Chapter 41

"Ryo? How are you feeling?"

"Hmm, the soul-saving conversations with a couple are over, it seems, now it's my turn."

"I'm fine, sensei, you don't need to waste your time on me, I'm not worried about the dead," he waved her off casually. "Let's just get out of here quickly; I really don't want to breathe in burning corpses."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hughie's skeptical expression clearly showed she didn't believe me.

"Absolutely sure."

"Then let's start heading back."

"Always ready," I nodded, tossing two scrolls and a belt to the kunoichi's questioning glance, "trophies and heads."

The journey back was just as boring and long.

Since the clone had already informed Kanade about my encounter, there was no need to recount anything. Not that there was much to report, since the whole skirmish lasted only two minutes. Despite the fact that the nuke-nin was a bit faster and stronger than me, after battling Mito, he seemed quite slow and clumsy.

Actually, I had become so accustomed to the opponent's immense speed that I managed to anticipate all attacks, avoiding every blow and not getting a scratch. Though the nukenin's fighting style relied more on the heaviness and speed of strikes rather than mastery technique, which allowed me to exploit the defensive openings. And then a combination of poison and Hiden did its job. The guy simply didn't expect that from me and paid for it.

Three hours later, arriving at the gates, we checked in with the guards and gratefully entered the village. Despite the relatively early hour, everyone felt tired, more emotionally than physically. So when Hughie announced that she would personally report and hand in the mission, we all sighed with relief.

Despite being somewhat prepared for what had happened today, even I wanted nothing more than to be home, hug Saya, and just collapse on the couch, indulging in blissful idleness. I was too lazy even to use Shunshin to get to the clan district, so nodding to my partners, I slowly strolled down the street.

"Ryo, wait!"

"Yes?" I sighed, waiting for Ishi. "What do you want?"

Standing next to me, he hesitated for a moment.

"How do you feel about today's killings?"

"Didn't sensei already talk to you about it?"

"She did, but I still feel sick, like I'll forever hear the screams of those burning alive."

"Don't blame yourself; you've just made the world cleaner, that's all," I shook my head.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me explain with a simple example. Bandits don't become such just to quickly get rich at the expense of others' money, but out of necessity. But in a warring country, such jackals often do more harm than the enemy several times over, impoverishing peaceful residents, killing good workers, robbing merchants, and violating any women they come across. Often, they engage in slave trade. By destroying them today, we allow honest people to live and work peacefully. It's like watchdogs guarding a flock of sheep from wolves. As for nuke-nins, about thirty percent of shinobi die at their hands, so by eliminating the gang led by these two Kirinin, we reduce the chances of many children becoming orphans, like what happened to you. Whether it's good or bad—that's for you to decide."

After examining Rotaro's lightened face, I nodded contentedly. Often, the simplest examples are the most effective.

"Thank you, if that's the case, it feels much easier," my partner sighed.

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