"Spare my life. Let me live, and I'll do anything you want."
The man in black begged in terror.
He wasn't actually as panicked as he seemed. He was a ninja, after all, and anyone sent on a mission like this had to have a certain degree of mental fortitude.
Still, he had to put on an act.
What if he managed to move the boy's heart?
After all, his opponent was only a six-year-old child.
When someone already had you underfoot, you couldn't grit your teeth, act tougher than everyone else, and shout something like, "A true man has no fear of death!"
If you did, who else would die but you?
He wasn't afraid of dying, but he didn't want to die, either.
"All right."
Gua's tone was flat.
"Please, let me go. I can... huh?"
The man in black was still begging when he suddenly realized what Gua had just said. "You said... all right...?"
He looked at Gua uncertainly.
Gua remained expressionless. "But I'm taking you both to see the Hokage."
The man in black looked into Gua's eyes. The tomoe had vanished, leaving a pair of utterly clear eyes in their place.
Instinctively, he wanted to argue a little more.
But looking into those eyes, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Gulp.
The man in black swallowed.
"If we see the Hokage, will you really let us go?"
"You talk too much."
Gua produced a rope from somewhere and tossed it onto the ground.
The man in black immediately took the hint.
He picked up the rope, ran over to his badly injured companion with the broken ribs, and tied him up. Then he bound his own hands in an odd position.
He slipped in a little trick. He looked securely