Chapter 57: Skins
"Duy-san, bring two large beers over here!"
"Yes, coming right up!"
Behind the bar, Might Duyi was bustling around, preparing the drinks ordered by the customers.
As time passed, more and more customers flooded the tavern.
Even Natsuhiko and Kushina took on the roles of waiters, carrying trays and serving drinks to the customers.
Although there were quite a few customers, Natsuhiko's expression was somewhat perplexed.
Because these so-called customers were all very familiar faces.
In the gaming area, teachers from the ninja academy such as the Chinese(Japanese) teacher, the maths teacher, and the encryption/coding instructor were each occupying a machine, playing tutorial modes like children.
It was hard to believe that these were the same people who had shown disdain for the Shinobi cards back in the academy.
Although they had sneaked into the tavern quietly, they felt embarrassed when they realised that it was full of other teachers.
But when more people walked the same path, it became the norm.
They could now comfortably play with the Shinobi cards.
However, the teacher in the corner still harboured some dissatisfaction towards this group, hovering around them like a ghost.
Sometimes, he scolded them for saying one thing but doing another.
Sometimes, he felt that he couldn't be the only unlucky one, and he kept urging everyone to play tutorial modes and open packs.
But before long, they were all surprised by the purple and orange lights that appeared when they opened the packs, leaving him sitting on the side drawing circles.
It even made Natsuhiko unable to resist gesturing towards Kushina and saying, "Look at that guy, he's like a puppy."
Besides the teachers, even the librarian auntie from the library was sitting at the bar, drinking a few glasses of wine, exchanging flirtatious glances with Qin, the gatekeeper of the school.
Natsuhiko was somewhat worried about it being a troublesome night.
Finally, even Biwako-sama graced them with her presence.
She was currently chatting with Natsuhiko, complaining about not being informed about the tavern's opening.
After all, the Shinobi tavern had a cooperative relationship with the academy, so she had to come and oversee things.
Looking at the familiar faces in the tavern, Natsuhiko felt like the place had been rented out by the ninja academy.
It didn't feel like a tavern at all.
Just then, as Biwako finished her complaint and surveyed the layout of the tavern, her brows slightly furrowed. Eventually, she couldn't help but ask Natsuhiko, "Natsuhiko, who decorated this place? Why does it look so... old-fashioned?"
Being called old-fashioned by someone as conservative as Biwako showed just how dull the decor of the tavern was.
"The first impression of a tavern is crucial. We can't skimp on the money for places like this. Otherwise, I can find someone else to redo it for you," Biwako suggested eagerly, like a neighbourhood auntie.
Natsuhiko smiled faintly, "No need, Biwako-sama. I think this style of decoration suits the tavern perfectly."
Seeing the sceptical expression on Biwako's face, Natsuhiko didn't explain further. Instead, he stood up and said, "As for the reason, Biwako-sama, you'll understand when you come with me."
Curious, Biwako followed Natsuhiko to a strange machine next to the bar.
Biwako touched the shell of the machine with her hand and compared it for a moment, realising that this machine looked different from the other Shinobi gaming machines.
If one were to describe it accurately, the appearance of this machine was somewhat reminiscent of the old coin-operated jukeboxes from Natsuhiko's previous life.
It even had a music selection function, albeit as a secondary feature.
However, it had more important functions.
After Biwako finished inspecting it, Natsuhiko placed his hand on the circular device on top of the machine and began infusing it with chakra.
Like the Shinobi gaming machines, this machine soon projected an interface.
Then Biwako saw numerous text options densely displayed on it.
There were options for various countries like Fire Country, Water Country, Wind Country, options for natural environments like forests, grasslands, oceans, and inexplicable options like Western, Industrial, Cyberpunk, Hearthstone, Ascend, Break the Cauldron, Moonlight, and so on...
"What is this..." she couldn't help but ask in curiosity.
Natsuhiko, still wearing his enigmatic smile, casually selected the option for Rain Country.
In the next moment, the entire machine began to tremble slightly.
Then Biwako felt a surge of chakra emanating from the machine.
Runes, intricate and obscure, appeared on the walls and floor of the tavern, connecting to form a complete array.
The entire tavern underwent a drastic transformation.
In the astonished gazes of everyone, the walls around them turned into steel and stone, the bar tables and chairs became somewhat old and damp, and numerous metal pipes extended across the ceiling and walls.
The entire tavern took on a more oppressive and gloomy atmosphere.
Even when Biwako looked out the window, she was surprised to see that the streets of Konoha had disappeared.
Instead, there were towering steel towers, covered in winding drainage pipes, adorned with sporadic neon lights and peculiar lightning rods.
Apart from that, there was only the hazy grey sky and seemingly endless ongoing rain.
This scene reminded her of a place.
The Hidden Rain Village.
Although she had never been there personally, she had heard about its distinctive architectural style.
"Wow, what's going on?"
"Why did it suddenly change like this?"
"I know, we must have travelled like Sadako!"
The change in the tavern naturally caused a stir.
But since most of the people here were aware of Natsuhiko's projection technique, they quickly caught on.
They all curiously gathered around Natsuhiko.
Meanwhile, Biwako was touching the nearby wall.
Although it looked like it was made of steel, it still felt like the original wood, giving her a sensory illusion.
Then she heard Natsuhiko and the people around him saying, "What do you all think of my decorating style?"
"This is the Hidden Rain Village, I've been there before, and it's really done exactly the same."
"Natsuhiko, you always surprise us with something new!"
"Doesn't this mean that the tavern looks different every day?"
Everyone praised Natsuhiko's creativity.
Watching the real yet surreal rainy scene outside the window, Biwako commented lightly, "Indeed, it's very interesting."
To be honest, she wanted to have a machine like this at home too.
After all, with her current identity, she couldn't leave the village casually.
Although the scenery around the village was nice, she had long grown tired of it.
With this machine, she could enjoy the scenery from all over the world without leaving her home, couldn't she?
The teachers gathered around Natsuhiko also had the same idea, clamouring for Natsuhiko to get one for them too.
Natsuhiko, always graceful and easygoing, naturally wouldn't refuse them.
Then, he opened his mouth and slowly mentioned the cost of this machine.
The air froze for a few seconds.
Then everyone pretended as if nothing had happened and began clamouring to see other styles of taverns.
Isn't it great to freeload?
"The taverns in the Rain Country aren't very interesting, can we see something else?"
"No problem."
Natsuhiko smiled and casually selected the Grassland option.
This time, the change in the tavern was even more significant.
Not only did the floor become a grassy field, but the walls and ceiling also disappeared.
For a moment, everyone felt as if they were in an endless grassland, even though it was nighttime, the sky above was blue with white clouds, giving a strong sense of temporal and spatial distortion.
"Look over there."
At the reminder of the Chinese(Japanese) teacher, everyone looked in one direction.
In the distance, there was a herd of sheep grazing leisurely, looking vivid and lifelike.
Because of its realism, it was difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.
Feeling adventurous, the physical education teacher wanted to get closer, but before Natsuhiko could stop him, he bumped into the wall and realised that he was still inside the tavern.
His bewildered expression elicited laughter from everyone.
For a moment, the entire tavern was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
Then everyone urged Natsuhiko to continue changing to other options to broaden their horizons.
Natsuhiko complied with their requests, showing them a series of tavern skins.
With each change in projection, they found themselves in various stunning landscapes.
They were amid sandstorms in the Wind Country,
or in the rugged mountains and mist of the Lightning Country,
or on the beach, enjoying the endless sea,
or even underwater, watching the fish swim around them.
The diverse and magnificent scenes left everyone wide-eyed, feeling like they had opened up new vistas.
Soon, everyone was dissatisfied with having Natsuhiko selecting scenes for them.
Umino Ikkaku stepped forward eagerly, "Natsuhiko, can I also select an option?"
"Why not?"
Natsuhiko responded with a smile, making way for him.
Umino Ikkaku was delighted and quickly approached the machine.
After pondering for a moment, he curiously selected an option: "Big Bird Spins."
(End of this chapter)
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