A Gift

Pakura fell silent after Qingshui confirmed it.

Lies didn't hurt people. The truth was the blade that did.

Just as Qingshui had said, there was no reason for him to lie to her.

In other words, she really had lost to a Konoha Genin!

In the end, unable to bear staying there any longer, Pakura hurriedly left with her subordinates.

"Don't forget your mission."

After Pakura and the others left, Qingshui reminded the three little ones.

"Damn, that guy escaped while we weren't paying attention."

While Qingshui was treating Pakura, Okubo Yahiko had been delighted to realize that nobody was paying attention to him. He had quietly slipped free and escaped.

As a ninja who had managed to roam freely in the Ninja World for so long, he had the skills to pull that off.

But he didn't know that Qingshui had been aware of every little move he made.

Qingshui hadn't stopped him because he wanted to teach the three little ones a lesson: until an enemy was truly captured, they could never let their guard down.

"Sorry, Big Brother Qingshui. We let the target escape."

"So make sure you never make the same mistake again. This time, Okubo Yahiko recognized the difference in strength and chose to run."

"But what if next time you encounter the same situation and the enemy doesn't run, but instead launches a sneak attack?"

At that, the three little ones' expressions changed.

They knew that if what Qingshui described really happened, the consequences would be obvious: they would lose a comrade, and they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

So they hurriedly promised that they would never make the same mistake again.

Only then did Qingshui nod in satisfaction.

Failing one mission didn't matter. But if they couldn't correct their flaws, sooner or later they would pay a heavy price for them. By then, it would be too late for regrets.

"Don't worry. He only just escaped, so if you split up and chase him now, you can catch up. Whoever reaches him first should keep him occupied and then fire a signal flare."

At Qingshui's instruction, the three little ones immediately split up.

Qingshui created Shadow Clones to protect each of them, in case anything unexpected happened again.

Before long, Nagato was lucky enough to catch up with Okubo Yahiko and immediately fired a signal flare.

The others hurried over as soon as they saw it.

When Okubo Yahiko saw that the person who had caught up with him was Nagato, a flicker of wariness crossed his face.

He still remembered the strange way Nagato had countered his Lightning Release earlier.

But driven by his desire to survive, he didn't give up. Instead, he hurriedly threw several Kunai bound with Explosive Tags, hoping to hold Nagato back.

Nagato neither dodged nor flinched. He simply used Shinra Tensei, sending all the Kunai flying back.

Okubo Yahiko dodged immediately, but he was still injured by the Explosive Tags.

"Damn it! If you won't let me go, then we'll die together!"

Once he realized he couldn't escape, Okubo Yahiko revealed his ruthless side. He planned to take Nagato down with him.

Nagato naturally wasn't about to give him that chance.

Nagato had always been the least noticeable of the three little ones, but he was also the strongest.

How could Okubo Yahiko, a mere Chunin, possibly be a match for him?

And taking Nagato down with him was nothing but wishful thinking.

As Okubo Yahiko charged at him, Nagato abruptly stopped, then retreated to put some distance between them.

At the same time, he quickly formed Hand Seals and used Lightning Release Ninjutsu. A bolt of lightning flashed, piercing straight through Okubo Yahiko's heart before he could dodge.

Just like that, Nagato killed the mission target single-handedly.

The decisive battle also earned the approval of the Shadow Clone Qingshui assigned to protect him.

After confirming that Okubo Yahiko was truly dead, Nagato looked toward the others, who had rushed over after receiving the signal.

"All right, the mission's complete. Let's head back to the bounty station and collect the reward."

The three little ones were instantly thrilled.

They had grown up stealing food just to survive, so they knew how important money was.

They were about to receive the first money they had ever earned, so their excitement was only natural.

Qingshui understood how they felt.

When he had graduated and become a Genin, he'd reacted the same way to the first money he earned from a mission.

Soon, they returned to the bounty station. Once again, Qingshui had the three little ones keep watch outside while he used the Transformation Technique to go in and collect the money.

"The bounty for this mission is 1.2 million ryo in total. Split evenly, that's 300,000 ryo each."

To take care of the three little ones, Qingshui had chosen to divide the bounty equally.

Nobody objected. The three little ones were too stunned by the enormous sum of 300,000 ryo to say a word.

They had never seen that much money before.

Finally, Yahiko smacked his lips and said, "Ninjas really do make a lot of money!"

Konan and Nagato nodded repeatedly in agreement.

After that, Qingshui took the three little ones away from the bounty station, but they didn't head straight home. Instead, they went to a nearby town.

They were running low on food at home.

Besides, Qingshui hadn't forgotten that he wanted to buy a pair of sunglasses to cover his Rinnegan.

He decided to take the opportunity to buy them too.

"Big Brother Qingshui, this is a gift from us. Thank you for looking after us."

The gift Konan and the others gave Qingshui was a small piece of Chakra Metal, which the three of them had pooled their money to buy at the Weapon Shop.

Chakra Metal was a very unusual metal in the Ninja World. Not only was it hard, but it also conducted Chakra exceptionally well.

Adding a little Chakra Metal to a weapon could greatly increase its power.

Its only drawback was that it was extremely rare and expensive.

Even so, the three little ones had ultimately decided on this gift because Qingshui was skilled with a sword and could use it to enhance his Ninja Sword.

The Ninja Sword Qingshui used now was just an ordinary standard-issue blade.

"You've really put thought into this. I love the gift."

Not wanting to disappoint them, Qingshui gladly accepted it.

Once they had bought everything, the group finally returned home.

"Welcome back. Sorry for the trouble this time, Qingshui."

"You're too kind, Lord Jiraiya. Konan and the others are excellent too. They all did very well on this mission."

After telling Jiraiya how the mission had gone, Qingshui went to Mikoto's room and knocked on the door.

"Mikoto, it's me."

Mikoto soon opened the door with a smile. "Qingshui, you're back from your mission."

"Huh? Why are you suddenly wearing sunglasses?"

Striking what he considered a handsome pose, Qingshui asked, "Don't you think I look cool?"

"You do, but you're also showing off."

Mikoto answered without mercy.

Qingshui was certainly good-looking. Her reply was just the usual teasing between the two of them.

"I have a gift for you too."

Qingshui took out an exquisitely crafted necklace and put it around Mikoto's neck himself.

They inevitably ended up standing much closer. Feeling Qingshui's breath near her, Mikoto's cheeks flushed red.

But she boldly kissed him on the cheek.