Four years later, Zeyu was already twelve. His graduation ceremony from the Ninja Academy was just around the corner, and he had nearly mastered all the jutsu he'd been practicing. Every so often, he still went back to look through the other scrolls.
He had also mastered the powerful Flying Thunder God Technique, and had placed Flying Thunder God Marks all over the place. He still didn't dare use it casually, though. If anyone discovered it, he'd inevitably be questioned. He wanted to avoid stirring up trouble.
The little family had started celebrating early. Meiling happened to have the day off, and besides... they had a guest.
Zeyu stared at the table laden with dishes. They were all his favorites, but he had no appetite at all. Watching the two people bustling about in the kitchen made his heart feel heavy.
Aunt Meiling had a boyfriend!
She was only his aunt, but after all these years, they were family. Now someone had suddenly come between them, and he felt as if he were being pushed aside.
He felt hollow inside, as if he wasn't loved anymore.
Pouting, Zeyu watched Meiling bring out the last dish and set it on the table. He looked up at her with a reproachful little stare.
Meiling immediately understood. She patted Zeyu on the head.
"All right, I just didn't tell you, okay? I brought him over so you could meet him. Sato's a really good person, so be nice to him, all right?"
"Hmph." Zeyu wasn't buying it this time. He turned away and sulked.
Meiling didn't know what else to do. She picked up a chicken leg from the plate, shoved it into Zeyu's mouth, then turned to tidy up.
Zeyu had no choice. Aunt Meiling wasn't getting any younger. It was only right for her to find someone to marry. She couldn't keep taking care of him forever.
But he still couldn't help feeling upset.
He sulked as he gnawed on the chicken leg.
By the time he'd finished it, the other two had sat down as well.
Knowing there was nothing he could do, he decided to let things take their course.
He put on a better face, thanked Uncle Sato for all his hard work, and started wolfing down the food.
Sarutobi Sato was delighted. When he'd first met the boy sitting across from him, Zeyu had looked as if he'd eaten something disgusting. He'd seemed to dislike Sato, and it had left him feeling a little dejected. Meiling's encouragement had finally lifted his spirits.
After all, Zeyu was just a child. He wasn't used to meeting new people, so Sato needed to be patient. He was going to marry Meiling someday, so they'd all be family.
"Zeyu's really grown up," Meiling said, looking at him as he concentrated on his food. She felt a wave of emotion.
But Zeyu was still feeling pretty upset. He desperately needed to blow off some steam!
The next day, after finishing his training, Zeyu wiped the sweat from his brow and was about to head down the mountain when he heard a loud crash in the distance.
He slung the small pack he carried over his shoulder and headed toward the sound.
Before long, he reached a road. A giant bear, nearly five meters tall when standing upright, was surrounded by a crowd of people.
Some wore light leather armor and carried round shields; some held ropes, while others stood guard beside a palanquin with swords in hand. A flag stood upright on the palanquin, and a broken cage lay nearby. It was obvious the giant bear had escaped and was trying to get away.
"The Beast Taming Group? They train wild animals?" Zeyu asked when he saw the three clear characters on the flag.
Just then, the giant bear roared again. Ignoring the people around it, it charged toward the palanquin at the back of the crowd. Anyone who tried to stop it was either sent flying or knocked aside with a swipe of its paw.
Zeyu thought, This is bad. The bear's going after the leader.
He immediately rushed into action.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A fireball two meters in diameter shot out from the giant bear's flank and struck it. The bear cried out in pain. The fur along its right side and belly caught fire, and it immediately flopped to the ground and rolled around, trying to smother the flames in the dirt. Its rolling kicked up a thick cloud of dust.
The people nearby couldn't see what was happening and didn't dare approach. After putting out the flames, the giant bear scrambled to its feet and fled before the dust had settled.
Just then, Zeyu strolled over. The dust happened to clear, and everyone stared at the handsome red-haired boy.
"Was he the one who stepped in?"
"Must've been. He's impressive."
"Is he a Konoha ninja? Could you give us a hand?"
People whispered among themselves.
Just then, a long-bearded old man stepped out from the crowd. He came forward, greeted Zeyu, then asked,
"Were you the one who stepped in just now, young man?"
"Yeah, that was me."
"May I ask if you're from Konoha, young man? What's your name?"
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Zeyu asked, puzzled. I saved you, so why are you checking my identity?
"Don't misunderstand, young man. I saw how skilled you are and thought I might ask you to help us capture that giant bear. We'll pay you generously," the old man explained calmly.
"Oh, is that all? Sure." Zeyu held up one finger.
The old man understood at once. He pulled ten banknotes from his sleeve and prepared to hand them to Zeyu.
"Here's one thousand ryō. Sorry for the trouble, young man."
Zeyu frowned and didn't take the money.
"Ahem. I meant ten thousand ryō."
At that, the old man looked a little awkward. So he wanted ten thousand ryō? Wasn't that just taking advantage of their predicament?
"Ahem, young man, that seems a bit unreasonable. Nobody charges that much. Besides, Konoha isn't far from here. We wouldn't have to pay anywhere near that much to place a mission in the village."
"Oh? Is that so? Is the bear just going to wait right there for you?" Zeyu asked casually, crossing his arms.
"Uh, well..."
"Would someone definitely accept the mission as soon as it was posted? And would the person who accepted it definitely be able to capture the bear?"
"Uh..."
"And the paperwork costs nothing? It takes no time? What if the bear causes more damage while you're waiting?"
"Uh, well..." The old man grew more and more helpless. The boy in front of him made a good point, and he had no way to refute him.
"And what about..." Zeyu was about to continue, but the old man cut him off.
"All right, young man, that's enough. Ten thousand it is. I'll pay. I'll go get the money now." The old man turned and jogged to the palanquin. He greeted the person inside, then went in.
A moment later, he came back carrying a stack of silver and handed it to Zeyu.
Zeyu counted the money while casually brushing off the old man, who was trying to talk to him.
"Ahem, young man, I'm the steward in charge of the Beast Taming Group's household, and I'm overseeing this operation. Once you've captured the bear, please hand it over to me."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm."
"What should I call you, young man?"
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm—huh?!" After counting the money, Zeyu realized something was wrong. He immediately asked,
"Why's there only half?"
The old man felt helpless. This brat clearly had no experience doing business and didn't even know about deposits. And he'd actually been swindled by a kid like this.
"Ah, young man, that's the deposit. You'll get the rest after the job's done."
There's nothing I can do. Now I just have to count on him, the old man thought.
"Oh, right. My mistake." Zeyu stuffed the money into his pocket.
"May I ask your name?"
"Zhao Yun Zilong," Zeyu replied with a grin. Then he took off, racing after the giant bear.
I'm not giving them my real name. I swindled them out of so much money. What if they come after me later? Zeyu thought.
He ran over a mountain ridge and found the giant bear beside a small waterfall, drinking from the pool.
Zeyu set down his backpack and slowly approached.
The giant bear caught the scent of a nearby person and got to its feet to see what was going on.
When it spotted Zeyu behind it, it immediately roared.
Zeyu chuckled.
"Oh, so you dare roar at me? I've been training for ages, but I still don't know how strong I am. Why don't you help me find out?" Zeyu still had plenty of frustration to work off, and this was the perfect chance.
He cracked his knuckles and kept walking toward the giant bear.
The bear was stunned. Did this little thing in front of it really not take it seriously at all?
It flew into a rage and charged at Zeyu. As soon as it got close, it swung a paw at him.
Zeyu didn't panic in the slightest. He leaped high into the air, dodged the swipe, then kicked the giant bear in the face.
The bear cried out in pain, its head knocked to the side by the powerful kick. Once it had steadied itself, it swung at Zeyu again.
Zeyu blocked the giant bear's paw with his arm, then dashed forward and drove a fist into its belly. A dull thud rang out.
The giant bear immediately clutched its stomach in pain.
It didn't fight back. Instead, it flopped onto the ground and whimpered.
"Huh? Keep going. Why are you lying down?" Zeyu stared at it in confusion. How could this bear be so weak? He'd only hit it twice.
As he spoke, he climbed onto the bear's head, grabbed its ears, and tried to get it back on its feet.
After years of regular training and a balanced diet that kept him well-nourished, Zeyu's strength had far surpassed normal limits. He was practically freakishly strong. He'd had some idea of it, so he'd held back the whole time.
Even so, those two hits had hurt. If the bear hadn't had such thick fur, it would've been dead already.
The bear felt terribly aggrieved. This kid was way too strong—stronger than its own mother.
The bear only wanted to eat its fill. It didn't want to risk its life, and it gazed up at Zeyu with pleading eyes.
Still sitting on the bear's head, Zeyu leaned down and went upside down to meet its gaze. The moment he saw those pleading eyes, he understood.
"Seriously? You're already done? No way. Keep fighting me a little longer. I'll go easier on you."
The bear felt even worse hearing that. Why did he still want to fight?
Puckering its lips, it whimpered at Zeyu as if begging him.
Zeyu was about to say something when a loud rumble sounded right beside him.
He immediately jumped down and looked around.
Then he realized it had come from the giant bear's stomach.
Whoa, I thought that was thunder, Zeyu thought.
The bear was still gazing at him pleadingly. Zeyu sighed, helpless.
"Fine, we'll call it here. But you have to come with me."
The bear sat up, rubbed its stomach, and kept looking at Zeyu with pleading eyes.
Zeyu understood. This bear was a total glutton.
"Fine. I'll get you some food first, okay? Once you're full, you're coming with me." Zeyu shook his head helplessly.
The bear's eyes lit up like stars. At last, it could eat!
Zeyu told the bear to wait right there and not wander off. But as he was about to leave, he still couldn't help turning back and jumping onto its back.
He left a Flying Thunder God Mark on the bear's neck, then set off to find food.
After that, Zeyu and the bear sat beside the waterfall and stuffed themselves. Once they'd eaten their fill, Zeyu rode the bear back to turn it in.
When Zeyu appeared before the crowd again, everyone was startled.
The fierce, irritable giant bear from earlier had become docile. Zeyu could direct it to walk wherever he wanted without even using a rope.
Zeyu counted his money nearby and was satisfied with the bear's behavior. It hadn't caused any more trouble, saving him a lot of effort.
"Isn't it a little too big, though? How did I not notice earlier?" Zeyu said as he watched the people gather around the bear to put a lead rope on it.
Then he put the money in his bag and left.
Just then, a head poked out from the palanquin. Watching the boy's retreating figure, the person inside murmured,
"Zhao Yun Zilong, huh?"