"Are you blaming me for not stepping in sooner?" Chiri glanced sideways at him.
Hiruzen hurriedly denied it. "That's not what I meant..."
"If I'd stepped in, what would I need you for?" Chiri interrupted.
"I told you on the first day you gathered that I wouldn't allow useless deadweight in my squad, and no one would get to coast in my team just to pad their résumé."
"You'll all become shinobi who can stand on your own sooner or later. I can't lead you forever. If, by the time you leave my side, you're still weaklings who only know how to rely on others, I'd rather you give up the path of the shinobi sooner than later."
Hiruzen lowered his head in shame. "You're right, Teacher Chiri. I was being childish."
Hyuga Rei smiled. "Teacher Chiri has put a lot of thought into teaching us. We definitely won't let her down, right, Watanabe?"
Why drag me into this...
Watanabe silently nodded.
Hyuga Rei's injuries weren't serious. In her own words, after they returned to Konoha, all she needed was to see a medical ninja at the hospital for treatment and bandaging. She'd recover quickly, and it wouldn't affect their next mission.
She'd often suffered injuries like this before, so she was already experienced at dealing with them.
The group then began cleaning up the scene, digging a pit to bury all the bandits' bodies.
Only then did Jirou dare to approach. Eager to help, he joined them in digging. Watching the wicked bandits who had terrorized the area meet their end before his eyes finally lifted the weight from his heart.
Over the three months Scarface and the others had spent as bandits, they'd amassed a great deal of wealth. Their gold, silver, and jewels had filled almost half