Choice

Evening

With Yeling supporting him, Qile slowly made his way home.

As he walked, he grumbled nonstop. "I'm absolutely not training with them again tomorrow! Whoever wants to go can go!"

Kagami was supporting his own lower back, too, but he was in much better shape than Qile.

"Qile, if you ask me, we only need to do a third of the training tomorrow," Kagami said. "Any more, and I really won't be able to take it!"

But Qile wasn't listening at all. His mind was full of the even more grueling tasks awaiting him that night: practicing his stance and swinging his sword.

The thought filled Qile with despair, and he nearly burst into tears. "Oh, come on! I have to practice my stance and swing my sword tonight, too? Who can take that? Why is my life so miserable..."

Just then, Kagami spoke up rather awkwardly. "Um... Qile, there's something I need to tell you."

At those words, Qile's heart gave a thud, and an ominous feeling washed over him. But before he could stop Kagami from continuing,

Kagami went on, "I can't go to the clan leader's place tonight. I have to see Elder Yan about the arrangements for going to school."

Seeing Qile's increasingly hostile expression, Kagami's eyes darted about, and he quickly offered, "I'll get going. I'll come find you tomorrow morning to practice Hand Seals."

"Kagami Uchiha, you—!@#￥%...&" Qile let fly with a string of rather unsavory words.

But Kagami acted as if he hadn't heard a thing and walked away without looking back.

By the time Qile dragged his exhausted body home, he could already see Madara sitting motionless like a statue on the familiar stone stool.

Looking at the scene before him, Qile couldn't resist his curiosity and blurted out, "Clan leader, have you really not gotten up to move around once all day?"

His answer wasn't words, but the sharp whistle of something cutting through the air. A long, thin whip lashed toward him like lightning.

The whip didn't actually strike Qile, but instinct took over. Like a startled bird, he flung off Yeling's supporting hand and bolted to the spot where he usually practiced his stance, covering the distance in just a few strides.

Already crouched down, Qile wore an expression of helpless bitterness as he couldn't help humming, "The donkey goes round and round~ It can't escape the mill~"

In truth, Qile had merely overexerted himself that day. He'd spent the entire afternoon resting, so although he seemed weak, he'd actually recovered quite a bit.

Madara paid no heed to the strange lyrics Qile was humming.

He kept his eyes fixed on Qile and said in a stern, grave voice, "Starting tomorrow, I'll be away for a while. During that time, be cautious in everything you do, and know your limits when you're out. If you accidentally get yourself into trouble, return to the clan at once. Don't try to handle it yourself. We can deal with everything after I get back."

At this, Qile, who had been looking rather listless, seemed to be struck by lightning. He perked right up.

His eyes lit up, and he rose to his feet, asking eagerly, "Sounds like you'll be gone for quite a while. Do you need me to... Don't whip me, don't whip me! I'm crouching... Ah!"

Before he could finish, another sharp lash struck Qile. He grimaced in pain, but didn't dare resist. All he could do was draw circles in his mind and curse Madara viciously.

Madara's expression remained cold as frost. In an unquestionable tone, he said, "There's one more thing I need to ask you. Are you still certain you want to leave Konoha with me?"

Qile nodded without hesitation and answered loudly, "Of course! I've never changed my mind!"

Seeing how resolute Qile was, Madara's tone softened slightly. "Then which would you prefer, the Land of Water or the Land of Rain?"

Qile froze for a moment, then shrugged helplessly and said with a wry smile, "Clan leader, I don't have any real idea what either place is like. But judging by their names, I guess neither of them is short on water."

Although Qile appeared unconcerned, a storm was already raging inside him.

With Madara's departure now practically out in the open, and with him being asked to choose, it was clear Madara had already decided when to leave. It had all happened far too suddenly for Qile; he hadn't even managed to put some of his plans into action yet!

"You don't need to know what either place is like. Just tell me the first thought that comes to mind," Madara said casually.

"The Land of Rain... the Land of Water, I guess," Qile said hesitantly.

"The Land of Water..." Madara nodded, then pondered the choice.

"By the way, clan leader, have you heard of the Tailed Beasts? When I went out to train with them today, I heard them talking about the Tailed Beasts!" As he spoke, Qile kept sneaking glances at Yeling, who stood nearby. He was a little worried she might expose him.

Fortunately, Yeling seemed not to have heard him at all and continued to stand quietly at his side.

At the words "Tailed Beasts," Madara's brows furrowed slightly. As a clan leader, he naturally knew about these powerful and mysterious creatures.

In fact, he even knew the exact locations of some of them.

For instance, there was one in the Land of Water. But it had too few tails to interest him...

Before Madara could answer, Qile eagerly continued, "They also told me that a Tailed Beast can be sealed inside a person! And once it's sealed, that person can use its terrifying, world-destroying power however they want!"

Qile rattled it all off in one breath without pausing once.

But Madara clearly had no intention of discussing the subject at length. He waved a hand impassively and said, "We'll talk about the Tailed Beasts another time. Focus on your training for now."

Qile knew very well that Madara wasn't going to tell him everything about the Tailed Beasts the first time he asked.

He'd brought them up this time merely to draw Madara's attention and let him know how curious he was about them.

Once he'd done that, bringing up the Tailed Beasts again later wouldn't seem so abrupt.