Chapter 99 The End

After Ling and his companions were hunted by the Hyuga clan in the territory of the Land of Lightning for a month because they killed members of the Hyuga clan, the other side finally couldn't withstand the pressure from the nobles of the Land of Lightning, and they gathered all the clan members and stopped hunting them.

However, the images of several people in Ling's team were not very good at this time. Not only did they all look dusty and disheveled, but the edges of their robes were stained with layers of solidified blood, a dark brown color that was difficult to wash off.

The one who changed the most among the few was Ban. The height of this teenager had grown a lot in this month, and the childishness in his eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by a chilling coldness.

If before this, the weapon was just a crudely forged one that had a good shape but could not hurt anyone, then the experience of escaping for a month had sharpened the edge of the weapon, making it even colder and more effective, capable of killing people instantly with one strike, and making people feel scared just by looking at it.

Uchiha Masaki still had that casual look, and only when he occasionally raised his eyes and looked at someone would a hint of coldness flash through his eyes, making people shudder.

Compared to the two of them, Ling looked a little out of place. Although he had an upright posture, he did not have a strong aura. There was a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth. At first glance, he looked like an innocent traveler kidnapped by Madara and Uchiha Masaki.

"It's finally over—" Uchiha Masaki stretched his muscles, looking a little listless, "If I keep working, I feel like I'll die before I'm twenty... Ling, can't you tell me what you're going to do?"

"Well... what should I say? I didn't find the right time." Ling tilted his head slightly, looking a little helpless, "Yashu is really too wary of me - you know that I can't harm you. "

"You won't hurt me, but you..." Uchiha Masaki touched his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching, "Life is already bitter, I don't want to have another nightmare material."

Ling shook his head slightly and turned to Madara's direction, "How does Madara feel?"

"Yes, I feel good," Madara looked down at his palms, then slowly clenched them, with the corners of his lips slightly raised, "No, it can't be better than now."

"Really? That makes me feel relieved." Ling chuckled and reached out to rub his brother's head. "At least it shows that Madara's choice to become a ninja was not a wrong path."

Madara was stunned when he heard this, "Aren't we a ninja family?"

"Yes, but having the qualifications of a ninja does not mean that you can become a good ninja." Ling took his hand back, "If you can't grow from fighting and experience the fun of it, being a ninja will be a very difficult job."

"Ah, your brother is right about this," Uchiha Masaki sighed, "You should have heard about Ling's mission, right?

Madara didn't understand why Uchiha Masaki suddenly mentioned this matter, and just nodded, "Well, I heard from my uncle that my brother's mission completion rate has always been 100%, and there has never been a record of deaths in the team."

"Well, that's what you said, but in fact, more than half of our peers have died," Uchiha Masaki said this without any fluctuation in his eyes, "We who you are familiar with are only the small half who survived - we can even say that we are not the most talented.

You should be familiar with Uchiha Akihiko, right? That guy's illusion before awakening the Mangekyō was ranked among the best among all the ninjas in the clan, even as good as you. But even he didn't have the title of the best illusionist of his generation from the beginning. But another person with better talent than him died because he relied on his talent... Do you understand what I mean?"

"... Okay, I understand." Madara let out a long breath, suppressing the joy in his heart about his growing strength, "I will work harder to become stronger."

"Don't feel too stressed, Madara. Now that you can experience the joy of fighting, becoming stronger is just a matter of course.

Besides, my brother is still here, so it’s okay for Ban to rely on his brother a little before his body fully develops—” Ling laughed softly and raised his hand to touch his temple, “Well, but don’t learn some of my brother’s bad habits.”

Madara immediately frowned, "Onii-sama! Please don't joke about this!"

"It's not a joke, I'm just stating the facts." Ling's lips curved more gently, "There are many unexpected things in life."

After saying that, Ling did not wait for Madara to retort and turned to Uchiha Masaki, "I want to go back to repair the supplies and then go to the northern part of the Kingdom of Thunder to explore for a few days. Are you going to the Kingdom of Iron with your clan to supply supplies like Madara or are you going with the clan? Shall I leave?"

"Eh? Can I choose? Then I want to go back--" Uchiha Masaki paused and became cautious, "I can go back...right?"

"Well, after all, since you are so defensive against me, Yashu, I can't do anything to you." Ling's smile turned helpless, "If you want to know, you can ask Zhao Yan, but I probably can't tell you everything."

"Ah, then I'm going back - and I'm not interested in your plans, so please don't let me know. I don't want to be forced to do hard labor by you.

And compared to me..." Uchiha Masaki let out a long sigh, his eyes fell on the cane sword in Ling's hand, "Your sword is the problem, right? Can you still hold on?"

"Well, that's true," Ling sighed, revealing a distressed expression, "Although the chakra conductivity is still good, it has already broken a little, and is not suitable for high-intensity combat... At least the Kaguya clan's military power cannot be underestimated."

"Would you like me to order another one for you? Although chakra steel is expensive, you won't be able to use your reward much except for drinking and buying gifts for your family, right?"

"Well, please," Ling nodded slightly, "Just make it according to the current staff sword, but the shell can be longer..."

Although he was a little depressed that Ling did not plan to take him with him in his next operation, Ban also knew how much he had held the two back in the past month, so at this moment he just listened carefully to Ling's requirements for weapons, and secretly calculated whether his own small treasury could be used to build customized weapons - this way, if Ling's weapons were worn out in the future, he could help repair them in time.

Even though his brother is stronger than him and acts more appropriately than him, his peers unconditionally obey his orders and are willing to help him...but, but he still needs care no matter what, right?