This time, Takuya really wasn't scamming Sasuke.
Everything he said was true—though he hadn't expected it to go quite like that.
According to the system, this jade's description was:
"For those with the aptitude for the Ruthless Sword, this jade allows direct initiation into sword intent. For the unworthy, it may enslave the user as a sword thrall for a limited time."
If Sasuke had actually been ruthless enough, that would've been insane.
He could've entered sword intent straight away and instantly begun the path of a swordmaster.
But now it seemed…
Not only did Sasuke lack the aptitude for the Ruthless Sword, he might actually be the opposite.
Yup… textbook tsundere.
"You don't need to be disappointed," said Takuya, helping him up and brushing the dust from his shoulder. "Hatred isn't the same as ruthlessness. It's actually an emotion. The sword enslaved you because deep down, you resisted it. But the sword has many paths. And don't forget… you've still got jars."
"…"
Sasuke seemed to recover a little, though there was still lingering fear in his eyes.
So that was the Ruthless Sword?
Turning himself into an actual sword…
Just thinking about it made the still-young Sasuke shiver.
Forget training—he didn't even want to experience that again.
Thankfully… there were other sword paths.
Some color returned to Sasuke's gaze. He looked back at Takuya. That earlier smugness was gone without a trace.
"Are the other sword paths… just as strong?" he asked.
Because no matter how terrifying that ruthless state was—the power was real.
Sasuke had to admit it.
Right now, he hadn't even entered the sword's threshold. His current strength was only the beginning. He needed to grow even stronger!
"I already told you." Takuya gave him a warm smile. "The Ruthless Sword is just one of countless sword paths. But…"
"But what?" Sasuke tensed up.
"Any truly powerful force can't just be trained by anyone. Just like the Ruthless Sword—it requires talent," said Takuya with a touch of helplessness.
"Talent?" Sasuke blinked.
"That's right. In swordsmanship, talent is…" Takuya slowly said two words, "Sword Body."
Now they were getting to the part he'd been setting up for.
The core thrill of opening jars: the ultimate prize.
For Tsunade, it was resurrection.
For Sasuke, Takuya had planned the jackpot to be the Sword Body.
And this one—was legit good stuff.
"Sword Body?" Sasuke repeated, confused but attentive.
"It means innate sword talent," Takuya gave the simple version. "Those born with a Sword Body learn sword arts faster, hit harder, and have lower training requirements. With a Ruthless Sword Body, for example, you wouldn't even need to be ruthless to wield stronger ruthless sword intent—people like that are born for the sword."
If Sasuke were a modern kid, Takuya could've summed it up even faster:
It's a cheat code.
In games, it's that stat-boosting, XP-doubling, power-scaling passive buff made for whales.
A cash-grabbing must-have for every monetization designer.
And, unsurprisingly—
Sasuke's eyes lit up as he listened. Even though he didn't totally understand it, just hearing "train faster, hit harder" was enough to spark his hunger.
"Normally, Sword Bodies are like fate. Just like you were born a Uchiha," Takuya said, pleased by Sasuke's reaction. "But my jars… can change fate. If you open a Sword Body—even the weakest kind—you'll go further, faster on the sword path."
Gulp.
Sasuke swallowed hard.
He asked excitedly, "Can second-tier jars have them?"
There were still over a hundred second-tier jars left!
"Well…" Takuya looked troubled. "There is one—Heavy Sword Embryo Body. The user can comprehend heavy sword intent through long-term training. But it's rare. If you want more types—and stronger ones—you'll need the third-tier jars. Some of those even have Sword Soul-tier Sword Bodies. At that level, 'training speed' is an understatement."
Sasuke didn't quite get the tier rankings.
But he got the idea.
Higher-tier jars = better loot.
If he could open one, he'd be unstoppable.
A Sword Body… even innate talent could be drawn from jars? Itachi… just you wait—!
Sasuke took a deep breath.
"Keep opening!"
His sights were set farther now—he was already dreaming of the third-tier jars.
Takuya knew then.
Mission complete.
From today onward, Sasuke wouldn't get cocky thinking he was already strong enough. He'd stay hooked. At the very least, he'd keep buying until he opened a Sword Body.
That said…
Even if Sasuke opened all these remaining jars and ran off to challenge Itachi, he'd still get the crap kicked out of him and crawl home with his face swollen.
Takuya squinted, deciding to give his client a slightly better experience.
He swapped out the planned jackpot in the remaining jars.
Replaced it with something even better—worth 20,000 transaction points.
Now that was customer service.
Takuya praised himself for his conscience.
With this…
Sasuke might actually manage to give Itachi a surprise. He still wouldn't win, but he'd definitely feel even more hyped to keep opening jars.
Takuya watched Sasuke open jar after jar with a grin on his face. Maybe Sasuke's luck had run out earlier, because by the time the sky began to lighten, only twelve jars remained.
And then, finally, the jackpot appeared.
Another light orb.
Sasuke recognized it instantly and moved to touch it—
But was stopped.
"This one…" Takuya sucked in a deep breath, slapped Sasuke's shoulder, and raised his voice like he was cheering for him. "It's a skill orb! Sasuke, you hit the jackpot! Even among 500 second-tier jars, sword skill orbs are insanely rare!"
Sasuke was startled by Takuya's reaction.
He'd opened a lot of jars.
Takuya had said "lucky" more than once, but this time—this was different.
Could this really be some next-level reward?
Sasuke felt his blood start to boil.
"What's a skill orb?" he asked.
"Simply put, it's a sword technique created by a true master—an attack powered by sword intent. Even if you haven't grasped sword intent yet, you can still use it. And at your current level, any one of them would be a massive boost," Takuya explained.