I'd like to see Senior Dai's strength first

The Hatake Clan residence.

Obito and Rin had already returned.

As soon as they arrived, four-year-old Rin dragged Obito into the kitchen to help White Fang.

It was noon, and the sun hung high overhead.

Ling Tian basked in the sunlight in the modest courtyard, his brow furrowed.

The sunlight he had once avoided at all costs felt surprisingly pleasant today.

But that was not why he was frowning.

He did not need to think hard to understand that. Fire Baby-what would he love if not heat?

What occupied his thoughts now was what he could do with Fire Baby's help.

And what exactly was this fire body that could let him use Fire Baby as a clone while also boosting his strength?

Then there was Dai. How should he talk him around once he arrived?

What should he say when he met with the five clans-the Hyuga, Pig, Deer, Butterfly, and Inuzuka?

And what excuse could he use to get Tsunade and Jiraiya out of the way?

The stories about healer Tsunade summoning her summoned beast and boosting every ninja's strength by fifty percent were no joke.

Just imagine: your chakra dwindled with every exchange, your wounds piled up, and the enemy carried a snail around that restored their health and mana...

And Jiraiya...

How many Kage Level frogs were there on Mount Myōboku again?

Talking people around was an art.

Ling Tian felt he had always been a pretty upright man.

Asking him to hoodwink others was a little much.

Fortunately, Kakashi and the others returned before long.

That spared quite a few of Ling Tian's brain cells.

Watching the father and son enter in matching outfits, identical hairstyles, unusually thick eyebrows, and strikingly similar faces, Ling Tian stepped forward. "Senior Dai, sorry for the trouble."

As for Kakashi, he had selectively forgotten him.

Dai hurriedly waved his hands. "There's no need for that, Great Benefactor. I've always wanted to repay your kindness from back then, but I never had the chance. Now I finally do. If anything, I'm the one imposing on you today."

Ling Tian froze for a moment.

Repay my kindness?

If I remember correctly, this is the first time I've met Dai.

"Father, has Uncle Xianyu helped us before?"

Guy was puzzled. His father had never mentioned it!

At his son's words, Dai smacked him and said sternly, "Call him Uncle Ling Tian from now on. Our benefactor doesn't like being called by that name."

"..."

Ling Tian stared, stunned once more.

What's going on?

Guy looked at his father with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Ling Tian came back to his senses and asked in confusion, "Senior Dai, what is this about?"

Dai glanced at his son, his eyes reddening as he recalled the past. "Back then, Guy's mother was weak after giving birth to him. But I was so useless that I couldn't afford a doctor. I was a Genin, yet no teammates were willing to take me along on missions."

Then he flashed his gleaming white teeth. "Fortunately, your barbecue restaurant needed wild bears, and you paid more than I could get selling their meat. Otherwise, his mother might have died right after giving birth, without ever getting the chance to hear Guy call her Mom."

Dai's gratitude did not make Ling Tian happy.

Right now, all he wanted was to curse once more: Third, fuck you!

Someone this strong, and he couldn't even afford medicine?

Tobirama, your elder brother failed the Uchiha and the Senju, but you failed the Leaf Village!

"After that, your manager learned about my circumstances and put me in charge of supplying all the meat for your restaurant. He even paid me extra, saying you had told him to."

Dai continued gratefully, "Later, there were no more bears to hunt. A civilian like me couldn't enter the ninja clans' territories. But you often had that manager post missions to help elderly people carry water, weed, till fields, and repair their homes. He gave all those jobs to me, too."

With that, he bowed deeply to Ling Tian.

"Thank you!"

Beside him, Guy had already burst into tears listening to his father's account. Like his father, he bent over into a full hundred-and-eighty-degree bow.

"Uncle Ling Tian, thank you!"

Ling Tian hurriedly pulled them both upright, looking at the father and son with mixed feelings. "Senior Dai, I only did what I should. You don't need to do this."

Honestly, he had only done those things to build a reputation.

He had plenty of ways to make money anyway. Spend it in ways that earned people's gratitude, then earn it back from them-wasn't that simple?

What he had never expected was that it would forge this kind of bond with Dai.

Is this what they mean by good deeds being rewarded?

The ancients really never lied to me!

Looks like the Third isn't completely useless after all!

If it weren't for him, how would I ever have had the chance to earn this father and son's gratitude?

Leaving aside Dai's Super Kage strength at his peak with the Seventh Gate, Might Guy's Eight Gates nearly kicked the story straight to its ending. That's damn impressive too!

With that thought, Ling Tian said, "Senior Dai, sorry for the trouble this time."

"The Might Clan always repays a kindness. If our benefactor needs me, I, Dai, will not shirk my duty."

"..."

Why does Dai stop being funny the moment he gets serious and become so ridiculously moving instead?

He really had not expected the man to say something like that.

Ling Tian smiled helplessly. "Kakashi, take Guy to the kitchen and help Obito and the others. Senior Dai and I still have things to discuss."

"All right, Uncle." Kakashi nodded obediently.

Once the two had left, Ling Tian asked, "Senior Dai, what do you think of the village as it is now?"

Dai pondered for a moment. Just as Ling Tian thought he was about to offer some earth-shattering insight, he said, "The villagers are living better."

"..."

Just as I thought!

Now that's the real Might Clan for you!

Those moving words earlier had nearly changed his opinion of them.

"Senior, I mean, what do you think of the Hokage and the Three Advisors?"

Dai gave an awkward smile. "I don't really know them."

"..."

This conversation is going nowhere!

"Senior, are you willing to help us only because I once helped your family?"

"Yes." Dai nodded.

"..."

Ling Tian turned serious. "Senior, if that's the only reason you're helping us, you should go home. If possible, just help us look after Kakashi in the future."

Seeing Dai's puzzled expression, he added, "I can't ask you to do something like this just because I helped you without knowing it. Back then, I only wanted to do everything within my means to help the villagers. If I make you risk your life because of that, how am I any different from that rotten Hokage and the village leadership?"

Dai stared intently at Ling Tian, as though trying to judge the sincerity in his face.

Ling Tian calmly met his gaze.

After a long moment, Dai sighed. "As expected of the Hatake Brothers. I've heard the rumors going around the village these past two days, too. I thought it was just the villagers' ignorance, but now it seems that isn't the case."

"The villagers' ignorance?"

Ling Tian sneered. "If it were only the villagers' ignorance, why wouldn't Lord Hokage come forward to dispel the rumors? How could something like this happen without his tacit approval? Even if he didn't know at first, it's been two days. Why hasn't he come forward to deny them?"

"What do you need me to do?"

"Before that, I'd like to see Senior Dai's strength first."

Looks like this little ploy of pulling back to draw him in has worked!

I'm signing the contract today. Please send a few recommendation votes my way.