However... he was her own father after all, so she had to save him some face. Thus, Ino compromised and simply gave Inoichi Yamanaka a pair of eye-rolls, omitting any mocking remarks.
"But it's still impressive... to be able to earn so much money in a single day at this age, if our Princess Ino says she's second, no one would dare claim to be first."
What were other children doing when they were a bit over five years old? Even that genius of the Uchiha clan went to the battlefield at four, but at five, he didn't have the ability to earn money—all expenses were provided by his parents. The only star-level Ninja in Konoha who earned his first income at five was the one known as the Copy Ninja, a popular king of Konoha who was widely favored by mission clients and even specifically requested by name—Kakashi Hatake. Having graduated at five, Kakashi performed his first D-rank mission and received his share of the commission. Of course... the exact amount of that commission is now difficult to verify.
Kakashi Hatake—while other Jonin in Konoha had breaks every now and then, he was a super-worker of Konoha who was constantly busy, moving from one mission straight into the next!
He fully demonstrated the truth of the saying to the vast number of Ninja practitioners:'Some die of thirst, while others drown in the flood.'
Popularity = Reputation = Mission Volume = Money!
Inoichi Yamanaka gave a thumbs up, intentionally imitating a certain Blue Beast who wore a bodysuit, wandered around the Village whenever he was free, and had no outlet for his excess energy, baring his teeth in a grin.
"As expected of my daughter!"
Ino's facial muscles twitched as she made an expression that was awkward, speechless, yet still elegant... Of course, she herself didn't realize it: her facial expression skills in this life were much stronger than in her previous one. Heaven knows how a single face could produce such rich, colorful, and cute expressions to convey such complex meanings.
She—
Was blinded.
Inoichi Yamanaka sat cross-legged and asked, "So, can you tell Daddy how you did it?"
Inoichi showed plenty of curiosity—and he truly was curious. Mrs. Yamanaka, who was about to go to the kitchen, stopped and continued listening... When Ino had the money and was directing Nana and Kana to get things done, she had seen the whole process and saw more details than Inoichi. But'seeing' did not equal understanding—there was a logic behind how Ino was thinking.
Watching was just for the spectacle. To understand exactly how those 150,000 ryo were earned, they needed Ino to analyze it herself before the two of them could understand.
"It's very simple... At first, I actually just wanted to buy one for myself. Didn't Mama say I got a little tanned and needed to cover up..."
"Yes, I wanted to buy you sunscreen, but you didn't want it. I tried adding a mask to your hat, and you weren't very happy to wear that either..."
Either apply sunscreen or wear a wide-brimmed hat with a mask for shade; this was originally an 'either-or' situation, but Ino stubbornly chose a third option—
She designed a sunscreen mask that could cover the entire face and even made seven styles for people to choose from.
Ino said, "Applying sunscreen is very uncomfortable, and hats are stuffy. It feels like the top of my head is smothered and not breathable at all... Even the ones without a top that just wrap around the forehead are unbearable when you sweat; they get so itchy I can't stand it..."
"..."
Nobuko Yamanaka glanced at her and said nothing.
The meaning in that look was obvious—you wore a hat every day before and never said it was stuffy, but suddenly it's unbearable?
Ino intentionally leaned closer to Inoichi and pointed at Mrs. Yamanaka, saying, "Daddy, look, Mama is being mean to me!"
Mrs. Yamanaka intentionally put on a fierce face, glaring and squinting at Ino, and even gave a 'humph'... "Cough—"
Inoichi Yamanaka gave a dry cough.
Nobuko Yamanaka glared at him and asked, "What's wrong with you? Coughing like that. If you've caught a cold, go to the hospital..."
Inoichi didn't dare pick up that thread at all and forcefully changed the subject. "Well, because there weren't any, you made the sunscreen masks yourself... Daddy saw quite a few people wearing them today, and the designs are really beautiful—so, you noticed Konoha didn't have this item, and that's why you thought of producing sunscreen masks?"
"That's right, Daddy. Look, it doesn't just provide tight coverage, it's also breathable and sweat-absorbent. When your face gets sweaty, it feels sticky and uncomfortable. After putting this on, the sweat is absorbed by the inner cotton layer. The outer layer is a hydrophobic fabric, which is water-repellent and quick-drying, ensuring the inner layer doesn't get too soaked..."
"Such a good thing—I have it, but Konoha doesn't. It's a completely blank market, so of course it sells well!"
If Ino hadn't had disposable funds in her hands, she might have just made a few to wear herself to satisfy her own protection needs... but—
Wasn't it a perfect coincidence? Her dear father had tearfully provided 20,000 ryo—with money in hand, her heart naturally grew bolder and wilder:
In the realm of sunscreen masks, it was a completely unique business, a vast blue ocean. An entire blank market with zero competition was right before her eyes... This was essentially a guaranteed profit business—if she could lose money on this, she might as well find a block of tofu and ram her head into it to end it all.
"Others lack it, I have it—that is the core of making money."
"Of course, choosing the right location for the stall is also very important. You have to fully consider the foot traffic—who the target group is and how to promote it. If I set up the mask stall near the wood factory or the tool shop, I probably wouldn't sell more than a few in a day, right? So, we had to find places where there are many women..."
"And then, Nana, Kana, and I were already wearing the sunscreen masks, so people could see at a glance that they look very good when worn..."
Good-looking, sun-protective, and live demonstrations.
That was more than enough.
Many women actually don't have a clear idea of themselves and don't understand a simple truth: if a person is good-looking and has a good figure, even if they drape themselves in a hemp sack, they can show off the style of Paris Fashion Week. But if they are ugly, with a figure like a sweet potato or a gourd barely cobbled into a human shape, then whatever big brand they wear will look like it's from a rural-urban fringe.
What was Ino's quality?
The future Ino would be the premier beauty of Konoha; calling her the top 'Village Flower' was no exaggeration. She had the figure—not inferior to Tsunade; she had the height—tall and slender; she had the legs—any 'Leg Shadow' would pale in comparison to Ino's long legs. As for her face... it was absolutely top-tier in Konoha.
Even the current Ino was the premier little beauty of Konoha—definitely the most beautiful, cutest, and most elegant among all children of the same or different ages.
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