Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any properties in this work that I did not make myself.
Harold of Konoha
Chapter nine: The Four Dudes' Card Shop (AKA Ain't it a bitch when reality ensues?)
One day in the village of Konohagakure, Harold Fisher could be seen outside of a storefront. He was on his knees, as if he were about to pray at an altar, looking up into the sky with both of his hands raised up. "WHY, GOD?!" Harold screamed into the heavens in despair as tears rolled down both sides of his face, "WHY WOULD YOU TAKE HIM FROM US?!" Pounding the ground before him with his right fist, Harold added, "HE WAS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS CHILD!" It was at that moment that Harold's friends, Inoichi Yamanaka and Tsume Inuzuka, along with Tsume's ninja dog Kuromaru, came walking up to the older Fisher man.
Looking from Harold to the focus of Harold's skyward screaming then back to Harold again, Kuromaru said in an unamused monotone, "Harold, you're mourning the shutdown of a card shop."
"Not just any card shop, my canine companion," Tsume said as she looked at the sign over the doorway, making her realize the severity of the situation, "But the shutdown of Big-league cards." (1)
"A shop that specialized in sports cards and memorabilia," Inoichi continued, "They had some comics and games on the side, but it was mostly about sports cards, sports collectibles, and the like."
"The big football game between Suna and Kiri that was supposed to happen next week Saturday would have been played on the TV screen mounted on the wall," Harold explained as he tried to hold back his tears, "There would have been a big tailgate-style party, with grilling, snacks, and special raffles that gave away limited edition sports collectables."
Like Harold, Inoichi fell to his knees as well, looked up at the heavens and screamed, "WHY, GOD?! HE WAS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS CHILD! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!"
"Hey, what are you all doing?" a familiar voice called out to the older ninja, making them all turn their heads in the direction the voice came from. As such, they saw Kiba Inuzuka, Tsume's adult son, come walking up. With Kiba was his ninja dog Akamaru, who looked much older than Kuromaru, despite being much younger than his talking counterpart.
"They shut down Big-league cards, Kiba," Tsume said to her son as her eyes filled with tears, "Now there won't be a big tailgate-style party to have while watching the big football game between Suna and Kiri next week Saturday."
Looking up at the sign mounted over the doorway to the now defunct card shop, Kiba remarked in a tone of indifference towards the flight of his mother and her friends, "Oh yeah, I heard about this from Sasuke."
"Sasuke?! What does my nephew-in-law know about this?" Harold asked.
"He said that Naruto had the place shut down," Kiba began to explain as he turned his attention to the Fisher patriarch, "According to the official report, one of this card shop's frequent gamer customers, who's identified as 'Customer A' was kind of a stuck-up jerk to other gamer customers."
"Oh, he was one of those guys who came in for stuff such as Magic and Yugioh?" Inoichi replied.
Nodding in confirmation, Kiba continued, "Customer A was more or less allowed to get away with his jerkassery scot-free because he was a frequent spender who usually dropped a lot of money every purchase. A few days ago, one of the gamer customers who was frequently bullied by Customer A, this victim being identified in the official report as 'Customer B' complained to his/her parents about the way he/she was treated by Customer A. Apparently, whoever Customer B's dad is must be on very good terms with Naruto, because that's when any form of action was finally taken."
"What happened next?" Harold asked.
"Not only did Naruto have the place shut down, as you can so obviously see," Kiba responded, "But Naruto also had the card shop's owner, along with three of his employees, arrested on charges of criminal negligence. Additionally, Naruto also had Customer A arrested on charges of harassment."
"Can Lord Sixth actually do that?" Harold asked, looking mildly shocked.
"As it turned out," Kiba replied in a dry tone, "There was VERY sufficient cause to have Customer A arrested."
"Why did the report keep using terminology like 'Customer A' and 'Customer B', along with his/her and he/she?" Tsume asked.
"To protect the animosity of the people involved, obviously," Kuromaru suggested, "That being said, this is obviously an ongoing investigation."
Nodding in confirmation, Kiba added, "If actual names got out, the persons involved would be harassed by folks on both sides of the argument. Not to mention reporters wanting to get a scoop."
"Well I'm glad that decisive action was taken," Harold remarked, "But now where will the boys and I go to party and watch the big game next week Saturday?!"
"Oh yeah," Kiba said as he stroked his chin, a look of thought on his face, "You guys and Ma would go to Big-league cards for their sports parties. A shame that there isn't another card shop just like Big-league cards located in Konoha where you guys can go to in order to have your sports parties." It was then that Harold and the rest of his group all had looks of realization on their faces. But for differing reasons, of course.
"Kiba, my son, you are a genius!" Tsume exclaimed.
"Kiba, you fool, you are a dumbass!" Kuromaru exclaimed, "How could you give your mother and her friends an idea?!"
"Wait, what's going on now?" Kiba replied, looking confused and slightly worried.
"Since there isn't another card shop like Big-league cards here in Konoha, the boys and I will just open one ourselves!" Tsume explained.
"Wait, you and your friends are going to start a business?" Kiba asked.
"Hells yeah," Tsume replied as she laid a hand on her son's shoulder, "The boys and I hung out at Big-league cards so much, we knew inside and out how the place was run. We can take that knowledge to open up and run our OWN card shop!"
"With a tailgate-style party for the Suna-Kiri football game next week Saturday serving at the shop's first major event!" Harold added.
"Booya, dude!" Inoichi exclaimed as he did a double high-five with Harold.
"Well, if it does gamer stuff like Big-league cards did, then Bankai will be happy," Kiba remarked, "Because since Big-league cards was shut down, Bankai and his friends no longer have a place to go and play Yugioh."
"Hey, that's right," Tsume said, "Not only will the boys and I have our own business where we can have tailgate-style parties for sports events, but the kids will also have a place to come and play games! Everyone wins!"
"For how long, though?" Kuromaru remarked aloud, "For some reason, I feel as if this whole thing will have a bad ending."
After a few days spent looking for a good location, acquiring it, then cleaning it up, along with acquiring the proper store merchandise, a few tables and chairs, other various necessities, then setting everything up, Harold and his friends had finally achieved their goal of having their own card shop. The last step involved Harold and Inoichi hanging a sign over the doorway. "And there you have it," Harold declared once the sign was properly affixed, "The Four Dudes' Card Shop is officially open for business!"
Watching Harold and Inoichi set the sign over the doorway was Tsume and Kuromaru, along with Harold's adult niece Sakura, and Inoichi's adult daughter Ino. "Umm, question," Sakura declared, "Why did you call it 'The Four Dudes' Card Shop'?"
"Because it'll be run by me, Inoichi, Tsume and Kuromaru," Harold explained to his niece in a tone suggesting that Harold thought it to be the most obvious thing in the world.
"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Ino asked, "You do realize that running a card shop, or any business for that matter, is a huge responsibility."
"We can handle it," Harold insisted, "You can trust me, Ino. I'm a doctor."
"One, you are not a doctor," Ino began, "Two, how would you being a doctor automatically make me trust you?"
The three older ninja were silent for a few seconds, until Inoichi turned to Harold and said, "Wow, and here I thought that Kuromaru was a party pooper."
The next day, after having gotten all of the store's merchandise set up, Harold and his friends opened the card shop for its first official day of business. Almost instantly, they had a customer, who surprisingly turned out to be Kankuro, dressed as he normally would back in his mid to late teens, save for the fact that he lacked his usual face markings. "Kankuro!" Inoichi greeted when he looked up and saw his friend from the Sand walk in, "What brings you to Konoha?"
"I actually tagged along with Gaara when he came here to handle important business," Kankuro explained, "Gaara said that he owes Naruto a formal apology for something."
"Why does Gaara owe Lord Sixth an apology?" Tsume asked, looking up from the glass display case she was cleaning with a rag and some window cleaner.
"Apparently," Kankuro began to explain as he rubbed the back of his head in a manner that showed embarrassment, "Naruto's daughter saw me in my Maori Warrior outfit. Naruto caught wind of that and…"
"Oh, I see," Harold remarked.
Looking around the store, Kankuro said, "I thought that the local card shop was closed down for improper business practices."
"It was," Kuromaru explained, "But Tsume and her friends decided to open up a new one to takes its place. Apparently, they liked the old one that was shut down due to it carrying a lot of sports memorabilia and the like. They were planning on attending some tailgate-style party at the card shop so they could watch the upcoming Suna-Kiri football game on the TV screen that was mounted on the wall."
"Oh yeah! The big game!" Kankuro exclaimed, smacking his forehead with the palm of his right hand, "I can't believe I forgot about it!"
"I assume you'll be cheering for the home team?" Tsume asked Inoichi's Suna friend.
"Hells yeah," Kankuro replied by offering the older Inuzuka woman a fist bump, which was happily accepted. As Kankuro proceeded to ask Inoichi about the comics that the shop had in stock, someone entered through the front door, which got the adults' attention. However, it was just Harold's grandnephew, Haru Uchiha.
"Hey, Uncle Harold!" Haru greeted, waiving a 'hello' to his granduncle.
"Haru, my boy, glad to see you came in!" Harold replied, walking out from behind the counter to high five the Uchiha boy.
"Mom told me that you and your friends were opening a new card shop," Haru said as he cut to the chase, "Sorta like Big-league cards before Lord Sixth had that place shut down."
"It still bothers me that so great a place is lost forever," Harold remarked somberly as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"I was looking forward to the tournament this Saturday," Haru said as he pulled out a deck box from one pocket; it was a very durable plastic deck box that closed on the side rather than at the top.
"Oh yeah, you play Magic: The Gathering, don't you?" Harold replied.
"Yugioh," Haru corrected, "Although I think Natsu's cousin Hogato plays Magic. He's how old, seventeen?"
At that prompting, Harold walked back to Inoichi's side and pulled him down for a huddle. "Who the hell is Hogato?" Harold whispered to his best friend.
"He's the son of Hiashi's second-born daughter Hanabi," Inoichi whispered back in explanation, "What, Hiashi's second-born doesn't have a kid in the timeline that you, Tsume and Kuromaru remember?"
"I don't know, I never bothered to check," Harold whispered in response, adding a shrug at the end.
"Umm, Uncle Harold?" Haru called out, sounding mildly concerned.
Popping up from the huddle, Harold said, "Sorry, little man, but I had to go over something with one of my business associates. So then, what do you need?"
"I was wondering if you guys had any of the more recent Yugioh starter decks for Heroes," Haru explained, "I need some stuff from it."
"Building a deck?" Harold replied.
"I just need a few of the spell cards from it," Haru said, "And I can also use a third Dark Law."
"Oh yeah, don't you usually play with Shikaru and the other boys you two hang out with?" Inoichi asked.
"Usually, when we're not training or doing video games," Haru replied, "I'm the only one with more than one deck."
"How many you got?" Harold asked.
"Two," answered the young Uchiha boy, "Heroes and Heroics."
"Are…are those supposed to be different things?" Inoichi asked, "Because they both sound similar to me."
"Heroes mostly rely on fusion monsters, whereas Heroics mostly rely on XYZ monsters," Haru explained.
"You sure seem to like the ones that sound like they're loaded with good guys," Harold remarked.
"Well I AM going to one day be Konoha's greatest hero," Haru replied in a tone suggesting that he's stated this loads of times before.
"Well to answer your question, I have no idea what stuff we have for gaming, to be honest," Harold said to his grandnephew, "You can check over where we stock the gaming cards, though."
After the way was pointed out for him, Haru said, "Thanks, Uncle Harold." After Haru went over to the gaming side of the store, Kankuro cleared his throat.
"Oh dude, I am so sorry!" Inoichi said as he looked to his friend from Suna, "Harold's grandnephew showing up distracted us for a bit!"
"It's okay," Kankuro replied in an understanding tone, "After all, it's thanks to Haru and one of his friends that we were able to get the Toonbiicos for Splinter, Cyborg, Toothless and Fluttershy a short while back."
"Yeah," Harold remarked with a chuckle, "Haru and his little girlfriend Natsu."
With that statement, Kankuro's eyes widened a little. "Well now," Kankuro said softly, "Now I know where Naruto's daughter saw me in my Maori Warrior outfit."
A day or so later, Harold and the others were gearing up their card shop for the upcoming Saturday. As Harold and Inoichi debated which of their respective grills would be brought over to The Four Dudes' Card Shop, a group of kids consisting of Haru and the other ninja boys in his age bracket came in. "Hey grandpa," Shikaru called out, "Is it okay if my friends and I play Yugioh over at one of the tables?"
"No problem, little man," Inoichi said, holding out a fist like he was expecting a bro-fist from Shikaru.
Shikaru recognized this, and decided to punch the air in front of him while saying with a slight smirk, "Air bro-fist!"
"Dude! I never even thought of modifying the bro-fist like that!" Inoichi commended in a tone of amazement, "Awesome!"
As the boys went over to a table to play, Harold remarked to Inoichi, "Dude, your grandson is frigg'en brilliant. An air bro-fist! That is epic!"
"I know, right?" Inoichi replied, "Oh, that gives me an idea to teach Inohime how to air bro-hoof." The card shop's front door opened and a few older kids came in, but Harold and the others paid them no mind.
"Now then, what sort of condiments and toppings should we get for the burgers and hot dogs?" Tsume asked, "I was thinking mustard. Kuromaru, what about you? You think mustard is a good idea?"
"So long as I don't have any, I'm okay," Kuromaru replied, "In fact, how am I going to be given any of the food at this event? Will I just be handed a whole patty or hot dog, or will it be broken up into bits and put on a plate that will be placed in the ground?"
"What about drinks?" Harold asked, "Our respective kids, on in my case niece, will be coming, and they will all bring their respective kids. Most of the adults don't care for Pape Konoha's Brand Lager, and the kids are all too young."
"I was thinking sodas will suffice for them," Kuromaru said, "Maybe a few juice boxes in case Ino decides to bring Inohime. As for me, I'll be wanting water."
"Let's not forget about chips," Inoichi declared, "Maybe some baked beans and coleslaw."
"It this a tailgate-style party or a full out barbecue?" Harold asked, "Either way, I won't complain. Neither will Choza, now that I think about it."
After the older shinobi spent a few minutes discussing some of the details for the party, the older kids that walked in earlier left, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Kuromaru picked up on the tone of their laughing. "Sounds like those brats are laughing because they gave someone a hard time," the Inuzuka ninja dog remarked.
"Yeah, those were Kevin and his goons," Haru's voice called out, getting Kuromaru and the older ninja to turn to see Haru and Shikaru walk up.
"Are they friends of yours?" Inoichi asked.
"Hell no," Shikaru answered firmly, "They're all really stuck up guys who play Yugioh. They go from shop to shop to enter tournaments, beating the snot out of any opponent they face."
"Rumor has it that Kevin's closest friend Sean was arrested a short while back," Haru added, "Apparently, Sean harassed some girl, or something."
"They'll be back tomorrow for the Saturday Yugioh tournament," Shikaru stated, "And I'd bet my bottom ryo that Kevin will win." (2)
"We can just ban him from the store if you'd like," Inoichi offered to his grandson, "Keep in mind that my friends and I DO own the place."
"I was going to offer to kill the little pricks," Tsume stated.
"No and defiantly no," Shikaru replied, "That won't solve anything in the long run. Besides, it's not like they've done anything to warrant any actual action, like what Kevin's friend Sean apparently did."
"Well, whatever you all think is best," Harold said in an uncertain voice. After the kids left, Harold turned to face the others. "Man, why do older kids act like that? What the frig entitles them to it? Because I'd seriously like to know."
"I can always kill the little pricks," Tsume repeated.
"Inoichi's grandson has a point," Kuromaru replied to his owner, "That won't really solve the problem of those older kids running roughshod over the younger ones."
"Maybe those older kids just need a good ol' fashion serving of humble pie," Harold suggested, "And I saw something when I was over at Hiashi's place yesterday that MAY help with serving those older kids the servings of humble pie that they oh so desperately need."
"Am I going to like where this is going?" Kuromaru asked in an unsure tone, "Because from the sound of it, I'm not going to like it at all."
"I just need to be clear on something first," Harold replied, "The game that the kids play is you-gay-hoe, right?"
"It's pronounced 'Yugioh', and yes," Kuromaru corrected, "Why do you ask?"
The next day, The Four Dudes' Card Shop was starting to fill up with folks with all sorts of interest. There are the adults who came for the tailgate-style party being thrown while the big football game between Suna and Kiri is played on the TV screen, there are the kids who came in to play in the Yugioh tournament, and then there are the store owners and the respective families of the store owners.
"Where's Sasuke and Shikamaru?" Tsume asked as she took a can of cola out of a cooler and offered it to Harold's adult niece Sakura, who respectfully accepted it.
"They're helping Naruto with some business over at the Hokage office building," Sakura explained as she popped the can of cola open, "Hinata's here, so you can ask her for some more details."
"Oh yeah, didn't she bring that kid of hers along?" Tsume asked, popping open a can of Pape Konoha's Brand Lager that she fished out of the cooler for herself.
"Oh yeah," Sakura replied, "Hinata's daughter plays Magic: The Gathering, along with Haru and his friends."
"They play Yugioh," Hinata corrected as she walked up to join the conversation, "My nephew Hogato plays Magic, though."
"How old is that nephew of yours again, Hinata?" asked the Uchiha matriarch.
"He's seventeen," Hinata answered as she sat on a stool next to her friend. Shaking her head gently, Hinata continued, "Father was NOT pleased when he heard that Hanabi was pregnant. If I'm being honest here, I'm surprised that Father didn't try to kill Udon."
"Holy geez! That sister of yours must have gotten laid at a rather early age!" Tsume remarked to the Uzumaki matriarch in a tone of bewilderment.
Nodding in agreement, Hinata said, "That's part of the reason why Father wasn't happy to hear that Hanabi got pregnant." As the women talked, Kuromaru laying on the floor next to Tsume's stool all the while, Harold and Inoichi walked around the store to make sure everything was going smoothly. They stopped by the tables where the people who entered the Yugioh tournament were playing.
"So, your plan takes into account the fact that you once saw Hiashi's granddaughter checking the cards in a deck she had made while you were visiting Hiashi's place a while back," Inoichi whispered to Harold.
"Well hey," Harold defended, "If Hiashi's granddaughter can trounce Haru and his friends in video games, who's to say she can't do the same in Magic: The Gathering?"
"Yugioh," Inoichi corrected, "And I see what you're getting at. And given that she's more loaded than the average Konoha kid her age, I'm certain that Hiashi's granddaughter might have the stuff needed to put those stuck up little pricks in their place."
True enough, Natsu Uzumaki had in fact entered the Yugioh tournament, and was in fact dueling that Kevin kid. He was a few years older than Natsu, short black hair, a little round in the middle, wore a long-sleeved light-gray shirt under a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. There were probably socks worn underneath the shoes, but there's no way for knowing for sure.
"I'll attack that zombie monster of yours with Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon," Kevin said, picking up his monster card and using it to point at a monster card that Natsu controlled.
"I'll chain the effect of my Shiranui Samurai, which I can activate during either player's turn," Natsu replied as she pointed out the monster that was being targeted for attack. Picking up the cards in her graveyard, Natsu said as she set a card from the graveyard aside, "I'll banish a zombie-type monster from my graveyard to boost Shiranui Samurai's attack by 600."
"That's still not enough to keep my dragon from killing your zombie," Kevin replied, his voice sounding a bit conceited.
Looking at her opponent, Natsu said, "The zombie-type monster I banished for my Shiranui Samurai's effect was Shiranui Spiritmaster, who has an effect that goes off when he's banished. I can target and destroy a face-up card you control." Sounding mildly unsure of herself, as if she was afraid of offending her opponent, Natsu said, "I, umm, choose to destroy Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon."
Eyes widening in surprise, Kevin said while sounding mildly shocked, "Well okay then. I guess you got me on that one. I'll set a card and end my turn."
Neither Harold nor Inoichi understood what in the blazes those two younger people were talking about, but judging by the surprised look on that Kevin kid's face, Hiashi's granddaughter must have completely foiled whatever he was trying to do. Leaning a little towards Inoichi, Harold whispered, "Told you she'd be an ace in the hole."
At the end of the day, Harold and company felt very much content. Their business was off to a very great start; they remember how Big-league cards used to have gaming card tournaments every Saturday or so, and the first one they held at their store went smoothly. As Harold had expected, Hiashi's granddaughter ended up winning the tournament, with only her round against Haru having any degree of difficulty for the Uzumaki/Hyuga girl. "Didn't I say that Hiashi's granddaughter would win the Magic tournament?" Harold said to his friends as they closed down the shop for the day.
"Yugioh," Kuromaru corrected, "And I have to admit that, for once, you were right."
"I have to admit," Tsume remarked, "That I expected the girl to use a bunch of cutesy critters in her deck. But zombies?"
"She said something along the lines of 'Shogunsaga looks a lot like Sesshomaru', or something like that," Inoichi explained.
"Ah, there we go," the Inuzuka matriarch replied, sounding suddenly understanding of everything. Just as Harold was about to lock up the store, he and the other older ninja heard some voices call out from behind them. Turning around, Harold and company saw Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru walk up.
"I was told that you guys have your own card shop now," Naruto began. Looking up at the sign above the doorway, Naruto added, "I see that what I was told is true."
"Rest assured that we keep a close eye out for any jerkassery," Harold replied to the Lord Sixth, "Especially considering that me, Inoichi's and Tsume's respective grandkids, or grandnephew in my case, come here to play Magic."
"Yugioh," Kuromaru corrected automatically, "Seriously, Harold. Why do you keep on making that mistake?"
"Naruto's daughter told us how you used her to show up some older kid that was giving the boys a hard time," Sasuke began.
"Oh yeah, the boys were adamant about wanting to handle their problem themselves, so we respected their decision," Inoichi explained.
"My offer to kill those little pricks still stands," Tsume pointed out in a helpful tone.
"That, uhh, won't be necessary, Mrs. Inuzuka," Shikamaru said, "But, uhh, thanks for having the boys' best interests in mind."
"Well hey now, what kind of grandmother would I be if I didn't look out for my grandson and his pals?" the older Inuzuka woman replied.
"So back to how you used my daughter to show up some bullies," Naruto said.
"Yeah, about that," Harold began to explain, "When I was over at Hiashi's place a few days ago, I saw that your kid was looking through a deck of Magic cards."
"Yugioh," Naruto corrected.
"Anywho, I figured that if your daughter can trounce my grandnephew and his friends in video games, then she could trounce the little pricks who give them a hard time in Magic," Harold continued.
"Yugioh," Sasuke corrected this time.
A look of mild concern on his face, Naruto said, "Well, I was just worried that Natsu was having a hard time here, given the last time she was being given a hard time at a card shop."
Looking up at the sign over the card shop's doorway, Sasuke said, "Hey Mr. Fisher, I hope that you and your friends did everything needed to acquire this store in order to open the card shop."
"Relax, Sasuke," Harold replied in an assuring tone, "The boys and I took care of everything."
"Like applying for a business license?" Shikamaru suggested.
"A business what now?" Inoichi said to his son-in-law, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
With a mildly concerned look appearing on his face, Shikamaru continued, "You guys DO have a business license for this card shop of yours, right?" "Why would we need one of those?" Harold asked.
"Because this card shop is supposed to be an actual legit business run by adults," Naruto explained, "Dealing with a regular stream of customers, handling shipments of new merchandise, paying bills, maybe even spending a bit on advertisement. It not like this place is a child's lemonade stand, which despite popular belief does NOT require a business license."
"Honestly, who seriously expects a kid to not only know about that stuff, but to have the money and wherewithal to go about getting one?" Shikamaru asked rhetorically, "Not to mention expecting the kid to make enough from their lemonade stand to not only cover the cost of getting a business license, but also cover the cost of cups, supplies, and so-forth, and STILL being able to make a profit."
"The idea of penalizing a kid's lemonade stand for 'not meeting food safety regulations' also pissed me off," Sasuke added, "I mean, most kids don't even know about that, not to mention the fact that most people who stop by a kid's lemonade stand don't even give a crap about that."
"But this card shop is an actual business, and as such, is supposed to have a business license," Naruto said to the older ninja, "And there is no excuse for the place not having one." The older ninja exchanged looks of concern with each other.
"I think we're in trouble, dudes," Harold said to his friends.
"I called it, didn't I?" Kuromaru said, "I so frigg'en called it."
"Oh, shut up, you," Tsume grumbled in an annoyed tone.
The next day, Harold and company stood outside of The Four Dudes' Card Shop, with Tsume affixing a 'closed forever' sign on the front door. "Why don't you guys just apply for a business license instead of closing up shop for good?" Kuromaru asked, "I mean, it's not like you all don't have the money for it."
"Remember the whole incident involving the ice cream truck a while back?" Inoichi pointed out, "Yeah, that's part of the reason why Harold, Tsume and I can no longer apply for a business license."
"Well boys," Harold said to his friends as they all gathered together to collectively look up at the sign over the now defunct card shop, "It was good while it lasted."
"At least we got to have the tailgate-style party to celebrate the big football game between Suna and Kiri," Tsume pointed out, "By the way, I had a feeling that Suna was going to win, but eighty-seven to four?! Kiri was totally annihilated by Suna!"
"I bet Kankuro will talk about it for the rest of the week, if not the rest of the month," Inoichi remarked casually as the four friends walked away from their dream.
END, CHAPTER NINE
Author's notes:
(1) This was a name that I made up randomly; if there is an actual business by this name, I apologize. I was not talking about you.
(2) A setting-appropriate variation of the phrase 'bet my bottom dollar'. Has the same meaning.
As someone who frequently goes to various card shops, I felt that a chapter centered around a card shop was inevitable. Also, you can guess how I feel about the various real-life instances where a kid's lemonade stand was shut down by the law for various reasons that the kid had no idea/control of/couldn't help.