Under Konoha’s Shadow

Chapter 34: Buying a House

The Next Day

Yamamoto Ryusei brought Yamamoto Shuichi and Yamamoto Nami to the Senju compound. They found that only Mito Uzumaki was home; she was practicing the Rasengan, the ninjutsu Ryusei had invented the day before.

Looking at the Rasengan in her hand, Mito said, "Ryusei, this ninjutsu of yours is really something. It feels especially suited for me. Look."

Of course, the Rasengan is suitable for ninjas with large chakra reserves. But Ryusei was more surprised that Mito had learned it in a single day. Jiraiya must have been pretty slow, taking a week to learn it when he was already Kage-level.

Mito infused even more chakra into the Rasengan, causing the sphere in her hand to grow to a meter in diameter.

The corner of Ryusei's eye twitched. "Lady Mito, you should probably retract that Rasengan. If that thing drops, the Senju clan will be gone."

Mito suddenly remembered she was in the Senju compound and dispelled the Rasengan with some embarrassment.

"Greetings, Lady Mito," Yamamoto Shuichi and Yamamoto Nami said, bowing to her.

Mito cleared her throat. "There's no need for formalities. The hotel staff are in the back. You can go and see them."

Ryusei immediately created his Liu Maoxing clone and had him take his parents to receive the staff.

After the others had left, Mito said slowly, "Ryusei, Hashirama and the others aren't coming today. You'll have to practice on your own. Or... would you like me to teach you sealing jutsu?"

Ryusei hadn't even looked at the sealing jutsu scroll she had given him last time. To avoid revealing this, he had to refuse. "Lady Mito, I have a question. Why do ninjutsu require hand seals?"

As expected, this question caught Mito's attention. "It's because of chakra nature transformation. If you attack directly with raw chakra, the range and power are not as great as they are after nature transformation. But after transformation, the chakra becomes very difficult to control. Hand seals were created to control it. The higher one's chakra control, the fewer hand seals are needed to release a ninjutsu. That's why handseal-less ninjutsu like the Rasengan are particularly rare and precious."

Ryusei continued to ask, "So with extremely high chakra control, you can release ninjutsu without hand seals?"

Mito nodded. "That's correct. But the more powerful the ninjutsu, the harder it is to control, so most of the time, hand seals are needed to assist."

Ryusei nodded and said with some embarrassment, "Then, Lady Mito, may I go to the Senju's archives to look at the records of the ninja world?"

Mito agreed immediately. "Fine. It's not like it's anything important anyway. You can take them home to read. Just bring them back in a month."

"Thank you so much, Lady Mito!" Ryusei said happily.

He followed Mito to the archives. She opened the door, and his eyes were met with rows of neatly arranged two-meter-high wooden cabinets, filled to the brim with books.

Mito pointed to one of the cabinets. "These books are all records and accounts of the ninja world. You can take them home to read. Just return them in a month."

Ryusei created several shadow clones to move the books. Suddenly, he remembered that his parents were back home, which meant his house was no longer a suitable place for his group to exchange ideas. It looks like I need to buy a house.

He looked at Mito beside him and asked, "Lady Mito, do you know if any houses are for sale recently?"

Mito asked, "Your family is buying a house? How big? What's your budget?"

Ryusei thought for a moment. "A bigger one would be better. Preferably a detached house with its own courtyard. The budget is about fifteen million ryo."

Ryusei had already finished writing Journey to the West, but the royalties were still coming in. He was now writing The Investiture of the Gods, which was selling even better than Journey to the West. Adding the dividends from Yamashita Eeko's clothing sales, he had accumulated over twenty million ryo.

Mito thought for a moment. "As it happens, a family nearby is selling their house. It's a detached house with a courtyard, which fits your requirements. I'll have you, your parents, and Miyuki go and talk to them later."

Ryusei was confused. "I'm the one buying the house. Why do my parents need to go?"

"Eh?!" Miyuki said with some surprise. "Do you have that much money?"

Ryusei laughed sheepishly. "Er, I earned a little money from writing novels."

Mito rolled her eyes at him. "You call buying a house worth over ten million ryo 'a little'? Alright, go with Miyuki. And remember to treat me to a meal."

Ryusei said, "Don't worry. I'll make a grand feast for you then."

Miyuki and Ryusei walked down the street. She teased him, "Ryusei, your family's house isn't small. Why the sudden thought to buy a house? Are you planning to hide a beauty in a golden house and live with Yuki?"

Ryusei was a bit speechless. "It's still too early for me and Yuki. It's just that my classmates and I need a place to discuss ninjutsu. I was originally planning to use my house, but now that my parents are back, it's not very convenient. So I decided to buy a house."

Miyuki asked doubtfully, "Aren't Auntie Nami and the others leaving in a few days?"

Ryusei replied, "They'll be back. It will only take a few months to arrange the staff, and then they won't have to leave anymore."

Miyuki sized Ryusei up. "I never thought you'd save up so much money without a sound. Can you lend me money in the future?"

Ryusei looked at her with confusion. "Of course I can. But Big Sister Miyuki, are you short on money?"

Miyuki nodded vigorously. "Of course I'm short on money! Skincare products, clothes, and bags are all so expensive these days. The money I earn from missions is just barely enough to cover my expenses."

Ryusei was speechless. "With the way you spend, no amount of money will ever be enough."

Miyuki rolled her eyes at him. "Don't you think I know that?"

They arrived at the gate of a courtyard. Miyuki knocked loudly. "Uncle Tojo, open up! I've brought you some business!"

After a moment, a man in his forties opened the door. He must have been the "Uncle Tojo" Miyuki had mentioned.

Tojo was happy to see her. "Miyuki, you're here! Quick, come in and sit down."

Miyuki and Ryusei entered the courtyard. It wasn't large. A flagstone path ran down the middle, flanked by two cobblestone paths. The rest was lawn. At the end of the cobblestone paths were two pavilions with stone tables and stools inside.

Further in was the house itself, a three-story building. The white walls and blue roof looked simple and pleasant.

Entering the house, the three of them sat down at a table in the living room. After Tojo made them tea, he brought out some crackers to entertain them.

Tojo held his teacup and asked with a puzzled look, "Miyuki, you said you brought me business. What kind of business?"

Miyuki pointed at Ryusei. "Uncle Tojo, aren't you selling your house? Ryusei is here to buy it."

Tojo looked at Ryusei, who was a full head shorter than Miyuki, and said with a bemused expression, "Miyuki, don't joke around. He's so young, how could he have any money?"

Miyuki gave a mysterious smile. "You shouldn't underestimate him. He's quite rich."

Seeing Miyuki's expression, Tojo couldn't help but think, 'Could he be the child of a great clan? Damn these rich people. Even a child's allowance is more than my entire net worth.'

Tojo immediately put on a smile. "Then let me introduce my house. It was just renovated last year. It has three floors. The kitchen, living room, and bathroom are all on the first floor. Besides that, there are two bedrooms on the first floor. The second and third floors are all bedrooms, with six bedrooms and a bathroom on each floor."

"Wow..." Miyuki marveled. "So many bedrooms! Uncle Tojo, do you have a large family?"

Tojo said with nostalgia, "Yes. When we built it, we planned for the whole family, young and old, to live together. If it weren't for my eldest son becoming an official in the capital and asking us to move there with him, I really wouldn't want to sell it. Now that they've all moved, I have to sell the house to go there too."

Ryusei said, "Then let's have a look at the house first."

Tojo stood up. "Then I'll show you around."

He led Ryusei and Miyuki on a tour of the house. It was indeed as he had described. The house was relatively new and had good lighting. The only downside was that the balcony on the second floor was a bit small, but Ryusei could renovate it himself later. Overall, he was quite satisfied.

Ryusei said to Tojo, "Uncle Tojo, how much are you planning to sell this house for?"

Tojo thought for a moment. "Twenty million ryo."

"What?" Miyuki feigned surprise, then said coyly, "That's too expensive! Uncle Tojo, give us a little discount. How about thirteen million?" Miyuki had directly cut the price by seven million.

Tojo thought for a moment and then stated his real price. "The lowest I can go is seventeen million. If you buy it, I'll leave all this furniture for you. It was all just bought a few months ago."