The daimyo sat by the window. A shogi board lay before him, Asuma's favorite game, but there was no opponent across from him. He was playing against himself.
"My lord, the prime minister's fundraising was very successful." A figure appeared beneath the window and knelt on one knee, reporting the entire process of Ming Jing's fundraising efforts. The daimyo listened while using his fan to move the pieces. By the time the man finished his report, the game had been decided.
After a moment of silence, the daimyo slowly said, "The Kurama Clan truly deserves its reputation as the clan most skilled in genjutsu! Fine, then we'll put that money toward something else. But those merchants are surprisingly wealthy. Should we consider raising taxes?"
The person kneeling outside the window did not dare respond to the daimyo's question. He remembered that his predecessor had answered the daimyo on his own initiative and had soon been transferred to the Land of Rain border.
"Well... forget it. Let's see what Mister Ming Jing does next!" The daimyo thought for a moment, smiled faintly, and returned his attention to the board.
On the third day, while Yuexi was tallying the donations, Ming Jing left once more with Qing Yan. This time, however, they were not taking a walk. They had come with a purpose: to visit someone. Tamamachi Seiyo—the Land of Fire's most renowned agricultural expert, hydraulic engineer, and civil engineering specialist—was sixty years old.
Tamamachi Seiyo lived on a small mountain outside the Royal Capital. He had planted Eastern Maples all over it, and when the wind blew, the entire mountain seemed to be on fire. Ming Jing stopped and looked at the sight before him. "It seems Mister Tamamachi Seiyo is a passionate man."
"How did Young Master know?" Qing Yan truly deserved his title as the best team member, giving Ming Jing another chance to show off.
"Because the flower language of the red maple is passion. Let's go!" Ming Jing smiled, seized the opportunity, and only then headed toward the buildings up the mountain in satisfaction.
When the two reached the courtyard, they saw a little girl who looked no older than fifteen seriously sweeping the ground with a broom. After comparing them, Ming Jing decided it would be better to have Qing Yan call out. After all, Qing Yan looked more mature.
So Ming Jing stepped back a little, while Qing Yan came forward and called to the little girl in the courtyard, "Miss, may I ask if Mister Tamamachi Seiyo is home?"
"What do you need my grandfather for?" The little girl looked up at Qing Yan and asked.
"It's important. Please inform Mister Tamamachi Seiyo that Prime Minister Akira Kurama has come to visit." Qing Yan tried hard not to look so cold, even deliberately slowing his speech.
"Oh, okay. Wait a moment!" The little girl nodded. She glanced at Ming Jing behind Qing Yan, set her broom aside, and ran into the house.
"Thank you." Qing Yan politely called after her, then retreated behind Ming Jing again.
After a while, sounds came from inside the house, and a lean old man emerged. His back was straight, and every step he took was vigorous and steady. Only when he came closer did Ming Jing realize that the old man was quite tall, nearly six feet three.
"I'm Tamamachi Seiyo. I heard the prime minister was looking for me? Where is he?" Tamamachi Seiyo looked at Qing Yan and asked with his head tilted.
"My apologies, I am the prime minister, Akira Kurama. Greetings, Mister Tamamachi." Ming Jing had no choice but to raise his hand.
"Hm??" Tamamachi Seiyo looked down. Then the old man crouched halfway, stroking his chin as he said, "Not bad-looking! Though not as good-looking as in the newspaper. By the way, do you have someone? How about dating my granddaughter?"
"..." Ming Jing's expression froze. Was this really the best hydraulic engineering and civil engineering expert in the Land of Fire, even the entire world? He was trying to sell off his granddaughter the first time they met? Just how much did this old man dislike her?! And that moment of unreliability just now had been an illusion, right? It had to be an illusion, right?!
"Grandpa..." While Ming Jing was spacing out, a broom descended from above and struck Tamamachi Seiyo squarely on the head. Then the little girl suppressed her anger and said, "Hurry up and invite the guests inside!"
Hmm... this grandfather-granddaughter pair certainly had an unusual way of getting along. Ming Jing and Qing Yan exchanged looks, silently thinking the same thing.
"Ahahaha... sorry, sorry. Please come in, both of you!" Tamamachi Seiyo laughed heartily, stood up, and gestured inside.
"You're too courteous, sir. Please." Ming Jing nodded and walked in. As soon as they sat down, the little girl brought over freshly brewed tea.
Tamamachi Seiyo nodded approvingly at the little girl, then quietly asked Ming Jing, "Really not considering it? Look how sensible my granddaughter is!"
Ming Jing rolled his eyes inwardly and could not be bothered to respond to the old man. He went straight to the point. "Mister Tamamachi, my name is Akira Kurama, and I am currently the Prime Minister of the Land of Fire. I have come to trouble you today in hopes of inviting you out of retirement to oversee the excavation of a canal."
Tamamachi Seiyo immediately became serious as well. He frowned and said, "Mm, I read today's newspaper. The prime minister looked much more handsome in it. Ahem... what I mean is, emotionally, I support the prime minister's idea, but technically speaking, it is a little too fanciful!"
I'm terribly sorry for not being photogenic! You really had to remind me twice, didn't you?!
Ming Jing took a breath and reminded himself why he had come. Adjusting his mindset, he asked, "You are the expert in hydraulics and civil engineering, and your professional opinion carries the most weight. What I want to ask is, can the technical difficulties you mentioned be solved with the abilities of ninja?"
Tamamachi Seiyo closed his eyes in thought. Then he retrieved several maps and books from his study. After flipping through them and calculating for a while, he finally said, "Mm... relying solely on Konoha's ninja might be troublesome. From what I know, Konoha does not have many Earth Release ninja. But with Lightning Release ninja, it should be possible."
"If ninja can solve it, then it isn't a problem!" Ming Jing declared domineeringly. What if Konoha's ninja could not do it? Ming Jing would go to the Land of Rain and talk some big boss into helping. If that failed, he could always post a mission in Iwagakure.
"Oh? Seeing the prime minister so confident puts me at ease. Then there is only one last problem left!" Tamamachi Seiyo stared at Ming Jing with a solemn expression. "My granddaughter won't let me travel far."
What kind of problem is that?!
Ming Jing stared back at Tamamachi Seiyo without backing down. "Are you joking, sir? Your granddaughter looks under fifteen. She can decide your travel plans?"
Before Ming Jing had even finished speaking, a broom dropped from above and smashed into his head with a smack. Qing Yan stood nearby, dumbfounded. Hadn't the little girl just left? How had she suddenly returned?! Could she be a hidden master? Qing Yan's expression immediately turned grave.
"Excuse me, I, Tamamachi Kiki, am already twenty-two years old. I simply developed late! I don't let Grandpa travel far because it's dangerous outside. An old man could easily have an accident." Tamamachi Kiki held a broom in one hand and clenched the other into a fist, looking as though she might explode at any moment.
"Hehe... Miss Tamamachi certainly knows how to preserve her youth!" Ming Jing's eye twitched. Most people only grew breasts and not height, but this one had grown neither breasts nor height. Once he finished flattering her, his tone shifted, filled with compassion. "But at the border, tens of thousands of disaster victims have nowhere to go. They, too, were born to parents. They are people of flesh and blood! Can Miss Tamamachi truly bear to watch them suffer like this?" Mm, it definitely would have been more effective if a broom were not covering his head!
"B-but there are bandits and thieves everywhere outside. My grandfather is old. He can't endure such exhausting travel..." Tamamachi Kiki gritted her teeth, somewhat shaken.
"How about this?" Ming Jing took the broom off his head and looked at Tamamachi Kiki. "We will protect Mister Tamamachi's safety! I guarantee that Mister Tamamachi will not suffer the slightest injury!"
"You? You and him?" Tamamachi Kiki glanced at Qing Yan beside him and asked somewhat arrogantly, "You couldn't even dodge my broom. How will you protect my grandfather?"
"Surely I couldn't let Miss Tamamachi knock over the cup and spill tea all over the seats, could I?" Ming Jing smiled faintly and asked in return.
"You!..." Tamamachi Kiki glared at Ming Jing. She had not expected this guy to be so sharp-tongued that he could turn black into white.
"How about this?" Ming Jing cut in before Tamamachi Kiki could finish. "The two of us will have a match. If I win by luck, Mister Tamamachi will come with me. How about it?"
"Fine! This time, I won't hold back." Tamamachi Kiki nodded immediately. Tamamachi Seiyo watched their bet with great interest, as if none of it had anything to do with him.
A moment later, Tamamachi Kiki had changed into a kendo uniform and stood in the courtyard with a katana at her waist. The whole scene suddenly looked much more stylish. Ming Jing, meanwhile, held a Han Sword in one hand and quietly watched Tamamachi Kiki.
"Be careful!" Tamamachi Kiki gave a warning, then charged at Ming Jing. With a flick of her thumb, the blade slid slightly from its sheath.
Ming Jing looked at Tamamachi Kiki in surprise. Wasn't that the forward charge with the blade drawn that samurai often used? This girl was a samurai in the ninja world! Did she have any connection to Mifune?
In the blink of an eye, Tamamachi Kiki closed in on Ming Jing. Amid a flash of cold light, her blade left its sheath!
Ming Jing narrowed his eyes and slid backward without lifting his feet from the ground. Tamamachi Kiki threw the scabbard at him, then gripped her sword with both hands and thrust forward without hesitation.
At that moment, Ming Jing stopped sliding backward, but his upper body continued leaning back, avoiding the tip of her blade. At the same time, he flicked his Han Sword upward, its tip landing right against Tamamachi Kiki's chest.
The two froze. The next moment, Ming Jing lost the support behind him and fell to the ground. Tamamachi Kiki blanked, then bit her lip in frustration.
Tamamachi Seiyo walked to his granddaughter's side and said with a smile, "You understand now, right? You never believed Grandpa when he told you before."
"Hmph, he was just lucky this time!" Tamamachi Kiki snorted, though she could not help wondering whether she had been too impatient. This guy had only made two moves from start to finish: retreating and then flicking upward. Seriously, losing was so annoying!
Ming Jing climbed up from the ground and looked at Tamamachi Seiyo. "Now you can come with me, sir."
"The prime minister truly cares about the disaster area. When do we leave?" Tamamachi Seiyo asked eagerly.
"Tomorrow. I'll come here to pick you up!" Ming Jing said happily.
Before you continue