The Capital (6)

"So what do you say? Deal or no deal?" Shin, or rather, Shinnosuke, a veritable prince of the Land of Fire, prompted.

After using [Observe] on the young man and discovering his true identity, I had been shocked silent for a few moments, ruminating on the new information.

In the short time between realizing his identity and his prompting, I was putting together a few key facts to form a conclusion.

Firstly, the prince was obviously trying to hide his identity. He was wearing plain clothes that did not suit the prestige of a member of the royal family. He gave me a pseudo-false name and did not introduce himself as a prince. And he didn't bring any servants with him despite his sensitive status, or at least none that he brought into the store.

Second, he saw through my lie the moment I introduced myself as a member from the Kyoukujitsu training camp. How could he, as a prince, not be able to recognize people from the training camps established by his father? However, he also did not call me out on my ruse, which leads me to the next point.

Third, he had to have some ulterior motives for offering to pay for the sword other than purely celebrating a new friendship as he had claimed. But what those motives were, I could not figure out.

In his eyes, I should have been a nobody. Someone not qualified to even speak so casually in his presence. I was no different from any of the other schmucks wandering the streets unless he knew about my shinobi identity. Even then, it wasn't like the identity of a genin from Konoha was that important.

So what was so special about me in his eyes then?

If I hadn't known about his identity as a prince, I might have been satisfied with the conclusion that this young man was just a generous spendthrift with too much money in his pockets and a genuine appreciation for my supposed love for Lady Masako's weapons.

But it was different now that I had discovered his identity. No member of royalty, or any person in power really, that I knew in my past life did a favour just out of the kindness of their hearts. There was always a hidden agenda and layers upon layers of plans and veiled intentions.

If there was one thing I learned from my childhood lessons about power and influence, it would be that it was not smart to owe someone of that nature. Especially if I did not know what he would possibly want from me.

Thus, the question now was – what did he want from me? What could I, who could only be perceived as a common genin from Konoha, offer him? Might it be… my body? Was this prince someone who had that kind of a hobby? It was a wild conjecture, but not one without merit.

Those same members of royalty and people of power that I knew of, some of them at least, had kinks that leaned towards sexual deviancy. And it wasn't homosexuality that I was talking about, rather it was the paedophilic nature of his possible interest in me. I was currently inhabiting the body of a thirteen year old boy after all, while he looked to be at least fifteen or sixteen years of age. A two or three year age gap might not seem significant, but if he was attracted to the body of a thirteen year old boy… that would be problematic.

I withheld a shiver down my spine and glanced at him with barely restrained wariness. If he really were interested in me in that way… it would be difficult since the guy was a freaking prince who was probably used to getting his way.

Swallowing down my anxiety, I faked a smile and politely declined his offer, "How could I accept such generosity? Three million is not a small sum, my friend."

Shinnosuke laughed it off, "It is uncouth to discuss money amongst friends."

"You are too kind, Shin-san. But, really, I cannot accept this goodwill." I repeated my refusal, hoping he would not take offense.

"Come now Shinji, I insist." He shot back immediately, his tone not leaving room for negotiation.

How persistent…

I took on a flustered appearance, before adopting a begrudging expression, "Truth be told, I don't like the feeling of owing another person. It is nothing personal, just something that is against my principle."

Shinnosuke fell silent, and though his expression did not show it, I had a feeling he was upset being rejected three times in a row.

Just as I was beginning to worry about his reaction, he regained his bright smile, "If that is the case, then I can't force you to accept it. It is good to stick to your principles, Shinji. Just be careful those principles will not one day lead you into trouble."

That was a veiled warning if I have ever heard one, which kind of pissed me off honestly.

Suppressing my irritation, I gave a forced smile, "I thank you for your advice. I guess this blade and I are not fated to be together. Unfortunate, but it is what it is. It is getting late; I have to make it back to the training camp before curfew. I will be back, owner-san. It was nice to meet you, Shin-san." And I hope we will never see each other again.

"Come back with money." The lady smith grunted out before returning her attention to the scimitar.

"Leaving so soon? How about I walk you back to the camp? We can talk more about our mutual appreciation for Masako-granny's blades." Shin offered, who without waiting for a response opened the door and held it for me.

This guy… what was his deal? Why was he so interested in me? Even my [Observe] did not reveal anything beyond saying that he was intrigued by me. What was so damn intriguing about me?

But now that he was already half a foot out the door, I could hardly tell him to bugger off now could I? Plus, he already knew I did not belong to any supposed training camp, so what was his actual intentions?

"Sure. Let's walk and talk." I forced out a smile at his offer.

What else could I have done? I wasn't allowed to use chakra in the city, so running away wasn't an option. And I didn't want to offend a prince more than I already had by rejecting his offer thrice in a row. Who knows if a fourth rejection would subject me to imprisonment by the imperial guards or something.

As I exited the store, I was half-ready to encounter an entire platoon of imperial guards just waiting to do his bidding. I was surprised to see only one such servant, a woman in a more modern attire rather than the traditional Japanese yukatas and kimonos I saw so frequently in the Capital, dutifully waiting for the prince.

The woman looked to be in her early twenties, with black hair held together by a red ribbon in a ponytail. Additional hair clips that held stray hairs in place gave her a prim and proper look that was only further reinforced by the no-nonsense look on her plain face. Attached to her waist was a sheathed katana, one that I could only assume to have been purchased from weapon shop behind me.

I instinctively used [Observe] on the servant, as a precautionary measure.

[Setsuna Lv 77]

HP: 14580/14580

CP: 10300/10300

Setsuna is a loyal attendant to Shinnosuke, the third prince of the Land of Fire. She was raised with only a singular purpose in her life – to serve Shinnosuke as his sword and shield. Despite her martial prowess, she serves not only as a bodyguard to the prince, but also as a secretary and confidant. Her loyalty to Shinnosuke is absolute, and so is her determination to protect him from any and all harm.

Setsuna is cautious towards you.

A jounin-level attendant. This only further proved that this Shinnosuke person was not simple. And I did not doubt that he had only brought one servant along because he wanted to remain inconspicuous.

Setsuna bowed deeply upon seeing her master, her poise a perfect representation of etiquette and servitude.

"Your High- young master, this is…?" She asked, correcting herself after the initial slip up. Hey, isn't that too obvious of a mistake.

"Ah, this is my new friend Shinji." Shinnosuke introduced though I did not miss the light glare he sent towards the woman for her mistake, who I had noticed he conspicuously did not introduce.

"He is from the Kyoukujitsu training camp… except, you're not really from the training camp are you, Shinji?" He asked inquisitorially.

So he was getting straight to the elephant in the room? I gave a wry smile, content with playing along with this charade, "I knew you saw through me. How did you figure it out?"

"Well, for starters, I have been to the Kyoukuijtsu training camp before, and I have never seen you there before. Secondly, you must not have done your research before lying to poor Masako-granny because Kyoukujitsu training camp members all wear an armband that identifies them as such. Third, the training camp members are all provided equipment by the state. They would have no reason to buy weapons from outside vendors since external equipment aren't allowed to be used in the camps." He explained, the smile from on his face growing more confident.

Asuma, you dumbass, how was the cover story you came up with so easily debunked!? I could excuse the first and third reason but could he have not remembered the armband!

Well I couldn't fault the Sarutobi that much. How could he have expected I would encounter a damn prince on this short visit to a weapon shop?

"Well, you got me. But how do you know so much about the Kyoukuijtsu training camp?" I asked, turning the question back on to him.

But my question did not deter him. It seemed as though he was even expecting it. "Like I said, I have been to the Kyoukujitsu training camp before. And not to brag, but I have a pretty good memory."

"So what now?" I prompted, wanting to see where he was going with this line of questioning.

The prince took on a ponderous look, as though trying to decide what he wanted to do with that information. I hated that this person now had something over me, even if it wasn't that big of a deal. Or at least I hope it wasn't, unless fraudulently claiming to be a member of the three training camps was against the law or something. But if worst came to worst, Asuma should be able to cover for me using his identity as an ex-member of the Twelve. It was his idea in the first place after all.

"Now…" His eyes took on a malicious glint which honestly took me aback, but it brightened considerably as he continued jokingly, "Nothing of course! What did you think I was going to do? Threaten you into something? Hahaha, I'm not a suspicious person, Shinji, you can relax."

Yeah right you're not suspicious. What worries me is that I still don't know what you want from me.

"What I can't figure out is why you claimed to be from Kyoukujitsu training camp in the first place? It's not like their members are able to receive discounts from the stores… unless…?" He scanned me up and down once more, his eyes pausing at my attire and the weapons pouch strapped to my thigh.

"Unless you knew that Masako-granny hated shinobi, and so you lied, knowing you needed a suitable reason for needing a weapon even though you're so young. Because you are a shinobi!" Shinnosuke snapped his fingers with an 'ah-ha' look, looking pleased with himself for figuring out the truth.

This guy was good. As perceptive and intelligent as what his status wrote about him. He reminded me of Shikamaru if the Nara wasn't lazy and more sociable.

"It seems like nothing can get past your eyes, Shin-san." I begrudged, shaking my head in surrender. It didn't really matter one way or another even if he knew I was a shinobi from Konoha. It's not like it was against the law to be a shinobi.

Shinnosuke smiled humbly, "It was just a lucky guess. And you're most likely from Konoha, right?"

"Oh? Why would you say that?"

"Your boots, they don't look very worn out, which probably means you did not have to travel long to get here. Your clothes as well, they don't look like the baggy attire Suna shinobi would wear, nor the more water proof ones those from Kiri, Ame or Taki would wear. Iwa and Kumo, as you should know, are not allowed free entry into the city, unless they are messengers or ambassadors, and even then they would have escorts following them around. You could be from Kusa, but the Daimyo of the country they are in is now having a little spat with our Daimyo, so it's unlikely their shinobi would be sent here."

"Plus, shinobi from other hidden villages besides Konoha would never take off their forehead protectors while in the Capital. Because it's super suspicious if they do and they would get dragged into questioning by the guards. Which means that most likely you came from Konoha." Shinnosuke deduced, before throwing me an expectant look, waiting for my confirmation of this theory.

This time I widened my eyes in surprise, not expecting such a detailed analysis of my identity in the short time I had encountered the prince. "…very impressive. Once again, Shin-san's deduction is accurate."

The young man beamed at my acknowledgement of his abilities. However, I had a sense that behind that smile was not a need to be praised. No, that was too simple a motivation for one so sharp. He was not seeking validation for validation's sake. He wanted me impressed. He wanted me awed. And I was. But for what nefarious purposes?

"If that is all, I do need to get back to my squad." My objective right now was to get as far as possible from this shady salesman like person. Something about his disarming smile had me wary. And I've learnt to trust my gut instinct when it came to snakes.

Shinnosuke's smile wavered for a moment before coming back full force. "I see that you are busy. I won't keep you then. See you around, Shinji. Remember, principles are good when it is convenient. But there are times you need to… surrender."

I faked a grateful smile and bid the two farewell. A strange need to get into an ice cold shower after that interaction overwhelmed my mind.