Kazuyama stood at the gate, a Grass ninja keeping watch beside him. The sight drew plenty of curious looks, most from villagers passing by.
"Alright, very good… you've actually got me standing here ."
"Chōmei, up the dose. Compress the Scale Powder in every pill by another ten percent. Diarrhea, vomiting, exhaustion—max out every negative effect you can."
Chōmei chuckled darkly. He had been waiting for this and immediately got to work.
To onlookers, Kazuyama was just fiddling with a medicine bottle. But to the man and the insect, they were mixing poison right in front of their future victims. It was a rare kind of thrill, and Kazuyama's mood was already improving.
Before long, the ninja who had taken a pill earlier returned, looking surprised—clearly whatever the village pharmacist had told him had gone beyond his expectations.
"Good stuff. The pharmacy owner said it's packed with all kinds of herbs—definitely quality medicine."
That short exchange was enough to make the other ninja—the one who'd mocked Kazuyama earlier—stare in shock. He quickly looked at the old man still playing with his pills. The contempt in his eyes was gone, replaced entirely by disbelief.
This old codger was really a pharmacist? And he could make medicine this good?
"Did the owner say how much it costs?"
"No, but judging from his reaction, it's not cheap."
With that, the two guards stepped forward again.
"Sir, you can enter the village now, but… how much are you selling those pills for?"
"Can you sell us a few first?"
They didn't dare delay now. Supplies were clearly limited—if they didn't buy while they could, they'd regret it later.
Kazuyama withdrew the medicine bottle—really just to hide the fact that he and Chōmei had already finished spiking the entire batch. With Chōmei's massive chakra reserves, compressing it into Scale Powder and infusing the pills was child's play.
"So? Done with the appraisal?"
"Didn't I tell you I wasn't lying?"
Their earlier smirks were gone, replaced by awkward chuckles. They didn't dare mouth off again.
"One hundred thousand ryō a pill. Strengthens the body, boosts chakra—that's the price. Once I'm sold out, I'm gone. I need to get back to researching more medicine.
Hmph, if I wasn't short on funds, I wouldn't be selling at all. Look at me—ninety years old and still in better shape than the two of you."
He stretched and twisted for emphasis, and the two gatekeepers couldn't help but stare.
They thought, This old man's not bluffing—he's bouncing on the spot without breaking a sweat… and look at those arm muscles. What a monster.
"Hehe, sir, you're too modest."
"Brother, I'll go grab the money. I'll pay for yours too—you can pay me back later."
The one who'd mocked him earlier dashed off toward home. None of them carried that much cash on missions, so he had to fetch it.
"What, I have to wait again?"
Kazuyama scowled for show. Inside, he was delighted—having these two as his first customers, in front of half the village watching, was perfect free advertising.
"Won't be long, sir. Look—he's already back. We ninjas are fast, haha."
The returning guard hurried over, handing him two hundred thousand ryō.
"Sir, two pills—we'll just take two for now."
Cautious as they were, they understood medicine shouldn't be overused. If it worked, they could always come back for more.
"Only two? What, is Kusagakure that poor? I thought you'd take ten or so.
Fine, here. Remember—swallow whole, don't chew. If anything happens, I'm not responsible."
Kazuyama plucked two pills from the bottle and handed them over. The guards popped them straight into their mouths, waiting for the effect.
"Kazuyama, this medicine really won't be a problem, right?"
"Of course not. Orochimaru made it. Didn't you hear the pharmacist say it's fine? Relax."
Kazuyama had full confidence in Orochimaru's work—he'd stolen plenty of these pills for himself, and they'd all been effective. That was why he could recommend Orochimaru to the Land of Waterfalls' daimyō without worry.
Within moments, the two guards were wearing satisfied smiles.
"Doesn't taste great, but good medicine's always bitter."
"After I swallowed it, I could feel my chakra starting to flow—haha!"
"Please, sir, come in."
The grateful guards ushered him into the village, unaware of the disaster they were inviting in.
"Hmm… where's the busiest part of your village? Or where the most ninjas gather?" Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
"For regular folks, this medicine just strengthens the body. But for ninjas—well, you've felt it yourselves. Feels good, right?"
Kazuyama stroked his beard with the air of a master. The guards nodded eagerly and pointed the way.
"Head straight north. That's where the ninjas live—plenty of people there."
"Sir, may your business prosper. I'll come by later to buy more."
They couldn't leave their post, and they didn't have much spare money on hand, but at least each had bought one pill—good enough for now.
"Alright, I'll give you a twenty percent discount next time. And to the friends watching—if anyone wants to buy medicine, I'd appreciate a guide."
As he stepped into Kusagakure, Kazuyama smiled.
Earlier, plenty of villagers had seen the gate guards take his medicine, so now several were clamoring to show him the way. Inside, Kazuyama was laughing—he didn't even need to advertise.
It didn't take long for word of an old man selling powerful medicine to spread through every street and alley, with many swearing they'd seen the effects themselves.
By the time he reached the northern district, a crowd had already gathered, eager to see for themselves.
"Whoa, Kazuyama, that's a lot of people."
"How come I never noticed so many before?"
Chōmei stared at the sea of faces, baffled. And truth be told, even Kazuyama was wondering—where had they all come from?
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