Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Journeys We Make

Cool and Experience

"Do you really have to do that?" a broad-shouldered mercenary with a fluffy, crescent-shaped, upward-pointing hairdo and a brushy mustache turned to his partner who floated off the ground. He sustained his flight through several jolts of Lightning Release chakra, being more than just a mercenary but a rogue ninja capable of more complex feats of ninjutsu.

"I've got to keep training. I'm going to bump into that little bitch, eventually. Somehow, she's out of the slammer, I've heard," a bald individual in a dark jumpsuit with a skin riddled with scars exclaimed as he intensified the electromagnetic push keeping him afloat.

"Oh, you mean the Konoha's Sorceress kid?" Geppo scratched his head. "It's crazy. She only got a few months or something for beating an old man senseless. Meanwhile, an honest to God man just making end's meat has to spend whole years behind bars... I'm telling you, the whole system is stacked against you."

"It makes me cringe when I say this, but I got off easy. The Middle Ring himself won't see the light of day just for looking out for his hometown. Not sure what the poor guy's up to these days. If I'd be seen around him or the part of his crew, that's still running wild, I'd be shut in a tight cell right beside him." Raitoncide said.

"Eh, you've got a decent gig, all things considered, that's right." Geppo shifted his lower jaw in contemplation. "It pays well and all we've got to do is trade some ryo for some merchandise. Nobody's gonna raise a ruckus, nobody's interested in trouble. Everyone just wants to live happy and fulfilling lives and get fat."

"Sure. But take my advice, no matter how well life treats ya, keep everything at a full arm's distance. It's only because I wriggled out of being associated with the Middle Ring that I don't rot in prison somewhere and can even do some honest work. Though, to be fair, I kind of miss some action. I wouldn't mind frying someone from time to time. If it weren't for Ijiki's side-hustles, I'd probably grow bored out of my mind..." Raitoncide said.

"Forest here, forest there, forest fucking everywhere. Good thing that Hanada's crew at least had the decency to set up shop by a shrine. Good luck finding the X spot otherwise..." Geppo shook his head.

"That's 'cause you're a loser, Geppo. You try too hard and you're, no offense, still kind of shit at this. You hustle and wriggle like a maggot and you get lost or get late. If it weren't for me, someone would've gotten sick of your shit and killed your sorry ass already," Raitoncide smirked, cheeking his partner. Geppo didn't look thrilled to be reduced to dirt this way. The man looked like he was a few degrees short of blowing the lid off its hinges.

"See? Even now you wanna murder me. So you murder me, what then? You think Hanada's men will deal with you when you come all covered in blood and shit? You think you're gonna even find them or manage to kill me and still get to the deal location in time? Nah, you're gonna fuck it up again. You're not fucking it up now though, you know why?" Raitoncide kept spreading his wisdom.

"Why?" Geppo asked.

"'Cause you're learning from me. You're keeping your cool about you. Those are the two things that matter the most in our line of honest work–cool and experience. You gain one through the tough grind, if you can survive it, you apply the other to execute and emphasize the first–that's a good guy everyone wants to work with. You're gonna get that working with me, 'cause I'm experienced and I'm cool..." Raitoncide shrugged, as if it was not a fault of his own that he ended up boasting before his old time acquaintance.

"Yeah, I guess those two things are pretty handy to have..." a husky, cybernetic voice came from the opposite side beyond the shrine in the deeper parts of the forest. Raitoncide and Geppo froze with blank stares as they couldn't pin down the source of this voice, or rather, why the source was sitting on top of a body pile and throwing kunai only to catch and whizz it over his finger.