Chapter 85 : All Good Kids!
[Dear Father Saito,
The scenery here is beautiful; the majesty of the sea shocked us the first time we saw it… and there are all kinds of delicious fish… I even met my Summoned Beast partner, the Mirage Clam, here… so Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato would like to invite Father and Mother to come and visit.
Nagato even prepared a surprise for Mother. Come quickly!!!
Yahiko's pen falls.]
At that moment Saito was sitting in his office; reading the letter Yahiko had sent back, he couldn't help sighing.
"As expected, training works. The kids have learned to share, waaah~"
He then glanced at the mountain of documents on his desk… ever since Ebizo went on vacation, no one had handled the paperwork. Sara could only solve civilian problems; anything involving Ninja still had to be dealt with by Saito himself.
At first Saito had actually been quite enthusiastic—after being away from tedious paperwork for so long, it felt fresh.
But after a few days he couldn't take it anymore.
He'd thought of temporarily borrowing one of the elders, but those old fogeys were more stubborn than the next.
Hmm… or maybe just sharper.
Especially Elder Yuuto.
Every other word was poison or murder.
Shallow—far too shallow!
He couldn't compare at all with that cunning—no, kind—fellow Ebizo.
In the end, all Ninja-related business could only be shouldered by Saito himself.
"Nope, it's not that this Kazekage wants to slack off—it's just that our kids miss their parents so much; how could a father bear to let his children go without seeing him? Waaah… hee-hee-hee…"
---
Beach Training Camp.
Two days had passed since they dragged the Mirage Clam back.
Yahiko had had a full couple of days, especially after Uzumaki Eimei recovered yesterday.
He'd instantly chained Yahiko's limbs into a spread-eagle.
Then dragged him in front of the Mirage Clam and had him ask where the red pearl was.
He stated that without news of the red pearl, he wouldn't recommend Yahiko as the next contractor of the Seven-Colored Pearls.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario never arrived; after all, the Mirage Clam had lived in the deep sea so long that she knew where rare pearls could be found.
Once she gave the approximate location, Uzumaki Eimei decisively dragged Yahiko to find Teacher Dai again, and the three took off on another spur-of-the-moment flight.
Right now, on the beach where the Mirage Clam rested, Yahiko and Uzumaki Eimei were present.
Because the two of them had spent these two days in the deep sea, their progress had leapt far ahead, so Might Dai specially granted them a break.
They did, however, have one task: keep watch over Nagato's fishing rod.
Yesterday, after seeing Uzumaki Eimei actually find the red pearl, Nagato couldn't sit still; this morning he sought out Might Dai and launched his own fantastical adventure.
At the moment Yahiko was lying on top of the Mirage Clam.
Note: not on her shell—she had opened it and extended the mussel flesh at her tail.
Yahiko was currently lying on that flesh.
[Mirage, is it really okay for me to lie like this?]
[It's fine; in human terms, the spot you're lying on is just my foot—hardly a sensitive place.]
[…Sounds weird. Whatever. Mirage, your foot smells surprisingly nice—fresh and milky; I thought you'd reek like ordinary clam meat.]
[…Foot is just my analogy…]
[Besides, can an ordinary clam grow to forty metres?]
[Ha, true.]
"Ha—" "Chirp-chirp~"
The sounds ahead pulled Yahiko, who'd been chatting with Mirage in his mind, back to reality.
He lifted his head, looked ahead, then lay back down.
"Say, Eimei, it's only a pearl—do you have to rub it that hard? You'll wipe the red right off."
Uzumaki Eimei, sitting on the sand huffing on the pearl and polishing it with his sleeve, replied irritably,
"I'm refining the details—what would a single dog know?"
Yahiko: "…"
"Haven't even confessed yet—aren't you a single dog too?"
"Tch, what do you know." He held the still-being-polished pearl in front of Yahiko and said,
"Do you know what this is?"
"Sure—a pearl we found together yesterday."
"Wrong—dead wrong!"
Yahiko was so thrown by Eimei's absolute certainty that he wondered if his own memory had glitched.
"Th-then what is it?"
"Idiot! It's my ticket to happiness; with it I stop being a single dog!"
"So are you single now?"
"Yeah, but once I have this I won't be a single dog anymore!"
Yahiko: "…"
[So the thing in your hand is the dog, huh!]
"Yahiko, come look—between my pearl and the one Elder Ebizo found, which has better lustre?"
Watching Eimei shove the pearl in his face, Yahiko muttered,
"How should I know? I haven't seen his. Ask one of the girls."
"No way! This surprise is for Sister Jiang Wan—can't let anyone find out. If one girl knows, every girl knows."
"True. Then go ask Elder Ebizo—he's the one who found his pearl."
"No! If mine's better and he confiscates it, what then?"
"…Then just ask Elder Ashika."
"You ever see Elder Ashika alone? Would I dare approach her when she is?"
Yahiko thought hard and realized Eimei had a point.
By day Elders Ebizo and Chiyo were almost always with Elder Ashika; at night Ebizo dragged Roka for beach walks, and even for sleep she shared a tent with Elder Chiyo—practically never alone.
"Fair enough. But don't rush; the pearl's safe—"
"Pearl? What pearl!"
As they spoke, Ebizo's voice suddenly sounded behind them, making Yahiko jump.
"He-heh, Elder Ebizo, what brings you here?"
Uzumaki Eimei shuddered when he saw Ebizo suddenly poke his head out from behind Mirage's shell, quickly clenched his hand into a fist to hide the pearl in his palm, and asked aloud.
"Oh, Eimei, you're here too. Something just crossed my mind, so I came looking for Yahiko."
The moment Yahiko heard Ebizo was there for him, his hands shook in fright and he frantically called Mirage in his mind, begging her to tuck him inside her shell for a while.
He couldn't help it—he'd been tricked too many times.
"Hey, hey, don't run off! I really do have serious business."
Seeing Yahiko about to slip inside Mirage, Ebizo snatched his ankle in the nick of time and hauled him out, blurting out why he'd come.
"Yahiko! Yahiko! I need your help."
"Huh? You need my help?" Yahiko's head popped out of the clamshell, eyeing Ebizo skeptically.
"That's right, I need your help."
"Well, you should've said so sooner." Once sure Ebizo wanted a favor, Yahiko's hands stopped shaking and he straightened up.
After telling Mirage mentally to put him down, he strolled over to Ebizo and cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Elder Ebizo, what's in it for me?"
Ebizo: "???"
Shouldn't he first ask what the favor is?
"Um, Yahiko, I can arrange to send Mirage back to the sea. How about that?"
"That's it?"
"Isn't that enough? Yahiko, with her weight, getting Mirage back to the sea is nearly impossible. But if you do me this small favor, I, the Strategic Head of Sunagakure and an elder of the village, swear I'll find a way. Deal?"
"No need. I've already figured it out."
"What! You've already got a plan?"
Yep, I know how to get Mirage back to the ocean."
Hold on, let me get this straight."
You're telling me you hauled her up the day before yesterday, got dragged into the sea by Uzumaki Eimei yesterday, and while sunbathing here today you suddenly cracked it?"
Not exactly."
"I knew it—how could you possibly—"
"I worked it out shortly after you left the day before."
Ebizo: "..."
[Are kids' brains really this fast?]
So what's your solution?"
"Well~"
Meeting Ebizo's eager stare, Yahiko rubbed his chin and gazed into the distance.
"There—help's arriving."
"What?"
Startled, Ebizo followed Yahiko's gaze and whipped his head around.
Far off in the sky, a golden speck was speeding toward them.
The speck grew larger—turning into a Golden Cloud.
Ebizo snapped his head back to Yahiko.
"You called the Kazekage?"
"Sure. If I can't fix it, I tell Dad. Isn't that normal?"
"...And what exactly did you tell him?"
"Er… well…" Yahiko began to stammer.
"What else could I say? Just that I missed him, of course!"
"That's it? My dear 'dogson'?"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? A dog's son is still a son!"
"Heh."
Ebizo answered with a polite smile, clearly enjoying the show.
"Why aren't you leaving?"
"Haven't seen the Kazekage in ages; I rather miss him too."
Yahiko: "..."
"Hahaha—my boy Yahiko! I'm here!"
Three minutes later the Golden Cloud landed, revealing Saito along with the four grown-ups and four little ones.
"Haha, my son, did you miss your old man?"
Canceling his jutsu, Saito strode up, cuffed Yahiko's head, and laughed.
Then he turned to someone still airborne and shouted,
"Hey, Konan, you came too! Come on down!"
It was Konan, who'd been watching from the cliff. Seeing Saito arrive, she waved to Might Duy and flew over.
"Dad Saito."
"Good girl! Yahiko wrote that you all missed us, so I brought the whole family. Happy?"
Konan: "???"
Reading her puzzled face, Yahiko panicked and, behind Saito's back, frantically signaled Konan with his eyes.
Unbeknownst to him, Saito sensed every bit of it—and his grin only widened.
Seeing Yahiko's frantic blinking, Konan realized he'd engineered this, but she played along—she really had missed them after only two days at home before being packed off to boot camp.
Yeah, Dad Saito, we all missed you."
"Haha, good kids. I also heard Yahiko and Nagato prepared gifts for us—true?"
Saito winked at Konan; noticing his signal matched Yahiko's earlier one, she caught on and continued,
"Yes, Yahiko and Nagato said they'd get something for each of the moms and the four little ones."
"Haha, you sweethearts! As long as you're happy, why bother with gifts?"
Still," Saito turned to the stunned Yahiko, hooked an arm around his neck, and rubbed the fuzz already sprouting on the boy's head.
"But how could I refuse such thoughtful kids, right, Yahiko?"
"Heh… yeah… Nagato and I ought to, really."
Feeling the tightening grip, Yahiko hastily agreed, though inwardly he was already regretting it.
[I'm doomed. Should've written only Nagato's name and left Konan off the letter.]
After sending Konan to accompany Mother and the four little ones, and handing the local specialties Saito had brought to the tearful Ebizo,
Yahiko introduced his Summoned Beast.
"Dad Saito, this is Mirage, the partner I told you about in my letter."
Mirage, this is my father, Saito—Kazekage of Hidden Sand Village."
[Hello, Lord Kazekage. I am Mirage, Yahiko's Summoned Beast. Please look after us.]
"Hello, Mirage. I've heard of you—Second Mizukage Hōzuki Gengetsu's Summoned Beast."
"Huh? You even knew that, Dad? Even Elder Ebizo in charge of intel didn't."
Hearing Saito blurt out Mirage's origin so casually left Yahiko stunned; he'd never mentioned it in his letter—he'd wanted to see his old man's shocked face, yet he was the one left gaping.
One look at Yahiko's dumbstruck expression and Saito knew exactly what the boy had been plotting; he snorted in exasperation.
"Hmph, there's nothing your old man doesn't know. As far as I'm concerned, the entire Ninja World has no secrets."
[Ha! Talk big much?]
Just as Saito was about to ask Mirage where she planned to settle, the fishing rod stuck in the sand suddenly twitched.
"Dad—uh, I mean, Nagato's brought you a present!"
"Oh, really?" He kicked Yahiko. "Then what are you waiting for? Go haul my dear boy up!"
Yahiko: "…"
Ten minutes later.
A hand broke the surface first, clutching a milky-white pearl.
Nagato's booming laughter followed right after.
"Hahaha, I finally found the pearly-white Konan was talking about. I'm sure whoever I give it to—"
"Give it to whom?"
While Nagato was still basking in his treasure, a familiar voice from the shore made him shudder.
"Dad Saito, what are you doing here?"
"Came to see you kids. Yahiko says you prepared a special gift—surely that pearl in your hand is it?"
At that, Nagato first glared at Yahiko, but Yahiko had already turned his head away, expecting exactly that reaction.
"This… this pearl…"
"Such a good boy, diving straight in to find a gift for your Mother the moment you heard she was here. Isn't that right, Nagato?"
"Ah… y-yeah, that's for Mom! Waaah…"
"Haha, good kids, every one of you."
Saito plucked—okay, snatched—the pearl from Nagato and studied it in the sunlight.
"Nice, very nice. Silvery threads on a white pearl—top grade, worth a fortune. You've got taste, Nagato."
Watching his treasure vanish, Nagato could only smile through the pain.
Look on the bright side.
He'd see Mom soon, right?
And Mom would praise him, right?
But just as he consoled himself, Saito's next words wiped the smile off his face.
"Still, one pearl's hardly enough, is it? How do we split a single pearl?"
"So, Nagato, I'm afraid you'll have to work a bit harder."
"Pfft—"
Seeing Nagato's face, Yahiko couldn't hold back a snort, clapping both hands over his mouth the instant it escaped.
But both Nagato and Saito were famed powerhouses; they'd heard every bit of that muffled laugh.
"Dad Saito, I insist Yahiko help me—many hands make light work."
Spotting Yahiko gloating from the bank, Nagato dragged him into the mess without hesitation.
Yet Yahiko on shore didn't bat an eye.
"Dad Saito
"I'd love to dive for the Mothers, but circumstances forbid. Teacher Dai already opened the Seventh Gate this morning to send Nagato down, and he's still keeping the Third Gate active to train the other students."
"His body can't take much more. You wouldn't want him left with permanent damage, right, Dad?"
"No problem, I can heal him."
Yahiko: "…"
[Great—how'd I forget that?]
Just as he braced for another plunge, Saito's next remark lifted the weight off his shoulders.
"Still, you've got a point—Teacher Duy has other students. We shouldn't trouble him."
"Exactly. Look how hard he works; bothering him would be awful."
"True, so I'll handle it myself and toss you two down there."
Yahiko: "???"
"Dad, you know the Eight Gates?"
"Nope."
"Then how will you throw us into the sea?"
"Yahiko, haven't you heard the saying?"
"What saying?"
"The higher you stand, the farther you throw!"
Yahiko: "…How high?"
"You'll know when you get there."
---
A short while later.
"Dad, isn't this a bit too high?!"
Standing on a Golden Cloud, Yahiko shouted down to Saito.
As for Nagato, he was on the cloud too, eyes vacant.
"Not high at all—only a few hundred meters. This is my newest jutsu; it can hit a kilometer. I call it Golden Cloud—nice name, huh?"
"Heh, lovely. You're not really taking us to a kilometer, right, Dad?"
"Of course not."
"Phew—good."
"Four or five hundred meters is plenty; any higher and I might fling you too far to fish back."
[Heh—aren't you just a saint.]
"All right, this spot'll do. Who flies first?"
With that, Saito conjured more gold dust, forming a colossal hand behind the cloud, angled back at forty-five degrees and ready to launch at any second.
"Heh, Nagato can go first—look how excited he is!"
Imagining the drop from this height, Yahiko pointed at Nagato and spouted nonsense.
"Rubbish—it's clearly Yahiko's turn. I've already been down once; now it's his."
Seeing Yahiko single him out, Nagato dropped his sorrow and argued back.
Soon the two were locked in a heated mid-air debate over who would fly first.
While they bickered, Saito quietly split a sliver of gold from the cloud and drifted away with it.
Then the Golden Cloud suddenly tilted, sliding both Yahiko and Nagato into the giant palm.
And with a unified toss, the two were hurled into the sky.
"Aaaah! Dad Saito, you tricked us again!" ×2
"Tch, after all these years they still don't keep their guard up around me."
Watching them vanish into the distance, Saito recalled the gold dust and returned to the ground.
As for their safety, he wasn't worried—he'd left safeguards on them.
And with Nagato's Rinnegan, one Shinra Tensei would cancel all momentum.
"All right, the brats are gone. Let's talk about your plans, Mirage."
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