"If you refuse to cooperate, I'll have no choice but to take you to Konoha and negotiate with Kirigakure."
Jiraiya crouched down as he spoke.
Kisame remained silent.
He didn't dare bear the cost of "cooperating."
Jiraiya stopped being polite. He tied Kisame up securely with rope and knocked him unconscious as well.
As for the other two, they could just sleep for a while—
Oh, one of them might never wake up.
"Kurenai, don't bother trying to save him. Tie up the one who's still alive and bring him along."
"Yes."
Kurenai Yuhi stood up, then glanced at Kyohiko.
In truth, even if she'd wanted to save him, she wouldn't have been able to. She'd only been studying his condition to gain experience treating similar injuries.
The injured ninja was at least fourteen or fifteen years old. He was probably a Chunin from Kirigakure.
The situation had been dire. Kyohiko had used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside her and punched the man who'd been lunging at her, sending him flying.
The result?
It had taken just one simple punch.
The man's heart had nearly been shattered by the impact. He was probably suffering from severe internal bleeding.
She couldn't save him.
What incredible strength!
Had he already mastered Lady Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred?
Kurenai watched Kyohiko from the corner of her eye, unable to suppress a hint of envy and admiration.
Kyohiko hadn't been able to master it before, but now he could use it freely without injuring himself...
His rate of progress was terrifying!
Two or three months ago, she would have thought it was all due to his talent.
But now...
She saw things differently.
Behind Kyohiko's rapid progress, both he and Kakashi had put in unimaginable effort.
Over the past few days, he must have been training day and night.
"Lord Jiraiya, is it over?"
"Yes, Mr. Matsuyama. We can get back on the road and head to Gato's place."
"Good, good. Thank you. If not for you... and your three subordinates, I'd have been in serious trouble."
Ichiro Matsuyama was deeply relieved.
At the same time, his eyes brimmed with hatred.
"Damn Gato! The Matsuyama Clan did honest business with him, and he tried to swallow us whole. I'll make him pay for this!"
Then Ichiro Matsuyama's eyes hardened with hatred.
"Mr. Jiraiya, would you accept another commission from me?"
"If it's to kill Gato..."
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I might not be able to give you an answer right away."
"Why not?"
Ichiro Matsuyama asked, confused.
Jiraiya explained.
"From what you've told me, Gato is one of the more influential forces in the Land of Waves. The situation here is complicated, and every move I make could send an unusual signal to the outside world."
"Ah! I understand. Come on, let's go. We should at least finish this business first."
Ichiro Matsuyama sighed.
They continued northeast.
When they reached the area near the street, Kakashi finally woke up.
He opened his eyes, still groggy, but as soon as he took in his surroundings, he was wide awake.
Had he passed out?
And then—
Wait?
Kakashi's face went pale, and he immediately jumped down from the toad's back.
He saw two men bound and tied to the back of the carriage.
Mist Village ninja?
It seemed he'd missed something important!
Jiraiya sensed that Kakashi had woken up and immediately slowed down, moving from the front to the middle of the group.
"Jiraiya, your subordinate is awake. If there's nothing else, I'll head back."
"All right. Thank you."
Iron-Arm Toad nodded slightly, then disappeared on the spot.
Kakashi immediately bowed.
"I'm sorry, Teacher. I passed out at a crucial point in the mission. I'm not fit to be a ninja!"
His eyes and tone both made it clear that he meant every word.
Jiraiya felt helpless.
The kid's thinking was a little too extreme!
The mission above all else?
It wasn't even that important a mission.
His gaze swept over the group, and he made up his mind. He said seriously, "Kakashi, you shouldn't be apologizing to me. You should apologize to your teammates, because they're the ones who need you most."
Kakashi looked back at Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi.
He immediately understood what Jiraiya meant.
As far as Jiraiya was concerned, Kakashi's abilities were insignificant. The ones who needed him most were Kyohiko and Kurenai, but he hadn't been there during the fight.
Of course.
The situation hadn't been as dangerous as Kakashi imagined.
Although Kurenai had nearly been attacked at close range, Jiraiya had been keeping an eye on both her and Kyohiko throughout the fight. Iron-Arm Toad had also been nearby.
If they'd really been in danger, Iron-Arm Toad would have protected them.
After saying that, Jiraiya returned to the front.
Kakashi moved to the back.
Before he could say anything, Kurenai Yuhi had already spoken gently. "Kakashi, I'm glad you're all right. Just make sure you don't train until you pass out again, okay?"
He looked at Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi. His mask shifted several times, but he didn't know what to say.
Kakashi had imagined all sorts of scenarios.
For example—
Kyohiko might mock him for breaking the rules and not helping during the mission.
Maybe he'd call him useless.
As for Kurenai...
Even though she was gentle, she might still give him the cold shoulder. After all, he'd been a burden.
But—
Kyohiko said nothing, while Kurenai offered him a gentle, reassuring smile. Neither of them treated him like a burden or a liability.
Kakashi stood there, stunned.
"But I didn't help at all."
"You don't need to feel sorry. We all have our flaws and shortcomings, which is why we need to help and rely on one another and stick together as a team. Besides, the mission wasn't very important. As long as everyone stayed safe, that was enough."
Kyohiko had a youthful face, but he spoke with a maturity beyond his years.
But then—
He changed tack. "You should still apologize, though."
"Huh?"
Kurenai was bewildered.
She'd thought Kyohiko was going to comfort Kakashi, but then he'd suddenly changed his tune.
Kakashi was confused too. He couldn't figure out what Kyohiko was getting at.
"As a ninja, you have to take responsibility for your teammates and comrades. I understood that even when I'd just graduated. You knew we had a mission today, yet you trained through the night yesterday? Even if you hadn't passed out, how well would you have performed? You might even have put your teammates in danger."
Kyohiko spoke earnestly.
"I'm sorry. I wanted so badly to master this technique. I promise I won't do this again!"
Kakashi made his promise earnestly.
Over the past day or two, he'd wanted desperately to catch up with Kyohiko.
Kyohiko said he'd been training in similar techniques all along, but Kakashi knew very well that Kyohiko hadn't had such advanced chakra control before.
Even if he had, he'd only started when he began training in Water Style.
At most, it had been about a month.
In a month, Kyohiko had made incredible progress.
What about him?
He'd barely moved forward at all!
Kakashi had clearly recognized this, as well as his own shortcomings, and that was why he'd been desperately eager to get stronger.
And yet—
That really hadn't been rational.
Not for the mission, and not for his teammates.
Kakashi was overwhelmed with remorse.
Kyohiko was quietly pleased.
The details and circumstances had been a little different, but the result seemed to be what he'd hoped for.
The next step was to help Kakashi truly understand what teamwork and comrades meant.
Besides—
According to the reward system, when someone was deeply influenced, the reward was often related to their greatest strength.
Kakashi, you'd better improve fast!
Before you continue