Some time later, Hatake Shibu and Uchiha Obito appeared on a busy street.
Thanks to Shibu’s good relationship with the Uchiha, they had already obtained a permit to set up their stall using the influence of the White Fang and Fugaku.
Otherwise, operating without a license would probably have resulted in a trip to the Konoha Military Police Force for a little “tea.”
Obito might have gotten away with it.
After all, he shared the same bloodline as the Uchiha.
They would probably just teach him a lesson and let him go.
But Shibu would probably have been beaten half to death by Hatake Sakumo.
He had no desire to experience firsthand what it meant for “a father’s love to be as immense as a mountain.”
Uchiha Obito stared at the large pot in front of him with an expression as if he were severely constipated.
Whatever was inside clearly wasn’t anything good.
Hadn’t they noticed how every passerby who caught a whiff of it immediately avoided them?
Forget those people.
Even Obito himself wanted to run.
Just smelling it from such a close distance was enough to tell him how bitter the stuff was.
Was this really something people were supposed to drink?
Wasn’t it actually poison?
Shibu, however, was enjoying the familiar scent drifting through the air.
This was a specialty from his hometown in his previous life.
It instantly stirred up a wave of homesickness within him.
“Shibu, are you sure this stuff can actually be sold? It’s poison, right? It really is poison, isn’t it? When did you learn to make this at Konoha Hospital? I’m telling you, Konoha isn’t like Sunagakure. We don’t like using this kind of stuff! Even if we need it, we can just buy it directly from Konoha Hospital. Their medicine is much more professional than yours!”
Before Shibu could reminisce any longer about the wonderful life of his previous world, Obito interrupted him.
“What do you mean, poison?! This is herbal tea! Herbal tea! Herbal tea! Do you understand? It clears internal heat, detoxifies the body, quenches thirst, reduces inflammation, and dispels dampness. It’s good stuff! I’ll have some first.”
Seeing the increasingly strange look in Obito’s eyes, Shibu decided he should drink some himself to prove his innocence.
Otherwise, Obito would continue thinking he was selling poison.
Shibu filled a bowl, then gulped it down without stopping.
He finished the entire bowl in one go.
“Ahhh!”
Seeing Shibu’s expression of complete enjoyment, which didn’t look fake at all, Obito began to wonder.
Could this stuff simply smell bitter but taste sweet?
Seeing the suspicious expression on Obito’s face, Shibu simply poured him a bowl.
“Here. This normally costs one hundred ryō per bowl. But since you’ve worked so hard accompanying me today and even helped me test my ninjutsu yesterday, I’ll give this one to you for free!”
Did I willingly help you test your ninjutsu?
You bastard, just wait!
Once my Sharingan awakens, I’ll make you understand exactly why flowers are so red!
Because they’ll be watered with your blood!
Those were his thoughts.
But Obito knew better than to act rashly.
Until he was confident he could win, there was no way he would challenge Shibu to a duel.
Even though he was screaming furiously inside, his body obediently accepted the bowl of herbal tea Shibu handed him.
One hundred ryō?
A special bowl of Ichiraku Ramen only cost seventy ryō right now!
Would anyone really pay that much for this stuff?
The moment Obito brought the bowl close to his face, he immediately put it back on the table.
“Urgh!”
He then dropped to his knees and began retching.
His entire face looked miserable.
“Uh… it’s just a little bit bitter at first. The sweetness comes later. It’s good stuff!”
Shibu reached into his bag and pulled out some dried tangerine peel that he had prepared beforehand.
It had been specially preserved and tasted sweet and delicious.
He stuffed it into Obito’s hand.
“This is really sweet. If the tea tastes bitter when you drink it, eat this afterward.”
Obito stood up and licked the dried tangerine peel in his hand.
His eyes immediately lit up.
Why hadn’t Shibu brought out something this good earlier?
The citrus flavor, accompanied by a hint of sweetness, exploded across his palate.
It was simply an exquisite dessert.
For an instant, Obito felt like he could do anything again.
It was only slightly bitter herbal medicine, wasn’t it?
And he had this yellowish tangerine peel to help him.
No problem.
He picked up the bowl and held it in front of his face.
After taking a deep breath, he downed the entire thing in one gulp.
His soul practically left his body.
He immediately wanted to spit it out, but under Shibu’s intimidating gaze, he forced himself to swallow it.
His entire body seemed to turn gray.
The world was no longer beautiful.
What is this?
Why is it so bitter?!
“Urgh! Is this what you called ‘a little bit bitter’?!”
“Of course! It’s just a tiny bit!”
The taste lingered in his mouth, refusing to disappear.
He could even feel the bitterness coating his throat.
Obito hurriedly ate the dried tangerine peel from earlier.
In an instant, the bitterness in his mouth vanished.
Only then did Obito feel as if he had come back to life.
The world was beautiful again.
Shibu smiled.
“How is it? Not bad, right?”
Obito looked at the small amount of herbal tea remaining in his bowl, his hair practically standing on end.
“Shibu, why don’t we just sell these sweet tangerine peels instead? I think these things will sell really well!”
What?
How much money could dried tangerine peel even make?
Besides, these medicinal ingredients had cost him quite a lot.
If he abandoned the herbal tea now, wouldn’t all that money go straight down the drain?
“This is medicine. Check your throat. Doesn’t it feel better? That’s the effect of the herbal tea!”
Obito had been subjected to the Fire Release: Hot Air Technique yesterday.
Because of that, his throat had still hurt when he left home that morning.
But after hearing Shibu’s words, he carefully checked his throat.
It really didn’t hurt anymore.
Could this herbal tea actually have such an effect?
Had he misunderstood Shibu?
Was this really medicine?
Shibu himself had no idea why this herbal tea recipe had such an incredible effect in this world.
He could only attribute it to the fact that the shinobi world was blessed with extraordinary natural conditions.
The medicinal herbs produced here must simply be of exceptional quality, with much stronger medicinal effects.
Obito stroked his chin.
“If that’s really the case, then I’ll help you. But how are we splitting the money?”
Shibu immediately looked displeased.
“We’re brothers. Why are we talking about money?”
“Cut the crap. You said you’d pay me for helping you. Are you trying to welch on the deal?”
Obito looked thoroughly displeased.
After all, he’d already been completely brainwashed by the idea that money would bring him closer to Rin.
He considered this an important step toward winning her over.
“Sure enough, once you get a girl involved, you abandon your brothers. Fine, then I’ll give you two choices.”
“First, we split the profits. You get two-tenths. If we sell something for one hundred ryō, you get twenty.”
“The second option is a fixed wage. I’ll pay you one thousand ryō a day. How does that sound?”
“I’ll take the one thousand ryō!”