Chikawa family didn't have the means to send their children to the Ninja Academy before, but since Luk started his cross-world version of Pinduoduo, he had made enough money to easily afford it.
Hearing the conversation about him, Koichi stopped wrestling with his food and looked up with hopeful eyes. His young voice was soft and pleading, "Can I... can I go to the Ninja Academy?"
Takuji Chikawa remained silent. For a civilian, this was a significant decision. He looked at Luk and asked, "What do you think?"
He was a straightforward and quiet man, not adept at complex matters. Since his eldest son was now an adult and quite resourceful, he decided to listen to his opinion.
In the past two years, he had felt his energy waning and had started to transfer the household's decision-making to his eldest son.
Luk licked his lips and pretended to think.
His well-behaved younger brother was born during the Nine-Tails' attack. Naruto was born on October 10th, and Koichi was born on May 12th.
Based on the timeline, Naruto would be starting the academy in about six months.
Luk felt it was too risky to have his brother in the same batch as Naruto. Even if it wasn't dangerous, there was no need to compete with the two main characters who became the Six Paths at seventeen.
He carefully responded, "Being a ninja is lucrative, but it's also very dangerous. Koichi is still young. We can wait a year or two before making this decision."
While six is the ideal age to start the Ninja Academy, it's not mandatory to start at that age.
Takuji Chikawa nodded, which was also his opinion. The status of a ninja is high, but so is the death rate.
Although Konoha's children are instilled with the Will of Fire and aspire to serve the village selflessly, the Nine-Tails' attack had left Takuji Chikawa with a deep-seated reluctance about his youngest son becoming a ninja.
With the agreement of the two heads of the household, their mother couldn't argue and nodded, dropping the subject.
Seeing the three adults make their decision, Koichi looked disappointed and lowered his head. He only perked up when his mother placed a large piece of meat on his plate.
...
After a busy day, Luk lay on his bed, exhausted.
Thinking about Orochimaru's Konoha Crush, Pain's Six Paths of Pain, the unavoidable Infinite Tsukuyomi, and the subsequent appearance of the Otsutsuki clan, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Moving Koichi to Ichiraku Ramen wouldn't solve the problem. He needed to think of something else...
With his body tired and his mind anxious, Luk drifted off to sleep.
In a state of half-sleep, he felt his body become unusually light, eventually floating away to an unknown destination.
After passing through an unknown barrier, his consciousness became exceptionally clear.
Luk slowly opened his eyes to a mysterious space filled with a faint gray mist.
Two figures emerged from the mist, extending their hands in unison.
"Welcome to the team, Luk."
"Now, we are comrades!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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