Naruto: Clan Simulation and Bloodline Evolution from Scratch

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*****

"Hmm? That's rare—new customers today?"

The man spotted Ximen Zhen and Tenten, flashing a seemingly sincere smile.

"My name is Shimura Taiji. I'm a big fan of this barbecue joint."

"If you two are planning to eat here too, how about we share a drink later?"

He narrowed his eyes, and a sly glint flickered across them. "After all, I'm somewhat of a senior to Lord Guy—maybe this is a good chance for us to get to know each other."

Ximen Zhen sized the man up. Judging by the way he carried himself, it was clear he was the one giving the shop owner trouble on behalf of those two Genin.

And compared to those two fools who resorted to violence against villagers, this Chunin was far more calculating—and thus harder to deal with.

Running up a tab and refusing to pay? Even if this escalated all the way to the Hokage's office, he could just repay the money and avoid punishment altogether.

But if the owner didn't have the strength to keep resisting, closing the shop might be her only rational option.

Tenten didn't think as far as Ximen Zhen. Once she understood the situation, she glared at the man and said, "So you're the one eating here every day without paying?! You've pushed the shopkeeper to the point where she can't even run the place anymore!"

Shimura Taiji dropped his smile and replied, "Kid, it's true I haven't repaid my tab yet—but that's no reason to slander me."

"You think a whole barbecue shop shut down just because I ate here? That's slander—and the Shimura clan doesn't tolerate slander."

Tenten's face paled with fury. "So the Shimura clan condones freeloading?"

"How dare you! Not paying for food is my issue—what does that have to do with the Shimura clan?"

Tenten was momentarily speechless. She hadn't expected someone could be so shameless.

She glanced toward Ximen Zhen—though she didn't expect him to fix the problem, she wanted to ask if they could somehow help the poor shopkeeper.

Shimura Taiji also turned to look at Ximen Zhen, his eyes full of mockery.

He had cursed his two subordinates countless times for being brainless. How hard could it be to mess with a civilian?

Why use violence and land themselves in jail, leaving him without manpower and unable to take missions?

Someone would have to pay for that inconvenience—and soon.

"Ximen-kun, Lady Tenten, please... just leave."

The light in the shopkeeper's eyes had vanished completely. She muttered timidly, "I can't keep this place open... and I believe Lord Shimura won't lower himself to hold a grudge against me."

"You're really closing? That's a shame. I really liked the food here."

He grinned. "How about this? Transfer the shop to me. I'll find someone to run it. You'll still get your money later, once I run up the tab again..."

"You shameless bastard!" Tenten blurted out.

"Stay out of adult business, rookie." Shimura Taiji scratched his ear nonchalantly, clearly unfazed.

He had completely sized up this widowed shopkeeper. Even if this reached the Hokage's office, he wasn't afraid.

Ximen Zhen remained silent, deep in thought.

The rational move was to walk away—he had no real connection to the shopkeeper, and technically she still owed him back wages.

Especially since this Chunin carried the Shimura name—if things escalated, Taiji might even bring Danzo into it and get him blacklisted.

But the situation made Ximen Zhen recall that night... when he'd been choked by a Genin.

If he walked away now—what had all his effort meant?

No matter how arrogant this man was, he was still just a Chunin.

In a one-on-one fight, unless Taiji had some special jutsu up his sleeve, Ximen Zhen was confident he could win.

If a mere surname could instill fear in him now, how would he ever face the truly terrifying enemies he'd one day encounter?

"Hey, you two. Are you leaving or not?"

"You're holding up the shopkeeper's business, you know?"

Shimura Taiji's voice grew impatient. He didn't want to keep pretending—it was tiring.

Just then, Ximen Zhen suddenly smiled. It seemed warm and harmless, but somehow sent a chill down Taiji's spine.

"Tenten, did you bring any money?"

"I did. How much do you need?"

Tenten pulled out a storage scroll containing more than 200,000 ryo—including the 150,000 she'd planned to give Ximen Zhen.

"100,000 ryo."

"You got it!"

Tenten quickly summoned the money and handed it to Ximen Zhen, who then gave it to the shopkeeper. She stared at him in disbelief as he calmly said, "I want to invest in this restaurant. I'll take thirty percent of the monthly profits. Do you agree?"

A spark of hope flickered in her eyes—but quickly dimmed again.

She glanced fearfully at Shimura Taiji, whose expression had turned stormy.

"Great idea!" Taiji laughed mockingly. "That way, I can keep eating, right? Haha. Shopkeeper, go buy ingredients and get cooking."

Seeing the hope in the shopkeeper's eyes vanish once again, Ximen Zhen added with a smile, "If the business loses money, you're not responsible."

"I understand the risks of investing."

The woman's trembling hand slowly reached out, but a cold snort from Taiji made her shrink back again.

Just then, Tenten stepped up and handed the shopkeeper 50,000 ryo. "I'll invest too. I only want five percent of the profits."

Taiji's eyes turned sharp again, just as another cheerful voice rang out:

"Then I'll invest 50,000 ryo as well."

Everyone turned their heads in unison—Ino strolled up with her hands behind her back and stood beside Ximen Zhen, casually eyeing him and Tenten.

"I was looking for you all morning. So you were out on a date with Tenten, huh?"

"It's not a date!"

Tenten immediately denied it. "I was just helping Ximen-kun train!"

But judging by her averted eyes, even she didn't believe that.

"Alright, I don't care what you two were doing. But next time, at least leave a note at the door."

"Ino's little celebrity," she added teasingly, "people should know where you're off to."

Ximen Zhen caught her subtext and smacked his forehead with mock regret. "My mistake, Miss Ino. I'll be more mindful next time."

At the mention of her name, Shimura Taiji's face turned sour—but he didn't move a muscle.

Hope reignited in the shopkeeper's eyes. She tearfully accepted the money from the three of them.

"I'll do my best to run this place. Please wait for good news!"

"Now that's more like it!" Taiji scowled, "Get the food ready—I'm in a good mood today and plan to eat my fill."

As he and the shopkeeper walked back into the restaurant, the trio watched them go.

Ino finally spoke. "This can't go on forever. Using my name might keep him in check for now, but it won't fix the fact that he's not paying."

"What if I file a complaint with the Hokage under my name?" Tenten suggested tentatively.

Ximen Zhen, however, shook his head and smiled with confidence.

"Leave it to me."

(End of Chapter)