"Ryukawa, Ryukawa… you little brat, you're too good for your own good!"
"Even these Revolutionary Army scavengers have their eyes on you now."
For the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon himself, to lower his dignity and come poaching in person…
That alone showed just how terrifying Ryukawa's talent really was.
Koushirou stared at Dragon and the others with open hostility.
I invite you over as guests…
And you repay me by trying to dig up my foundation?!
And not just any foundation.
They were trying to poach…
The dojo's number one genius.
"Dragon, has anyone ever told you…"
Koushirou took a deep breath, tone still outwardly calm.
"Told me what?"
Dragon asked, feigning innocence.
"Your eyes are just like a damn carrion wolf's—way too sharp for your own good!"
Koushirou, who almost never lost his temper, actually snapped.
First thing out of this guy's mouth was about his dojo's top genius—
How could that not piss him off?
"Ahem."
Dragon coughed twice, cheeks reddening slightly.
Come on now.
They were all adults here—
No, middle–aged, respectable figures!
Could this man not say things like that out loud?
If the disciples heard their "gentle, wise" master scolding people like this… what would happen to his image?
Of course, Dragon didn't dare say that part.
You come to someone else's place trying to steal their people…
Letting him complain a couple of lines is already cheap.
But still—
If the kid wasn't so outrageously gifted, who would bother risking it to poach him?
Dragon sighed inwardly.
It's your fault for having such a monstrous disciple!
Already standing at the top of East Blue's pyramid at this age—
If Dragon didn't move now, he'd regret it for life.
Ivankov and Hack, standing at Dragon's side, pretended to admire the scenery.
Wow, what a lovely courtyard~
The trees. The wind. The planks. Amazing.
Yep.
They had already decided:
Whatever happened in this conversation, they were NOT getting involved.
Whether this recruitment attempt succeeded or failed…
That was 100% on their boss's talking skills.
"Master, why have I never heard of this disciple of yours before? I don't recall seeing such a monster the last time I came."
Dragon finally asked the question that had been bugging him.
"Want to know?"
Koushirou's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I am quite curious," Dragon admitted with a nod.
"Not telling you. Figure it out yourself."
Koushirou waved his hand impatiently.
"Drink your water and take your supplies and go. Our little dojo doesn't have room to lodge big shots like you."
If he didn't shoo them out now, he really was afraid Ryukawa would run off with them.
Dragon and the others got to their feet.
Dragon sighed dramatically.
"It's hard on our Revolutionary Army comrades… For the dream of a peaceful world, they risk their lives, shed their blood, and never hesitate in the face of death."
"Even if the Revolutionary Army is lacking in the younger generation—no talented youth capable of leading us forward—
we, the older generation, will just grit our teeth and push through."
"It's just… those displaced people across the seas I feel sorry for. The homeless, the broken families caused by endless wars…"
As he spoke—
Ivankov and Hack's lips twitched wildly.
They both turned their heads away, not daring to watch any longer.
They were genuinely scared they might get "moved to tears" by this performance.
"Hey, can you BE any more shameless?"
Koushirou stared at Dragon, utterly speechless.
You're the leader of the Revolutionary Army!
Is this really appropriate behavior??
All this—
Just to recruit one genius?
Worth it?
You, a man whose name makes the World Government tremble,
actually lowered yourself to playing the tragic card like this.
Your character setting is collapsing, sir!
Where is the dignity of the leader?
The aura?
The mystique?
Gone. All gone.
At least in Koushirou's eyes right now,
Dragon was no longer some awe–inspiring commander—
He was just a middle–aged man shamelessly guilt–tripping his host.
Ryukawa, you little bastard…
Look at what you've made this great man do…
You actually forced the leader of the Revolutionary Army to beg for you!
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Koushirou hurriedly raised a hand and cut Dragon off.
If he let the man keep talking, he was seriously going to start throwing punches.
Was this still "discussing" things?
This was open, daylight robbery!
The Revolutionary Army really was a pack of shameless wolves.
Koushirou's conviction only deepened.
No matter what, I can't compromise!
My dojo's number one genius—
On what basis should I hand him over to your Revolutionary Army?
Not happening!
He's the dojo's living signboard.
You want to steal my signboard?
Get lost.
Even if the Heavenly Dragon People came today—
They still wouldn't take him.
"The supplies are on the dock by the coast. That's all there is. Take them or don't."
Koushirou ended the conversation rather bluntly.
Seeing how firm Koushirou's attitude was, Dragon could only sigh inwardly.
As expected. The boy can't be poached.
With a talent like that, it was natural for Koushirou to treasure him.
Dragon had anticipated this outcome, but still wanted to try.
Clearly… it did not work.
"Right—almost forgot to remind you," Dragon suddenly said. "On our way here, we ran into four large-scale human trafficking operations, all within the sea region surrounding Shimotsuki Village."
"At the moment, I still have matters to attend to and cannot spare people to fully investigate."
"But since everything is happening around your village, you should be on guard."
"If you want to get involved and look into it, I can leave a small squad behind. They'll help you clean this up before leaving."
"From the fragmented intelligence we've gathered so far, we can tell—"
"These human traffickers are organized and systematic. Their target selection is not random; there's a clear pattern."
"That means, behind them, there is almost certainly a large organization at work."
"So if you plan to intervene, you'd better think very carefully first."
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto