The Yamanaka ninja's face was caught in Qinglong's grip. His eyes were wide with terror, and cold sweat poured down his face. He was utterly terrified.
The others were also cowed by Qinglong, staring at him in shock.
"The wild boar wasn't even a match for that kid!"
Qinglong ignored them. He didn't want to take any more lives, so he let go of the Yamanaka ninja and turned to leave.
"Bastard! Die!"
The Yamanaka ninja erupted with murderous intent, his fear giving way to fury. He clutched a kunai and screamed as he lunged at Qinglong.
"Don't underestimate me, brat!"
"We're shinobi who walk in darkness. We'd gladly sacrifice ourselves to complete the mission!"
"Tap!"
The Yamanaka ninja stabbed with all his might, but Qinglong caught his hand and stopped him.
Another Root ninja couldn't hold back either. He drew a kunai and rushed in to kill Qinglong.
Qinglong's eyes flashed. He reached out and grabbed the other ninja's hand, stopping the kunai thrust.
He spun around and flung them both high into the air.
The two men were stunned as they soared overhead. They hadn't expected Qinglong to stop their attacks so easily, then toss them into the sky.
But they didn't panic. They had already begun forming Hand Seals.
Qinglong was faster.
Just as he flung them upward, he raised both hands and sent two dazzling beams of light shooting into the sky.
"Boom! Boom! BOOM!"
Two brilliant bursts of fireworks exploded in the dark night sky.
The two ninja caught in the blaze were reduced to ash!
The two remaining Root ninja stared at the fireworks overhead, their legs shaking with terror. Their teeth chattered uncontrollably.
They were immensely relieved they hadn't attacked. They'd only acted a moment too late—and that was enough to spare them from witnessing the horrifying explosion up close.
Their two teammates had been wiped out by a single blow from Qinglong—not even a speck of ash remained!
"So, you two from Root, can I leave now?"
Qinglong turned to the two trembling ninja and asked.
The two ninja quaked with fear. They wanted to attack, to die defending Root's honor.
But they couldn't summon the courage. Faced with a battle they were sure to lose, they backed down.
They no longer had the nerve to attack.
Clenching their teeth, they answered in trembling voices.
"Y-yes... You can go."
Qinglong turned and left without a glance in their direction.
Only after he was gone did the two Root ninja finally breathe a sigh of relief. They slumped to the ground, the clothes on their backs soaked through with sweat.
Shadows were already moving across Konoha's rooftops. The explosions had been so astonishing that they'd drawn the village ninja out to investigate.
The two Root ninja hurried to their feet and quickly left the scene.
At the Hokage Building, Qinglong came to take a mission. He planned to make a fortune, achieve financial freedom, and then set off on a training trip around the Shinobi World.
He could visit the Land of Hot Water, soak in a hot spring, and experience the local customs.
He could go to the Land of Lightning and fight Killer B.
However...
The Hokage Building's mission clerk turned him down.
"Genin, your Jonin instructor hasn't arrived yet, so I can't assign you a mission."
The young woman at the counter explained. No matter how much Qinglong tried to reason with her, she wouldn't budge. She insisted that he wait for his Jonin instructor to come and lead the team before she would give him a mission.
"Damn it!"
Where was he supposed to get a Jonin instructor?
Qinglong had no choice but to give up. He could always go out and take a bounty mission in the Shinobi World later. The missions were difficult, but that was where the real money was—though the risks were higher too.
He passed Ichiraku Ramen and saw Naruto slurping noodles.
"Naruto, you haven't had lunch yet?"
Qinglong went in to greet him.
"Oh, it's you, Qinglong!"
Naruto turned around.
"Sasuke and I shared a lunchbox today, but I'm still hungry."
Then he excitedly told Qinglong about how they had grabbed the bells and graduated.
Qinglong pictured Naruto and Sasuke feeding each other one bite at a time.
"Tsk, tsk! Naruto, so you're into Sasuke?"
Qinglong teased him with a knowing grin. Naruto's face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and in the end, he could only admit it.
"Sasuke's my teammate!"
In a small town in the Land of Fire, inside a casino...
Shizune dragged Tsunade out in a panic after she'd spent the whole night gambling.
"Ah! Lord Tsunade, our plan to return to the village has been delayed by another day!"
Tsunade frowned impatiently.
"Come on, Shizune! Delaying our return by a day doesn't mean we're not going back. Once we get to the village, I'll have to take on a student. When will I get another chance to have fun?"
"We should make the most of the time while we can."
"But Tsunade-sama, we're out of money! You gambled it all away!"
Shizune was speechless. Did Tsunade even realize she'd gambled away all her money?
Besides, Lord Tsunade only had one student. Everyone else had three, and she still had the nerve to complain about how hard it was.
"Ah...!"
With no choice, Tsunade set off for Konoha to get back to work and earn more money to spend later.
In Konoha, Qinglong finally found a bounty mission.
Konoha ninja had their own marketplace too. People went there to buy ninja tools or put out requests for summoning beasts.
Qinglong had picked a mission to capture a ninja beast. He was now getting ready to head deep into the forest and catch a powerful one to sell.
"Hey, Qinglong!"
Little Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten were returning from completing a mission to chase off wild animals when they happened to run into Qinglong, who was heading into the forest.
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