"What!!"
Screams echoed one after another.
The few rogue samurai who had tried to ambush Asuma now clutched their wrists, wounds scorched with burns from lightning chakra Shisui's technique. The burns helped slow the bleeding.
Asuma, standing nearby, saw everything clearly.
Such speed... and precision!
The slash had been clean, disabling their sword hands without excessive force. It was a calculated move one born of skill and restraint.
Shisui returned, having already dispatched his target.
"Tie them up and take them in," Jingyi instructed, calm and collected.
He didn't scold them.
Asuma grit his teeth, then retrieved rope from his ninja pouch and began binding the conscious survivors.
They moved to clean the battlefield.
The slain bandits had been carrying stolen goods bundled valuables, and even freshly killed chickens and ducks hanging from their belts, blood still dripping.
Some of the captives whimpered and begged, but no one responded.
Eventually, Kurenai gagged them with strips of cloth.
The world fell silent.
"Teacher... I'm sorry. If I hadn't lost focus"
Asuma stepped forward, apologetic.
If he'd reacted in time, their sensei wouldn't have needed to step in. Their squad should've handled this easily.
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to your teammates," Jingyi said coolly. "On a real battlefield, you could've gotten someone killed. Even if you survived, you'd have been dead weight."
Asuma bowed deeply to Shisui and Kurenai.
Kurenai quickly moved aside and shook her head. "No, it's not just on Asuma. I should've reacted faster. My genjutsu could've immobilized them if I hadn't panicked."
They were mere samurai untrained in chakra, and vulnerable to illusion.
But at that critical moment, her instincts had faltered.
"What about you, Shisui?"
"I tried to force a reaction by targeting one of them, hoping the others would break formation... but they didn't care. They just let him die."
Shisui frowned, frustrated with himself.
Jingyi gave a rare smile. "We're from Konoha. The Will of Fire teaches us to protect and support our comrades. But they're different bandits living on the edge, who'd rather keep a larger cut than save a teammate."
"I understand."
Shisui nodded. If I'd known... I should've used a suppression jutsu to protect everyone instead of splitting them.
Jingyi nodded, satisfied.
This kind of student is easy to teach. Willing to reflect, not arrogant. Not like Kakashi or Obito those two would argue me to death.
And truthfully, for a Genin squad, they'd handled themselves decently.
"Good. Real combat is nothing like drills or the Chūnin Exams. Out here, blood doesn't wait for you to act."
"Understood!"
Asuma's face flushed. He'd hesitated earlier partly because of blood in his eyes, but also because he'd been afraid.
"Let's bring them back. We'll show the mayor, confirm their identities, and then return the stolen property."
"Right!"
The bandits had clearly just looted a nearby village. Jingyi had no interest in pocketing their stolen goods.
---
Back at Baiyun Town
The mayor was still at the construction site, overseeing repairs to the outer wall.
Asuma and the others stopped in their tracks, surprised to see a shadow clone of Jingyi helping with the reconstruction.
"Mayor, we captured this group during patrol. Could they be the ones who raided Baiyun Town?"
The mayor hesitated, but the foreman nearby shouted, "That's them! I remember that guy he nearly ran me through last week!"
Jingyi nodded.
"Shisui, hand them over. Asuma, help with repairs. I'm heading into town for a bit."
"Yes, sensei!"
They didn't complain.
Even ninja help with labor when needed especially during times of recovery.
Jingyi's shadow clone stayed behind, while the original body headed toward the heart of Baiyun Town.
Earlier, during chakra sensing, he'd picked up a massive chakra signature.
It wasn't a hostile presence, but powerful... and familiar.
This is the Land of Fire, after all.
And this mission came directly from the Third Hokage.
Jingyi had a hunch.
A huge chakra signature… gambling district… could it be?
---
He extended his perception againband confirmed it.
The trail led directly to a casino.
Moments later, a group of angry men stormed in.
Definitely not here to play. More like collectors.
He didn't go in.
If I walk in now, she'll rope me in as a scapegoat. And I'm broke!
Jingyi perched on the roof, chewing a grass stalk, watching the chaos unfold.
A while later, a blonde woman leapt from a window, followed by a dark-haired little girl.
Tsunade-sama.
And that girl…
Shizune. Or is she still just called "Mute" now? Must be six or seven… poor kid. Growing up like this.
But where was the pig?
Tonton should've been here by now. Hasn't been born yet?
He kept watching as Tsunade lost her pursuers through classic misdirection and Transformation Jutsu.
Only fools try to chase a Sannin.
---
A sudden chakra shift behind him.
"You brat. I was being chased, and you didn't even come help. Just sat up here watching the show?"
Jingyi turned.
Tsunade.
She glared at him.
That necklace is really… shiny.
He quickly averted his gaze. "Tsunade-sama, with all due respect I'm poor. You drag me into that mess, and I'm the one paying."
"Hmph."
She eyed him.
Silver hair. That face.
He looks too much like Tobirama-sensei…
"I don't even like gambling," she muttered under her breath.
Just then, Shizune caught up.
"Tsunade-sama! Where are we going"
She stopped mid-sentence, staring at the silver-haired boy beside Tsunade.
Their resemblance struck her instantly.
Before she could say more, Tsunade cut in. "Brat, want to go grab a drink?"
"…You lost all your money again, didn't you?"
Tsunade gritted her teeth.
So. Annoying!