Chapter 284. There is Nothing Unsatisfying About it
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The next day.
Ninjas from various villages began to leave one after another.
The parking lot, once crowded, gradually emptied.
Today—
The weather was pretty nice.
Partly cloudy.
Not hot, and no rain either.
Yuto, who got up a bit later than usual, saw that—as expected—some gossip had spread, but he didn't pay it much mind.
He had way too many friends who were just ordinary friends! What did that even mean?
It really didn't mean anything at all!
Except…
He'd actually been secretly photographed?!
And he'd gone home to sleep last night, so Suzune definitely knew about it.
With a righteous heart, what was there to fear from demons and ghosts?
While eating breakfast, Yuto paused thoughtfully and looked at Suzune. "Where are Honoka and the others? Why didn't I see them this morning?"
The Chunin Exams had just ended; there should've been a short break.
"Honoka~" Suzune casually tidied her clothes, speaking absentmindedly. "Hanabi got up in a hurry this morning and took Honoka out on a mission."
"It's just delivering packages. Is there really any need to rush?"
"Not that~ I heard it's a special investigation mission, which is very rare! Hanabi wants to train them properly, so they left in a hurry."
"Is that so?" Yuto nodded in understanding. After finishing his breakfast and wiping his mouth, he was just about to head out for a stroll when—
"Oh, right," Suzune added, "The Ninja Grand Prix in Kumogakure is coming up. I heard the track is already completed, and they're asking if we want to request any changes."
"Didn't I already send my suggestions?" Yuto stroked his chin, thinking aloud. "Just let them do their thing."
He wasn't participating anyway.
If something went wrong, it had nothing to do with him.
He was just a spectator.
As if remembering something, he looked at Suzune, who was still fixing her clothes, and said, "Let's go together when the time comes~ Kana and the others are planning to go too, so we can use the chance to relax a bit!"
As soon as he said that—
Suzune smiled slightly, her eyes curving into crescents, and nodded. "Mm~"
"I'm heading out then."
"Also, one more thing…"
"??? What is it?"
"Hanabi… she looked really worried."
"She's probably just homesick! Don't worry about it! Didn't she sign up already? Just let her race when the time comes!"
With that—
Seeing that Suzune had nothing else to say, Yuto stretched lazily and walked toward the milk tea shop.
As for Suzune…
She frowned slightly, staring at the clothes she was folding, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment—
"Homesick? Then… why not just go home?"
She really didn't understand it!
…
Time ticked by little by little.
The sun gradually began to set.
Driving his car and humming a cheerful tune on the way to the Land of Rain, Roshi glanced at the rearview mirror.
Since last night, Biwa Juzo hadn't touched his smartphone or said a word.
Roshi sighed helplessly.
He understood.
Seeing a former peer now driving a luxury car, wearing a tailored suit—while he had just gotten out of prison and was relying on others to get by—that had to feel like a huge gap.
But…
This was something Juzo had to overcome on his own.
Roshi remembered… quite a lot of ninjas fresh out of prison couldn't adapt to how much the ninja world had changed. Everything felt unfamiliar. They couldn't find a job and were rejected because of their pasts. They couldn't integrate into the new world, couldn't face reality. So they holed up somewhere, unwilling to return to their villages out of shame. Their money ran out soon after release, and eventually, they resorted to breaking into cars or worse… and got locked up again.
It was really sad~
Roshi himself lived like an ascetic. No matter how hard life got, he didn't mind. Later, he happened to land a job, then quit to start his own business and succeeded.
That's the only reason he didn't end up the same way.
Biwa Juzo's situation…
If not for him, maybe Juzo would've been caught again by now.
After all, ever since getting out of prison, aside from this best friend, he barely talked to anyone else.
He just holed up in his room playing on his phone all day, under the excuse of "collecting intelligence!"
Roshi remembered once Juzo said…
Back before getting caught, he had fled here because he and a friend were doing some no-cost business!
It was really difficult for him to reintegrate.
"Don't overthink it! Let's head over to Kumogakure in a bit and relax. Do you want to race? Racing actually feels pretty awesome," Roshi said, glancing at the still-silent Biwa Juzo. "By the way, you need a license to drive in the Land of Rain now. I heard you even have to pass a test. It's a hassle. Not like back when I got my car… bought it and just drove it. Sure, I didn't know what I was doing and had some accidents, but I gradually got used to it." He sighed. "There weren't so many cars back then."
With that—
Biwa Juzo was briefly stunned. Hearing Roshi's words, he felt a bit warm inside and muttered, "No need! I'm not interested."
"You still have to find something to do." Roshi burst out laughing. "When I was released from prison, I almost got locked up again because I was too bored." He paused for a moment. "That guy, Suikazan Fuguki—he already said he'd have Kirigakure cancel your bounty. So you won't need to sneak around anymore."
He remembered last night.
That guy didn't do a thing!
Maybe it was the suit and tie—he probably thought it'd be beneath him to get his hands dirty.
But in the end—
After a couple of drinks, he just smiled, shook his head, tucked his briefcase under his arm, and strolled off.
He also said that his grudge with Juzo was over and that he'd arrange for Kirigakure to cancel the bounty.
Apparently, another one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who defected—Kurosuki Raiga—got caught for abducting a minor.
Roshi sighed helplessly. "Let's just live an honest life. In a few days, you can get your license, and I'll buy you a car. Then the two of us can grow the factory—make it bigger and stronger! This time, I found that the market is still pretty big. Once the internet spreads to those small nations… profits are going to multiply several times!"
"…" Hearing Roshi's words, Biwa Juzo fell silent.
He hadn't expected…
His grudge with Hoshigaki would just… end like that.
But still—
"It feels a bit unsatisfying."
After he said that—
The car fell into a brief silence.
Roshi didn't say anything more, just focused on the road.
Since they left later today, traffic on the way back wasn't ideal, but it wasn't nearly as jammed as it had been coming in.
Thinking back to his days as a wandering ascetic… Roshi chuckled and shook his head. "What's so unsatisfying? Aren't we living a good life now? Remember that red-haired kid? Even making it out of prison is a question for him!"
"…That's right." Biwa Juzo chuckled at himself, shook his head, and stretched. "Hey, when's Kumogakure's ninja racing event?"
"About two months from now. Why?"
"How about I give it a shot?"
"Brother, you don't even know how to drive!"
"I'll learn when we get back! I'm one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—Biwa Juzo, wielder of the Kubikiribocho! I'll definitely learn in no time! Didn't you say I should find something to do?"
"Fine, fine! That works! I'll sponsor you then! But you have to put our factory's logo on the car! It's good advertising!"
"Can I say no? That monkey looks so ugly!"
"What's ugly about the Four-Tails?! He's obviously super badass!"
The two bickered back and forth, here and there, until—
"Hahaha~"
They both burst into hearty laughter.
Biwa Juzo rested his chin in his hand, leaning against the car window, quietly watching the scenery go by. He didn't touch his phone again. He just kept looking out and murmured, "That's right. There's nothing unsatisfying about it."
When he came here—
He'd been staring at his phone the whole time and had barely looked around.
Now, that he looked around, it felt so familiar.
It's so strange.
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