The giant bear ran away.
After being blasted dozens of meters away by Might Guy's perfected Great Vajra Leg, the enormous Ninja Bear had crashed into the hillside hard enough to collapse half the slope. Yet, despite suffering such terrifying damage, it had not died immediately.
Instead, while the children were still standing there in shock and excitement, the giant bear slowly regained consciousness.
Then it saw Might Guy again.
The moment its blood-red eyes locked onto that green-clad child standing beneath the moonlight, the giant bear's entire body visibly trembled.
Without even glancing at the unconscious cub beside it, the enormous beast turned around and fled into the depths of the forest at full speed.
Its retreating figure vanished so quickly that it looked almost desperate.
The massive crater on the hillside was still smoking faintly.
Under the cold moonlight, the six children stood silently while looking first at the unconscious cub lying on the ground and then toward the direction where the giant bear had disappeared.
For a moment, the atmosphere became strangely subtle.
Obito scratched his head awkwardly before speaking first. "Um... what do we do now?"
No one answered immediately.
Guy lowered his head and looked at his own right leg, the same leg that had just erupted with golden light moments ago. Then he glanced back toward the cub still lying on the ground.
The little bear remained unconscious.
Its enormous belly rose and fell slowly with each breath, completely unaware that its parent had already abandoned it and escaped.
Guy then looked toward the distant forest again.
That ten-meter-tall giant bear had fled even faster than it arrived.
At this point, not even its shadow could still be seen.
"It really ran away?" Obito widened his eyes in disbelief. "It actually left its own child behind and escaped?"
Kakashi nodded calmly beside him.
"Ninja Beasts are also afraid of death."
Obito's mouth hung open slightly as he stared toward the dark forest before turning back toward the cub.
"Then... what about this one?"
The group instantly fell silent again.
Kill it?
That thought naturally appeared in several of their minds at the same time.
However, none of them actually said it aloud.
After several seconds of silence, Kurenai softly spoke up. "How about... we release it?"
Rin nodded gently beside her. "It's still small."
Ebisu immediately pushed up his sunglasses and frowned. "Release it? Release it so it can grow up and come back for revenge later?"
Obito instantly shuddered.
"Oh right! It saw all of us just now!"
The atmosphere became quiet once more.
Guy slowly crouched down beside the cub and reached out to pat its head gently.
Its fur felt incredibly rough and stiff beneath his palm.
The cub groaned groggily from the touch but still did not wake up completely.
Guy thought quietly for a moment before raising his head toward Kakashi.
"What do you think?"
Kakashi calmly walked over and stopped in front of the cub.
Moonlight reflected off his silver hair while his visible eye remained calm and thoughtful.
"A living one is worth more than a dead one."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"This is an era of war. A Ninja Bear comparable to a Genin can be sold for quite a lot of money."
Everyone froze briefly after hearing that.
Sell it?
Obito blinked several times in confusion. "Sell... sell it to who exactly?"
Kakashi calmly glanced at him.
"There are many Ninja Clans inside the Village that want Summoned Beasts. A creature with this kind of defense can serve as an excellent meat shield. Even if it cannot use Ninjutsu, it's still easy to raise."
His tone remained calm and natural, almost as though he were discussing ordinary weather.
Surprisingly, after hearing his explanation, none of the children present felt anything strange about the idea.
This was the Ninja World.
This was an era of war.
Even children around six years old had already become familiar with things ordinary children should never have needed to understand.
Guy nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
Then he casually patted the cub's head again.
"Alright. Then we'll sell it and split the money equally."
The moment those words were spoken, Obito's eyes immediately lit up.
"Split it equally?! Seriously?!"
"Yes."
Obito's breathing immediately became hurried.
"H-How much would that even be?!"
Kakashi silently calculated for a moment before answering.
"A living Genin-level Ninja Bear... everyone should at least receive this much."
He raised one hand.
Obito swallowed hard.
"F-Five thousand Ryo?"
Kakashi calmly shook his head.
"Fifty thousand."
Obito sucked in a cold breath immediately.
Fifty thousand Ryo per person.
Six people.
That meant the total value of this little bear reached three hundred thousand Ryo.
Even Guy's expression shifted slightly after hearing the number.
Might Duy worked himself tirelessly on missions every single day simply to let Guy eat better meals and train properly.
Fifty thousand Ryo was already nearly equivalent to an entire month of Duy's mission income.
At this moment, Guy even glanced toward the direction where the giant bear had escaped earlier.
His eyes suddenly brightened slightly.
"I'll buy it."
The sudden voice caused everyone to turn around simultaneously.
Kurenai stood there beneath the moonlight while looking directly at the cub.
Her large wine-red eyes reflected faint light beautifully.
Obito's jaw instantly dropped.
"You?! Where would you get three hundred thousand Ryo?!"
Kurenai's cheeks flushed slightly red, but her voice remained steady.
"M-My family has it."
Obito froze instantly.
Then he suddenly remembered.
Kurenai Yuhi.
The Yuhi Clan.
Although not one of Konoha's strongest clans, the Yuhi Clan was still a long-established Genjutsu family with considerable wealth and influence inside the village.
Their clan grounds were large.
Their businesses were numerous.
Three hundred thousand Ryo might be a terrifying sum for ordinary civilians.
But for the Yuhi Clan...
Obito slowly shut his mouth.
Even Ebisu stopped talking.
Rin quietly smiled beside them.
Meanwhile, Guy simply grinned brightly.
"Deal."
Just one word.
Kurenai blinked in surprise.
"You... aren't going to negotiate the price?"
Guy casually shook his head.
"If you're buying it, then we'll use your price."
Kurenai's face immediately became even redder.
She lowered her head slightly and spoke in a much softer voice.
"T-Then... I'll go back and tell my father."
Guy nodded naturally.
"Okay."
Obito stared at the two of them with complete disbelief.
"Hey! You just agreed like that?! Three hundred thousand Ryo! What if her dad refuses?!"
Guy turned his head toward him.
"Then we'll sell it to someone else."
Obito immediately choked on his own words.
That... actually sounded reasonable.
But for some reason, he still felt that something was wrong here.
He looked at Kurenai.
Her head remained lowered while even the tips of her ears had turned red.
Then he looked at Guy.
Guy himself looked completely calm while casually patting the cub's head.
Then he looked toward Rin.
Rin was smiling quietly while watching everything unfold.
At that moment, Obito suddenly felt another painful stab of jealousy.
"Alright, alright. Let's tie it up first."
The group immediately became busy.
Some searched for strong vines while others began weaving ropes together. Before long, they securely tied the cub into a tightly bound bundle.
The little bear slowly woke up midway through the process.
Its eyes opened groggily, only to see several tiny humans surrounding it.
It instinctively struggled twice.
However, the vines held firmly.
Then it saw a green-clad face suddenly lean closer.
Thick eyebrows.
Big eyes.
And a bright smile.
"Don't move. I already found you a good home."
The cub blinked slowly.
It did not understand a single word.
However, for some reason, that tone strangely did not sound hostile.
So after staring blankly for a while, it quietly stopped struggling.
Kurenai knelt beside it with sparkling eyes.
"It's actually really well-behaved."
Rin smiled and nodded gently.
"Yeah. It's kind of cute."
Obito immediately curled his lips.
"Cute? One swipe from this thing could flatten you."
Kurenai ignored him completely.
Instead, she continued looking at the cub thoughtfully while whispering softly, "What should I call you from now on..."
Nearby, Ebisu continued tightening vines while muttering to himself.
"Can this thing really become a Summoned Beast? What if it wakes up one night and eats Kurenai?"
Kakashi calmly glanced at him.
"It won't after signing a Summoning Contract."
Ebisu instantly shut up.
After another half hour of work, the binding process was finally complete.
The result looked somewhat ridiculous.
The giant bear had escaped.
The cub, meanwhile, had been tied so tightly that it resembled a giant furry ball with only its head sticking out.
Obito circled around it three times before finally asking the most important question.
"How are we supposed to bring this thing back?"
Kakashi thought briefly before answering calmly.
"Drag it."
Obito's eyes widened.
"Drag it?!"
Kakashi looked at him expressionlessly.
"What else? Do you want to carry it?"
Obito looked toward the massive furball that was several times larger than himself and immediately fell silent.
At this moment, Guy had already stepped forward first.
He grabbed the thick vines and hoisted them directly over his shoulder.
"Let's go."
Then he began dragging the enormous cub across the ground.
Scrape. Scrape.
The cub's expression became increasingly dazed.
Its eyes practically seemed to ask: Where exactly am I being taken?
Under the bright moonlight, the group slowly began their journey back toward Konoha.
After walking for some distance, Kakashi gradually slowed his pace until he was walking beside Guy.
Guy glanced toward him.
Kakashi remained silent.
However, his expression clearly showed that he had something on his mind.
Guy patiently waited.
Kakashi still did not speak.
Finally, Guy could not help asking, "Hey. What exactly are you trying to say?"
Kakashi's footsteps faltered briefly.
He glanced toward the others walking behind them.
Obito was currently arguing loudly with Ebisu again while Rin and Kurenai quietly laughed nearby.
No one was paying attention to the two of them.
Kakashi slowly took a breath.
"Guy."
"Yeah?"
"I..."
Kakashi opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
Guy stopped walking and looked directly at him.
Under the moonlight, Kakashi's usually calm face revealed an unusually hesitant expression.
"What is it?"
Kakashi remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking softly.
"I'm planning to apply for early graduation."