Ahem, in any case, gun-blade type weapons might really have great potential.
Better to design it first.
Since matchlocks and flintlocks were too clunky, why not make a version that used chakra to activate the ammo? And it'd be even better if a spatial ninjutsu system could be installed inside the magazine—every shot could summon a new bullet directly, or even special bullets stuffed with explosive tags.
Now that would be satisfying as hell.
Tenten would probably love it. Even if she was still a little kid, her talent as a weapon specialist should make her receptive to new ninja tools.
By the time they got familiar with each other, and once Tenten graduated into Guy's team, Natsuki could naturally get to know Might Guy too.
The Eight Gates were calling!
"Oi! Natsuki, your smile's getting creepy," Shino reminded him.
"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about something exciting," Natsuki replied awkwardly and went back to sketching his designs.
Shino raised a brow in doubt but didn't ask further. He just couldn't figure out what kind of "happy thought" could make someone smile like that. Only Naruto ever looked like that when fantasizing about Sakura…
After school in the afternoon, Natsuki said goodbye to his friends and waited near the school gate.
One by one, students from other years left campus, and before long, the person he was waiting for appeared.
There she was—Tenten, her hair in two small buns, wearing a pink short jacket a size too small and dark green cropped pants. Cute and full of energy, yet with a hint of capability.
Seriously, all the kids were cute when they were little.
Sasuke was, Tenten was too.
Natsuki didn't approach her immediately and instead followed silently behind. He failed to notice that Shino, who should've gone home by now, was actually peeking out from behind a utility pole not far behind.
Watching Natsuki's back, Shino hesitated for a moment. "Natsuki's been acting weird, so I planned to quietly observe him… but I didn't expect he'd be following a girl. It's just like how Hinata secretly stalks Naruto. No wonder he was smiling so creepily earlier—so he has a crush, huh? As a good friend, I have to investigate!"
Even so, he didn't hurry. With a female bug already planted on Natsuki, tracking him wasn't hard. No need to get too close and risk being discovered.
Unaware of Shino tailing him, Natsuki just followed Tenten with a clear conscience.
He watched her walk into a ninja tool shop and call out in a soft voice, "Papa, I'm home."
So she was home. Confirmed. Her family really did run a ninja tool shop. No wonder they were so rich. Judging by how many ninja tools she threw away during the Chūnin Exams, she could bankrupt all of Team Kakashi on her own.
He walked straight in and saw a chubby, well-fed shop owner greet Tenten with a bright, flowery smile.
Tenten's parents were never mentioned in the original story, likely ordinary civilians. Whether they were still around before her graduation was unclear. But Tenten had always been cheerful—apart from her frustrations with her own strength—and was nothing like the ill-mannered Sakura, so she probably wasn't an orphan.
When the shop owner noticed it was just a little kid entering, he immediately dropped the smile. "Hey, kid, what do you want?"
Natsuki ignored him and walked right up to Tenten, putting on what he thought was a dazzling smile. "Hello, I'm Natsuki, a first-year. May I know your name?"
Tenten blinked but replied politely, "Hello, I'm Tenten."
Natsuki followed up immediately with a compliment. "Tenten, huh? That's such a cute name. And you're really cute too."
Tenten's cheeks flushed red. Clearly shy, she'd probably been praised by adults before, but never by a boy her own age.
The shop owner's eyes darkened. His voice grated like nails on a chalkboard. "Kid! What are you doing here?!"
Was this brat trying to flirt with his precious daughter?! Over his dead body!
Natsuki, unfazed, pulled out two design drawings and handed them to Tenten. "I designed two special types of shuriken. I was wondering if your shop would be interested. Though, uncle shopkeeper, you're not a ninja, so you probably wouldn't get it. I'll show Tenten."
That did it. The owner fumed. "My family's been running a ninja tool shop for years, and you say I don't understand ninja tools?!"
But Natsuki ignored him, focusing on Tenten as she flipped through the designs. He began explaining enthusiastically:
"First, this poison shuriken. It's made from fragile wood or ceramic, and filled with poison or knockout gas. If the enemy blocks it with a kunai, it shatters and sprays the contents. Even if they don't block, you can detonate it with a seal. It's like poisoning right in their face—super effective!"
"Then there's this wire-trap shuriken. It has a mechanism inside for steel wires. The point isn't to hit the target, but to embed around the enemy—on the ground or in trees. The mechanism then fires hooked wires to latch onto their clothes or skin. It's perfect for restraining and creating an opening to attack!"
Tenten nodded repeatedly as she looked through the designs.
Despite being young, her talent in ninja tools was real. Not just in use—she had a sharp eye for design too.
The shop owner peeked over and sneered, "Kid, you've got some interesting ideas, I'll give you that. But now that your designs are out, even if I don't buy them, I could just make them myself…"
"Dad! You can't do that!"
Tenten stood akimbo, scolding him. "Natsuki clearly worked hard on these designs. Even if you don't want to buy them, you can't just steal his ideas. And anyway, I like these two shuriken. I'm buying them. Once they're made, I'm keeping them for myself!"
The owner instantly caved. "Papa was just joking! If Tenten wants to buy them, we'll buy them!"
That said, he quietly shed a tear inside. His daughter was standing up for some punk?! Curse this damn brat!
Tenten finally smiled, turning to Natsuki. "Natsuki, how much do you want for these two designs?"
Natsuki replied seriously, "I'm not really sure. You probably know better than I do. And you're so cute, Tenten—I believe you wouldn't rip me off."
"C-Cute or whatever…"
Tenten blushed again, then thought it over. "Let's do this: I think both of these designs are really good. I'll buy each one for twenty thousand ryō. That's forty thousand total, okay?"
Natsuki blinked, surprised. "That much? Are you sure? Shouldn't you ask your dad?"
Back when he taught Shino how to do one-handed seals, he only earned a hundred thousand, and that was a high price agreed upon by Shino's father. He didn't expect these two blueprints to fetch forty thousand outright.
But Tenten nodded firmly. "I think it's worth that much. Just take it. Besides, if you can design stuff like this at your age, I'm sure you'll come up with even better tools in the future. Promise me you'll sell those to me too!"
Oh, so this price was to build a relationship.
That young and already this socially savvy?
Natsuki didn't say more. He silently accepted the money handed over by the fuming shopkeeper, then got to the point.
"So Tenten, we're friends now, right? Can I come find you often from now on?"
(End of Chapter)
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