Killing Three Birds with One Stone

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, a week went by.

Over that week, Rinto and the dozen or so children had been following Mizuguma as he taught them all kinds of Dark Child skills—otherwise known as the self-cultivation of a double agent.

It included controlling their expressions, blending into a group, a hundred ways to join a conversation, playing dumb, and using the advantages of being young to gather information.

All in all, it was practically a crash course in salesmanship.

It covered not only microexpression control and child behavior studies, but even social psychology. It was downright ruthless.

Over that week, Mizuguma had also shed his previously solemn manner and transformed into a fiery teacher. The slightest mistake from a student earned a harsh reprimand, giving him the distinct air of an ascetic disciplinarian.

If he had been a beautiful woman instead of a man, Rinto definitely would have started a romance with him that could go on maternity leave at any moment.

The week-long lessons had ended. Under the guidance of their Supervising Ninjas, the students gradually went home to pack their belongings. Only Rinto remained, leisurely sitting in Mizuguma's office and drinking tea at ease.

It was not that he had no Supervising Ninja. Rather, Mizuguma himself was his Supervising Ninja.

"The lessons are over. I'm leaving tomorrow," Rinto said as he put down his teacup, his face openly relaxed.

"Hmph. You want to leave the village that badly?" Mizuguma snorted, his expression stern.

Seeing that, Rinto casually patted the desk.

"Enough with the act. Everyone's already gone. Besides, wasn't my leaving the village arranged by Shinda and Lord Hanzō? How was I supposed to resist?"

At that, Mizuguma fell silent. His incomparably mature-looking face drooped.

To be honest, whenever Mizuguma taught these children and saw their young, anxious faces, he felt an unbearable torment in his heart.

Only when he was with Rinto, this grinning, carefree brat, did the guilt in his heart recede for a while.

At first, seeing Rinto's eager expression had made him deeply dissatisfied. But as time passed and he spent more time with the children, he became more and more afraid to look into their innocent eyes.

He was even more afraid that they would look at him with pure, innocent faces and ask, "Teacher Mizuguma, can we still come back to the village someday?"

He remembered what Lord Hanzō had once told him: Do everything in your power to protect the village, protect the children within it, and when facing death, smile as you pass the belief of protecting the village on to the thriving next generation.

But now, Lord Hanzō claimed it was for the village, yet he was turning the village's children into Dark Children.

What were Dark Children? People who could never see the light. People who had to sleep with one eye open. People who would live their entire lives in fear and unease.

Lord Hanzō! Hanzo! Hanzo of the Salamander! You... have lost your beliefs!

With tears in his heart, Mizuguma grew ever more silent.

Watching Mizuguma's face darken with gloom, Rinto's expression gradually turned grim as well.

Bang! The desk exploded with noise, documents flying everywhere. Rinto abruptly rose to his feet and grabbed Mizuguma by the collar.

"Come on. I'll take you to strengthen your Steadfast Belief!"

With that, he used brute force to drag Mizuguma in a mad dash toward Kabukicho Ichiban Street.

At that moment, he no longer concealed his enormous strength.

He was leaving the village tomorrow anyway. Once that happened, the sky would be the limit for birds and the sea would be wide enough for fish. A mere Brain Grafting Technique could not stop Rinto. More importantly, Mizuguma was Rinto's only Bond in Amegakure, someone who was both teacher and friend.

He did not want his friend constantly testing the edge of going dark.

Mizuguma was dragged by the hand in an extremely humiliating posture.

"Wait, put me down! Damn it, put me down! You bastard, who goes to the Kabuki District in broad daylight?!"

At that moment, what beliefs could Mizuguma possibly have left? His head was filled with nothing but humiliation, social death, and never being able to find a wife.

Being dragged by the collar by a seven- or eight-year-old child and charged straight into the Kabuki District... the scene was practically a work of art.

The thought that he had permanently lost the right to choose a mate brought tears to Mizuguma's fierce eyes. Covering his face, he burst into tears.

Fuck the village, fuck the children. What I've lost is the happiness of the rest of my life!

Seeing Mizuguma cry with such force and vigor, Rinto was immediately relieved. He sighed inwardly. The Kabuki District really is a great place. All the distracting thoughts in Mizuguma's heart were washed away at once.

With that thought, Rinto became even more energized. Ignoring the strange looks from passersby, he kicked off the ground and rushed in one breath to the entrance of the Amei Free Information Office.

"Keep it up! Let's wipe out every last distracting thought in your heart in one go, see your True Self, and strengthen your Steadfast Belief! You can do it!"

With that, he shoved Mizuguma into one of the private rooms of the Amei Free Information Office.

Mizuguma seemed to know he had no face left to show anyone. Half resisting and half yielding, he entered the private room.

Seeing that, Rinto casually shut the door and returned to the main hall.

Mikiko, with whom he had supposedly "pledged themselves to each other for life," was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Meiya, the girl who was Mizuguma's old flame, stood at the front desk.

"Hello, Sister Meiya." Rinto greeted Meiya with an innocent expression.

"Hello, little brother." Meiya returned his smile, then glanced at the sky outside and asked curiously, "Why did you come this afternoon? Sister Yukiko hasn't even gotten dressed up yet~"

"Uh..." Rinto's eyes rolled, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Teacher Mizuguma said he couldn't hold it in anymore. He wanted to see you sooner and throw himself into your arms~"

"Really? Little children who lie wet their pants, you know~" Meiya looked at Rinto with a teasing smile, clearly not believing him.

Women in her line of work had heard too many pretty words. Ordinary-level sweet talk like Rinto's—neither explicit nor subtle, and with no real effort put into it—had long since ceased to affect her.

"Really." Rinto nodded solemnly, then put on an unconvinced expression and added, "Teacher Mizuguma also said Sister Meiya is gentle and generous, and that it would be wonderful if he could marry you and bring you home!"

"Huh?" The color drained from Meiya's beautiful face, and she hurriedly asked, "H-He really said that?"

"Really. If you don't believe me, go ask Teacher Mizuguma. Just ask him, 'If someone were willing to marry you right now, would you marry her?'"

After hearing Rinto's words, Meiya no longer had the mind to doubt him.

A woman of her background would already be thanking heaven and earth if she could marry into a decent family. Though Mizuguma looked a little older than he was, his status as a special Jonin and a golden bachelor was enough to make these courtesans fight tooth and nail for him.

Moreover, courtesans who had seen too many insincere men often threw themselves even more completely into genuine affection than ordinary women, like moths flying into a flame.

The moment Rinto finished speaking, Meiya spun around and ran toward the inner room without a care for her image. Before long, he heard faint panting from inside.

Looks like that guy succeeded!

Since Mizuguma could not marry a respectable girl because of him, he might as well take a step back and marry a girl from a brothel.

Besides, Mizuguma himself had said that they sold their talents, not their bodies.

Just then, another inner door opened, and a neatly dressed Yukiko walked out. She looked at Rinto in confusion.

"Little brother, have you seen Meiya?"

Rinto raised his chin toward the inner room.

When Yukiko moved to go inside, Rinto hurriedly reached out to stop her.

What a joke. If Yukiko went in, that heartfelt confession would instantly turn into a social death scene!

With that in mind, Rinto's mind raced, and he quickly said, "Sister Yukiko, where's your boss? Why haven't I seen her today?"

Yukiko burst out laughing. She walked over, crouched in front of Rinto, and pinched his cheek.

"Who would have thought? You're quite the devoted little fellow. What a pity—your Sister Mikiko left this place a week ago."

When Yukiko called him devoted, Rinto's little face immediately turned black as coal.

Damn it, that old hag must have repeated every single word I said when I teased her to these two women! Hell, are those little sweet nothings something you can just repeat?!

But then he remembered that he was leaving the village tomorrow, and his mood brightened again.

"Left?" Rinto casually followed up. "Then will she come back?"

"Who knows? Maybe she'll come back tomorrow. Or maybe she'll never come back for the rest of her life~"

Yukiko grinned mischievously as she teased Rinto. The handsome child before her was even cuter than her boss had described.

"What's wrong? Do you miss her?"

Rinto nodded at that.

"Yes, I miss her. Just like Teacher Mizuguma misses Sister Yukiko night after night."

Yukiko was younger than Meiya, after all, and far more innocent.

Her little face instantly flushed. She shot Rinto a shy glance and asked softly, "Then... how does he miss me?"

"How else?" Rinto sighed in a world-weary manner.

Then he crossed his arms and hugged himself, swaying his body seductively as he spoke.

"Like this: Mwah, mwah, Yukiko. You're like the rain in the village, falling in my heart all day long, drowning me, making it hard for me to breathe. Ah~ subarashii~"

Watching Rinto's exceptionally coquettish display, Yukiko could not hold it in any longer. Her face turned bright red in an instant, and her entire head seemed like a boiling kettle, constantly letting off steam.

"D-Don't say that~ It's so embarrassing~" Yukiko covered her face with both hands, feeling as if she were about to faint.

She had encountered customers who liked to grope women and tell dirty jokes, but those people only disgusted her and made her want to vomit.

Yet these slightly explicit words of affection, which she had never heard before, did not make her feel the slightest disgust coming from Rinto. Instead, they made her body feel weak all over.

While Yukiko's head was spinning, Rinto suddenly found his conscience and said, "By the way, Sister Yukiko, do you only sell your talents here and not your bodies?"

Yukiko, whose mind was a blur, instinctively nodded.

"Yes. Sister Mikiko is an amazing person. She protects us very well."

At that, the corners of Rinto's mouth instantly curled up, and a bellyful of mischief began churning.

"Oh, right. Sister Yukiko, Teacher Mizuguma talked in his sleep again."

The moment she heard Mizuguma's name, Yukiko's attention was hooked. Her glistening eyes stared fixedly at Rinto.

"He seemed to say something like, 'I need to save up some money and marry Yukiko.'

No, no, that's not right. It should have been, 'After I become a Jonin, I'll marry Yukiko.'

That's not right either. Ah! I can't remember what he said!

Oh, Sister Yukiko, don't tell him I said anything~"

At that moment, Yukiko's vacant eyes were already filled with sweetness. How could she still have the ability to think? She merely nodded blissfully.

Seeing that, Rinto laughed wildly in his heart.

Though he would be leaving the village tomorrow and would not get to witness Teacher Mizuguma's Hell's Field, just thinking that he had caused all of it made him want to laugh.

After bidding farewell to the dazed Yukiko, Rinto left the Amei Free Information Office in satisfaction. On his way out, he took down the Open sign and locked the front door.

It was easy to imagine that Yukiko would definitely find a chance tonight to have a private talk with Mizuguma.

A lone man and woman talking late at night—what else could they possibly talk about?

Naturally, they would end up talking in bed.

With Mizuguma's personality, he might really marry both women at once.

That would be good too. Mizuguma liked them, after all, and it would keep those two pitiful women from falling any deeper. Besides, with wives, Mizuguma would probably start saving money and living properly!

Killing three birds with one stone. Heh! I'm such a clever little guy!

Patting his own shoulder, Rinto swaggered away from Kabukicho Ichiban Street, leaving behind the place where the dream had begun.