In the front row beneath the stage, the four members of the Akatsuki sat with markedly different expressions.
"Mm~~ I did buy the original soundtrack cassette, but hearing it live really is more soothing~ Mm~!"
As the song ended, Deidara folded his arms and gave his opinion, completely enraptured. Hidan, sitting next to him, mumbled, "Even so, that little girl just took the stuff you two made without paying a single cent. Aren't you worried about getting scammed?"
"Art is priceless. That's what she said."
Sasori responded flatly, clearly unfazed by Hidan's concerns. After all, Hinata had gone to great lengths to rope the two of them in—there was no way it was just to swindle a couple of boxes of figurines.
Just then, Kakuzu spoke up.
"Someone's coming out."
On stage, Ino, playing Princess Qin, and Sakura, both dressed in elaborate twelve-layer kimonos, walked out from the backstage area. Though they didn't have any acting roles in the play, it would've been a waste to leave two real girls unused, so Hinata had decisively handed over the emcee duties to them.
"Thank you all for your support and sponsorship. It's your admiration and enthusiasm that brought The Fox's Tales series to such heights. As a special surprise, today we'll be releasing a collector's edition artbook—aaand~~ here comes the real surprise!"
Holding the mic, Ino did her best to keep her voice steady. Still, her eyes betrayed a touch of reluctance. But in the end, she steeled herself and signaled to Chōji—the team's designated heavy-lifter—to bring up the goods.
"Ooh~ look at that, it's those little wooden and clay figures you two made. Heh heh~ wonder how many people'll actually buy them~"
Hidan snickered as he nudged Deidara in the ribs. The rarely nervous, golden-haired rogue ninja slapped him away, annoyed.
"Shut up~! I believe in our art, no problem at all! Mm~!"
Even so, it was clear Deidara wasn't confident. As an S-rank rogue ninja, staying calm under pressure should've been second nature, but when it came to his art, composure was clearly out the window.
Sasori, beside him, subconsciously clenched his fingers. His face and eyes stayed impassive, but that tiny motion gave away his true feelings. He could clearly see that the two boxes Chōji brought out contained the very figurines he and Deidara had made.
"Crap~ I just remembered—the clay's color might've been a bit off this time. Dammit~ I knew I should've added more red pigment~ Mm~"
Deidara was clearly flustered now, muttering under his breath. Sasori tried to ignore his partner's panic but found himself regretting not using better materials, despite having carefully selected them.
"These are special Fox Series figurines, custom-ordered by the author from a mysterious source. As you can see~ there are two types. First is the 'Azure Dragon Faction' model, a fixed-pose figure with vibrant colors and dynamic posture, perfect for display~ See this one? Ah~~ our dear Lord Lin is so handsome, isn't he?"
Ino held up a clay figure of Lin with a loving gaze, then raised it high to show the audience. Sakura chimed in on cue: "Miss~ don't forget the 'Jade Maiden Faction' model~ This one's a bit more standard in style and color, but its joints and limbs are all moveable~~ perfect for playing with! Look~ this is the fox spirit Ahri~ once she's posed mid-flight, doesn't she just radiate ethereal grace?"
{Like hell! Why am I stuck promoting Naruto's damn figure, while that damn pig Ino gets to flaunt Sasuke's? Curse you, Hinata!!}
Sakura's inner turmoil went completely unnoticed. Ino reluctantly set the figure down and cleared her throat before sweetly announcing: "Since we only have a hundred of these figurines, if anyone wants one..."
She hadn't even finished when the audience exploded. In an instant, people surged toward the stage in a frenzy, shouting in chaos.
"Give me that Lin figure! It's the best!!"
"I'm buying all the Ahri ones!!"
"My lady, I love you!!"
"Bastard! Ahri's MINE!! Back off!!"
"What? You got a death wish?!"
"Lord Lin! I've come for you!!"
Hidan and Deidara were nearly trampled by the stampede, barely saved by Kakuzu and Sasori who each pulled their partners back. Watching the chaos unfold, even Hidan was wide-eyed.
"Whoa whoa whoa~! What the hell is wrong with these people? They're like the cult members from my old church!!"
"Damn it~ stop squishing me! Bastards~~!"
Deidara dodged a massive butt with difficulty. The packed crowd made it nearly impossible to move. Sure, tossing a few bombs would clear the place, but obviously that was off the table.
"Ahh~ everyone, please calm down~ no pushing~!"
Pale-faced, Ino stammered as she tried to stop the audience from climbing on stage. Honestly, this was probably the scariest riot she'd ever seen... and yet, part of her did understand the hype.
Wind Style: Gale Palm!
Just in time, Asuma's voice rang out. A sudden gust swept across the crowd, and the front-row chaos finally paused as everyone shrieked and backed off.
"Everyone, please remain calm! Don't hurt others over this event!"
Landing at the front of the stage, Asuma gave a stern sweep of his gaze, and the ninja's presence made the mostly ordinary crowd instinctively freeze. But it was clear they were still unwilling to back down.
"Hmm? That symbol... now that's a valuable target~"
Kakuzu immediately spotted the Guardian Twelve mark on Asuma's waist. The tall rogue ninja narrowed his eyes.
"As expected, the Land of Fire is a goldmine~"
"If this mess ruins our launch, I won't let it slide."
Sasori spoke coldly. Caught between two large women, Hidan yelled in fury, "Isn't this already ruined?! Damn it! Who's grabbing me?! You want me to sacrifice you?!"
Hidan's pretty-boy looks clearly brought him some unwanted attention. Amid the chaos, a few pervy hands had found their way to the zealot of Jashin.
"I'm not done here~~! Get off! Bastard! I'm a man!!"
Things weren't much better for Deidara. His androgynous looks and outfit had led to some... confusion among those trying to cop a feel.
Strangely, Sasori remained untouched. The reason was simple: anyone who tried ended up convulsing and foaming at the mouth. As a puppet master, Sasori was also a poison expert.
"Hmph~ fine. I'll admit this so-called 'figurine' thing actually sells~"
Kakuzu watched the fanatic crowd and quickly did the math in his head: there had to be over ten thousand people here, all eager to buy. Even if each figure sold for just a thousand ryo, that'd be ten million in one go. And if he could raise the price a little higher...
"Perfect. I'll report to the boss right away. This is a real goldmine."
Without hesitation, Kakuzu made his decision. Killing people barely earned a few coins; heads worth millions were rare and hard to find. In the original story, heads like Darui's or Asuma's were some of the highest bounties in the Land of Fire.
But now, just some little clay and wooden figures—virtually no cost—could easily bring in tens of millions. Unless he was dead, Kakuzu was definitely getting in on this business.
In a way, the situation was exactly what Hinata expected.
Years of war had left this world spiritually starved. With no TV or anime industries to speak of, her The Fox's Tales series wasn't just a piece of entertainment—it had become a cultural movement. She still remembered those packed concert crowds during the days when she was on earth; there had been at least ten thousand people then.
So no, Hinata wasn't surprised. If anything, she was mildly dissatisfied.
This world was still too backward. And thanks to its crappy political system, fans couldn't travel freely. Otherwise, she'd expect twice the turnout here.
"Go tell the crowd the figurines are going up for auction. Starting bid: 100,000 ryo each. Make sure they know—these are the Supreme Edition first-run models. Once they're gone, they're gone."
So, Hinata didn't bother going out herself. She impatiently gave Sai the order, and he nodded, stepping out onto the stage.
"Everyone, please calm down. Due to the limited quantity of figurines, we've decided after backstage discussion to auction off this batch of Supreme Edition first-run models to the highest bidders. Of course, those who miss out—don't worry! The second-gen models will be available very soon."
Sai's announcement did the trick. The crowd settled. After all, rather than physically fighting, money was the best way to determine who truly deserved a figure. The chaos faded, and people quietly returned to their seats, ready for the auction.
"Damn it~! Those damn bimbos! Don't let me catch you outside this launch party!"
Hidan's once-slick silver hair was now a mess, and there was a huge lipstick mark on his cheek—who knew which crazed fangirl left it there. Judging from his furious expression, this was clearly the first time he'd ever been groped by female pervs in public.
"Damn it! What kind of freaks are these people?!"
---
(TL:I wanted to change the names Azure Dragon Faction & Jade Maiden Faction but thought it was funny. It will also be hassle down the line)
(PS: did you find the secret?)