Over the next few days, he sent his Shadow Clone to scout the Restaurant Owner.
Genshu's stealth training during this period was indeed very helpful.
His name was Koizumi Jin Yuan, and he was about 40 years old.
The Shadow Clone observed his every move to see if he was a hidden Ninja. He had also tried sensing Chakra, but it was only at a civilian level.
Feng Zheng had a question: had Konoha Village, at some point in the past, conducted an operation to unlock the Chakra of many people?
He also observed his transactions with other customers, where he stored inventory, where he kept cash, and so on.
This reconnaissance mission was quite successful because, at one point, he heard Jin Yuan haggling with a supplier over the price of certain goods.
Listening to their conversation, Feng Zheng learned that the supplier sold Exploding Tags to him for 500 taels and storage scrolls for 1200 taels, while he sold storage scrolls to his customers for 1500 taels and Exploding Tags for 750 taels.
After confirming that he was a safe target, he placed the five scrolls on the Shadow Clone.
His Shadow Clone took on the appearance of a middle-aged man and approached Jin Yuan when there was no one else in his shop.
Seeing someone approach, Jin Yuan showed a kind smile and said, "Hello, what would you like to buy?"
Feng Zheng's Shadow Clone replied, "Hello, I'm not here to buy, but to sell."
Hearing this, Jin Yuan was quite surprised. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sell? Who are you?"
Feng Zheng Shadow Clone replied, "You can call me Zoro."
Jin Yuan noted that the man in front of him asked to be called that. Then he asked, "What do you want to sell?"
Feng Zheng's Shadow Clone paused briefly, staring into his eyes. Then he said, "Storage scrolls."
To gain an advantage in negotiations, Jin Yuan deliberately said dismissively, "I already have three suppliers for storage scrolls. Why would I buy from you?"
Feng Zheng Shadow Clone chuckled and said, "Because my scrolls are better."
This statement piqued Jin's interest. He asked, "How are they better? Let me see your scroll first."
Feng Zheng's Shadow Clone maintained his smile and said, "As you wish."
Then he handed him a scroll.
Jin Yuan took the scroll and invited him into a room in the shop. Along the way, he asked, "What organization are you from, and who is in charge?"
However, the Shadow Clone replied disdainfully, "You don't need to concern yourself with that."
Hearing this, Jin Yuan thought, "Oh, a secret organization? So he's either someone who doesn't want anyone to know he can make storage scrolls, or he has a secret organization behind him, likely doing something shady. Heh heh, I'm going to make a fortune from this lamb!"
Upon reaching the room, Jin Yuan began to examine the scroll.
Feng Zheng Shadow Clone's claim was not unfounded. A standard storage scroll contains 10 Sealing Jutsu. But the one he made had 12 Sealing Jutsu inside.
Seeing Jin Yuan examining the scroll, Feng Zheng's Shadow Clone thought, "It's not difficult to make 12 Sealing Jutsu in one scroll. You just need to draw the Sealing Jutsu more compactly."
In fact, if someone wanted to make an optimal storage scroll while keeping the scroll's size unchanged, they could make 25 Sealing Jutsu on it.
However, for those who mass-produce these Sealing Jutsu, 10 is the optimal number. The reason is that many buyers do not need more than 10 Sealing Jutsu on a scroll.
For those who want more, if they buy more scrolls, the producer will earn more profit.
This also reduces the effort required to make the scrolls. So this number becomes the optimal number for them to maximize profit.
However, Feng Zheng had no such restrictions. He just wanted to earn some money to continue practicing Sealing Technique.
Seeing the number of Sealing Jutsu on the scroll, Jin Yuan had similar thoughts.
However, he also thought further than Feng Zheng, as he had much more experience and information. He analyzed, "While two extra Sealing Jutsu might not seem like much to ordinary people, I know there are some Ninja who would want to buy scrolls with more storage Sealing Jutsu."
"Just last week, a Jonin talked about the convenience of having a storage scroll with more Sealing Jutsu. He could sell this scroll to him at a higher price. Possibly even over 2,000 taels."
Then he looked at Feng Zheng's Shadow Clone and thought, "Now the only question is whether he realizes its value."
A moment later, his expression turned ugly, and he angrily said, "Your scroll only has 2 extra Sealing Jutsu! And the quality of each Sealing Jutsu is the same as the others. A scroll with 10 Sealing Jutsu is already more than enough. I'll buy it. I'll pay you the same price I pay my suppliers."
Knowing what kind of person the Restaurant Owner was, Feng Zheng Shadow Clone chuckled and said, "We're not fools, and we both know that's not true. There are plenty of Ninja willing to buy scrolls with more Sealing Jutsu."
Jin Yuan, however, said indifferently, "Yes, but they won't be willing to pay a higher price. However, seeing that you managed to add 2 more Sealing Jutsu, I'll pay you a little more. Not 1000 taels, I'll pay you 1,100 taels."
Hearing this, Feng Zheng Shadow Clone sneered, "Do you think I live in the mountains? The supply price for standard scrolls is around 1200 to 1250 taels. Even at a minimum of 1200 taels, considering it has 20% more Sealing Jutsu, the price should be raised to 1,440 taels, not to mention that some Ninja might be willing to pay an even higher price."
Hearing this, Jin Yuan felt a lot of pressure. Looking at the numbers the other party threw out, he sighed inwardly.
The haggling continued for a few more minutes. Jin Yuan used the fact that the other party was unwilling to reveal his origins to push the purchase price down to 1150 taels.
After the haggling ended, Feng Zheng's Shadow Clone thought, "Sigh, what an intense negotiation. This guy is much better at haggling than I am. But no matter what, even though he might think he made money, being able to sell these scrolls for over a thousand taels each is enough for me."
Then he chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Hmm, I still have an advantage to play. While he might be better at haggling, my advantage is that I am the sole supplier of 12-Sealing Jutsu storage scrolls. Heh heh, I'm eager to see his final decision."
After setting the price at 1150 taels, Jin Yuan asked, "Zoro, how many scrolls do you have to sell?"
Feng Zheng's Shadow Clone did not answer but placed four scrolls in front of him. Seeing this, Jin Yuan was speechless. He thought, "Only four? So, including the one I examined, there are only 5, right? What game is he playing?"
Seeing that the seller said nothing more, he showed an angry expression and angrily asked, "Only five? You wasted so much of my time for just these five scrolls?"
Feng Zheng Shadow Clone calmly said, "Our boss also sent several people like me to other Restaurant Owners to sell, and the boss will decide which shop to sell to in the future based on the price each Restaurant Owner offers."