Regarding pricing, Kagura was still in the trial-and-error phase. She needed to base her service fees on the cost of her daily necessities.
In the first few days, apart from Hashirama 50,000 ryo, there was no other income. People would rather donate their money to the shrine than come to Kagura.
Facing the prospect of depleting her resources, Kagura thought she needed to do something to supplement her income. In the real world, she was an artist, so why not return to her old profession?
Thus, she set up another sign that read:
'Accepting all kinds of assignments, drawing portraits. The artist is known as a human camera, offering high quality at low prices. If the work isn't satisfactory, no charge.'
The first two days still saw no customers, until one afternoon two days later, when the first little boy hesitantly stepped into the shop.
At that time, Kagura was idly counting how many strands of hair she had when she saw a timid little boy enter the store. The boy had white hair and was quite adorable.
White hair again, it was right up Kagura aesthetic alley.
The boy looked about five or six years old, and except for his somewhat lifeless eyes, he was quite cute.
Who wouldn't like a human cub as long as they're not mischievous? Kagura put on a friendly smile and greeted the boy, asking,
"What brings you here?"
The boy looked at Kagura and then at the sign at the door, pointing at it.
"Is it true that you can help with art homework?"
Huh?
Kagura eyes lit up. Finally, after waiting so long, business had come her way. Even if it was just a little kid, as long as there was money, age didn't matter.
"Yes, I do. But do you have money?" Kagura asked with a smile.
"Yes"
the boy said as he started digging into his pocket, and sure enough, he pulled out five ten-ryo coins, holding them out in his palm for Kagura to see.
'Hmm… Fifty ryo, that's not bad, at least enough for a bowl of ramen.'
How much money could a child have? Something is better than nothing. Given her lack of principles, even if the child had no money, a little coaxing would have made her do the art homework anyway.
Taking the five coins, Kagura took out a pen and paper from the counter and asked,
"What's the assignment?"
"An ancient temple hidden in the deep mountains."
"Huh?" Kagura seemed not to have heard clearly.
"An ancient temple hidden in the deep mountains," the boy repeated.
Kagura couldn't help but laugh. She knew this one; he had even painted it in collage. It was a piece of cake. But really, an anime? Was it necessary to have a five or six-year-old child paint something so challenging?
"Hey, little one, how do you understand this theme?"
Hearing Kagura question, the boy looked up at her, his face full of confusion. Of course, if he could understand it, why would he need to pay someone else to help?
Laying out the drawing paper, Kagura started to draw. Although not as meticulously as when she was submitting her own assignments, the artistic conception was still there.
The painting was much simpler, with all the essential elements: deep mountains, a flowing stream, and an old monk. However, the strokes had to be deliberately childish, mimicking the style of a child's drawing.
When the finished piece was ready, Kagura couldn't help but laugh at the crooked lines.
"So childish!"
"It's really well done!" The little boy finally smiled, replacing the anxiety that had been on his face earlier.
"Thank you for the compliment. Now, let's write your name. What's your name?"
The boy looked up with a grin and answered loudly "Hatake Sakumo!"
'Wow, so this is Hatake Sakumo'
Kagura thought momentarily, stunned.
Before leaving with the painting, little Sakumo reminded Kagura to keep it a secret. She nodded reassuringly and whispered
"Next time you have homework, come find me again. Bring your classmates too—the more, the better!"
As the boy disappeared into the street, Kagura suddenly felt like one of those people who sold answers outside exam halls, luring others astray. What she was doing was practically unethical!
But then again, this was just an anime. How much harm could it really do? With that thought, she put her mind at ease, when people do something wrong, they always find excuses for themselves.
With the first customer came the second, and gradually, more people started visiting. Some came to choose auspicious dates for weddings, groundbreaking ceremonies, or even to decide which side of the bed to place their newly purchased bed.
Others came to inquire about their fortunes. Many genin and chunin, feeling uneasy about dangerous missions, sought psychological reassurance before heading out, much like Hashirama had.
As for divination, Kagura maintained a skeptical but respectful attitude. When customers came, she would first intimidate them a little, then smooth things over with a few comforting words. She had truly mastered the art of building up hope before letting down.
As for the second business—drawing—it was mostly children who came, and the paintings were all for art assignments. For now, it didn't count as a serious business.
The kids would sneak in and sneak out, each one reminding her to keep it a secret. Kagura, on the other hand, had to mimic their childish drawing styles while making sure each one was slightly different, much like how she used to copy homework as a child but never dared to make it identical.
Drawing art assignments wasn't exactly exciting, but earning a bowl of ramen for each piece at least kept her from starving. What more could she ask for?
When it came to divining for ordinary ninja and villagers, she couldn't charge exorbitant prices like she had with Hashirama. Most of the missions taken by genin and chunin were C-rank, and the rewards were often split among the team, leaving each member with very little.
Thus, Naruto during his genin days, for example—he completed quite a few missions but barely saved any money, having to eagerly budget even for a bowl of ramen.
In the end, it was all squandered by Jiraiya.
So, the price of 50,000 was unsuitable for ordinary genin. It had to be less than half of 50,000, divided by four, and even less than that. In the end, there really wasn't much profit to be made.
Kagura sat in the shop feeling a bit melancholic. As someone who had watched all 720 episodes of Naruto, she couldn't believe that her advantage of knowing the entire plot was completely useless. Anyone in her position would be frustrated.
She counted her expenses on her fingers. It had been almost a month since she opened the shop after transmigrated. Food, clothing, shelter all cost money.
She earned little but spent a lot, and her expenses far exceeded her income. Who would have thought that even after trangmigrating, she'd still be worrying about basic necessities? Lately, she'd been losing a lot of hair—not because of staying up late on her phone, but purely because she was stressed about money.
She couldn't go on like this. She had to find a way to make some money. Recalling the plot of Naruto, she wondered what would be the fastest way to earn cash. If there was anyone rich and good at making money, it had to be the mercenary group Akatsuki.
How did Kakuzu, the financial officer of Akatsuki, make money? Oh, by taking assassination missions. Never mind; she'd better not think about that.
Wait, Kakuzu—if she remembered correctly, after the first Five Kage Summit, because he was dissatisfied with Hashirama distribution of the tailed beasts, the not-so-bright village leader of Takigakure sent Kakuzu to assassinate Hashirama.
Thinking about it now, Kakuzu wasn't too bright back then either. How did he think he could kill someone who could even capture tailed beasts? Just to scare the Konoha ninja in future battles?
If she could use "Talk no Jutsu," the art of persuasion, to get Kakuzu to work for her, wouldn't her money problems be solved? Then it wouldn't be Akatsuki that was rich—it would be her!.
When it came to day-dreaming, Kagura was second to none.
Like now, she fantasized about using Talk no Jutsu to get Kakuzu to work for her, but she didn't consider that with no skills to speak of, her words alone wouldn't convince anyone. Even Naruto, the acknowledged master of Talk no Jutsu, only used it after beating his enemies into submission and forcing a moral epiphany.
In summary, Talk no Jutsu was just giving the enemy a way out.
'I've defeated you, and you've lost face, so let me lecture you a bit. You'll take the hint, pretend to have an epiphany, and everyone walks away happy.'
That's why Naruto Talk no Jutsu always came after a fight where he completely dominated his opponent. Before the fight, when the outcome was uncertain, no one would listen to his ramblings.
So, the path of Talk no Jutsu was a dead end for Kagura.
Kagura rested her chin on her hand, sighing deeply. While she was busy thinking about how to make money and survive in the ninja world, she overlooked the fact that, compared to an ordinary office worker, she was even worse off.
At least office workers had stable jobs and salaries. She, on the other hand, had an uncertain future. Today she was sitting in the shop daydreaming, but tomorrow she might be sleeping on the streets.
Who said all isekai stories were power fantasies? Why did her script have to be so different!