"Please, take a seat. Hinata's entrusted me with the negotiations. I'm Nara Shikamaru."
Trying his best to sound professional, Shikamaru lazily leaned forward in the tatami room of the Uchiha residence.
Across from him sat Asuma and Kakashi—currently playing the roles of photo shop owner and assistant.
"Ah, right. I'm Fujimura, owner of Fujimura Photo Services. Just call me Fujimura."
Asuma scratched his head awkwardly. This kid was the same age as his students, and yet here he was handling business contracts like a pro. It was a little embarrassing, honestly.
"To keep it brief—we need a professional photo and processing team. Pay can be negotiated. You're interested, right?"
Shikamaru slid over a self-written contract. "It's a bit abrupt, but written agreements are a must. Take a look."
"Sure thing."
Asuma exchanged glances with Kakashi, hiding their growing sense of inferiority as they picked up the document.
Just then, Ino's sweet voice rang from the hallway.
"Excuse me~ Tea and snacks coming through!"
"Yeah, bring it in."
Shikamaru stifled a yawn. Going over legal terms last night had fried his brain.
The door slid open. Sakura and Ino walked in, balancing trays of tea and sweets. Both girls had set aside their usual school-girl demeanor and now moved with refined elegance, placing everything before each guest with a polite bow.
"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call."
"Ah—thank you. These look delicious."
Asuma and Kakashi were genuinely caught off guard. They had expected some kind of informal, childish agreement, but this... this felt like a real contract negotiation.
And the kids? All from Konoha's most prominent clans. Yet somehow, Hinata had brought them together and formed this tight-knit unit.
That kind of leadership… really was impressive.
After skimming through the contract and confirming there were no unreasonable clauses, Asuma and Kakashi exchanged a glance, then nodded with a serious expression.
"No issues with the contract. We're happy to proceed."
"Oh~ That's a huge help. If we had to renegotiate or revise anything, it'd be such a drag."
Chewing on the red bean dumpling Ino had brought in, Shikamaru politely replied,
"Please wait just a little longer. Once our other team returns, we'll give you your payment per the agreement."
"Hehe, you're too kind. But... uh, I do have a small personal favor to ask."
Looking a little awkward, Asuma scratched his head and spoke in a slightly pleading tone. "You see... my wife really loves your production. Would it be possible to get a copy of the finished work to give her?"
"Huh? Ohhh~ So that's what this is about."
Seeing Asuma do the praying-hands gesture (^人^), Shikamaru understood.
"Looks like you're the same as my old man—one of those totally wife-whipped types, huh?"
Indeed, Hinata had held something back. The photo series by itself wasn't a complete product. Without the accompanying captions and dialogue written beneath each shot, it couldn't be called a proper 'drama.'
To reduce the workload, Hinata had pre-written these captions on blank templates. The photos that Asuma's group delivered had already been organized by Shino and the others, then taken to Konoha Bookstore for publishing.
Meaning: if Asuma wanted a complete edition, they'd have to reassemble it from scratch, with all the dialogue manually rewritten.
"Yeah... that's a pain. The finished version's already been handed over, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't just give you a copy."
Shikamaru frowned, while Sasuke, seated nearby, spoke coldly, "Besides, that's confidential. Until the official release, the full product shouldn't be leaked."
"Uh... I understand... it's just, my wife really enjoys your work... so..."
Faced with Sasuke's icy tone, Asuma began to sweat. But remembering the look on Kurenai's face, he doubled down and lowered his voice in supplication. "Please... I promise I won't show it to anyone else."
Kakashi, watching this unfold, could only shake his head. Sasuke's stance wasn't wrong—this was technically breaking protocol. Whether or not Asuma succeeded depended entirely on his ability to appeal to these kids.
"Sigh... this is such a hassle. Whatever. I remember the script pretty well. I'll write down the lines for you, and you can assemble the book yourself."
Seeing Asuma go full seiza in front of him, Shikamaru pressed a hand to his forehead. What else could he do? Having seen his own dad grovel to his mom before, he sympathized with the bearded jonin.
"Hey. Shikamaru."
Sasuke frowned. But Shikamaru just draped an arm over his shoulder, grinning lazily. "It's fine~ Rules are important, but maintaining a good working relationship is even more important sometimes, y'know?"
"Tch. I'll pretend I didn't hear that. If anything goes wrong, you explain it to Hinata."
Sasuke huffed and slid the door open, walking out of the room. But his departure marked his silent approval.
Phew~ Thank goodness. That kid's not as heartless as he looks.
Kakashi let out a small sigh of relief, while Asuma, utterly grateful, exclaimed,
"Thank you so much! You really saved my life, Shikamaru-kun!"
"Eh, no need to thank me. I've seen my folks' dynamic enough to get where you're coming from."
Shikamaru couldn't help but warm up to the guy a little. Asuma might be an adult, but he'd treated them with genuine respect. That was rare.
Kakashi chuckled and stood. "Well then, as the cameraman, I'm going to scout the area for good shots. Mind if I take a look around?"
"Huh? Want someone to show you?"
"No need. I'll manage."
With a smile, Kakashi slid open the door and left. Once outside, though, his expression turned serious. It was time to check in on the last heir of the Uchiha clan—and see what was really going on in his head.
———
Meanwhile, over at Konoha Bookstore, Shino, along with Naruto and Chōji, met their contact: Squirrel.
"Pardon us. This is the latest installment of Fox Tale. Please verify."
Shino placed the photo set on the counter, eyes calm and level. The man behind the counter, Squirrel, raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? Not Lady Hinata this time? You guys her little sidekicks or something?"
"More accurately, we're collaborators."
Shino's tone remained neutral. That irritated Squirrel—these kids were getting way too full of themselves.
Still, without the backing of the Hyuga heiress, this should be an easy crowd to swindle.
Grinning slyly, Squirrel stashed the photos and hoisted a cash box onto the counter.
"Alrighty~ Here's your payment. Based on the profits this time, you're getting... hmm... 500,000 ryo. That's more than last time! Bet you've never seen this much money before, huh?"
"Whoa!! 500,000?! That's 100,000 more than last time!"
Naruto and Chōji were overjoyed. Squirrel smirked. Hah, dumb kids. That's only half of what you actually earned. With last issue's record-breaking sales, I'm making a killing here. No way I'd have tried this with the Hyuga brat around, but you guys? Heh, consider it a 'service fee' to old Squirrel.
"No. That's incorrect."
Shino's emotionless voice cut through the celebration. He didn't even glance at the cash box.
"We've done the math. Based on your promised royalty split, this installment should net us roughly one million ryo. So, you're missing half."
"Wha—? What would a bunch of brats know?! That's all you're getting!"
Squirrel barked, switching tactics. If he could just get them out of the shop, he could lie to Hinata later and blame it on these kids.
"Last issue of Fox Tale sold 725,647 copies. Each sold for 1,000 ryo. Hinata receives a 0.5% royalty. After taxes and deductions, your owed payment is 1,123,586 ryo. Rounded, that's 1,120,000 ryo. So..."
Shino locked eyes with him, still calm. "Please hand over the rest."
"Uh... I-I see. My mistake..."
Squirrel stammered. He'd underestimated them. They weren't just clueless kids after all.
Muttering curses under his breath, he pulled out the second money box and slapped it on the counter.
"There! Happy now?! Freakin' annoying kids…"
"Hey! You better watch your mouth!"
Naruto slammed a fist on the counter. But before he could continue, Shino raised a hand and cut him off again, unfazed.
"We will now count the money before departing."
"...Huh?"
Squirrel frowned, confused. But his expression quickly turned to horror as Shino extended his hand—and tiny black insects poured out from his sleeve.
Some even emerged from holes near his temples.
Like a swarm of ants, the bugs climbed into the money boxes, crawling meticulously over every bill.
"Wow, Shino! You can command those bugs?"
Chōji munched on a chip, unfazed. Shino nodded.
"Yes. I can feel the feedback from each insect... which means..."
"WAIT! WAIT!! I REMEMBERED!!"
Pale-faced and visibly shaken, Squirrel fumbled for yet another money box.
"This is a 200,000-ryo bonus from HQ to reward Fox Tale's performance! I was just about to hand it over anyway! I swear that's everything!"
"You were trying to rip us off from the start, weren't you?!"
Naruto growled, but Shino again raised a hand.
"The count is complete. The sum matches the expected amount. We should return."
They turned to leave, Squirrel glaring after them—foiled and humiliated.
With the three money boxes in tow, one for each of them, Shino glanced back at the trembling Squirrel, adjusted his sunglasses, and said calmly:
"Well then—thank you for your time. See you next time."
"Uhh... y-yes... s-see you…"
Legs buckling beneath him, Squirrel slumped to the ground, face pale as death. As the trio disappeared down the street, the retired ninja whispered to himself in despair:
"What the hell is with this new generation... every single kid is a damn monster…"