Chapter 48: Nara Shikakazu, an Enthusiast for Gossip
After a moment of silence, Ling broke the silence. "This needless synchronization is so revolting."
"Ah, as loath as I am to admit it, I agree with you this time." Senju Chokei looked disgusted. "It's rather discomforting... This stalemate is meaningless. Shall we?"
"Sure, after all, there are more disabled people in your clan, and your need for medicine is more urgent—" Ling readily agreed and even politely took half a step back. "Then you go first?"
Hearing this, Nara Shikakazu cursed silently in his mind [This is bad]. When he looked sideways, sure enough, he saw the vein on Senju Chokei's forehead throbbing.
Senju Chokei took a deep breath and forced out a stiff smile. "Your Uchiha clan has fallen so far that they send a blind guy on a mission. With a disabled person like you around, how can I have the nerve to compete with you? You go first."
[If they start fighting, I'll have to control them all and then inform the parents of the two clans to come and redeem them. It'll be such a hassle... They must have colluded to make things difficult for me, right? Definitely!] Nara Shikakazu looked up at the sky. [So troublesome. Why was I born into the main family? Why am I wasting time here with these kids? Why...]
Before Nara Shikakazu could continue his train of thought, Ling's gentle voice rang out again. "Then I won't be polite. I also want to finish this mission early and buy some souvenirs to take home. Should I say that you're indeed an old rival who knows me well? You're so understanding—"
Senju Chokei clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling slightly. "You—"
"Ah, do you still want to make the deal first? That's okay—go ahead. We'll have time to take a stroll around. By the way, you came from another path, right? Was the scenery there nice?"
"
"I..."
"It's cool, I know what you're gonna say. It's gotta be about all that fighting and killing again, ain't it?" Ling said with a gentle smile, her voice sounding extremely sincere. "Honestly, it's not easy for us to get together without mission conflicts. Let's not talk about such a downer. There's no need to make ourselves uncomfortable, right? Isn't it good to be alive?"
Senju Chokei: ...Damn it! Let me have my say!
"Alright, Uchiha Yugu, those guys over there have made way. You go and talk first. After all, you guys are being so nice this time. We can't let down your kindness."
Uchiha Yugu looked up at Senju Chokei's livid face and couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. He enunciated clearly, "It'd be rude to refuse."
On the other side, Senju Asa, the leader, raised her hand to stop Senju Chokei, who was already so angry that his face turned blue. She frowned and nodded slightly. "Do as you please. No need to see you off."
Nara Shikakazu immediately told his clan members behind to lead Uchiha Yugu and Uchiha Lin (Uchiha Lin was acting as a guard) inside. After getting a signal, he told another group of clan members to lead Senju Asa and a silent Senju female ninja inside. At the same time, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that all he had to do today was stay here to keep order.
But just when things seemed to calm down, Uchiha Sen's shoulders started to shake. Finally, he couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
Senju Ming, who was left outside, instantly flew into a rage. She pulled out the Tantō from behind her back. "You damned Uchiha, don't push people too far!"
"Come on, do you think I'm afraid of you, you midget?" There was full of Malice in Uchiha Sen's smile. He also reached for the hilt of his sword. "As a Senju, you're so stunted? Tsk. It's so funny."
"Sen, that's enough," Ling said with a smile still on her face. "This is someone else's territory. We're here for a deal, not to cause trouble. Put your sword away."
Hearing this, Uchiha Sen immediately put the half - drawn sword back into its scabbard. But his attitude became even more arrogant. "Come on, midget! Hurry up and make a move! Are you scared? Hahaha!"
Senju Ming let out a snort and put the Tantō back behind her. She put her hands on her hips with great bravado. "Bullshit. Do you think I'm afraid of you? Your stinking breath can waft for miles even against the wind. Did you eat dog shit before you came out?"
Ignoring the increasingly intense verbal fight between the two, Ling turned to Senju Chokei. "Your auras are very similar. Siblings? Older sister and younger brother?"
Senju Chokei rolled his eyes. He didn't want to pay attention at first, but when he saw Ling's blindfold, he couldn't help but snap, "It's none of your business."
"How about exchanging some information?" Ling let out a few low laughs. "I'm going to the Land of Lightning later. Well, do you want to come and take revenge?"
Senju Chokei's face turned even darker. "Do you think I'll believe you?"
"Believe it or not," Ling shrugged, looking extremely relaxed. However, her hands never left the staff sword in her hands. "As you know, I rarely lie, even to my enemies."
Senju Chokei let out a disdainful snort. "Your words might only deceive the dead. But if you're willing to pay a high enough price, I don't mind selling you some local intel about the Land of Lightning."
"Come on, what's our relationship?" Ling laughed. "We're supposed to be loyal and trustworthy to each other. Isn't it a bit cold of you to be like this?"
"What a load of convoluted bullshit!" Senju Chokei rolled his eyes again. "You call stabbing someone in the gut 'being loyal and trustworthy'? Are my liver and your gallbladder supposed to be in sync, huh?"
"Well... physical 'being in sync' still counts, right?" Ling's smile widened a bit. "I remember you very clearly because you're the first opponent who managed to escape death twice from my hands.
Look at me now. It should be easy for you to take a shot at me, right? Wanna give it a try? If you win, it'll be your revenge. If you lose, I'll have an extra gift for the Senju. How about it? A great deal, isn't it?"
"Hehe, then can I just ask you to commit seppuku for your 'loyal brother'? Try... If I really go for it, forget about winning or losing. Do you think you'd let me track you down?"
"Don't be like that. One should be brave enough to try in life. What if you succeed?"
"...Get lost."
Seeing Senju Chokei getting irritated by Ling's words again, Nara Shikakazu couldn't help but stroke his chin.
Compared to the exchange of insults full of personal attacks between the other two, this one clearly seemed to be of a higher level. They managed to exchange intel while arguing.
Oh, you're asking what intel they exchanged?
First, one side asked the other if they had any plans to go to the Land of Lightning. Then, the other side replied that it depended on the situation. Subsequently, one side said that if the other came, they'd have to deal with them. After that, the other side said it was still uncertain who'd win. Then, one side then said to just come and see if they could be killed. Next, the other side replied that they didn't have the time and told the other to go ahead on their own. Finally, one side asked if the other was really not coming, and the other said they really weren't.
Look, look! These two guys are as cunning as foxes!
Thinking of this, Nara Shikakazu then looked at Uchiha Sen and Senju Ming, who were arguing even more fiercely and attracting a lot of attention. In comparison, they were still quite inexperienced.