Kind-Hearted Mikawa with a Cold Face

Kind-Hearted Mikawa with a Cold Face

[Inferior Self-Healing Body] was directly upgraded to LV3 by Aoba, and its recovery rate increased from twice as fast to four times as fast!

A self-healing rate four times faster was quite impressive.

This meant that injuries which would normally take three days to heal could be fully recovered from in just over ten hours.

Moreover, [Inferior Self-Healing Body] could also repair the hidden injuries within his body to a certain extent. It was extremely suitable for his upcoming training and could save him a great deal of time.

Of course, the price was a greater consumption of stamina.

However, that could be made up for by eating a lot. With the one hundred thousand ryo in compensation from the Uchiha, he had enough to support his training for a long time.

He also wanted to try and see whether he could raise his abilities' levels through training instead of relying on skill cards.

If that worked, he could use this method to raise the level of [White Strike], saving his skill cards for other abilities.

He then began trying to accelerate his own healing ability. After [Inferior Self-Healing Body] had been upgraded to LV3, his perception of it became much clearer.

He could feel a warm current beginning to flow through his body, while the injured areas also started to itch and tingle.

But before long, he began to feel hungry. Clearly, the upgraded ability required more stamina to use.

Of course, this also had a lot to do with the fact that he had not eaten all day.

So he decisively stopped!

He only wanted to test the ability's effects. He did not want to reveal anything unusual and make people suspicious again.

If he exposed himself and someone began suspecting that he had some connection to the Senju Clan, things would become troublesome.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

It had to be said that although the medical facilities in the Hokage World seemed less advanced than those on Earth, the existence of medical ninjutsu made up for that shortcoming to a great extent—and its effects were astonishingly good!

After a week of recuperation, Aoba, who had lain in bed so long he was practically growing mold, was finally allowed to leave the hospital.

And the elusive Mikawa appeared before him at the first opportunity.

"Come on. Follow me somewhere."

Aoba did not refuse. He had no reason to refuse, because if Jonin Mikawa had wanted to harm him, he would have been dead long ago.

If there was anyone in Konoha he could temporarily trust, then aside from Jonin Mikawa, there was only Itachi, whom he had met twice and who had nearly gotten him sent to Yama.

Aoba had assumed that Jonin Mikawa was taking him somewhere relatively secluded to tell him a few things.

He had not expected Jonin Mikawa to bring him to a bustling commercial street and walk straight into a barbecue restaurant.

After finding a seat, Aoba looked at him with confusion.

Mikawa looked somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze and said, as if explaining himself to someone, "The people at the hospital said you're malnourished. I happened to receive a payment, so I thought I'd treat myself. You're just getting a cheap meal out of it."

Hearing that, Aoba could not help laughing.

If he wanted to treat him to a good meal, why not just say so? Why take such a long detour?

Still, he did not expose Mikawa's excuse and simply went along with it.

The blazing charcoal fire and fresh beef nearly made Aoba think he had returned to Earth.

"Let's eat."

Mikawa immediately spread the meat across the grill. Soon, an enticing aroma filled the air, making anyone's mouth water.

Aoba really had been craving meat, so he did not hold back and began eating heartily.

Mikawa ate slowly, ordering a small pot of wine for himself and sipping it at his leisure. However, he was quick at grilling the meat, and his technique was excellent, cooking everything to perfection.

Before long, nearly eighty percent of the five-person serving of barbecue had made its way into Aoba's stomach.

Mikawa did not seem to mind at all and ordered another five-person serving.

As a Special Jonin, even one from a commoner background like him earned a huge amount of money each year. He could easily afford to eat barbecue every day.

Since Aoba liked it, he naturally would not be stingy.

As they ate, he said seemingly offhandedly, "To become an outstanding ninja, having a strong physique is essential. The training you consciously started on your own some time ago was very good, but you also need to keep up your nutrition. Otherwise, the more you train, the worse things will get. I've already applied to Lord Hokage. From now on, you'll receive five thousand ryo in aid every month. But this money isn't being given to you for free. Once you graduate and become a Genin, you'll have to repay it by completing missions."

How could Aoba, whose mouth was stuffed with meat, refuse such a good deal? He immediately nodded repeatedly, agreeing.

What he did not know was that this so-called aid was actually paid entirely out of Jonin Mikawa's own pocket. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the Hokage or Konoha.

As for mentioning repayment, that was simply because Jonin Mikawa did not want to raise a freeloader. He wanted to give Aoba some pressure and motivation so that he would have the drive to improve.

For the sake of someone unrelated to him, Mikawa had truly gone to great lengths—even he himself did not know what he was trying to accomplish.

After who knew how long, Aoba had polished off a full twenty-person serving of barbecue. Mikawa had also slowly finished ten servings, then drained his final cup of wine. Only then did the meal come to an end.

"By the way, someone else has taken over your job. I don't agree with you continuing to work outside to earn money, but you're very headstrong, so I won't say anything more. I only want you to remember one thing: although becoming a ninja is dangerous, it allows you to control your own fate to a certain extent, and money is easier to obtain as well. So don't neglect the important things for the sake of the trivial, and don't waste the talent Heaven has bestowed upon you."

Aoba nodded again and said seriously, "I'll remember everything. Thank you."

He had been in the hospital for so long. Work waited for no one, and he had already prepared himself mentally.

"I still have things to do, so go home by yourself. I've put the compensation from the Uchiha at home. Also, security in that area has improved a lot recently, but I still think you shouldn't run around everywhere. If you cause another mess, I'll have no choice but to kick you out of the village!"

After spending so much time together, Aoba already knew that Jonin Mikawa was the type whose mouth was sharp but whose heart was soft. He was also not good at expressing his true feelings.

So, without realizing it, he had developed a trace of respect for this unremarkable middle-aged man.

If their positions were reversed, Aoba did not think he could have done any better.

It was just that the damn undercover mission was like a thorn lodged in his throat, leaving him unable to advance or retreat, and unable to reveal his innermost thoughts to anyone.

Sometimes, he wondered how he would face Jonin Mikawa if his identity as an undercover agent were exposed one day.

Just thinking about it made him feel as though a huge stone were lodged in his chest.

So what the hell was this supposed to be?!

P.S. The Book of Lin stated that Special Jonin Gekko Hayate had earned a total of 49.78 million ryo over his eleven years as a ninja, with an average annual income of approximately 4.52 million ryo—or 2.88 million yuan. He was absolutely loaded. Jonin Mikawa's income was based on this reference; even if it was lower, it could not have been by much.

By the way... does anyone still have recommendation tickets they forgot to vote for? If not, I'll ask again tomorrow.