One Bear, Three Hundred Thousand!

The giant bear ran away.

While the children were excitedly talking, the giant bear had regained consciousness.

Then, with a terrified glance at Might Guy, it turned and fled without looking back.

The massive crater on the hillside was still smoldering.

The six children stood under the moonlight, looking at the small bear lying on the ground, then back at the giant silhouette that had vanished into the darkness.

The atmosphere suddenly turned a bit subtle.

Obito scratched his head. "So... what do we do now?"

No one answered.

Might Guy looked down at his leg, which had just unleashed the golden giant foot, then back at the cub.

The cub was still unconscious, lying there motionless, its belly rising and falling.

He looked into the distance again.

The ten-meter-tall giant bear had run even faster than it had arrived; by now, not even a shadow remained.

"It ran away?" Obito's eyes widened. "It just abandoned its kid and ran?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Even Ninja Bear fear death."

Obito's mouth hung open as he looked toward the horizon, then back at the cub.

"Then what about this one?"

The group exchanged glances.

Should they kill it?

The thought crossed everyone's mind.

But no one said it out loud.

Kurenai spoke up in a low voice, "How about... we let it go?"

Rin nodded. "It's still just a baby."

Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses. "Let it go? And have it come back for revenge when it grows up?"

Obito shivered. "Right! It saw us earlier!"

The group fell silent again.

Might Guy crouched down and patted the cub's head.

The fur was coarse and prickly.

The cub let out a groggy grunt but didn't wake up.

Might Guy thought for a moment, then looked up at Kakashi.

"What do you think?"

Kakashi walked over and stood in front of the cub.

The moonlight shone on his masked face, his eyes bright.

"A living one is worth more than a dead one."

He paused.

"We are in a time of war. A Ninja Bear comparable to a genin can be sold for a good amount of money."

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Sell it?

Obito blinked. "Sell... sell it to who?"

Kakashi glanced at him.

"There are plenty of ninja clans in the village who want summoning animals. One with thick skin that can act as a meat shield—even if it can't use ninjutsu—is easy to raise."

He said it calmly, as if he were commenting on the weather.

Listening to this, none of the children felt that anything was wrong.

The era of ninjas.

The era of war.

Even at six years old, they already understood these things.

Might Guy nodded.

"Makes sense."

He patted the cub's head again.

"Then we sell it and split the money."

Obito's eyes lit up.

"Split it?! For real?!"

"Yeah."

"Then how much will we get?"

Kakashi made a quick estimate.

"A live Ninja Bear of genin-level strength is worth at least this much per person."

He held up one hand.

Obito swallowed hard.

"Fi... five thousand ryo?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Fifty thousand."

Obito gasped.

Fifty thousand each; for six people, that was three hundred thousand ryo.

Guy had even fewer objections.

Might Duy worked hard on missions precisely so that he could eat better.

Fifty thousand ryo was no small sum; it was nearly equivalent to a month's worth of mission pay for Might Duy.

Guy even looked in the direction the giant bear had fled, licking his lips.

"I'll buy it."

Just then, a voice rang out.

Everyone turned their heads.

Kurenai Yuhi stood there, the moonlight illuminating her face, her wine-red eyes shining brightly.

Obito's mouth fell open.

"You?! Where are you going to get three hundred thousand ryo?!"

Kurenai's face flushed slightly, but her voice didn't waver.

"I... I have it at home."

Obito was stunned.

Then, it suddenly hit him.

Kurenai Yuhi.

The Yuhi Clan.

A Konoha clan specializing in genjutsu; while not among the very top, they had a heritage spanning decades.

They had a sizable estate and plenty of assets.

Three hundred thousand ryo.

To an ordinary family, it was a fortune.

But to the Yuhi Clan...

Obito shut his mouth.

Ebisu shut his mouth as well.

Rin watched Kurenai with a smile.

Guy grinned.

"Deal."

Just that one word.

Kurenai blinked.

"You... aren't you going to ask about the price?"

Guy shook his head.

"If you're buying, we'll go with the price you said."

Kurenai's face turned even redder.

She lowered her head and whispered.

"Then... then I'll go back and tell my father."

Guy nodded.

"Good."

Obito watched from the side, dumbfounded.

"Hey! You just agreed to that?! Three hundred thousand ryo?! What if her dad doesn't agree?!"

Guy turned his head to look at him.

"Then we'll just sell it to someone else."

Obito choked.

It seemed... reasonable?

But he still felt like something was off.

He looked at Kurenai; she was bowing her head, the roots of her ears turning red.

He looked at Guy; Guy looked indifferent, patting the little bear on the head.

He looked at Rin; Rin was smiling, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

Obito suddenly felt his teeth ache.

"Fine, fine, let's tie it up first."

The group began to busy themselves.

They pulled vines and wove ropes, binding the little bear tight.

The little bear was jostled awake, opening its eyes groggily to see a group of little runts surrounding it.

It struggled twice.

It didn't break free.

Then it saw a green face lean in close.

Thick eyebrows and big eyes, smiling right at it.

"Don't move, we've found you a good home."

The little bear blinked.

It didn't understand.

But the tone... it didn't seem like a bad thing?

It lay there and stopped moving.

Kurenai crouched beside it, watching with bright eyes.

"It's so well-behaved."

Rin nodded with a smile.

"Mm, quite cute."

Obito curled his lip: "Cute? It could swat you to death with one paw."

Kurenai ignored him.

She continued to watch the little bear, whispering.

"What should I call you in the future..."

Ebisu was nearby tying vines, muttering as he worked.

"Can this thing really be a summoning animal? What if it wakes up in the middle of the night and eats Kurenai?"

Kakashi glanced at him.

"Once the summoning contract is signed, it won't."

Ebisu shut his mouth.

After half an hour of tying, it was finally finished.

Two bears.

The big one had run off.

The little one was bundled into a ball, with only its head exposed.

Obito circled it three times.

"How are we supposed to drag it back now?"

Kakashi thought for a moment.

"Drag it."

"Drag it?!"

"Otherwise what? You going to carry it?"

Obito looked at the bear-ball that was three times his size and fell silent.

Guy had already taken action.

He grabbed a vine and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

"Let's go."

The little bear was dragged along by him, sliding across the ground.

Scritch, scritch.

Its expression was a bit dazed.

It seemed to be asking: Where am I being taken?

The group headed back.

The moon hung in the sky, shining brightly.

They hadn't gone far when Kakashi suddenly slowed his pace, falling into step beside Guy.

Guy turned his head to look at him.

Kakashi didn't speak.

But that expression clearly showed he had something to say.

Guy waited for a moment.

Kakashi still didn't speak.

"Hey," Guy started, "what do you want to say?"

Kakashi's footsteps faltered.

He glanced at the people behind them.

Obito was arguing with Ebisu, while Rin and Kurenai laughed nearby.

No one was paying attention to them.

He took a deep breath.

"Guy."

"Yeah?"

"I—"

Kakashi opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Guy stopped and looked at him.

Under the moonlight, that masked face showed a rare hint of hesitation.

"What is it, exactly?"

Kakashi was silent for a few seconds.

Then he said, "I'm planning to apply for early graduation."