Naruto: Clan Simulation and Bloodline Evolution from Scratch

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*****

"Really not?"

The little girl's eyes darted back and forth between Ximen Zhen and Tenten. Just as she lit up with an idea and was about to say something, Ximen Zhen quickly cut in.

"Not now... but who knows about the future?"

The little girl was momentarily speechless, glaring angrily at Ximen Zhen.

Tenten seemed equally surprised by Ximen Zhen's remark. A faint blush rose to her cheeks.

Not far away, a group of elderly people chuckled. Watching the young pair's youthful antics made them feel a little younger themselves.

"Come with me."

Ximen Zhen motioned for Tenten to follow him inside. As they walked, he said, "That little girl's always going on about wanting to be my girlfriend one day. I only said that to quiet her down—I hope you don't mind."

Though in the simulation he and Tenten had already been married in two lifetimes, in reality they'd just recently met. Ximen Zhen understood the importance of boundaries.

Once inside, he served Tenten her favorite barley tea and some rice crackers.

Only then did Tenten finally speak. "It's fine. Kids say the wildest things sometimes."

"But you—you've changed a lot over these past few days."

"That's thanks to you. You gave me the opportunity to meet the Hokage."

Ximen Zhen briefly explained what had happened over the past two days. However, instead of admitting that he had requested to see the Hokage, he made it sound like the Hokage had shown concern for a Konoha citizen injured by rogue shinobi—elevating Tenten's importance in the narrative.

Tenten gave an embarrassed smile. "All I did was take you to the hospital. You don't need to thank me that much—it makes me feel awkward..."

"Then make it up to me by coming over more often. That way we'll call it even."

Tenten blinked, tapping her forehead thoughtfully for a few seconds. "Something feels off here... shouldn't I be the one inviting you to my place? And besides—you gave me this..."

She took out the fragmented kunai blueprint Ximen Zhen had handed her. Then, standing up, she shut the door and windows, her face suddenly serious.

"I don't know how you came up with this design, but are you really planning to just give it to me?"

"Why not?"

"Do you realize what this is worth?! If my family manages to turn it into a unique business model, do you know how much money we could make?"

Ximen Zhen hadn't really thought about that. But he already knew the answer from his simulations, so he answered calmly:

"If there's no war, the annual gross profit is about 100 million ryo. In wartime, it could rise to 500 million."

"Exactly, so that's—wait... how much?!"

Tenten's face began to freeze over. Ximen Zhen's estimate had an extra zero compared to what she had imagined.

"Judging by your reaction, I assume you calculated it as if it were just a regular kunai. But fragmented kunai cause far more damage—at the cost of being non-recoverable."

"So their usage rate would be three to five times higher than normal kunai, which would naturally drive up profit margins."

Tenten stared blankly at him, then raised her ten fingers and started bending them rapidly in calculation. To her shock, Ximen Zhen's numbers were actually conservative.

In fact, she realized the product could even be sold internationally—though that would be the kind of business you couldn't speak openly about.

"So this... this 100 million ryo... you're seriously just giving it to us? You don't even want a cut?"

Tenten's lips trembled slightly. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ximen Zhen, still trying to understand why he was being so generous.

Ximen Zhen refilled her cup of tea and said calmly:

"While the business may bring in 100 million in gross profit, it'll take hundreds—maybe thousands—of people to run it. You'll also face scrutiny from the Hokage's office and pressure from outside villages trying to steal the design."

"Once it scales up, many other factions will come for their share. If your family nets even 20 million in profit, you're doing well."

The fragmented kunai might seem highly profitable, but it was still just a part of the manufacturing industry. Tenten's family couldn't exactly become rogue arms dealers detached from Konoha—so net profits wouldn't be as high as they seemed.

Besides, Ximen Zhen had already accepted that he'd be marrying into the Tenten family eventually, so why fuss over the specifics?

What Tenten owned would soon be his too.

Tenten visibly calmed down. She realized there were indeed many complications to running such a business—more than one person could handle alone.

"Also," Ximen Zhen continued, "if I don't give it to you or your family, and it ends up in someone else's hands, I might not make a single coin—worse, I might lose my head."

"But if I give it to your family, at least I get to be the rich son-in-law, right?"

He smiled warmly and looked at her seriously.

"Tenten, you're a kind and beautiful girl. I trust you."

Tenten looked at his smiling face, and felt her heart slowly melting.

Her mind was almost blank now, except for that one phrase—"kind and beautiful."

Her lips involuntarily curled into a smile before she quickly snapped out of it and pinched her own cheek, leaving a red handprint behind.

"This is a big decision. I need to talk to my parents about it first."

Pretending not to notice the mark on her cheek, Ximen Zhen raised an eyebrow.

"Wait—you mean you brought the blueprint here without asking your parents first?"

"Of course! I had to make sure you weren't just messing around. If I had shown it to them directly, I might've never gotten it back."

"See? That's exactly why I trust you. You value my opinion more than just chasing profits, don't you?"

Tenten lowered her head, rubbing her hands together nervously, almost dying of embarrassment.

And yet—his praise made her feel genuinely happy, as if she truly were that kind, admirable person he believed her to be.

"Oh, right—I heard you've been writing a book. Can I take a look?"

Sensing the mood getting a little too strange, Tenten hastily changed the topic.

Ximen Zhen didn't push it further. Smiling confidently, he handed her his manuscript.

Soon after she began reading, Tenten became completely engrossed. She felt as if she'd been transported to the Warring States period—feeling the despair and hope of the ninja who lived then.

She only snapped out of it when her stomach growled.

"Ah—it's already dark! I need to get going!"

"Not staying for dinner?"

"N-no, that'd be too much trouble! I'll go talk to my parents about the ninja tool—can I come back tomorrow?"

"Of course. My door is always open to you."

Tenten left with the scroll, practically skipping. As she stepped out of Ximen Zhen's house, she could barely suppress her grin.

She felt that coming to Ximen Zhen's house today was the best decision she had made all year.

"Whoa, isn't that Tenten?!"

A cheerful female voice rang out. Ino came bouncing over, instantly linking arms with her.

She had been watching from the outside for quite a while. Tenten and Ximen Zhen had been shut in together for so long—something was definitely up.

As someone about to go on a mission, Ino needed to gather every bit of intel she could!

(End of Chapter)