You, a Man with Thick Eyebrows and Big Eyes, Actually…
"It seems I don't need to agree or disagree. But go ahead—state your request. If you're hoping we'll retrieve your body and give you a proper burial, that might be difficult. The mission given to Konoha by Tobita Yuichi was very clear: eliminate all the bandits, collect their heads, retrieve the stolen wealth, and return it to Tobita Yuichi."
Mingjing spoke flatly, his expression unreadable.
Okamoto Ichiro sighed, his weathered face lined with resignation.
"We considered resisting. But the ones who freed us from the mines before were shinobi from Sunagakure. That alone told me everything. We ordinary men cannot fight against you. You shinobi can reshape entire landscapes with your chakra. I saw it with my own eyes—an entire section of the mine, maybe dozens of square meters, uplifted like it was nothing. I can only imagine what horrors you're capable of. If we had resisted… I doubt any of us would've survived."
Reshape the land of an entire mine?
Mingjing's expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he was a little embarrassed.
We're not that powerful… even if it were Kato Dan, it wouldn't be that simple.
If his guess was right, that technique must've been Doton: Ganchūrō no Jutsu or something similar—an Earth Release technique that requires multiple users, especially if the terrain was made of hardened rock. The chakra control and elemental transformation needed to raise solid stone like that wasn't something Genin could pull off.
Ichiro Okamoto went on.
"We only took a small portion of the treasure from Tobita Yuichi. The rest—everything—is in the basement of the third building from the east."
He paused, then continued with a heavy tone.
"My only request is this: after you take my head, spare the villagers. Don't worry about Tobita Yuichi coming after them—they've already fled and changed their names, scattered across the Land of Fire. Tracking them all down would be a waste of time."
Mingjing didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked to his two teammates for their thoughts.
"Mingjing, you're the one who thinks ahead. You decide," said Inuzuka Ryo bluntly.
Aburame Nami gave a silent nod in agreement.
Mingjing turned back to Ichiro.
"Then I'll grant your request. Once we're done here, I'll torch this stronghold with Fire Style, and tell Tobita Yuichi that everyone perished in the blaze."
He gave Ichiro a nod, then handed his wakizashi to Ryo.
"Ryo, I'll leave this part to you. Nami and I will verify the treasure stash."
Ryo accepted the blade and looked at Ichiro, who remained seated, his eyes calm and tired.
"Uncle Ichiro… I'm sorry. If I ever become strong enough, I'll make sure no one else ends up like you."
He raised the blade.
Ichiro smiled faintly, and closed his eyes.
---
Basement Entrance
A cloud of kikaichū beetles poured out of the entrance and disappeared into the wide sleeves of Aburame Nami's cloak.
"Any traps inside?" Mingjing asked.
Nami shook her head.
"None."
"Then let's get counting."
"Okay."
Nami, ever silent and efficient, began counting without another word.
Moments later, Inuzuka Ryo returned, his blade now stained with blood, accompanied by his partner Tiewan.
"All done?" Mingjing asked, still inspecting a scroll case.
"Yeah," Ryo replied, raising a box full of coins. He handed the wakizashi back to Mingjing.
"How much did you find?"
"Excluding the antiques and stuff that's hard to price, I counted exactly 1,723,000 ryo," Mingjing reported, then looked toward Nami.
"One million, one hundred and eighty thousand," she said quietly.
"That makes 3,003,000 ryo total. That's 330,000 short of Tobita Yuichi's stated loss."
"So do we tell him the bandits spent it?" Ryo scratched his head.
"No. Actually, the bandits spent about 1,130,000 ryo. But the remaining valuables—antiques, pearls, jade—are still intact."
Ryo's eyes widened. "Mingjing… are you saying—?"
"If we report only 1,830,000 ryo in recoverable funds, the remaining 1.5 million can be split among us."
Ryo beamed. "Now that's smart! That'll be more than enough for us!"
Mingjing smirked and gave him a thumbs-up. "Ryo, you're finally thinking like a shinobi."
"Heh… and you're way too good at this, Mingjing."
---
Tieshi Town – Lord's Manor
Tobita Yuichi greeted the team with a broad smile as Ryo handed over the box. He peeked inside, nodded in approval, and passed it to his attendant. But as the rest of the treasure was tallied, the smile faded.
"Hmm… this amount doesn't seem quite right."
"Looks fine to me," Ryo replied casually before Mingjing could speak. "That's all we found in the village. Right, Tiewan?"
"Woof! Woof!"
Tiewan wagged his tail enthusiastically, his tongue lolling.
"What a shame," Tobita Yuichi sighed, wearing a mask of disappointment. "I suppose the bandits spent the rest before they were eliminated."
But then, his voice turned sharp.
"There's one more thing. The mission was to eliminate all bandits. Yet only Ichiro Okamoto's head was brought back. Where are the others?"
Tension thickened the air. Mingjing stepped forward, placing a hand on Ryo's shoulder.
"The mission requirements asked for a head and the stolen goods. There was no explicit instruction to bring proof of every individual's death. I feared the corpses might cause disease, so I incinerated the stronghold and the bodies with Fire Style."
"Is that so?" Tobita said slowly. "But even with Fire Style, some remains should survive. Bones. Metal. Clothing. I'd like to issue an additional request—go back and bring me what's left as evidence."
Mingjing's expression darkened.
"Lord Tobita… perhaps you've forgotten. I am an Uchiha. Our clan's Fire Style is unmatched in all five great nations. When Uchiha fire burns, nothing remains."