NABC Chapter 105 The private soldier of the future
Chapter 105 The private soldier of the future
Chapter 105 The private soldier of the future
early morning.
Sunlight streamed onto the disheveled sheets.
Sosuke woke up.
The bed next to me was empty, but there was a faint warmth and the scent of hair.
The door was pushed open.
Kaori walked in.
She changed into a kimono, and her hairstyle changed from a neat ponytail to a gentle updo.
She looked radiant, her skin fair and rosy, and the tense ninja aura she usually exuded had faded, replaced by a touch of allure.
She blushed slightly upon seeing Sosuke, but quickly regained her composure.
Good morning, boss.
She carried a basin of hot water and a towel to the bedside.
"Let me wipe your face."
Sosuke sat up and let her serve him.
This feels good.
"Where's Yugao?"
"Chiba took her to the lab for a routine check-up. The child is in good spirits today and even asked when she can eat strawberries again."
When Kaori mentioned her daughter, a happy smile appeared on her face.
Tell her there are plenty of strawberries.
Sousuke puts on his clothes.
Taking Kaori into his household signifies that he has taken on a responsibility.
In the past, if he encountered a desperate situation, he could run away alone. But now, he has people he must take with him.
This is both a bond and a weakness.
But the strong must learn to manage their weaknesses.
Kaori quickly brought out breakfast again.
Simple white porridge with pickled vegetables, plus two boiled eggs.
Kaori knelt opposite Sousuke, quietly peeling an egg. Her movements were gentle, her fingertips bearing the thin calluses from years of holding a knife; at this moment, her hands were only for him.
"Boss, here you go."
She placed the clean egg in Sosuke's bowl.
"You eat too."
Sosuke picked up some pickled vegetables.
What are the plans for today?
"I have to report to the Dark Division this morning to receive my new intelligence analysis assignment. This afternoon I have to pick up Xiyan from school; she's recently started learning the Three Body Technique."
Kaori's schedule is very full.
"Okay. Go ahead."
Sosuke finished the last mouthful of porridge.
"Pay close attention to the movements of the roots in the shadows."
"6
"clear."
Kaori tidied up the dishes, changed into her ANBU uniform, put on her mask, jumped out of the window, and disappeared into the morning mist.
The room fell silent.
Sosuke went up to his office on the third floor.
As usual, Ryoma Aburame stood in the shadows, like a lifeless sculpture.
"Good morning, Ryoma."
"Good morning, Jonin Takaya." Ryoma adjusted his sunglasses. "Chuniin Might Guy is waiting for you."
"Wear?"
Sosuke was somewhat surprised.
Since Dai became a Chunin instructor, he has been so busy that he rarely has time to come here.
"Let him in."
Not long after, heavy footsteps sounded.
Matt Day walked into the office.
He was wearing a Chunin vest, but his green bodysuit was still stubbornly underneath, with a section of his collar showing.
However, Dai didn't look as energetic as usual today.
His eyebrows drooped, and his signature smile was forced, like a large dog that had been soaked in the rain.
"What's wrong, Dai? This isn't like you."
Sosuke twirled the iron bladder in his hand.
"I rarely see you with that expression."
"Boss————"
Dai sighed, sat on the sofa, and put his hands behind his head.
"I might not be suitable to be an instructor."
"Why? Your physical skills are enough to teach anyone."
"It's not a problem with physical skills."
Dai's voice sounded somewhat downcast.
"It's a matter of conscience."
"I was assigned to a class. Class 37."
"That was a temporary class consisting of twelve 'surplus students'."
"Overpopulation?" Sosuke narrowed his eyes.
"He's just a kid with mediocre talent, who can't learn ninjutsu, has no talent for genjutsu, and is only average in taijutsu."
Dai clenched his fist.
"Because Iwagakure has also officially deployed troops for direct combat, the front lines are under strain, and the village has issued an order to 'accelerate graduation.'"
"These children, who should have repeated a grade, were forcibly grouped into classes and given only a month of intensive training before being sent to the front lines."
"My mission is to teach them how to throw explosive tags, how to use the Substitution Jutsu to escape, and—how to send out intelligence before they die."
Sosuke understood.
These are all "fill-in-the-blank babies".
In the face of the meat grinder of war, elite ninjas are the blade, while these mediocre genin are merely sandbags used to deplete the enemy's chakra or to detect traps.
This is the cruelest unspoken rule in the ninja village: exchanging inferior horses for the survival of superior horses.
"You want to save them?" Sosuke asked.
"I want to teach them real skills!" Dai stood up excitedly, "Teach them how to build their bodies!"
"But—it's too late."
"Only one month."
"Furthermore, the logistics department refused to provide them with standard ninja tools."
"They felt that these kids wouldn't survive the first mission anyway, so giving them high-quality ninja tools was a waste of resources. They only gave them a few old swords."
Wearing a mask, his expression was pained.
"Boss, those are a bunch of twelve or thirteen-year-old kids! They're going to fight the enemy with rusty knives? That's practically suicide!"
Sosuke fell silent.
This is the exploitation of individuals by the system. For the sake of the greater good and the chances of winning, the weak are sacrificed as a matter of course, and even their posthumous compensation is withheld.
Matt Day, this passionate man, felt a profound sense of powerlessness in the face of this ruthless scheming.
"Wear.
""
Sosuke spoke up.
"How much money do you think could buy their lives?"
"Huh?" Dai was stunned.
"I'm asking you, how much money would it cost to fully arm them and maximize their chances of survival?"
Dai thought for a moment.
"If it's a standard stab-proof vest, plus brand-new kunai, and enough explosive tags and ration pills—"
He calculated a number.
"Each person needs at least 50,000 taels. For twelve people, that's 600,000 taels."
"That's why the supplies department refused to approve it."
Sousuke sneered.
"In their eyes, the lives of these twelve children are not even worth 600,000 yuan."
He stood up and walked to the safe.
Turn the combination lock. Click.
The heavy iron gate opened. Inside, it was piled high with banknotes and gold bars.
Sosuke casually grabbed a few bundles of banknotes and threw them into a bag.
"Here is one million taels."
He tossed the bag to Dai.
"Take it."
Dai caught it in a flurry of activity.
"Boss, this—"
"Listen, Dai."
Sosuke's voice was beyond question.
"I'm not doing charity. I'm doing it for myself."
"You, Matt Daley, are my most important protector. If you are traumatized by the deaths of these students, or even disappointed in the village, that is my loss."
"I'm willing to spend this million to keep you in a good mood."
"But—ninja tools are all controlled, so even if I have money, I can't buy them in bulk," Dai said with difficulty.
"Who told you to buy someone else's?"
Sosuke pointed out the window.
"Go to Tenten Ninja Tools Shop. I'm the major shareholder now."
Sosuke took out a permit from the drawer and stamped it with the seal of Takaya Shokai.
"Take this with you, and the shopkeeper will sell it to you."
Holding the money and the approval slip, Dai burst into tears.
"Boss—I—I thank you on behalf of those children!"
"Don't thank me yet."
Sousuke sat back in his chair.
"Keep this low-key. Don't say you bought it; just say it was an equipment test sponsored by the Takaya Trading Company."
"Treat them as my equipment testers."
"That way, the people in the supplies department won't have anything to say."
"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"
Dai wiped away his tears of emotion, gave Sousuke a perfectly standard ninja salute, and then rushed out with the bag in his arms.
"Youth! Has been resurrected!"
Watching Dai Yuan's departing figure, Ryoma Aburame, standing in the corner, pushed up his sunglasses.
"Jōnin Takaya, what you're doing will cause dissatisfaction in the supplies department."
"That's for sure."
Sosuke didn't care at all.
"Packaging the worst performers into elites makes the person in charge of allocation look stupid."
"but----"
"I'm doing this for the village—if half of these twelve children can survive, even if only three do."
"They will all achieve extraordinary things."
Ryoma fell silent.
Sosuke's thoughts could not be hidden from him.
On the surface, Sosuke was indeed contributing to the village.
But when the time comes, those children who survive will remember for the rest of their lives who gave them the supplies to survive.
This loyalty will be even stronger than the Will of Fire.
This businessman is investing in a potential future "private army".
This is truly appalling.