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Chapter no.49 The Undead Merchant
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"Can you… shut up?!" a voice hissed from the balcony, making him jump out of his skin.
His heart nearly stopped. He wasn't expecting that.
He threw the axe into his inventory and tightened his grip on the Zweihander. Naruto inched forward and tiptoed along the wall, trying to keep silent. When he peeked around the doorframe, what he saw was… definitely not what he'd expected.
A hollow was sitting there, right on the ground, like he was selling something at a market stall. He looked skeletal, with hollow eyes and rotting skin stretched tight over his bones. His clothes were dark and tattered, blending right into the shadows around him. Scattered around him were old, worn pots, cracked barrels, and containers that looked like they'd been through a war or two.
"Hey, so did you just talk?"
"Of course," the hollow replied, sounding almost amused. "I haven't gone hollow yet. And you… you seem to have your wits about you, hmm?" He looked Naruto up and down. "Then you are a welcome customer! I trade for souls. Everything's for sale!" The merchant let out a raspy laugh, reaching into one of the crates around him and pulling out a few items.
Naruto's mind reeled as he took in this odd scene. Here he was, in the middle of a place where everything and everyone tried to kill him, talking to a hollow merchant with the weirdest sales pitch he'd ever heard. He glanced to the side, noting the system window that had popped up, showing the merchant's inventory.
Well… this just got interesting.
— [ Repair Powder - 500 Souls ]
— [ Throwing Knife - 10 Souls ]
— [ Firebomb - 50 Souls ]
— [ Lloyd's Talisman - 500 Souls ]
— [ Orange Guidance Soapstone - 100 Souls ]
"Quick question," Naruto said. "Are you the asshole selling firebombs to those hollows?"
The merchant let out a wheezy, raspy laugh. "Oh, heavens, no! I don't trade with mindless, twitchin' beasts. Why, they'd sooner rip my limbs off than pay me a fair price, eh? Not my ideal customer."
"Good," Naruto replied, cracking a grin. "Because I was about ready to buy every single firebomb you had and shove 'em right up your bony ass."
The merchant gave a sort of dry chuckle that almost sounded like a cough. "Well, good for me then, lad. Now, what can I interest you in today?"
Naruto's eyes went to the firebombs laid out in front of him. Annoying as they were, he couldn't deny their usefulness. Plus, he also really wanted that repair powder.
After a few clicks through the system menu, Naruto had spent a thousand souls, picking up ten firebombs and a sack of repair powder. The powder itself was kind of odd—a small, rough sack filled with glowing yellow dust. The bag looked like it had seen better days, and the powder inside gave off a warm glow, almost comforting. He shrugged and took out Oscar's old sword—well, the hilt, at least—and dumped the powder over it.
The boy shot the man a glare, but the merchant only grinned wider, raising his bony hands in mock innocence.
"Ohhh, now, don't be mad at me, lad!" the merchant said. "That powder fixes up the durability of yer weapon, not a total repair job. Best it can do is patch up a crack or two. Now, why not get yerself a proper weapon, eh? This piece o' crap's as dead as the hollows, I'd say."
For a moment, anger flared in his chest, hot and immediate. His first instinct was to snap back, to defend Oscar's sword, to remind this guy that he didn't know the first thing about what this blade meant.
But then he stopped himself.
The words sat on the edge of his tongue, but Naruto swallowed them back, forcing himself to take a breath.
This isn't like Kiba, he thought, the memory of the day flickering in his mind. When Kiba had insulted Oscar's sword, it felt personal—like an attack on Oscar himself, on everything he had stood for. Naruto had been in a raw state back then, still grieving, still trying to figure out what it meant to carry on someone else's legacy.
Naruto glanced at the merchant, who was busy admiring his own wares and muttering to himself about profits. The merchant wasn't mocking Oscar, wasn't trying to disrespect the sword or its history. He didn't even know its history. He was just... being a merchant. Loud, annoying, practical.
The anger still simmered, but it felt distant now, not worth acting on. Oscar's sword didn't need defending—not from someone . Its worth wasn't in how it looked or how sharp it was.
It was in the legacy it carried, and no insult could tarnish that.
"Words can hurt, yes, but they don't justify violence. If you want to grow into a shinobi people can trust, you need to learn to control yourself. A true ninja doesn't let their emotions dictate their actions."
He let Hiruzen's words settle for a moment, his grip loosening. The merchant didn't know the weight of Oscar's sword or its legacy. And now that he thought about it… Kiba probably didn't, either. Back then, Naruto had acted purely out of grief, his emotions running unchecked. That had been the real reason he lashed out—not because Kiba deserved it, but because Naruto wasn't ready to deal with the weight of his own loss.
Naruto sighed. Yeah… I think I'll maybe apologize to Kiba when I meet him again.
"Heh, that's the spirit, lad! Got myself a nice spear here—sharp as your wit, I'd wager!"
But that didn't mean Naruto was going to let the insult slide. Oh no, the merchant had earned himself some petty payback.
For the next hour, Naruto lingered at the stall, pretending to browse. He'd pick up an item, turning it over in his hands like it was a priceless treasure, only to put it back with a loud, noncommittal "Hmmmm..."
The merchant, ever the salesman, prattled on with exaggerated enthusiasm, his cackling laugh punctuating every pitch.
Naruto picked up a club reinforced with rusted barbed wire and strips of leather.
"What is this supposed to be? A club for self-defense or a really bad DIY project?"
The merchant puffed out his chest proudly. "That there is the Reinforced Club, a masterpiece of utility! Leather grip, barbed wire for extra pain, perfect for bashin' heads!"
Naruto squinted at the weapon, his finger poking at the nailed-on leather. "The grip is literally falling apart. And rusted barbed wire? Is that supposed to kill someone or give 'em tetanus?"
The merchant waved a hand dismissively. "Bah, tetanus is killing someone, just slower. I call that long-term effectiveness!"
"Well, I'm not looking to catch a disease from my own weapon."
The merchant groaned dramatically. "Bah! You wouldn't know quality if it bit you on the backside!"
Naruto smirked, giving the club a few test swings. The barbed wire rattled with every motion, the leather pommel already threatening to come loose. "Does this come with a warranty?"
"Aye," the merchant growled. "The warranty is me not smackin' you upside the head with it!"
Naruto gasped mockingly, feigning deep offense. He adjusted his grip, swinging the club again—this time, "accidentally" letting it slip from his hands. The club flew off the ledge with a faint whoosh.
Then, the sound of the club clanging off something below echoed faintly in the distance.
"I swear that was an accident."
The merchant's hollowed jaw tightened as he glared at Naruto. "Just pay me for the club."
"Ehhh, I don't know about that. Kinda feels like the club wasn't up to standard, y'know? Pretty slippery grip..."
The merchant's cackle was gone, replaced by a cold silence as he slowly reached behind him and pulled out his Uchigatana. The blade gleamed menacingly in the dim light.
"You're going to pay. One way or another!"
Before the merchant could take a step, Naruto hurled a smoke bomb to the ground. The area filled with a thick cloud, and when it cleared, Naruto was gone.
"Yulia…" The merchant muttered under his breath. "Next time, I'm gutting that brat."
Far away, Naruto's laughter echoed faintly through the air. It was a small victory, and he couldn't stop grinning.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 24, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!