The Information Broker

The cargo ship docked at a port in the Land of Water.

Lin Qing sold it to the locals as soon as they arrived.

As for the few crew members who'd transported contraband and moonlighted as pirates, Lin Qing broke one of their legs, then let them all go, since they'd behaved themselves for the latter half of the trip.

They'd reached their destination, and now it was time to part ways.

Xiaotao took several steps, then turned back each time, reluctant to leave.

Sasuke folded his arms and turned away, pretending to be aloof. But the occasional glances he cast at Xiaotao betrayed what he was really thinking.

"Sometimes, farewells matter more than first meetings."

Lin Qing patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "The world is vast. This might be the last time you see each other, so say goodbye properly. Don't leave either of you with regrets."

Sasuke looked at the pink-haired little girl walking away.

The last time...

He repeated the words to himself.

By the time he came to his senses, Sasuke had already raised a hand and was waving goodbye to Xiaotao.

Seeing Sasuke respond, Xiaotao's smile grew even brighter.

"Goodbye, Big Brother Sasuke!"

"Goodbye," Sasuke said quietly.

After Xiaotao and her mother, the other passengers came one after another to thank Lin Qing, then went their separate ways.

Only one man remained. He waited until the passengers had dispersed before approaching Lin Qing.

Lin Qing vaguely remembered him.

When they'd fought the bald samurai and the crew, all the passengers had been terrified. This man alone had remained calm, as if he'd seen scenes like that many times before.

The man respectfully offered him a business card with both hands.

It had a gold trim and felt smooth and rounded to the touch. It was clearly expensive.

Hayato Kamihara.

President of the Kamihara Agency.

Lin Qing's first impression was that he was a very young president.

Hayato Kamihara looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. He wore his hair slicked back and dressed plainly. He was fairly handsome, though short, standing about five foot five.

"I'm Kamihara, an information broker. My agency is in this port city. If either of you ever needs information or wants to take on a bounty, you can contact me."

Hayato Kamihara spoke humbly, his smile warm.

"Thanks to you two, I managed to get out alive today. From now on, I'll charge you half my usual commission on all your business with me."

Lin Qing had come to the Land of Water specifically to hunt bounties. Having a broker point him in the right direction would save him the trouble of searching for information himself and make the process more efficient.

As for the commission?

Lin Qing wasn't in this line of work for money.

Soul Shards were what he relied on to survive.

Lin Qing had only just arrived. Rather than work with strangers, he might as well work with Hayato Kamihara, since they'd at least shared a boat. It would be more convenient.

Lin Qing took the card and tucked it away. "Sorry, I don't have a business card."

"Of course, I understand. I won't keep you two any longer."

Hayato Kamihara bowed.

Lin Qing nodded and left with Sasuke.

Hayato Kamihara slowly straightened up and narrowed his eyes as he watched them walk away. The evening glow stretched their shadows long.

"Until we meet again, my two saviors."

Hayato Kamihara's voice held a sense of destiny.

He'd thought that the next time he saw them, they would have made quite a name for themselves in the Land of Water.

He hadn't expected Lin Qing to show up at the Kamihara Agency that very night.

"Any bounties?" Lin Qing asked.

Hayato Kamihara looked at the two people sitting on the sofa, one big and one small, and said in astonishment, "Aren't you two going to rest? How about we talk business tomorrow?"

After spending three days sitting in the cargo hold, Hayato Kamihara was practically developing hemorrhoids.

That night, he'd specially found himself a young model from the Land of Sand to help him unwind. He didn't want to talk business at a time like this.

"Rest?"

Lin Qing tilted his head slightly and said honestly, "We've already rested. We had dinner, went for a walk, and took a bath... So we're done resting."

Hayato Kamihara's mouth twitched.

What kind of rest was that?

What kind of workaholic drones were they?!

He kept the complaint to himself. Hayato Kamihara was a businessman, after all. When business came knocking, how could he turn it away?

He rubbed his chin. "Do you have a preference? For example, what kind of opponents you're good at dealing with, or their approximate level of combat ability?"

Arranging suitable targets was the best way to maximize efficiency. A high death rate among bounty hunters was a broker's disgrace.

"Preferably a close-combat type. As for their strength..."

Lin Qing didn't know how to describe it.

In this world, the only ones he could call "enemies" were Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake. He'd had the upper hand against the former, while the latter had held back to some extent.

After thinking it over, Lin Qing said, "Just a little weaker than Kakashi Hatake of Konoha. That should make them easier to deal with."

Hayato Kamihara swallowed.

What did he mean, "a little weaker than Kakashi"?

Since when had the legendary Copy Ninja become a unit of measurement for combat strength?

He took a sip of tea, restraining the urge to blurt out his thoughts. "I don't currently have information on anyone as strong as Kakashi Hatake. Even if I did, they wouldn't be in the Land of Water.

"But by that standard, you actually have plenty of options."

Hayato Kamihara pulled a stack of files from beneath the desk.

"Pick for yourselves."

Lin Qing picked up four files at random and flipped through them.

They contained information on the targets' identities, fighting styles, and hiding places. What was particularly impressive was that each file had an update date printed in the lower-right corner.

People changed.

Especially fugitives and rogue ninja, whose combat abilities could fluctuate.

The latest information ensured that preparations for an operation could be thorough and detailed.

"Professional."

Lin Qing liked working with professionals. He waved the files in his hand.

"I'll be back in a couple of days."

A couple of days?

Hayato Kamihara glanced at the file numbers and immediately realized whom Lin Qing had chosen.

One was a B-rank fugitive known as the Mountain Demon, a criminal who'd slaughtered an entire village.

The other three were C-rank rogue ninja, brothers who worked seamlessly together. Their combined strength was every bit as formidable as a B-rank opponent, and they were extremely difficult to deal with.

All four targets were nearby, but the journey alone would still take most of a day.

Then there'd be the fight, treating their injuries afterward, resting, preparing again...

Hayato Kamihara chuckled to himself, prepared not to see the pair for ten days or half a month. Aloud, however, he said:

"I wish you both success in your martial pursuits. May you return victorious!"

After seeing Lin Qing and Sasuke off, Hayato Kamihara tossed aside the files, left the agency, hitched up his trousers, and strode into a nightclub.

A night of passion followed.

"The beauties from the Land of Sand are so soft and smooth."

The morning light filtered through a crack in the window. Lying beside the bed with his eyes closed, Hayato Kamihara reached out and touched a face.

He gently stroked it, from the eyebrows down to the nose, then the mustache and lips—

A mustache?

Hayato Kamihara's eyes flew open.

He saw Lin Qing and Sasuke sitting on the sofa, drinking tea.

Four bound men lay on the floor. One of them was stretched out beside Hayato Kamihara's bed.

That was whose face he'd been touching.

"Sorry to disturb your rest," Lin Qing said. "We just didn't know where we could take these four without drawing attention."

Was this really about his rest?!

Hayato Kamihara picked up his watch.

Less than ten hours had passed since he'd handed Lin Qing the files, and Lin Qing had already dealt with one B-rank and three C-rank fugitives.

And he'd captured them alive!

Capturing someone alive and killing them were two different things.

The commission was higher, and the job was harder.

Even with the discount Lin Qing had been given, Hayato Kamihara's cut from the remaining commission would be enough to enjoy the company of a young model from the Land of Sand for a week.

"Are there any more?" Lin Qing asked.

Hayato Kamihara froze for half a second.

Any more what?

Then he understood.

Lin Qing meant bounty targets.

"Of course! Absolutely!"

Hayato Kamihara threw back the covers and, wearing only his underwear, hurried to leave. His eyes gleamed with excitement—

The hunger for money.

He was in!

This was a real big shot!

Lin Qing finished the last piece of pastry on the coffee table.

"Then please take your time choosing. These four..."

"They were too weak."

At that, the four subdued fugitives shed tears of humiliation.