Shen Mo's impulse to make Hiruzen Sarutobi choose one of the ten potential Jars was based on simple business logic: prevent hesitation.
"What if he tells me he needs to go back and think? Then we can't conduct business today." It was better to force a quick decision. Regardless of the choice, the path to the Jars was now open.
"Shall I simply select one at random?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, his aged face drawn tight with subtle tension.
For the Hokage, selecting a jar was equivalent to selecting his ultimate fate. The tension was palpable and strange to the surrounding Jonin. The Hokage, who could calmly lead a war council during the Third Great Shinobi War, was visibly unnerved by a seemingly arbitrary choice among ten small pottery containers.
"Lady Tsunade," Sarutobi Asuma whispered urgently, unable to contain his bewilderment. "Who is this man, and what are these Jars? Why are you and Father so profoundly distressed?"
"Asuma," Hiruzen Sarutobi answered softly, his gaze still fixed on the shimmering jars. He took a long, meditative drag from his pipe. "These Jars determine our fate, and more importantly, the fate of Konoha itself."
Asuma's reaction was universal: "Σ(°△°|||)?" If anyone but his own father had spoken those words, he would have suspected a massive prank.
"The Jar is merely the vessel; the key lies in what it contains," Shen Mo interjected smoothly, seizing the perfect moment for a formal introduction. He let his gaze sweep over the entire, captivated audience. "I am a Merchant from another world. Our Merchant Guild collects all manner of magical and supremely powerful items from countless realities, seals them within these Jars, and sells them across the infinite worlds, thus giving beings like yourselves the chance to forcibly change your own destiny."
"A Merchant from another world?" The Jonin were dumbfounded, struggling to process the cosmic scale of the statement.
"That is correct!" Tsunade affirmed with forceful conviction. "Kakashi, my teacher, and I have personally witnessed the truth of the Jars. Recall the last Uchiha survivor? Sasuke Uchiha—he acquired power equivalent to a Jonin in a single night and nearly defeated Kakashi using a profound, otherworldly swordsmanship."
A newly graduated Genin, transformed overnight into a Jonin-level threat? And challenging the Copy Ninja? It sounded like pure, outrageous fiction.
Yet, Tsunade was the source, and the terrifying, impossible demonstration of time-stoppage was the undeniable proof. Suddenly, the impossible became the only possible explanation.
Every eye swung back to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Sandaime felt the heavy weight of their collective gaze. He knew hesitation was no longer an option. To refuse to open the box is to surrender my fate to someone else.
"I will choose one!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi placed his pipe down, reached out, and, with a final, steadying breath, selected a Jar.
Shen Mo, who had randomized the Tier One options, was genuinely uncertain which series Sarutobi had chosen.
"You need not worry," Shen Mo offered reassuringly. "The series isn't permanent. If you find it unsuitable, you may replace it later. At worst, you simply purchase a few more Jars to find the right fit."
Sarutobi swallowed, his belief in fate still strong. He slowly breathed in, then, with a sharp flick of his wrist, opened the chosen Jar.
Everyone peered inside. There was no flash of gold, no special sound. Inside the pottery container lay a single, plain piece of paper—square, smooth, and marked with a faint, cross-hatched grid. It looked exactly like the Xuan paper used for calligraphy practice.
Ordinary paper? Disappointment flickered across the faces of the Jonin.
"This series..." Shen Mo's expression, for the first time, conveyed genuine, unfeigned surprise.
Among the ten options, there had been the Mechanical Series, the Prophecy Series, the powerful Strength Series, and the world-conquering King's Way Series. Shen Mo had never expected Sarutobi to select this specific path.
"What is the name of this series?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, examining the paper with profound curiosity.
"Hokage-sama," Shen Mo addressed him, preparing his words carefully. "If you embrace this path, you will learn the power that resides in your Words."
"Words..." Sarutobi repeated the term softly, perplexed.
"Language, at its root, is the conduit of information—of thought, of emotion, of the soul. Its power, in your world, is inherently intangible. It can be conveyed through script, yes, but only transmitted between minds that possess mutual understanding. However," Shen Mo sighed, looking at the paper, "in some worlds, the power of language—or rather, Writing—becomes tangible. It can exert powerful and miraculous effects."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had randomly chosen the rare Scholar's Power System.
This was a path of unparalleled intellectual and spiritual cultivation. The power lay in the written word: spoken language could manifest as a Verbal War, killing without a trace, while written works could become Literary Treasures, possessing diverse and potent magical effects. A practitioner who wrote a masterpiece that achieved universal enlightenment could ascend to the level of a Sage or even a perpetually existing Saint.
It was a power without limit, but its prerequisites were terrifyingly stringent.
This power required a specific State of Mind corresponding to the spiritual discipline. For example, a person cultivating Virtuous Energy must possess unwavering consistency between word and deed, maintain an entirely virtuous heart, and be rigorously honest and truthful.
Failure to adhere to these spiritual prerequisites would result in a devastating backlash: the practitioner would suffer mental degradation, a collapse of their cultivation base, and the stronger they became, the worse their spiritual and mental state would be, potentially leading to instantaneous death.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man of compromise and dark secrets, has chosen the path of unyielding moral purity.
Shen Mo, despite the gravity of the moment, struggled to suppress an amused smirk.