41: Naruto’s Grand Prize

The stuff in Shen Mo's cans was all placed by him—luck had little to do with it.

But he couldn't say that.

Selling cans was his way to max out profits.

Way more lucrative than just selling what people wanted.

"Just open them, right?" Naruto rubbed his hands, buzzing with excitement.

"Of course," Shen Mo nodded, smiling.

He'd loaded the cans. Whatever Naruto drew first was his "luck."

Naruto showed no nerves.

Maybe he was just carefree, or maybe always lucky.

He reached out, grabbing a can at random.

Shen Mo's heart skipped.

No way.

Out of forty cans, the first random grab was the top-value grand prize!

That's unscientific!

Naruto opened the can, not even looking, and dumped out a red item resembling a boxing glove.

"What's this?" Naruto held the glove, looking at Shen Mo eagerly.

Before Shen Mo could speak, Sasuke cut in. "Just an ordinary glove. Level 1 cans often have weapons, but compared to my Qingfeng sword, it's nothing. I could slice it with one swing."

An ordinary glove?

Sarutobi eyed the plain-looking glove, a bit disappointed.

So, even Level 1 cans could have mediocre stuff.

"Don't lose heart," Tsunade said, patting Naruto's shoulder, her pretty smile carrying a fellow non-lucky gambler's camaraderie. "A glove's not bad. Beats getting ten thousand—that's the real scam."

She'd opened Level 1 cans for nearly a whole day. Compared to Level 2, Level 1 rarely had great stuff.

"Next one, then!"

Naruto, ever the optimist, showed no trace of disappointment.

Then…

Shen Mo let out a soft sigh.

"Why assume it's just an ordinary glove?"

"…"

His words plunged the scene into eerie silence.

Tsunade looked at Shen Mo, suspicious.

Not an ordinary glove?

"Naruto, your luck's insane," Shen Mo said, genuinely amazed, then raised his voice with a congratulatory grin. "Your very first Level 1 can, and you pull a special item worth way beyond its price! Even in my long career selling cans, this kind of luck is rare."

Special item!?

Tsunade thought of her Courage Cross necklace.

Could this glove be…

"This is the Gauntlet of Justice!" Shen Mo announced the glove's name, looking at Naruto meaningfully. "Special items are special because they carry unique powers. Guess what this glove does?"

"What?" Naruto's curiosity was fully piqued.

He didn't quite grasp "special item."

But Shen Mo's expression alone told him this glove was something big.

"A slight strength boost—not a big deal. The real perk is its chance to land critical hits on those with evil intent! The eviler they are, the higher the chance. You know, aside from true saints, everyone's got a bit of darkness," Shen Mo said, revealing the glove's power.

Yup, critical hits!

Equipment from a game, perfect for smashing undead or evil dungeon bosses with surprising impact.

Worth—three million.

The grand prize was a grand prize because Shen Mo made no profit on this can.

Originally, the gauntlet was a pair, meant for Level 2 cans.

He'd split them, using just one.

All to stun the crowd.

The gauntlet's critical hits even had some durability, making its effect exceed its value. Naturally, Shen Mo didn't mention that—weapons wear out, after all.

"This level of special item is decent even among Level 2 cans," Shen Mo added, marveling. "A true cross-tier pull! Naruto, you're blessed by fate."

Blessed indeed.

Without Sarutobi and Kakashi here today, Shen Mo wouldn't have tossed in this prize.

He needed them to see…

Opening cans could lead to luck explosions and massive wins.

He wouldn't lose out anyway.

"So…" Tsunade grabbed Shen Mo's arm, her pale gold eyes glinting red. "Level 2 cans could have Level 3 items?"

"Theoretically… yes," Shen Mo said, his smile curling.

Even someone as unlucky as Tsunade clung to hopes of striking it big.

And Sasuke…

Looking at Naruto, his eyes burned red too.

Damn it!

This guy's luck was that good?

He remembered Shen Mo saying luck was a key factor in changing fate!

No way!

Naruto's luck was this much better than his?

"I wanna try it!" Naruto said, slipping on the gauntlet, feeling power surge. Looking at the group, he was itching to test it.

"Naruto," Shen Mo said, a playful glint as he glanced at Sarutobi. "Why not try it on the Third Hokage? As Hokage, he's surely free of evil, right? Good way to test the strength boost."

"Gramps Hokage!" Naruto looked ready to jump at it.

"No, no, I'll pass," Sarutobi said, sweat beading on his brow. Sure, it was just a chance for a critical hit, but he had no clue what his "evil" score was.

And Naruto's luck was scary good.

If a critical hit landed…

"Aw, what's the big deal?" Naruto pouted, disappointed. "Gramps Hokage wouldn't trigger a critical hit anyway."

"Well…" Sarutobi felt Tsunade's, Shen Mo's, and others' odd stares, his mind racing. Then, with a wistful sigh, he said, "In my youth… I did some wrong things, so…"

"Hm…" Naruto didn't dwell, quickly turning to Kakashi with glee. "Kakashi sensei, you try!"

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