Kaiji stepped out of his house, the midday sun casting sharp shadows on the sandy ground.
He walked towards the market streets, the air warm and carrying the scent of spices and desert flora.
It was afternoon, and market bustled with activity. His Brown hairs, slightly longer than he was used to in his previous life, stirred in the village's warm breeze.
Shopkeepers displayed their wares – food, clothing, tools, and various trinkets – while customers browsed, haggled, and shared meals.
After he spent nearly half an hour observing. 'I should have something for lunch,' he thought.
Reaching into the pocket of his simple clothing, he pulled out a small cloth purse.
Inside, a meager stack of Ryo coins lay. He counted them. 250 Ryo. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. 'Not only am I weak,' he acknowledged inwardly, 'but I'm also broke.'
He recalled from Kaiji's memories that as an orphan, the village provided a monthly allowance.
It was a sum of 5,000 Ryo, intended for basic survival for a single month.
This amount was barely enough for essential food and water, which were less expensive than other necessities.
Buying weaponry or anything beyond the absolute basics was impossible.
'Now that I'm out,' he decided, 'why not check the cost of other things I might need in the future?'
Kaiji held a personal preference for Kenjutsu, swordsmanship, over basic Bukijutsu, general weapon techniques of Kunai and Shurikens.
"However, the Academy did not teach Kenjutsu."
He navigated through the crowds to a weapon shop. Inside, blades and tools of various sizes lined the walls.
A man with a large build and tanned skin, the shopkeeper, noticed him.
"Kid, what are you looking for?" the shopkeeper asked, his voice gruff but not unkind. "Ask me?"
Kaiji looked up at him. "Um," he began, a slight hesitation in his voice, "what is the cost of a sword?"
Then shopkeeper pointed towards a smaller Katana displayed on a rack.
"Small swords or Katanas start from 10,000 Ryo," he stated. "Their prices can go up to 100,000 to 1,000,000 or even more, depending on their quality and craftsmanship."
Kaiji was momentarily dumbfounded. 10,000 Ryo was double of his entire monthly allowance.
He could barely survive on the 5,000 Ryo that village provided him.
He then asked, slightly stammering, "What about the cost of Kunai and Shuriken?"
"A single Kunai costs 2,000 Ryo," the shopkeeper replied. "Shuriken come in a batch of six and cost a total of 3,000 Ryo."
Shock was obvious on Kaiji's face again. He inwardly thanked the Ninja Academy.
'It's a good thing the Academy provides Kunai and Shuriken to the students themselves,' he thought with genuine relief.
He sighed, the reality setting in. Buying a sword was utterly impossible in his current financial state.
The shopkeeper, observing his reaction, offered, "Kid, if you want them, I can give you a 10% discount."
Kaiji shook his head. "Thanks for the offer," he said, "but unless it's a 100% discount, buying anything from here is impossible for me currently."
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Just how broke are you, kid?"
Kaiji simply shook his head. "I'll buy when I become a Genin and earn some bucks," he stated.
He turned to leave, but a thought suddenly occurred to him.
He paused and turned back. "Is there weights here?" he asked. "I mean, training weights?"
The shopkeeper put a hand on his chin, thinking. "Are you asking for body weights?"
"Yes," Kaiji confirmed.
"Yes, I have them," the shopkeeper said.
Kaiji asked hesitantly, "And how much do they cost?"
"They start from 50 pounds weight," the shopkeeper replied. "One costs 300 Ryo. The cost increases as the weight increases."
Kaiji was surprised. "Why are they so low in cost?" he asked.
The shopkeeper sighed slightly. "Not many buy normal body weights," he explained.
Kaiji nodded in understanding.
"So," the shopkeeper prompted, "would you like to buy them?"
Kaiji awkwardly scratched his head. "Well," he admitted, "I don't have enough Ryo for that right now, plus I'm not even physically strong enough to carry 50 pounds on each wrist or leg."
The shopkeeper sighed again, a look of amusement mixed with pity on his face. "Kid," he said, "whenever you have enough money and want to buy something, just come, I'll give you a good 30% discount."
Kaiji scratched his head again, feeling slightly embarrassed. He bowed to the shopkeeper before exiting the shop.
For lunch, he found a small vendor selling Onigiri. He ordered three, which cost a total of 45 Ryo.
After exploring a little more, familiarizing himself with the layout he already knew from memory, he started back towards his residence.
He had wanted to experience the village personally, not just rely on memories. He had also passed by several village departments.
On the north side of the village stood the Torture & Interrogation Department and the Village Hospital.
To the south were the Sealing Department and the Ninja Library Archive.
On the west lay the Kazekage building, with the mission counter situated right beside it.
The east housed the Puppet Brigade Department.
'The Puppet Brigade is a department for shinobi proficient in that art,' Kaiji noted inwardly, 'though it was never properly shown in the anime or manga.'
He added to his thoughts, 'Well, I don't care about puppetry, but Sealing and Medical Ninjutsu... I will definitely learn them.'
He reached his small dwelling, entered, and poured himself a glass of water.
He drank it slowly, then sighed. "I should only focus on graduating from the Ninja Academy, First" he said.
Sunagakure possessed another distinct department known as the 'Genin Corps'.
Despite village's status as one of the five Great Villages, Sunagakure had a limited number of Jonin.
Only the top graduating students from the Academy would be assigned to a three-men cell with a Jonin sensei.
Those who failed the exam or passed but with poor score would still be made Genin but were instead assigned to the Genin Corps.
Here, they operated in five-men squads and undertook missions. However, the reality of the Genin Corps was far more grim than most Academy students knew.
While perhaps unknown to many in the village, the Genin Corps was essentially a sacrificial department. In times of war, its members were deployed as canon fodder.
"I will definitely not be going to the Genin Corps," Kaiji stated, his voice firm with resolve.