Raising the Price-Thirty Percent of the Profits!

"Die!" The Black-Clad Ninja whipped the chain, sending it surging like a Shark Serpent as it swiftly lashed toward Tazuna's neck.

"After realizing that my strength is overwhelming, you prioritized changing the plan and eliminating the mission target? That was a good judgment call." Aogetsu Hyuga sucked on his lollipop and watched the two Black-Clad Ninjas with the detached air of someone enjoying a show.

"Mr. Tazuna, please don't leave my side." Sakura Haruno stood in front of Tazuna and blocked the Shark Serpent-like chain with a Kunai.

Sakura Haruno's face was pale, and her eyes were filled with The Fear. Her delicate body trembled from fear, but she still did everything she could to guard Tazuna.

"That's very brave. Well done." Aogetsu Hyuga praised her.

In the blink of an eye.

Sasuke Uchiha moved swiftly and appeared behind the Black-Clad Ninja. A cold glint flashed through his eyes as he drew his Kunai and viciously stabbed it into the Black-Clad Ninja's neck!

"Splurt!" Blood sprayed from the Black-Clad Ninja's neck, and he collapsed heavily into a pool of blood.

Naruto Uzumaki's pupils contracted as he stared at the dead Black-Clad Ninja and instinctively took two steps back.

"Useless trash!" the remaining Black-Clad Ninja cursed under his breath before attacking Naruto Uzumaki with his sharp Iron Claw.

"Haah... haah..." Naruto Uzumaki retreated in panic, his legs going weak as he fell onto the ground. His face was filled with terror as he watched the Iron Claw draw ever closer.

He was afraid.

He was afraid that he would suffer the same miserable death as the two Black-Clad Ninjas before him.

It was the first time he had felt the terrifying danger of facing death.

Although he had previously felt Cangyue's immense killing intent and Chakra, Cangyue was still their Team 7 teacher.

But now, facing an enemy's killing intent, Naruto Uzumaki had been completely overwhelmed by fear and had forgotten how to defend himself.

At the critical moment.

Sasuke Uchiha appeared in front of Naruto and blocked the Black-Clad Ninja's Iron Claw with his Kunai. The Black-Clad Ninja was far stronger than him, making the hand gripping his Kunai tremble.

"Get lost!" The Black-Clad Ninja kicked Sasuke away, then attacked Naruto Uzumaki with his Iron Claw. He planned to capture the weakest one as a hostage.

"Fire Release... There's no time!" Sasuke Uchiha rolled once and steadied himself, then swiftly formed Hand Seals. But the Black-Clad Ninja was already about to seize Naruto with his sharp Iron Claw.

"Naruto!" When Sakura Haruno saw the sharp Iron Claw about to strike Naruto in the distance, she shouted, "Teacher Cangyue!"

"Team 7... is only this capable, huh?" Aogetsu Hyuga appeared in front of the Black-Clad Ninja with the Body Flicker Technique. He raised his hand and slapped the Black-Clad Ninja's head clean off.

"Such... such a fast Body Flicker!" The Black-Clad Ninja only had time to see the scenery spinning wildly before his head crashed heavily onto the ground and he lost consciousness on the spot.

All enemies had been eliminated.

"Whew..." Sakura Haruno let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground with trembling legs. She slightly furrowed her willow brows, looked at the powerless Naruto Uzumaki, and said irritably, "Naruto, what were you doing just now!"

She had never expected that the usually foolish Naruto Uzumaki would lose the strength to resist when fighting an enemy because of fear.

"I..." Naruto Uzumaki gritted his teeth and lowered his head, but ultimately couldn't say a word.

"Sorry. Thank you." Tazuna looked apologetically at Cangyue.

He never could have imagined.

This seemingly frivolous man, Cangyue, was actually strong enough to deal with the terrifying Black-Clad Ninjas with ease.

He had always thought that Cangyue was less reliable than the other Jonin and that his attitude during the escort mission was overly casual.

So it was because he was powerful!

Cangyue's casual attitude was not because he lacked a sense of responsibility. He simply had never regarded the enemies as a threat!

Aogetsu Hyuga ignored Tazuna, patted Sasuke and Sakura on the heads, and praised them with a faint smile. "Sakura, Sasuke, you did very well. Although it took both of you working together with difficulty to deal with one piece of trash, your performance was at least passable."

"Hmph, Teacher Cangyue, you noticed the enemies long ago, didn't you?" Sasuke Uchiha slipped both hands into his pockets and said coldly with an expression that suggested he understood everything. "You deliberately tested us at the Lake because you wanted to expose an opening and lure out the enemies hiding inside, right?"

A Jonin's insight... No, Aogetsu Hyuga's insight was extremely sharp.

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, he had been able to sense that three Black-Clad Ninjas were hiding in the Lake!

Teacher Cangyue was indeed outstanding!

"Eh? Is that what happened? Teacher Cangyue, you actually thought through so many things? That's amazing!" Sakura Haruno blinked and stared at Cangyue admiringly.

After Sasuke's explanation, she now completely understood why Teacher Cangyue had suddenly proposed the test.

It turned out that Teacher Cangyue had discovered the enemies hiding in the Lake long ago, then deliberately exposed an opening to lure out the enemies hidden in the darkness!

Teacher Cangyue... was amazing!

He was powerful, handsome, and clever.

He was completely and utterly the perfect boyfriend!

After hearing Sasuke's words, Tazuna was slightly stunned. He recalled Cangyue's earlier behavior. During the mission, he had tested the students' training, acting as though he did not take the mission seriously at all.

But after hearing Sasuke's explanation, Tazuna understood that he had wronged Cangyue.

Had Cangyue discovered the enemy's presence long ago and deliberately baited them into revealing themselves?

Tazuna gave Cangyue a deep look.

Cangyue... was truly a terrifying man!

"Is that so? Then I suppose that's what happened." Aogetsu Hyuga was speechless. He had simply seen a Lake ahead, realized it would be a good place to test Team 7's training, and wanted to obtain the mission reward sooner.

Besides.

There had been no enemies in the Lake just now. The enemies had merely traveled through the water and emerged from the Lake.

But there was no need to explain all that. The Uchiha brat had an expression that said he understood everything.

Aogetsu Hyuga turned around and looked indifferently at Naruto Uzumaki. The corners of his lips lifted into a mocking smile. "You're not hurt, are you, coward?"

"Damn it!" Naruto Uzumaki's face turned ugly as he slammed his fist into the ground. Normally, he would have immediately argued back, but right now he lacked the confidence to refute the taunt.

Aogetsu Hyuga wore a mocking smile and said apologetically, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't realize you were such a coward. If I had known, I would have saved you first."

This should be enough to stimulate the Nine-Tails brat's will, right?

Once the Nine-Tails brat's will grew stronger, he could also put his all into completing the Master-Disciple Mission.

After all, a tool had to be used properly.

Sasuke Uchiha slightly raised his chin and glanced indifferently at Naruto Uzumaki. With an unbearably smug attitude, he said, "If you're scared, go home, dead last."

Naruto Uzumaki gritted his teeth. "Damn it! You're all looking down on me!"

"Anyway, old geezer." Aogetsu Hyuga stopped paying attention to Naruto and walked over to Tazuna with one hand in his pocket. He grabbed Tazuna by his gray-white hair and smiled faintly. "Let's have a pleasant little chat."

Tazuna hurriedly avoided his gaze and said guiltily, "C-Chat about what?"

"Don't play dumb, old geezer." Aogetsu Hyuga planted a foot on Tazuna's chest and looked down at him arrogantly. With a vicious smile, he said, "You said the enemies on this mission were bandits, but those pieces of trash just now were Ninjas."

"I told you I'd raise the price, didn't I? Did you think I was just drunkenly talking nonsense?"

"Besides raising the price, I'm adding another fee as well—the psychological treatment fee for my adorable students."

Raising the Price, Thirty Percent Profit!

"Cough, cough, cough—!" The pressure on his chest made Tazuna's face flush as he coughed violently. He had long been prepared for his deception to be discovered. At first, he had thought Cangyue would be casual, say a few words, and let the matter pass.

But he had never expected that Aogetsu Hyuga, this usually grinning, frivolous, and seemingly easygoing man,

would be so forceful!

"Teacher Cangyue, no matter what, Mr. Tazuna is an old man. Please move your foot so we can talk properly..." When Sakura Haruno saw how much pain Tazuna was in beneath Cangyue's foot, she was just about to step forward and stop him.

"Shut up, ugly woman. Leave it to Teacher Cangyue." Sasuke Uchiha raised a hand in front of Sakura Haruno, stopping her from going over to Cangyue.

"Sasuke... but..." Sakura Haruno's fair face was filled with worry.

"Falsifying the mission details is a serious crime. Even a small lie in the mission details can lead to a Ninja's death," Sasuke Uchiha said solemnly. "With your brain, you should be able to understand that much."

"If Teacher Cangyue hadn't been here just now, and only Team 7 had been assigned as escorts, we would probably all be dead by now!" Sasuke Uchiha cast a cold glance at Sakura. After fighting those Black-Clad Ninjas, he clearly understood how strong they were. Their strength was probably around the level of Chunin.

Falsifying mission details and causing the deaths of Ninjas was a serious crime in any Ninja Village!

"Sasuke, you misunderstood! I'm worried about Teacher Cangyue's reputation!" Sakura Haruno was somewhat angry. Of course she knew that if Teacher Cangyue had not acted just now, Team 7 and the client would have been wiped out.

She also knew that falsifying mission details was a serious crime, but she was worried about Cangyue's reputation.

If Cangyue went too far and caused Tazuna serious injury or death, it would ruin Cangyue's reputation!

"You're no different from that idiot Naruto." Sasuke Uchiha said it coldly and could no longer be bothered to explain it to Sakura.

Since falsifying mission details was a serious crime, how could it possibly damage Cangyue's reputation?

Not to mention a few casual kicks—Teacher Cangyue even had the right to take Tazuna back to the village and hand him over to ANBU for punishment!

"Sasuke, you're really irritating sometimes." The corner of Sakura Haruno's mouth twitched slightly, and a [#] appeared on her forehead. Sasuke's arrogant, condescending attitude had infuriated her.

I really want to punch you!

Aogetsu Hyuga bit down on his lollipop. The foot pressing against Tazuna's chest grew slightly heavier as he looked down at him indifferently with a vicious smile. "Talk to me. Don't just sit there in silence."

"You should know that falsifying mission details is a serious crime. To put it nicely, it's a serious crime. To put it bluntly... you're sending us to our deaths."

Falsifying mission details was the same as sending the Ninjas who accepted the mission to their deaths!

"Sorry. I never intended to get those children killed." Tazuna looked despondent, a trace of grief flashing through his eyes. "The Land of Waves is very poor now. All the profitable ports have been monopolized by a ruthless company... the Gato Company."

"Everyone is struggling to afford food. Some people have even starved to death because of it. We no longer have the ability to pay a high reward."

"The ten thousand ryo offered for this mission is already our last hope."

Tazuna's voice was hoarse, and tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

Sasuke Uchiha walked over to Cangyue and asked coldly, "Why would the Gato Company send Ninjas to assassinate a penniless old man like you?"

Strange.

Tazuna had nothing. Why did Gato take him so seriously?

Tazuna clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Because Gato plans to control the Land of Waves and make everyone here work for him. I'm building a bridge that can connect us to other countries. As long as we complete this bridge, we can destroy Gato's ambitions!"

Tazuna's expression was furious, and his eyes were filled with grief as he said heavily, "My son was killed by people Gato sent while building the bridge. No matter what, I have to complete this bridge and let everyone eat their fill!"

Tazuna knelt on the ground and said sincerely, "I know falsifying mission details is a serious crime, but I still ask you to help me. Please save the Land of Waves."

No matter what.

No matter what, they had to complete the bridge leading to the Five Great Nations!

He would carry the hopes of the entire Land of Waves and complete this bridge leading to their dreams!

This was his final dream!

"Teacher Cangyue..." Sakura Haruno looked toward Cangyue.

Aogetsu Hyuga grabbed Tazuna by the hair and forcibly made him meet his eyes. His tone was indifferent as he said, "Old geezer, I'm sick of hearing all this pathetic whining."

A bridge leading to dreams?

Konan gives you a like.

"If being miserable means someone will risk their life for you, then this world is really convenient. I have no interest in pitying you. Just tell me how much you can pay."

Aogetsu Hyuga had no interest in becoming a hero, much less in saving the weak. Everything required some kind of benefit.

He needed more money!

"I have no money..." Tazuna's face turned ugly. After paying the ten thousand ryo reward, he had nothing left.

"Is that so? Then wait for death. Or keep kneeling here and whining. Maybe some kindhearted passerby will help you." Aogetsu Hyuga released Tazuna, looked at the three members of Team 7, and called softly, "Let's go, brats."

No money?

Who would care about you if you had no money?

Rather than spending time helping an old geezer, it would be better to spend that time helping the big sisters in the tavern who had failed to meet their sales targets.

"Uh..." The members of Team 7 said nothing. They simply followed Cangyue and prepared to leave, because they knew that Teacher Cangyue truly intended to return to the village immediately.

Seeing Cangyue about to leave, Tazuna hurriedly called out, "Wait! I'll give you a reward of one hundred thousand ryo. After you get me home safely, I'll work hard to gather another one hundred thousand ryo for you."

If everyone in the Land of Waves worked together, they should be able to scrape together one hundred thousand ryo.

"Old geezer, you're quite the comedian." Aogetsu Hyuga stopped walking and cast an indifferent glance at Tazuna. His voice was cold. "The Demon, the A-Rank Rogue Ninja of Kirigakure—his head is only worth one hundred thousand ryo?"

"Or do you think the lives of my students are worth only one hundred thousand ryo?"