Intelligence Merchant

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

Lin Qing promptly sold it to a local.

As for the crew members who had been transporting contraband and moonlighting as pirates, in consideration of their obedience during the latter half of the journey, Lin Qing broke one leg of each and sent them packing.

Having reached the destination, it was time to part ways.

Xiaotao looked back with every step, leaving with great reluctance.

Sasuke crossed his arms and turned his head away, feigning a cold and aloof demeanor, yet the occasional glance he cast toward Xiaotao betrayed his inner thoughts.

"Parting is sometimes more important than the first meeting."

Lin Qing patted Sasuke on the shoulder: "In this vast sea of people, this is likely the last time you will ever see each other. Say a proper goodbye; don't leave each other with regrets."

Sasuke looked at the pink-haired girl walking away.

The last time...

He repeated these words in his heart.

Before he realized it, Sasuke had already raised a hand, waving goodbye to Xiaotao.

Seeing Sasuke respond, Xiaotao's smile grew even more radiant.

"Goodbye! Brother Sasuke!"

"Goodbye," Sasuke whispered.

Following Xiaotao and her mother, the other passengers expressed their gratitude to Lin Qing one after another before departing to continue their own journeys.

Only one man remained, waiting for the other passengers to disperse before approaching Lin Qing.

Lin Qing had a slight impression of him.

When the battle with the bald samurai and the crew broke out, the other passengers were terrified, but this man alone had remained calm throughout, as if he were accustomed to such scenes.

The man respectfully handed over a business card with both hands.

The card was gold-rimmed and felt smooth and comfortable to the touch; it was clearly expensive to produce.

Hayato Kamihara.

President of Kamihara Agency.

A very young president—that was Lin Qing's first impression of him.

Hayato Kamihara was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wore his hair slicked back, and was dressed simply. His features were quite handsome, though he was rather short, standing at about one meter sixty-five.

"I am Kamihara, an intelligence merchant and broker. My agency is located right here in this port city. If you two ever have needs regarding purchasing intelligence or accepting bounties in the future, please feel free to contact me."

Hayato Kamihara's tone was humble, and his smile was gentle.

"Thanks to you two, I managed to keep my life today. For all future business with you, I will cut my commission fee by half."

Lin Qing had come to the Land of Water specifically with the intention of hunting bounties. Having a broker to introduce them would naturally save him the effort of gathering intelligence and improve his efficiency.

As for the commission cut?

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

Soul fragments were the foundation of his survival.

Since Lin Qing was a newcomer, rather than working with local strangers, collaborating with Hayato Kamihara—with whom he at least shared the fate of having traveled on the same ship—would be much simpler.

Taking the card, Lin Qing tucked it away and said: "Apologies, I don't have a business card."

"Understood, understood. Then I shall not disturb you two any further."

Hayato Kamihara bowed in salute.

Lin Qing nodded and left with Sasuke.

Hayato Kamihara slowly straightened his back, squinting as he watched their retreating figures, the evening glow stretching their shadows long.

"Goodbye, my two saviors."

Hayato Kamihara's tone was filled with a sense of destiny.

He had assumed that when he saw the two of them again, they would have already made a name for themselves in the Land of Water.

To his surprise, that very same night, Lin Qing showed up at the Kamihara Agency.

"Are there any bounties?" Lin Qing asked.

Hayato Kamihara looked at the two figures, one large and one small, sitting on his sofa, and said in astonishment: "Aren't you two going to rest? Could we perhaps discuss work tomorrow?"

He had spent three days cooped up in the cargo hold, and Hayato Kamihara felt like he was going to develop hemorrhoids.

He had specifically arranged for a young model from the Land of Sand to help him relax that night, and he certainly didn't want to talk business at such a critical moment.

"Rest?"

Lin Qing tilted his head slightly and said candidly: "We have already rested. We ate dinner, took a walk, and even showered... so, the rest is over."

The corner of Hayato Kamihara's mouth twitched.

What kind of break is this?

Where did you workaholic beasts come from?!

Complaints aside, Hayato Kamihara was a businessman after all; when business came knocking, there was no reason to turn it away.

Rubbing his chin, Hayato Kamihara asked, "Do you have any preferred targets? For instance, opponents you're good at handling, or their approximate combat power level, and so on."

Only by arranging targets specifically could task efficiency be maximized. A high mortality rate among bounty hunters was a disgrace to any broker.

"A melee-type target would be best. As for the combat power level..."

Lin Qing didn't know how to describe it.

Since arriving in this world, the only ones who could be counted as "enemies" were Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake; he had held the initiative against the former, and the latter had certainly held back.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Qing said, "Just a bit weaker than Kakashi Hatake of Konoha would be fine, it makes them easier to deal with."

Hayato Kamihara gulped.

What did he mean by "just a bit weaker than Kakashi"?

Since when did the legendary Copy Ninja become a unit of measurement for combat power?

He took a sip of tea, suppressing the urge to retort: "I don't have intelligence on any powerhouses equivalent to Kakashi Hatake on hand—even if I did, they wouldn't be in the Land of Water.

However, if that is the standard, the selection... is actually quite generous."

Hayato Kamihara pulled a stack of files from under the table.

"Pick for yourselves."

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

They recorded the targets' personal information, combat styles, hiding areas, and other details. What was particularly commendable was that the bottom right corner of each file was marked with an update date.

People change.

Especially these fugitives and rogue ninjas, whose combat power fluctuated constantly.

Having the latest intelligence ensured that preparations for an operation could be thorough and meticulous.

"Professional."

Lin Qing liked working with professionals; he shook the files in his hand.

"I'll be back in two days."

Two days?

Hayato Kamihara glanced at the document numbers and knew exactly who Lin Qing had chosen.

One B-rank fugitive, known as the "Mountain Demon," a brute who had slaughtered an entire village.

Three C-rank rogue ninjas, who were brothers with tacit coordination; their combined combat power was in no way inferior to a B-rank, making them extremely troublesome.

Although these four targets were all in the vicinity, the travel time alone would take the better part of a day.

Adding in the combat after encountering them, followed by healing, resting, and re-preparing...

Hayato Kamihara chuckled inwardly, preparing himself not to see Lin Qing and the other for ten days or half a month, though he said aloud:

"I wish you both great success in your martial path and a triumphant return!"

After seeing Lin Qing and the other off, Hayato Kamihara tossed the files aside, left the office, hitched up his pants, and strode into a nightclub.

A night of passion.

"The beauties of the Land of Sand are truly succulent."

As the morning light filtered through the gaps in the window, Hayato Kamihara lay by the bedside, eyes closed, and felt a face.

He stroked it gently, from the eyebrows to the bridge of the nose, then to the beard and lips—

A beard?

Hayato Kamihara snapped his eyes open.

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

Four bound men were tossed on the floor, one of whom was lying right beside Hayato Kamihara's bed.

It was that person's face he had been stroking.

"Sorry to disturb your rest," Lin Qing said. "It's just that while dragging these four around, I really didn't know where would be less conspicuous."

Is this a matter of rest?!

Hayato Kamihara picked up his watch.

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

And they were captured alive!

Capturing alive and killing were two different things.

The commission would be higher, but the difficulty was also significantly greater.

Even after giving Lin Qing a discount, the remaining commission cut would be enough for Hayato Kamihara to pamper himself with models from the Land of Sand for a week.

"Anything else?" Lin Qing asked.

Hayato Kamihara froze for half a second.

Anything else?

But he immediately realized what he meant.

Lin Qing was talking about the bounty targets.

"Yes! Of course there is!"

Hayato Kamihara threw off his blanket and, wearing only his boxers, prepared to head out, his eyes filled with excitement—

A thirst for money.

He'd struck gold!

This was a true big shot!

"As long as there are more, that's fine."

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

"Please help me pick them out carefully, because these few..."

"Are too weak."

Hearing this, the four fugitives who had been beaten into submission all shed tears of humiliation.