Unforeseen Disaster

Chapter 23: Unforeseen Disaster

Night fell. Qingyu, having finally finished clearing away all the remaining stones and dirt, walked home with the small amount of money he'd earned, a foolish grin on his face.

A transmigrator, especially one with a golden finger, ending up in his situation? It was truly something else.

If he met a senior transmigrator, he'd probably have to bow 90 degrees and say, "I'm sorry, I've disgraced the transmigrator army!"

Qingyu didn't want this either, but what could he do when he was saddled with a dog system that constantly thought about exploding on the spot? If he didn't want to keep risking his life on the edge of disaster, he had to rely on himself.

He just prayed that this dog system would cause fewer problems before he mastered his life-saving abilities. That would be a blessing!

After returning home, he first checked the 'little mechanism' he'd set up, mimicking something he'd seen in old movies and TV shows. He breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed no one had entered his room while he was away, then went to take a bath and get ready for bed.

He wasn't sure if leaving a strand of hair on the floor was actually useful, after all, in this world, those high-and-mighty ninja lords had plenty of tricks to sneak in.

However, he wasn't trying to guard against those ninja lords, but rather against the petty thieves among the civilians.

After all, the civilian district was far from the bustling main streets, and it was home to all sorts of people. Who knew if anyone had been eyeing him during his absence.

Theft was one thing, but what if they tried to kill him? He wouldn't know where to turn to seek justice.

So, this was him playing it safe.

After his bath, he first hid the small amount of money he'd earned for the day in a special place. Then, looking at his scarred hands and his right shoulder, which had been hit by falling rocks earlier, he sighed.

Earning money was no easy feat!

Fortunately, his [Inferior Self-Healing Body] could come into play now, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to work tomorrow.

"Sleep, sleep!"

After chugging a large box of milk, Qingyu let out a satisfied burp and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, after he fell asleep, a figure stood by the window, gazing inside by the moonlight, their eyes filled with a complex emotion.

If Qingyu had opened his eyes at that moment, he would have seen Jonin Mikawa, who hadn't been heard from in days, standing there, lost in thought.

What Qingyu didn't know was that Jonin Mikawa hadn't been on a mission these past few days. Instead, he had been hiding in the shadows, watching him, observing the scorn and ridicule from those around him, as well as his repeated rejections when looking for work.

In fact, if he hadn't hesitated and then reported this situation to the Fourth Hokage.

This job of clearing rubble wouldn't have fallen to a mere 5-year-old kid.

And for the Hokage, it was just a matter of a few words.

Jonin Mikawa did more than just that. Every day, before Qingyu arrived, he would go to the base of the Hokage Rock and break apart the larger fallen stones in advance, making it easier for Qingyu to clear them later.

Otherwise, with Qingyu's current strength, he wouldn't have been able to handle such arduous work.

Qingyu knew none of this. He thought he was just lucky, not only meeting kind people but also not encountering any heavy stones he couldn't move, nor any major dangers.

And Jonin Mikawa didn't know why he was so concerned about a child who had nothing to do with him.

When Third Hokage had assigned him this task, he had been so resistant, even 'talking back' to the Third Hokage and wanting to quit.

But now, he didn't have to do these things. As long as Qingyu didn't cause trouble like last time, they could each go their separate ways.

"So... I must be crazy."

Mikawa's figure instantly disappeared, his sigh carried away by the wind.

The next day, Qingyu, who had woken up early, didn't start training immediately. Instead, he pocketed a good amount of money, preparing to go on a big shopping spree.

After all, he was eating more and more each day, and he also had to expend energy to speed up his wound healing, so his pantry was running low.

Fortunately, he had cooked some simple home-style dishes in the past, otherwise, his expenses in this area would have doubled, which made him feel quite fortunate.

But just as he grabbed his money and opened the door to leave, someone he hadn't expected was standing outside.

"Itachi? Why are you here? No, I mean, why are you only here now? I've been waiting for you for days."

Standing outside, looking around, was none other than Uchiha Itachi, whom Qingyu had categorized as someone he could 'cling to' in the future.

Honestly, Itachi not coming to find him for so many days had made Qingyu suspect that their previous conversation was just polite talk.

Thank goodness, thank goodness! He knew the famous Itachi God wouldn't stand him up!

Seeing Qingyu happily walk over to greet him, Itachi's usual aloof, poker face faltered for a moment, and he smiled as he returned the greeting, "Good morning, Qingyu. I was planning to come find you the next day, but Father gave me a lot of training assignments. I only finished them yesterday, which is why I'm so late. I'm so sor—"

"Hey! I knew it! I almost thought you didn't want to treat me to anything, so you didn't come find me. You're here at the perfect time. I'm planning to go on a big shopping trip today. Can you help me carry some of it later? No problem, right?"

Qingyu directly interrupted Itachi's unfinished words, acting a bit too familiar as he slung an arm around his shoulder and started walking outside.

Itachi seemed a little unaccustomed to such overly intimate behavior. He struggled slightly, but fearing he might hurt Qingyu, or worse, be misunderstood by Qingyu, he eventually went along with it, half-heartedly.

It had to be said that Itachi was too precocious, and his sensitive and meticulous mind cared too much about others' feelings, thus neglecting himself. He kept everything bottled up, causing him to be overwhelmed by immense responsibility and pressure at such a young age.

Qingyu's appearance had provided him with an outlet to relax and stop suppressing himself.

Even Itachi himself hadn't realized this yet.

As Qingyu and Itachi left, arm in arm, two Uchiha clan members suddenly appeared.

"The clan head said Itachi seemed a bit off after returning home last time. It seems the source of it is this civilian boy."

"Mm, you follow him. I'll go back and report to the clan head."

"Hmph! How can someone from the prestigious Uchiha clan be so close to a mere peasant? I say we should just kill him and be done with it. He's just a civilian, after all."

"That's what you say, but with the new Hokage in power, and the clan head and others planning a major operation, if this causes trouble, ten of you wouldn't be enough to pay for it. So, don't act rashly. I'll wait for instructions from the clan head before deciding."

The two exchanged a look and then immediately split up to carry out their tasks.

PS: I checked the books released around the same time, and almost all of them update once a day. When the editor comes back, I'm the only one foolishly updating twice a day and still being called short. I can't stand for this. I don't know if my contract status can be changed today. If it is, please notify me with a small tip if you can.