The smile never reached Tobirama Senju's face, but after seeing the shift in Yujin's expression, his previously stern and serious demeanor cracked ever so slightly.
"These might not all be Sarutobi clan supplies," Tobirama kindly pointed out. "They could've been transporting goods for a merchant."
Look at that—he was actually being considerate now.
Clearly, tea had significant economic value. There was no way it was intended for the Sarutobi clan's personal use…
Even if every single member of the Sarutobi clan drank tea regularly, with this much stock, they'd be sipping it until the end of time.
Though it wasn't the same as the later Hidden Village system, in this era, ninja still took on missions from within or outside their clans.
Ninjas typically didn't engage in production; they were purely a military force. Trading their combat strength for resources had always been a constant across all eras.
Of course, even in times of war, there was still commerce and production. That didn't need much explanation.
Yujin nodded—Tobirama's reasoning made a lot of sense to him.
Then he had a few ninjas carry away the useful supplies and asked Tobirama to reseal the tea into a storage scroll.
The tea held no value to Yujin personally, but if it got soaked in the rain, it would become worthless to anyone.
Once the tea was safely "repackaged," Yujin handed the scroll directly to Tobirama. "Here. It's yours. We've got no use for it."
He didn't exactly have a sales channel anyway. Rather than let it rot in his hands, it was better to offer it as a goodwill gesture. He couldn't very well say he was selling it to Tobirama, could he?
Yujin did hope to gain something from Tobirama, but one must be pragmatic—he couldn't expect to get everything.
Tobirama twitched the corner of his mouth. It was obvious he didn't want it. Sure, the Senju could easily exchange the tea for more urgently needed supplies, but it was still stolen Sarutobi property.
As a guest, though, he kept silent and allowed Yujin to place the scroll beside his longsword.
"If the Sarutobi clan lost goods during a mission, would they have to compensate their employer?" Yujin asked casually, sitting back in his original seat.
"If it's the Sarutobi, they'd probably compensate at least partially," Tobirama replied.
"Oh? As expected from a major ninja clan—they seem to place great value on integrity."
Tobirama paused at that comment, then quickly picked up on the implication behind Yujin's words.
He suddenly recalled that, before passing out, Yujin had said something like, "I won't harm you, but you owe me your life."
After Tobirama woke, Yujin of course didn't bring it up again—doing so would've been coercion. Tobirama didn't mention it either, but he couldn't pretend it hadn't happened, because it was undeniably true.
The current ninja world was a dark and brutal place—almost everyone operated in a moral vacuum. In such an age, sparing someone you could have killed counted as a significant favor. That logic was beyond reproach.
In their earlier fight, Tobirama had been the aggressor—and he lost. Regardless of how underhanded Yujin's tactics might've been, a loss was still a loss.
But Yujin didn't seize the opportunity to eliminate his enemy. Instead, he treated Tobirama's wounds. Whether out of kindness or fear of the Senju clan's power, the fact was he didn't strike. So Tobirama had to acknowledge that favor.
He could pretend otherwise—Yujin wasn't likely to act on it—but...
Despite Tobirama's reputation for being calculating and ruthless, there were still lines he wouldn't cross.
"Do you need any help with something?" he asked outright.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Yujin replied bluntly. "Maybe because I have an affinity for water, I've already mastered water-nature chakra transformation. But here's the problem—I don't know any Water Style jutsu. I've been trying to find a way to learn, but so far, no luck."
Since there was no friendship between them, they might as well be honest and engage in a fair trade.
"I know a few Water Style jutsu," Tobirama said. "I can teach you."
Relieved it was something so simple, Tobirama felt a weight lift. This kind of "repayment" was well within his ability. Normally, he would never let clan techniques leak outside—but Yujin had saved his life.
"That's great, thank you. I'm a bit slow though, so I probably won't pick it up right away. Could you write it down for me instead?"
As he spoke, Yujin had already handed over a blank scroll and pen.
Prepared, huh? Tobirama felt slightly exasperated, but in the end, he still put pen to scroll.
After thinking for a moment, he began by writing out a C-rank offensive Water Style jutsu: Water Surface Wave—including the hand seals, chakra control method, and training guidance.
To make it a well-rounded package, he added a B-rank defensive technique used by jōnin-level ninja: Water Formation Wall.
He gave the higher-ranking defensive jutsu intentionally. In the eyes of most ninja, offensive techniques were more valuable—ninjas lived and died by how quickly they could eliminate their enemies, so aggressive power was prized.
Just as Tobirama was about to return the scroll, he heard Yujin's voice drift over casually.
"You know, I kept feeling like I'd heard the name Tobirama Senju somewhere before... and I finally remembered. Don't you have an older brother named Hashirama Senju?"
Tobirama's brush froze. He couldn't help but look up at Yujin.
Yujin's eyes were clear and focused.
He just remembered now? No... he's known from the start, hasn't he...Tobirama realized he'd been played.
Another subtle message. Yujin was hinting again. Conversations were a fine art—he might as well write a book titled The Art of Communication.
In short, Yujin wasn't just saying he'd heard of Hashirama—he was implying that he knew Tobirama's true identity: the Senju clan leader's son.
At that moment, the value of Tobirama's life increased. Saving a regular Senju and saving the clan leader's son were very different things.
Because of his special status, Tobirama had to give more—otherwise he'd never be able to fully repay the favor.
So Tobirama grit his teeth and resumed writing on the scroll, adding another advanced B-rank offensive Water Style jutsu meant for jōnin: Water Dragon Bullet.
After finishing, he handed the scroll and pen back to Yujin, but couldn't help muttering, "You really think too much."
Yujin accepted the scroll with a smile, saying nothing.
When someone who'd spend their life scheming and calculating called you overly thoughtful, you could only brush it off like dust—nothing worth dwelling on.
"You can rest here and recover until you're able to move again," Yujin added.
This wasn't over yet. There would be more opportunities to squeeze something out of Tobirama.
After all, once people come together, does a deal ever really end? Of course not. It just means the next deal is about to begin.
...
BONUS CHAPTER FOR EVERY 100 STONES! Destroy THAT BUTTON!