"This guy... he's gotten even stronger again!"
Gengetsu Hozuki stood to the side, his eyes flickering with thought as he muttered to himself.
"If I fought him now... even using my full strength, I'm afraid I wouldn't stand a chance..."
"Though thankfully, I don't have to fight him anymore."
But before Gengetsu could even finish his thought, a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.
"Brother Gengetsu!"
Seimei looked at him with hopeful eyes, gripping his arm tightly. His gaze was so intense and earnest it made the hair on the back of Gengetsu's neck stand up.
"Sorry, but I prefer women."
Gengetsu blurted out instinctively...
Seimei's face darkened instantly, but he still clung desperately to Gengetsu's leg. "Brother Gengetsu, I heard you are quite close with Aoi?"
"Nonsense. We're barely even acquaintances." Gengetsu tried to brush him off, rolling his eyes inwardly. Don't look at me like that. We are definitely not close...
Sensing Gengetsu's reluctance, Seimei lowered his voice. "If you could help me smooth things over... I'll knock ten percent off your order for ninja tools."
"Hmm?"
"Twenty percent!"
"Hmmph?"
"Thirty percent!" Seimei gritted his teeth fiercely. "Any more than that and I might as well just hand over Kiyomasa to you!"
"Hmm!"
Seeing there was no more profit to squeeze out, Gengetsu nodded slightly. Fine. I'll keep the extra money for myself as a little private savings.
With his pockets in mind, Gengetsu finally stepped forward, deciding to play the role of peacemaker.
"Little brother Aoi... long time no see." Gengetsu wore a flattering smile, looking exactly like an old fox who had just stolen a hen...
"You've come to plead for him? Want me to let him go?" Aoi narrowed his eyes.
"Of course... not!"
Gengetsu shook his head gently with a smile. "It's just that Seimei and I go way back. I only ask that you give Kiyomasa a chance!"
"A chance?"
"A chance to redeem himself through merit!"
Gengetsu put on his most sincere expression.
"As the saying goes: no one is perfect; to err is human. To realize your mistake and correct it is the greatest virtue. A prodigal's return is worth more than gold... True friendship is worth more than a thousand pieces of silver..."
Aoi quickly raised a hand to stop him. If he kept going, Gengetsu was going to recite the entire dictionary.
"So... you agree?" Gengetsu shrugged helplessly. "What can I say... we're all friends here..."
But just then, Aoi suddenly burst out laughing and asked abruptly, "How much did he give you?"
"Thirty percent!"
Gengetsu answered almost automatically...
The moment the words left his mouth, Gengetsu regretted it. He looked up to see Aoi nodding with a grin.
"Very well then. Let's use... twenty‑nine percent of that discount to buy this chance."
"Uh?"
Gengetsu was suddenly speechless. He realized with a shock that he had wasted decades of his life. Standing before this young fox, he had been defeated in an instant...
Aoi nodded cheerfully in agreement. "But since Brother Gengetsu asked so nicely, I'll give him this chance to make amends!"
...
"How did it go? What did Aoi say?" Kiyomasa asked eagerly. His life literally depended on Gengetsu.
"..."
Gengetsu's face was pitch‑black, and tears of bitter regret welled up in his eyes. I've been robbed...
Not only had he used up the favor Aoi owed him from last time, but he ended up with nothing at all.
Well... except for that one percent...
"So? What did he say?" Seimei was also getting anxious. Judging by Gengetsu's terrible expression, things couldn't be good.
"Give me another five percent discount, and I'll tell you!" Gengetsu had completely thrown away his dignity.
He had lost money to Aoi, and he was determined to get it back from Seimei!
"You're taking advantage of someone in trouble!"
Seimei gritted his teeth. At this moment, he hated Gengetsu far more than he hated Aoi.
Aoi was angry for a legitimate reason, but this Mizukage was clearly kicking a man when he was down...
"He agreed." After securing that extra five percent, Gengetsu finally let out a breath. "But he wants to make a bet with you!"
"A bet?"
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