Everyone froze.
Who would dare to voice opposition at a time like this?
Asuma spun around and followed the voice.
It was Kazuma.
He stood not far away, fear on his face, but his eyes were incomparably bright.
Asuma raised an eyebrow and sized Kazuma up. The usual kindness had vanished from his voice.
"Oh? Then what do you think this is? An honor?"
Kazuma shifted uneasily under his gaze, but still gathered his courage. "Yes! I think it is an honor!"
He pointed at the construction sites, his voice trembling slightly.
"I... I grew up in the shantytown outside the village. Our house leaked from every side, and whenever it rained, my mother would cough through the entire night..."
"To me, a house that did not leak in the rain was the dream my father had struggled toward his entire life."
He looked at his companions, his eyes growing even brighter.
"You may not understand. To you, this is just a pile of dirt and stones."
"But to the countless commoners in the Land of Fire who are like me..."
"Every wall built here is a home that can shelter someone from the wind and rain!"
"It is a haven where children can sleep peacefully without waking up frozen in the middle of the night!"
"With ninjutsu, we can accomplish in a single day what they could never accomplish in their entire lives!"
"Isn't that an honor even greater than completing an S-Rank Mission?!"
Kazuma's words rang out with force and conviction.
After he finished speaking, the scene fell silent.
Natsukawa nodded vigorously behind him, his eyes red-rimmed.
Even Master Rikudo gave him an approving look.
Yet Asuma merely sneered. "That sure sounds nice."
He walked up to Kazuma. Being a head taller than him, he exuded an overwhelming