The Shopkeeper of Konoha

The next day without fail, the three people went to the hospital. When both of the couple were examined, only minor inside injuries and nothing more serious was found. The doctor was surprised seeing Fugaku a bit injured.

"Did you take a S class mission or something?" Being a Uchiha himself, the doctor was aware of the clan leader's great strength and the fact that very few shinobi in the world were capable of harming him.

"Something like that." Fugaku didn't go into further detail since he didn't dare in front of other hospital patients and doctors. Both received a straightforward healing. Itachi was then sent for a thorough bodily checkup when this was finished.

The medical ninja would have to slowly examine the body to see if there were any concealed issues, which would take a lot of time. Mikoto and Fugaku were both a little anxious as they awaited the results.

After nearly 4 hours of waiting, the medical ninja emerged without a smile on his face. The couple knew from this alone that their kid Itachi wasn't doing well.

"You both are lucky that you came with your child. A couple of more years, and the illness might have been terminal. You son has a respiratory problem and probably will lead to cancer in later stages. However, now that we are aware of it, we can begin the process of curing your child of the fatal illness."

The words of the medical ninja rocked the lives of the couple. Aoto's assertions turned out to be true. Itachi was seriously ill, and the medical ninja's statements implied that their son didn't have long to live if the disease wasn't eradicated.

"What will happen if we don't eradicate the disease soon?"

"It's difficult for me to say as a doctor. My initial observations indicate that the likelihood of the disease spreading is still quite low, but if your child has hypertension or anxiety, the likelihood increases and there are other factors that can cause the disease to flare up fast, like overexerting yoruself and bad pollution. However, I would suggest that you deal with the illness right away rather than waiting for it to get worse as you age." The physician said.

"Doctor, I understand. Do everything it takes to eradicate the illness. We will be eternally thankful." Fugaku muttered while gritting his teeth. The doctor gave a head nod and then began to discuss how much time and medication his child could need.

Only after a drawn-out process that takes two to three months will his son be completely safe.

Fugaku and Mikoto both took notes while listening to everything.

Aoto was having a good day when he opened the shop in the afternoon. He was in a good mood after several people arrived for Hot Pie's bread and even some for the marijuana. Particularly after he observed two males entering the store.

Two twin brothers.

Hiashi and Hizashi.

They had both come with their child in their arms. Hizashi followed Hiashi, and the two of them matched in appearance. Aoto might have confused the two of them if it weren't for the Konoha band on Hizashi's forehead.

"Welcome. How can I help you?" Aoto posed the query while wearing a business suit.

"We would like to thank you for the wonderful gifts that you have provided us." Hiashi stepped in.

"Gifts? You mean the Palicos, I see. The cost of it has already been borne by you. There is no return policy." Aoto straight out spoke his terms. Those words caused Hiashi to become uneasy. He wasn't prepared for the initial treatment to consist of harsh comments.

He felt a little awkward but collected himself and said.

"No.. Your product is perfectly alright. I came here since I was too busy at work the last time to come. You have provided such powerful summoning beasts and as a clan head I should have come to do the business personally. I really apologize for it." Hiashi said, attempting to make things less unpleasant.

"Ahh.. No.. It's okay. I'm a relatively new entrepreneur. Not everyone has the spare time to travel the world. As long as I can feed myself, everything is good." In the most modest voice conceivable, Aoto spoke. Hot Pie did nothing more than side-roll his eyes. This man claimed to be making enough money to feed his stomach while selling Palicos at such a high price. Who was he playing with?

"Hahaha.. I'm delighted you didn't harbor resentment toward it. How about I purchase 20 plaicos for the Hyuga clan as restitution?" Hiashi enquired.

'So this was the plan all along. Making an army. Isn't he scared of the higher ups.' Aoto pondered, but deep inside, he was ecstatic. He would make a significant profit by selling such a large quantity all at once.

"Sure sir, but here are the two conditions that I have laid down if someone wants to buy Palicos." Aoto commented as he pulled out a document containing the guidelines for purchasing a Palico.

Aoto had two requirements: first, he had to see the buyer's face; second, if the buyer was a young shinobi, he had to have a medical examination to rule out the presence of any diseases; if the buyer was above 30, a medical examination was not necessary.

Although Hiashi was aware of the first condition, the second one seemed extremely strange. Full body medical checkup. What was it about? But even so, it wasn't a difficult task. He agreed to the terms and made a down payment of 5 Palicos. Aoto broke out in a big grin at this. He left after the transaction. As he passed through the exit he saw Fugaku waiting outside the shop.

Although they were both taken aback to meet Uchiha's clan chief, the brothers immediately grasped Fugaku's purpose for being there. The Palicos! They both exchanged greetings and pretended that everything in Konoha was wonderful.

'What a bunch of slyfoxes.' Aoto thought as he looked at the happy greetings from inside the shop.