Chapter 87: White lie to Bluebell!

Soma and the others looked around.

Kisame showed a somewhat strange expression. He had entered Dungeon Instances twice, Both in the World of Akame Ga Kill.

In comparison to the World of Akame Ga Kill, Hitman Reborn's level of modernization is significantly higher.

This made Kisame somewhat curious, unable to help but observe.

Ao had only entered a Dungeon Instance once before, but it was in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.

The modernization level of the Jujutsu Kaisen world is also quite good. Skyscrapers, neon lights flashing.

Waves of traffic swiftly moving along the roads, only stopping slightly when encountering red lights.

The appearance of Soma and his two companions attracted the attention of many around.

Fortunately, cosplay culture exists in this world as well, so they only attracted some curious glances.

A young girl approached Soma and his group.

Blue long hair, blue hairpin, blue eyes... Wearing a black long skirt uniform. She seemed lively, radiating a childish air.

But, Soma could see a hint of sadness deep in her eyes.

"Soma, is this the client for this mission?" Ao asked.

Soma nodded "Yes."

A voice resounded in Soma's mind.

[Mission: Bluebell's Regret.]

[Mission Reward: Pioggia's Materials.]

[Accept the mission?]

"Accept!"

The moment Soma confirmed, a scene appeared in front of the three.

A young girl who loved swimming since childhood and was good at it, having a close relationship with her brother.

Until just before the national swimming competition, she felt like the happiest person in the world.

She could do what she loved and she had a wonderful brother. But, just before the national swimming competition, the brother she had planed to meet was late for some reason.

Bluebell anxiously waited outside the venue. Finally, her brother arrived. Bluebell ran excitedly towards her brother.

But she overlooked the fact that it was a busy road.

A car rushed towards Bluebell's position, in the nick of time, Bluebell's brother pushed her away, taking the fatal blow himself.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a violent crash. Bluebell's brother died.

And Bluebell herself lost her legs, losing her ability to swim.

Blood stained the ground. The sorrowful cries of the girl echoed far away.

"I hope you can help me, let me see my brother witness me win the swimming championship."

Soma's eyebrows twitched slightly. Originally, Soma thought the girl's request would be for them to save her brother's life. Or perhaps prevent the accident from happening.

However, the girl took a more clever approach to her request.

By winning the swimming championship, the girl would definitely not have suffered the accident an her brother witnessing it with his own eyes ensures he wouldn't die in the accident.

Although it's stated as one request, in reality, it's multiple.

There's also the requirement for the girl to win the championship.

Even though the girl may have exceptional talent in swimming, those who can participate in this national swimming competition are not weak so she isn't definitely sure of winning the championship.

"If Bluebell's strength isn't enough, I'll have to help her a little."

Soma looked at the girl and nodded.

"Alright."

The next moment, the girl's figure gradually faded away until she completely disappeared.

Soma looked at the intersection in front of him, exactly like the intersection in the previous scene, the accident-prone intersection.

"Soma, could this mission be a trap?" Ao asked.

There was no avoiding such questions from Ao. After all, for ninjas, the reward and the difficulty of the mission are proportional.

Difficult missions have high rewards. Simple missions have low rewards.

In Ao's view, Bluebell's mission isn't difficult.

Isn't it just preventing a car accident?

For ninjas, it's not difficult at all.

Ao felt that he alone was completely capable.

There was no need for Soma and Kisame to intervene.

But for such a simple mission, the reward is a set of Materials that could forge a Ninjato of Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords level.

This is clearly unreasonable.

"The mission shouldn't be fake." Soma said, "It's just that there may be unexpected changes along the way."

"And also, this mission involves quite a few locations and people. We might have to split up."

This mission sounds relatively easy.

However, after experiencing Baraggan's mission, Soma doesn't think that the difficulty of tasks inside dimensional instances correlates with the quality of obtained ninja tools Materials.

Yet, Soma also believes that this mission will have changes.

Because this mission blueprint requests two enforcers.

Based on Soma's experience,

the difficulty of the mission doesn't affect the quality of ninja tools Materials.

However, the mission blueprint's requirement for the number of people often relates to the difficulty of the task.

Since it's a mission blueprint for three people, it won't be a task that just anyone can complete.

"I'll go find the client's brother."

Ao said, "I have the Byakugan, finding people will be more convenient for me than for you."

"Alright."

Soma nodded.

"Kisame, you stay on this roadside, I'll go inside the swimming arena."

"Okay."

The two prepared to move.

Soma hesitated for a moment, then called them back.

"Ao-senpai, Kisame, wait."

"Soma, what's wrong?"

Soma pointed to someone on the roadside and said, "I noticed just now that the thing they're holding seems to be able to communicate with someone far away."

"Once we split up, it'll be difficult to communicate in time."

"But, if we use that tool, we can."

"It should be quite helpful for us to complete the mission."

As Soma finished speaking, Kisame moved.

A trio resembling delinquents caught Kisame's attention.

He flashed and appeared in front of the trio.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Three precise chops fell at an elusive speed.

The next moment, the three of them passed out.

Kisame supported the three and walked into the nearby alley.

Pretending to walk together as a group of four.

No one noticed anything wrong.

Entering the alley, Kisame threw the three into a corner.

Kisame didn't take their lives, but with his methods, it would take some time for them to come to their senses.

Then he came back with three phones.

"Soma, here you go."

"But this thing looks complicated, I can't understand it."

"You're a Blacksmith, Soma, you should find them easier to understand than me."

Soma nodded, took them, pretended to study them, and pretended to watch the movements of other passersby pulling out their phones.

Soon, he managed to open them.

Ao and Kisame looked at the phones, both curious.

"I think I understand."

Soma said, "There's a phonebook here, each number should represent a device, press the green button, and you can contact the corresponding device."

"These numbers, having the most connections between them, should correspond to the three devices."

With that, Soma began testing.

"Ding ding ring!"

A round of phone ringing ensued.

Soma handed the ringing phone to Ao.

"Ao-senpai, this one's for you. Press the green button to answer."

"To contact me, dial this number."

"To contact Kisame, dial this number."

Three phones, one for each person. Ao pressed the answer button.

Soma spoke into his own phone, and the next moment, his voice came out of Ao's phone.

Ao's eyes lit up.

"What a miraculous tool."

"I wonder how far this tool can establish contact over. If it could allow us to contact people in the Land of Fire from the Hidden Mist Village, it would revolutionize the concept of warfare as we know it."

Soma nodded.

"If it can truly establish contact over such distances, it's indeed powerful and could change many battle situations."

In the world of Naruto, there are several existing methods of intelligence communication.

One is through Ninja running to deliver messages.

Another is through well-trained birds.

And there's also communication through Summoning creatures.

The first two methods are relatively slow in efficiency.

While communication through Summoning creatures requires high qualifications.

Firstly, in the ninja world, there aren't many ninjas who can possess Summoning creatures.

After all, many ninjas are reluctant to spend extra on even Kunai and Shuriken.

It's impossible to have a Summoning creature fight for oneself without giving anything in return.

Additionally, using Summoning Jutsu once consumes a certain amount of Chakra.

Apart from these three methods, there are also special Secret Jutsu that can establish long-distance communication.

For example, the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Jutsu.

However, the limitations of this Secret Jutsu are also significant.

If phones could be used in the world of Naruto, then all existing communication methods would be obsolete, none of them could compare.

But, it's very complex.

Soma is now considered a Great Blacksmith.

But, creating a phone is still a very difficult task.

There's just too much involved in it.

Even making a walkie-talkie isn't easy.

"I'll dismantle and study it later, see if there's any insight to gain."

...

"It's about time, Ao-senpai, Kisame, let's start moving, contact me if anything changes."

"Okay."

Soma walked towards the swimming pool.

Kisame stood guard at the intersection.

Meanwhile, Ao, following the direction Bluebell's brother came from in the previous scene, checked it out.

His Byakugan was already activated.

As a formal competition, the venue's security was quite good.

There were staff members checking tickets at the entrance.

Soma and a lone youth passed each other.

Then, in a swift motion, he took the other person's ticket and smoothly entered the venue.

He took his seat corresponding to the ticket and scanned the venue.

Soon, he found Bluebell's presence in the athlete's area.

At this moment, Bluebell seemed somewhat restless.

Her gaze kept wandering around, looking at the surroundings, and the audience stands, not focusing on the competition.

His phone vibrated. Before the ringtone sounded, Soma answered.

"Ao-senpai, how's it going?"

"I found the client's brother," Ao said, "But as expected, the situation is not as simple as we thought. I've spotted quite a few suspicious figures nearby, and their target seems to be the client's brother."

"Ao-senpai, can you handle it alone?"

"It's not easy. There are quite a few of them. Killing them is easy, but protecting the client's brother is not."

"I'll contact Kisame and have him go support you. Since you've found him, Ao-senpai, Kisame continuing to guard the intersection is pointless."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Soma immediately dialed the number on Kisame's phone.

But unlike Soma, Kisame clearly took some time before answering.

"Soma."

"Kisame, Ao-senpai needs your support over there."

"Okay."

"Be careful. People here may not be weak, especially if they can produce such impressive tools. There might be something special about their weapon-type tools."

"Understood."

Kisame glanced at his phone, his expression becoming serious.

Soma looked down at Bluebell.

"In this light, it seems that Bluebell's disability and her brother's death were not accidents."

Soon, Kisame arrived near Ao.

It wasn't Kisame who found Ao, but Ao, using the Byakugan, saw Kisame coming and approached him.

"Ao-senpai."

"Kisame, you watch over the client's brother. I'll take care of those lurking in the shadows."

"Leave it to me."

Kisame's figure moved closer to Bluebell's brother.

But Bluebell's brother didn't notice anything unusual.

Instead, he checked the time while jogging, showing signs of anxiety.

"Crack!"

A neck was snapped by Ao.

One, two, three...

One by one, figures fell under Ao's hands, and finally, this group noticed.

They pulled out their pistols, aiming at Ao, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

However, with Ao's 360-degree vision, everything was clear.

He swiftly moved towards the corner.

Bullets hit the wall causing dents to appear, and numerous fragments scattered.

Ao's eyes flickered.

"What kind of tool is this?"

"It's fast, powerful, even more practical than some C-rank Ninjutsu."

"But it can be used from such a distance."

"It's somewhat similar to a crossbow, but stronger than one."

"Fortunately, the environment here isn't suitable for the full potential of that tool. Its attacks can only go in a straight line."

Kisame heard the gunshots and quickly looked over.

He took out his phone and dialed unskilfully.

"Ring ring!"

Before long, Ao answered.

"Ao-senpai, do you need help?"

"No need, I can handle it. Kisame, your task is to protect the client's brother."

Soma kept a close eye on Bluebell's figure.

Suddenly, Bluebell seemed unable to contain herself, wanting to leave the venue to wait for her brother outside.

Swimming mattered a lot to Bluebell. But what Bluebell wanted more was for her brother to witness her victory.

However, this was something Soma didn't want to see.

According to the information Ao provided, Bluebell's brother's death was clearly not an accident but a deliberate act.

So, if Bluebell came to the intersection, there was a high probability of danger.

Even if Soma could rescue Bluebell and her brother, the commissioned task would most likely not be completed.

Soon, he had an idea and looked towards the player area and the connecting passage to the outside.

With a swift movement, Soma's figure had already arrived below.

Picking up a small stone, he flicked it with his finger.

"Bang!"

The ceiling, along with the overhead pipes, shattered.

Debris littered the ground.

And dirty water leaked down.

Bluebell, who was about to enter, was forcefully pushed back.

"But, this is just a temporary solution."

"Blocking, yes, it stopped Bluebell, but with Bluebell distracted, winning the championship will be difficult."

"Moreover, the task is to let Bluebell see her brother, watching her win the championship."

Ahead, Kisame, after checking the time once again, increased his pace.

"Calculating the time, we should just barely make it."

Kisame calculated Ao's speed and distance.

"As long as nothing unexpected happens on Soma's side."

Kisame chased after Bluebell's brother while glancing backward.

Worried that the people Ao had spotted might have broken free from him and were chasing after them.

However, just as Kisame shifted his attention to the situation behind him,

the traffic on the crossroads ahead suddenly became chaotic.

The sound of brakes screeching urgently filled the air.

Bluebell's beorther had barely taken a step forward when a car came speeding towards him.

It didn't seem like an accident, but rather like it was intentionally aiming to collide with 

Bluebell's beorther.

Bluebell's beorther instinctively turned his head to look at the car, his body stiffened from the shock.

"Whoosh!"

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared, standing in front of Ao.

It was none other than Kisame, who had rushed at full speed after realizing something was wrong.

"Bang!"

The car crashed into Kisame.

Bluebell's beorther's figure was pushed back onto the sidewalk by Kisame.

In the next moment, Kisame flew into the air. The tremendous force almost overwhelmed Kisame. But difficult as it was, it was still bearable.

He wouldn't end up like Bluebell's brother, dying from a single collision.

In mid-air, Kisame adjusted his posture, minimizing the impact on his body as much as possible, gliding for over ten meters before landing.

The moment he landed, Kisame looked towards 

Bluebell's beorther.

"Bang!"

A bullet was thrown from somewhere high up.

"Water Release, Water Prison Jutsu!"

At this moment, Kisame couldn't care less about attracting attention.

A water sphere enveloped Ao within it.

Water Prison Jutsu was a restraining type of Ninjutsu.

But sometimes, it could also be used for defense.

Moreover, he could control Bluebell's beorther's figure, preventing him from running amok.

"Puff!"

The bullets entered the water, greatly slowing down their speed.

The water from the Water Prison Jutsu had a better decelerating effect on the bullets than still water.

However, at that moment.

Within the Water Prison, Bluebell's beorther's body suddenly convulsed.

Kisame was stunned for a moment, quickly canceled the Water Prison Jutsu, and swiftly flashed into the nearby alley with Bluebell's brother's body, waiting until it was safe before checking his condition.

The next moment, Kisame's face darkened. He took out his phone and dialed Soma's number.

"Soma, I'm sorry, he's dead."

"Dead?"

"He succumbed to poison, despite my efforts to avoid the attacks from the two assailants. I'm sorry, Soma, it's my fault, I didn't do well enough."

Soma's pupils contracted.

When he saw that there were two assailants, Soma realized things weren't so simple.

Ao discovered the existance of the attackers, and Soma thought that was the key to the mission.

But unexpectedly, Bluebell's brother had already been poisoned before he arrived.

In other words, no matter what Ao and Kisame did, Bluebell's brother was doomed.

This completely exceeded Soma's expectations.

Kisame felt very guilty. Even though it wasn't his fault.

But as a Ninja, Kisame was the type of Ninja who wouldn't find any excuses for himself.

He would even take responsibility for things that weren't his fault.

"It's not your fault, Kisame, you don't need to blame yourself."

Soma looked in the direction of Bluebell.

"The mission hasn't failed yet."

When Kisame said that Bluebell's brother was already dead, Soma felt very defeated.

In all these Materials missions, Soma felt like he might be facing his first failure.

He was somewhat disappointed. Not just because of the failure. But because, this time, Soma had already speculated that there were candidates in the Hidden Mist Village who could match this ninja tool.

In other words, the only thing missing from obtaining the reward was this Materials part.

But when Soma looked at Bluebell and recalled Bluebell's words, he suddenly realized that there might still be a possibility to continue the mission.

Bluebell's request was—"Let me see my brother with my own eyes as I win the swimming championship."

The key to this sentence was "let me see."

Soma's eyes flickered.

"If I disguise myself as Bluebell's brother and appear in the audience, would that count?"

"With this white lie, if I pretend to be Bluebell's brother and Bluebell stands on the winner's podium, it seems like we can meet those conditions."

Soma immediately took action.

"Kisame, describe to me what Bluebell's brother looks like."

"His appearance? Alright!"

Kisame didn't know what Soma was planning, but he complied.

Soon after, Soma took out a mirror, manipulated his muscles, adjusted his attire, mimicked Bluebell's brother's demeanor...

Before long, Soma bore a striking resemblance to him, about seventy to eighty percent.

Not entirely alike, but from this distance, Bluebell wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"If only I knew Transformation Jutsu."

"After this forging is done, I can go learn it."

Transformation Jutsu is just a basic type of Ninjutsu, but once you become proficient, there are many situations where it can be used.

For example, now.

If Soma knew Transformation Jutsu, this wouldn't be so troublesome.

Soma stood up and waved to Bluebell below. Bluebell looked over.

Her previously anxious expression instantly turned into delight.

"Brother!"

The arrival of her brother not only calmed Bluebell's anxious heart, but also brought out a stronger performance than usual, securing first place without any suspense.

Soma had intended to assist with Water Release, but upon observing, he realized it wasn't necessary.

The music played.

Bluebell stood on the winner's podium.

Then voice resonated in Soma's mind.

---

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