Return to the Village

Qian Nai was in a playful mood as well. She shook her head at Yagura and struck a little bear shrugging pose, leaving Yagura completely speechless.

After nearly a month of spending time together, Qian Nai had long known that Qing Si was a secretly wealthy man. Since she had been planning to make Qing Si treat them to a meal later, she naturally would not embarrass him now.

Yagura's face turned bright red from holding it in. Under Qing Si and Qian Nai's expectant gazes, he hesitated for a long while before finally letting out a mosquito-like voice.

"Brother Qing Si!"

"What? Speak louder, I couldn't hear you!" Qing Si deliberately wanted to tease the tsundere Yagura a little more.

Yagura spent a long time psyching himself up again before gathering all his strength and shouting each word loud and clear.

"Brother! Qing! Si!"

"Ha ha ha!" Qing Si and Qian Nai both burst out laughing. Though this little brother Yagura was usually quite familiar and outgoing, he was rather adorable in this regard.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Here, take the money and go buy it!" Qing Si handed the money to Yagura.

Before long, Yagura returned with the takoyaki cupped in both hands.

"Big Sister Qian Nai, this is yours! Brother Qing Si, here!" After shamefully calling Qing Si "Brother," a title he had always refused to use, Yagura seemed to have cleared some internal blockage. He no longer felt the slightest resistance to calling Qing Si his brother.

As they wandered through the streets, stopping and going, the three of them tried every delicacy they came across until their bellies were completely stuffed.

When they met up with Captain Feng at an izakaya around noon, Feng looked at the three of them, too stuffed to walk, then thought of how he had worked so hard to exchange the money at the Underground Bounty Station and rushed back to happily distribute it to everyone. He fell silent at the sight.

"Captain, you're back!" Yagura said happily. "How much bounty money did you exchange?"

Now that he was finally about to have money, Yagura was a little excited. His pig brain, already stuffed full of food, had nearly stopped working, and he completely failed to notice Feng's increasingly dark expression.

Feng dragged Yagura over to a corner.

Thinking Feng was about to give him his share of the money, Yagura was immediately met with a brutal beating.

Feng ruthlessly struck out, muttering as he beat him.

"I'll let you distribute money...! I'll let you eat...! I'll let you leave me behind...!"

"Ah... ah... ah~~~" Yagura's screams were enough to make listeners weep and hearers mourn.

After a long while, Feng finally vented his anger. Looking refreshed, he returned with Yagura, whose face was bruised and swollen.

The five rogue ninja brothers, notorious for their many crimes and wanted by numerous parties, brought in a bounty of a full twenty million ryo—nearly half an Asuma.

Although there had been two Jonin and three Elite Chunin in total, they were still only wandering ninja. Being able to exchange them for twenty million ryo was already an unexpected windfall, so everyone was fairly satisfied.

In the end, Feng and Qing Si were both Jonin. As the captain, Feng took seven million ryo, Qing Si received five million, and Qian Nai, who had contributed the most, also received five million. The remaining three million went to Yagura, who was at Chunin level.

After the three of them stored their money in the storage scrolls they carried, they called over a waiter and prepared to accompany their hardworking Captain Feng for lunch.

The moment he heard they were ordering food, Yagura, who had just been thoroughly beaten, immediately perked up again. Whether it was because he had entered a rebellious phase or because Feng was too gentle, the nine-year-old brat actually wanted to drink alcohol, calling it a bold attempt at life.

Qian Nai, who had been smiling just moments ago, instantly darkened her expression. She grabbed Yagura by the ear and dragged him over, then clamped a hand tightly around his neck as she lectured him.

"Yagura! You're only nine and already thinking about drinking? How did you learn the Three Ninja Taboos? Are you planning to visit pleasure houses and enjoy music, then flirt beneath the flowers and moonlight next?!"

With fate's neck firmly in Qian Nai's grasp, Yagura finally sobered up and repeatedly admitted his mistake. After Qian Nai's barrage of education, Yagura helplessly agreed to a series of unequal treaties before she let him go.

After that bout of horseplay, their bond deepened even further.

The three siblings, whose personalities suited one another perfectly and whose parents had all passed away, gradually became people very close to one another, as though it had been destined.

That afternoon, after replenishing their energy, the group set off on the journey back to Hidden Mist Village.

Since the mission had already been completed, and ANBU regulations stated that teams completing S-rank missions during peacetime were entitled to five days of free leave, they were in no hurry. They traveled leisurely, taking in the scenery of the Land of Water along the way.

On the morning of the fourth day, just as the sun rose, four figures slowly approached Hidden Mist Village.

After entering the village through the ANBU passage they had used when departing, the group went their separate ways.

Qing Si, Yagura, and Qian Nai each returned home to enjoy the last two days of their break, while Feng, as captain, first had to return to ANBU Headquarters to submit the mission.

Inside the director's office at ANBU Headquarters, Feng respectfully reported the details of the mission to Jian, the ANBU Commander-in-Chief.

After a long while, Jian smiled in satisfaction after hearing the report. As expected of the ANBU rookies he thought most highly of.

"Lord Jian, your decision was entirely correct. If it had been another team, it would have been hard to say whether they could have completed this mission so perfectly and smoothly. Given time, I believe Gu, Mirror, and Flower will surely become pillars of our Hidden Mist!" Feng's words were full of approval and expectation for the three.

"Heh heh!" Jian chuckled but did not reply.

Seeing that the commander had no further instructions, Feng respectfully took his leave. He too was going to enjoy his vacation.