"This power is truly incredible."
Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed a sliver of genuine excitement to show through his rigid composure. The display of absolute temporal power, followed by the revelation of the Talent Series and its philosophical depth, had galvanized him.
"Your Excellency Shen Mo, I believe this series is perfectly suited to me."
Shen Mo simply offered his professional, non-committal smile. Sarutobi's self-deception about the 'suitability' of a path demanding moral purity was an excellent source of future drama—and future revenue.
"Jars, I find, always guide the customer toward the most opportune fate," Shen Mo replied smoothly. "Now that your series is determined, how many Jars do you intend to acquire? And what medium will you use for the transaction? The skill series is a veritable treasure trove where pleasant surprises are common."
The other Konoha elite—Hiashi Hyuga, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and the Ino-Shika-Cho leaders—watched intently. They had seen the terrifying power of the Merchant and the strange, inextinguishable flame. They now understood the fundamental exchange: strength from another world for a price.
"As for capital, I am, regrettably, not cash-rich," Hiruzen Sarutobi admitted, taking a long pull from his pipe. He looked at the gathered Konoha leaders, and his voice became firm. "Like Kakashi, I intend to liquidate my most valuable asset: my accumulated knowledge, memories, and experience in ninjutsu."
"Hokage-sama!" Hiashi Hyuga's composure cracked instantly. The other Jonin gasped. The thought of the 'Professor' of Ninjutsu selling his lifetime of knowledge—even the thought of memories being a tradable commodity—was a seismic shock.
"The attainment of any profound goal exacts a price, and this truth is magnified tenfold when seeking to alter one's destiny," Shen Mo stated calmly. A subtle, almost invisible pressure radiated from him, causing the Jonin who were about to protest to instinctively halt their movements. This power was not a threat, but the sheer, effortless weight of his presence and mysterious identity.
"Everyone." Hiruzen Sarutobi turned, his gentle features hardened with the solemnity of command. "There is something I must now formally inform you of... Kakashi, who returned from his last mission, was severely wounded, near to death, as was Sasuke Uchiha from his team."
"What!?" Might Guy exclaimed, his concern overwhelming his shock. "Kakashi is critically injured? What is his condition? Where is he receiving treatment?"
"Guy," Kurenai Yuhi interceded, pulling him back. "Tsunade-sama is present."
"Yes, his injuries were stabilized immediately," Tsunade confirmed with a terse nod.
Guy visibly relaxed, but his fists remained tightly clenched. His eternal rival, the genius Jonin, had been brought to the brink of extinction.
"Hokage-sama," Hiashi Hyuga pressed, his Byakugan scanning the surrounding area as if the threat were still present. "Who was capable of inflicting such damage on Kakashi? Was it a Kage-level ninja from another Great Village?"
They knew Kakashi was among the strongest Konoha had to offer. None of the present Jonin would confidently claim superiority over him.
"The culprit was Zabuza Momochi, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure," Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed, glancing deliberately at Shen Mo. He took a heavy drag from his pipe. "He is also a ninja who purchased the Jar from Lord Shen Mo."
"W-what...?" Might Guy sputtered, the shock silencing the entire group once again.
The Jar granted power. But the person who inflicted near-mortal injuries on Konoha's elite had also been a client of the Merchant standing before them.
"You didn't assume I exclusively sold Jars to Konoha, did you?" Shen Mo's voice broke the eerie silence. His smile, though unchanged, now seemed utterly cold, sending a distinct shiver down their backs.
Before this moment, they had all defaulted to the assumption that this terrifying, mysterious Merchant was, at minimum, an ally or patron of Konoha, given the presence of the Hokage and Tsunade.
Now, the thought of this man—whose power transcended time and space—being a strictly neutral party, selling weapons of mass destruction to their enemies, chilled them to the bone.
"I am merely a merchant. Any individual with sufficient capital is qualified to acquire a fate-changing Jar from me," Shen Mo continued, casually reaching up to stroke the giant, yawning Fei Ju on his shoulder. "I differ from many within the Guild; I prefer not to adopt a superior, 'god-like' demeanor when dealing with clients. But if that approach leads to unnecessary misconceptions—"
His voice trailed off. He raised his eyes, and in a momentary flash, his pupils turned a terrifying, indifferent gold. The Jonin felt a brief, overwhelming crush of raw, untamed authority that instantly vanished.
He was immediately the calm, cat-loving Merchant again.
The Konoha shinobi exchanged terrified glances, acknowledging the brief but devastating display of absolute power and neutrality. There would be no more protests. The difference in caliber was too vast.
Shen Mo sighed inwardly, detecting the subtle unease in Tsunade as well. His job was to facilitate the game, not play favorites and spoil the integrity of the ecosystem.
"...Now," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, slowly surveying the room, his eyes lingering on each of the core Jonin. "You must understand. From the day Lord Shen Mo appeared, we were left with no choice but to embrace the Jars and seek greater power, irrespective of the cost. Conflict between those who seek to change their destiny is inevitable."
He was reciting the Chamber of Commerce's motto, gleaned from Tsunade's relayed memories of the Stage of Destiny revelation.
The assembled elite now looked upon the transaction with solemn seriousness.
"Lord Shen Mo," Hiruzen Sarutobi turned back, his composure restored. "I have prepared a substantial selection of ninjutsu that I rarely utilize—some for the sake of simple knowledge exchange, others containing deeply embedded memories and experiences. I inquire: what is the estimated value of this entire exchange?"
He did not specify the exact content, trusting that the Merchant could already see into his mind.
"Based on your current mental valuation of the entire package," Shen Mo stated, maintaining his expressionless calm, though inwardly, he was impressed by the man's ruthless pragmatism. "That package is worth approximately 33 million points."
The old man is ruthless. Kakashi had merely sold large volumes of low-level ninjutsu and experiences. Sarutobi, however, was offering up huge quantities of low-level jutsu alongside knowledge, memories, and crucial experiences relating to high-level ninjutsu, and even details on Konoha's most forbidden techniques.
The Professor of Ninjutsu indeed. Sarutobi was betting his entire intellectual legacy for a chance at transcendent power.