I Am a Salted Fish (Seeking Collection and Recommendation)

By the time he returned to Konoha, it was already noon the next day.

Pleading injury, Qifeng handed over the mission with a simple report, passed the three Konoha ninja corpses to the Intelligence Department, and left.

After all, once the Intelligence Department extracted what they needed from the bodies, the corpses would eventually end up with him anyway.

He really wasn't in a hurry.

When Yūhi Kurenai and Hiruzen Sarutobi asked about the Earth Release expert who had killed Kaguya Senjin, he claimed total ignorance, saying he'd been unconscious and knew nothing.

Watching Qifeng's retreating figure, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe, making Kurenai beside him fidget restlessly.

"Kurenai."

"Hmm?" Kurenai blinked.

"It really wasn't him?"

Kurenai smiled. "Qifeng's a decent kid, but he could never pull off something like that. That Mist Chunin might have been his doing, but Kaguya Senjin..."

He shook his head.

Hiruzen chuckled softly. "True. I'm getting old, and my mind wanders. I just wish Konoha could have another genius like that right now."

Troubled times.

The Great Hidden Villages were growing more restless, and the Mist had been blatantly probing, testing Konoha's strength.

Thinking of strong fighters, he couldn't help but recall the fallen "Konoha White Fang," Hatake Sakumo.

If Hatake Sakumo were still alive, his strength alone could intimidate an entire village, and Konoha wouldn't be in such a precarious position.

Though his three disciples—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—had become capable ninjas in their own right, they still fell short of Sakumo's deterrent power.

If Konoha could produce a few more independent strong fighters, his burden would be much lighter.

Kurenai understood the Hokage's worries, and he himself had been holding back a thought for a long time. Now seemed the perfect moment.

"Lord Hokage, I've been thinking for a while, and I've decided to leave the Anbu. I hope you'll approve."

"Why?" Hiruzen was surprised.

Kurenai's abilities were solid, and his mission success rate was decent—he was one of the few Anbu the Hokage could rely on.

Kurenai pressed his lips together. "I feel the oppressive environment of the Anbu doesn't suit me. I think I'd be better suited to teaching other ninjas, injecting fresh blood into Konoha, helping them become strong, independent fighters, and passing on my experience."

"Oh? That's how you see it?"

Kurenai nodded.

"Sending you to the Ninja Academy would be a waste of talent. How about this—I'll set up a Training Camp, and you'll be the instructor, specializing in teaching Genin and Chunin battlefield experience to reduce unnecessary casualties."

Hiruzen quickly found a way to let Kurenai truly shine.

An experienced, powerful ninja, if willing, could indeed cut down on needless losses among Konoha's Genin and Chunin.

War was coming, and the timing was right.

"Yes, sir!" Kurenai replied.

A thought struck him, and he added, "Lord Hokage, to run the Training Camp better, I'd like to request someone."

"Who? Maruyama Qifeng?"

"Exactly!"

"What? Training Camp? No. Not interested. Not going."

Hearing Kurenai's proposal, Qifeng, lying on a rocking chair recovering from his injuries, fired off a quick triple refusal.

Are you kidding me?

You want me to go collect the corpses of those Genin and Chunin in the Training Camp?

That wouldn't be bad, but more likely, if I go to the camp, I'll form bonds with the trainees. Then I'll get soft-hearted and save them, and I won't have any corpses to collect.

Qifeng knew his own nature—he wasn't the type to watch others die without stepping in.

He just wanted to be a heartless corpse collector.

Heartless. Corpse collector. Two adjectives, that simple.

In theory, the more people died in Konoha, the happier he should be.

"Think it over. I can teach you a lot of ninja experience to reduce your future risks." Kurenai sat down on the chair beside him and offered a cigarette.

Qifeng glanced at him.

One cigarette and you think you can buy me off?

Who do you take me for?

Besides, experience?

After using the Experience Cards for Chunin Miura Ikkō and quasi-Kage Akagi Tsukasa, he could say without modesty that his combat experience wasn't much weaker than Kurenai's.

"No." Qifeng took a drag, wearing an expression that screamed, "I'm a loser, don't bother me."

I'm a dead fish.

Only likes the joy of being a lazy fish.

Shifting his butt, he found a more comfortable position, struck a Ge You Lie, and asked curiously, "Why come to me? Konoha's got plenty of talented Genin and Chunin—Kakashi's not bad."

Yūhi Kurenai gritted his teeth in irritation at the guy's utterly unruffled demeanor.

How could a civilian ninja turn down such a good thing?

He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch Qifeng.

If this were his own kid, being this unambitious, he'd have beaten some sense into him long ago!

"I feel like you and I have some fate between us."

"... "

Qifeng rolled his eyes.

"Tell you what, I'll let you in on a secret, if you'll just stop bothering me, Senior Kurenai. I just want to quietly handle the corpses. Some things no one else wants to do—someone's got to do them."

"Let's hear it."

Yūhi Kurenai's head ached at this guy's impenetrable attitude.

"Asuma's chasing your daughter." Qifeng said bluntly.

Whoa!

Yūhi Kurenai shot to his feet, eyes wide, muttering under his breath, "I knew it, I knew it..."

Without another word, he turned and vanished.

Qifeng shrugged. He'd already thrown Asuma under the bus once; Yūhi Kurenai could figure it out on his own if he thought it over. Might as well see it through.

Silently, he mourned for Asuma for three minutes.

Kids in the Ninja World really matured early, falling for all that lovey-dovey stuff at such a young age—classic blind puppy love.

Take Uchiha Obito, for example. Not even that old, and the moment Rin Nohara died, he went completely dark.

That's not okay. Their minds aren't mature yet; that kind of affection is just blind.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Asuma."

Yeah, for his own good!

The lazy fish rolled over and kept soaking up the peaceful afternoon sun.

"Feels like I forgot something. There was something I hadn't finished earlier... what was it? Whatever. Gonna nap a bit. So tired."

Outside the Land of Hot Water, Kakashi supported Ito Ki as they trudged toward the Land of Fire.

Night fell.

The cool breeze after sunset brushed against Qifeng, making him shiver awake.

Anyone who's tried it knows: after a whole afternoon in the sun, the evening wind feels especially, bitingly cold.

Qifeng staggered up from his rocking chair and tightened his clothes.

His body was cold, but it couldn't hide the fire in his heart.

He rubbed his hands together.

Time for the thrilling moment of the draw.

In the dead of night, it was the perfect time for a good chat with the corpses.

He walked back to the morgue and laid out the bodies of Kaguya Senjin and Kusaribe Yamato.

"Getting my investment back is out of the question. Hope I can at least salvage a little loss, or I'll be in deep trouble. Won't dare go out again."

Without a trump card, he just felt uneasy.

Before looting the corpses, same as always—handle the bodies first.

Whether they were enemies in life or caused him any loss, once they were dead, all was forgiven.

The dead come first. Qifeng carefully gave the bodies a "makeover."

Of course, Kaguya Senjin's body was... a bit much. He could only do his best.

After that, just before midnight, Qifeng was finally able to loot the corpses.

Yellow Corpse, success rate thirty percent. Loot corpse? (This session 3/3, today 9/9)

He hadn't looted all day, and the count had refreshed. Perfect.

Yes!