You Go Kill Lin Qing

Lin Qing gave the survivors three choices; how they chose depended entirely on their own judgment.

The survivors gathered together, whispering among themselves to deliberate.

Lin Qing did not participate. He picked up a cup of hot tea from the dining table, sat by the window, and reviewed the spoils of this battle.

Slaying Suikazan Fuguki had yielded 450 soul fragments, and when added to the various Kirigakure ninja he had picked off, Lin Qing had obtained a total of 570 soul fragments.

Lin Qing sighed once more; killing famous ninja was truly the fastest way to earn soul fragments.

Upgrading Aero Smith had cost 400 points, and after increasing its reconnaissance range and offensive firepower, Lin Qing's remaining soul fragments stood at 310.

Thirty draws would likely not yield a five-star Stand, and even a four-star would be difficult, so Lin Qing decided to save up a bit more and wait until he had enough for sixty draws before pulling again.

The second harvest was Samehada.

This was a living weapon. Although it pretended to be a piece of metal and remained motionless in Lin Qing's hands, Lin Qing, who had mastered Ripple Qigong, could clearly feel the flow of "Qi" within it.

Samehada was a fine blade, but unfortunately, it did not suit Lin Qing.

The moment he injected a bit of Ripple into it, Samehada would let out a mournful cry, and the blade would emit bursts of steam as if it were being roasted alive.

Lin Qing planned to study how to use it, but if that failed, he would just toss it to Star Platinum to use as a club; it would at least increase his attack range.

The third harvest was fame.

The small-scale skirmish during his escape from Konoha, where neither Itachi Uchiha nor Kakashi had died, would at most be rumored as Lin Qing managing to escape from their clutches.

Taking down Suikazan Fuguki one-on-one, however, was a completely different matter.

Lin Qing's reputation would skyrocket, and it wouldn't be long before bounty hunters set their sights on his head.

Regarding this, Lin Qing's attitude was to welcome all comers.

After all, how could he refuse soul fragments delivered right to his doorstep?

Thinking of this, Lin Qing mapped out his future path:

Once the survivors were settled, he would find a master bladesmith to reconstruct Samehada, using Ripple Qigong as the core.

Along the way, he would continue to slay incoming bounty hunters to earn soul fragments, and then focus on drawing Stands.

After fleeing Konoha, through this series of hunts and battles, Lin Qing's understanding of the combat style of the Naruto world had become increasingly clear, and he felt a growing sense of fear regarding his initial fight with Itachi Uchiha.

Genjutsu.

This was Lin Qing's greatest weakness.

For mid-to-long-range ninjutsu, Lin Qing could rely on Star Platinum for rapid displacement or use Aero Smith's bullets to create distance and find a solution.

But with Genjutsu, once he was caught, it was very difficult for him to break free.

Relying on Star Platinum to "poke" him awake was a method that only worked against basic Genjutsu.

Against opponents who specialized in Genjutsu, like Itachi Uchiha or Kurenai Yuhi, breaking free without the help of teammates in a one-on-one fight was nearly impossible.

After slaying Suikazan, Lin Qing's combat style was no longer a secret, and his enemies would certainly take targeted measures against him.

Lin Qing had to find a way to draw a Stand that could resist Genjutsu, or one that possessed autonomous movement, so that even if he were trapped in a Genjutsu, it could help him fight the enemy.

"The road ahead is long and arduous."

Lin Qing sighed and took a sip of the hot tea in his cup.

The cruise ship drifted along, stopping from time to time as people disembarked.

Before they left, Lin Qing dismantled the valuable items on the ship to give them as travel expenses for their journey.

The survivors bowed respectfully to Lin Qing before heading off toward their unknown and uncertain futures.

Xiaotao stared blankly at the horizon; ever since her mother passed away, she had been like a soul-less shell, not saying a word for days.

On the contrary, Sasuke, who had previously appeared cold and aloof, circled around Xiaotao, occasionally performing ninjutsu or breathing techniques to attract her attention and keep her from wallowing in grief.

Sensing Lin Qing's gaze, Xiaotao slowly stood up, walked over to him with her head bowed, and whispered, "Brother Qing, am... am I to leave as well?"

Lin Qing looked at Xiaotao, then at the worried-looking Sasuke, reached into his robe, and pulled out an orange to hand to her.

"Are you willing to follow me? It might be very dangerous."

Xiaotao took the orange, her eyes reddening, and nodded vigorously.

Her mother was dead, her father had passed away long ago, and the Kirigakure ninja had killed her grandfather when they abducted them.

Xiaotao had lost all her kin.

"Then come with me."

He couldn't protect four hundred people.

But he could certainly look after one little kid.

In such a vast world, the fact that the two of them could meet again was perhaps a fate ordained by the heavens.

The number of people on the ship dwindled until only the final group remained—those who had decided to establish a village of their own.

This group consisted of about one hundred and sixty people, men and women alike. As they stood before Lin Qing, the man in the lead stepped forward, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and said in a resonant voice:

"My lord, we have no way to repay the debt of saving our lives. If there is ever anything you need from us in the future, just give the word. Though we are not ninjas, we still have the strength in our bodies to be of service to you."

Lin Qing patted him on the shoulder, his gaze sweeping across the survivors:

"Safe travels."

They set off, clutching the map Lin Qing had drawn, heading toward the wilderness to build a village of their own.

The only ones left on the ship were Lin Qing, Sasuke, and Xiaotao.

Sasuke leaned against the railing. The ship, once bustling with life, had suddenly turned desolate, leaving him feeling empty inside.

"They... will succeed, right?"

"They certainly will."

Lin Qing watched the backs of the survivors as they disappeared into the jungle:

"People cannot be unlucky forever, after all."

Suikazan Fuguki had fallen in battle.

The ninja sword Samehada had been seized.

The Fourth Mizukage had been selling the nation's own citizens.

Any one of these events would have been earth-shattering for the Land of Water; for them to erupt all at once was nothing short of a massive earthquake that shook the entire nation from top to bottom.

Especially the last one.

Many years ago, before the concept of ninja villages existed, ninjas operated as family units, working under an outsourced mercenary system.

Anyone who has ever held a job knows just how unreliable outsourcing and labor dispatching can be.

Back then, the Feudal Lord only needed to spend a little money to hire ninjas to slaughter one another.

Later, under the promotion of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, ninja villages were established, Tailed Beasts were distributed, and agreements were signed one by one with the Feudal Lords, shifting from an outsourced mercenary system to a one-to-one accountability system between the nation and the village.

For the first time, ninjas had official status.

Kirigakure enjoyed the benefits of this status—the resources of the Land of Water, the fiscal budget, and official legitimacy—and in return, it had to fulfill the corresponding obligations.

Protect the nation, guard the citizens.

This was the most fundamental duty of a ninja village, and the underlying logic for its very existence.

Now, the Fourth Mizukage had shattered the core agreement and destroyed that trust.

The Feudal Lord of the Land of Water urgently summoned the Fourth Mizukage to question him face-to-face and hold him accountable.

Mei Terumi waited outside the conference building, her arms crossed.

At this time, she was only in her early twenties, in the prime of her youth, with a beautiful and moving appearance and the spirited liveliness of a young girl in her eyes.

Beside her was her old teammate, Ao, wearing an eyepatch over the single eye he had taken from the battlefield—a Byakugan.

"What do you think the Feudal Lord and Lord Yagura are talking about?" Ao asked. "Will Lord Yagura... be removed from his post?"

Mei Terumi asked, "Don't you have a Byakugan? Just look at their lip movements and you'll know."

Ao kept a straight face: "How could I use ninjutsu on the Mizukage and the Feudal Lord?"

Mei Terumi shrugged; she had always felt this old teammate of hers was too rigid.

She leaned against the wall, shielding herself from the scorching sun: "It's nothing more than an exchange of interests, a compromise."

The Feudal Lord of the Land of Water was furious.

But this rage was not because Yagura had been selling citizens like livestock.

He was furious that such a matter, which would incite public anger and shake his rule, had been exposed.

He was furious that Yagura had made money without knowing to offer him his share.

Ao was stunned: "You think they... will split the spoils?"

"Don't put it so crudely. How could the business of those two be called splitting spoils? It's a distribution."

Mei Terumi sneered: "Probably a three-seven split."

Ao froze: "Lord Yagura only gets thirty percent?"

Mei Terumi scoffed: "Seventy percent—that belongs to the other party, to the Feudal Lord."

Ao couldn't wrap his head around it. Setting aside the right or wrong of the matter, Lord Yagura had gone to the trouble of secretly capturing people and building trafficking channels, only to end up with thirty percent?

And even that thirty percent depended on the Feudal Lord's mood?

Didn't that make Lord Yagura nothing more than a beggar on his knees?

If even the Mizukage was a beggar on his knees, then what did that make them, his subordinates?

Ao felt a complex mix of emotions, rendered speechless and falling into silence.

After a moment of silence, Mei Terumi spoke again:

"That man named Uchiha Qing, according to the intelligence, he has discarded the 'Uchiha' surname and calls himself 'Lin Qing'... What exactly is his objective in saving the four hundred people trapped in the cages and killing Suikazan Fuguki?"

Secret manipulation by Konoha?

Ties to the interests of other organizations?

Or perhaps a personal vendetta against Yagura and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?

Qing thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that he simply wanted to save people?"

Mei Terumi gazed at the clouds rolling and unfurling in the sky.

Does such a simple person truly exist in this world?

Creak—

The two massive wooden doors slowly opened. The Feudal Lord of the Land of Water fanned himself slightly, chin raised, eyes half-closed, nodding at the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, with a lazy and arrogant air before stepping into his palanquin and departing.

Yagura possessed handsome features and a short, thin frame, resembling a tender youth; it was truly impossible to associate him with the culprit who had created the Bloody Mist.

He looked down at the crowd of ninjas below.

"Mei Terumi."

Mei Terumi strode up the steps, arrived before Karatachi Yagura, and knelt on one knee.

The doors behind them closed once more, sealing the two inside the room.

"Lord Mizukage."

"I grant you a secret mission—go and kill Lin Qing."

"Ah? Me?"

"Is there a problem?"

Mei Terumi's eyes flickered, and she replied:

"No, this subordinate obeys."