Chapter 60 Ber? Why are you still...

Chapter 60

When Kurokawa Kaoru found Sperbi Squalo, he had just been pulled from the water by Yamamoto Takeshi. Hearing a sound behind him, Sperbi Squalo turned around and saw Kurokawa Kaoru. His expression shifted slightly, and he let out an incomprehensible chuckle.

"I know you. You're the brat that the jerk leader finds interesting."

"Should I feel honored?"

Unaware of the gaze that Sperbi Squalo was casting on him, Kurokawa Kaoru took two steps forward and stood in front of Yamamoto Takeshi. "So you're still alive."

"That's too much! Isn't it because Heichuan is worried about me that he came here?"

"Worried about you? Do you think it's possible?"

Hearing what was said... Yamamoto Takeshi smiled and shook his head, and he relaxed completely.

"Your presence here, does it mean that the shark has been dealt with?"

Hearing Yamamoto Takeshi's words, Kurokawa Kaoru nodded, then shook his head. "It's just an abdominal injury, not fatal. With good care, it should be fully recovered in two weeks at most."

At this point, his expression paused, and his words were heard across the screen, reaching the ears of the people watching outside: "Did you hear that, Cerbero?"

"If you can't even properly care for a shark, then it only proves that you never intended to keep it alive from the beginning. And I have the right to doubt that, as the Vongola's Cerbero Agency, you are truly loyal to the Vongola by doing something that could potentially damage its image."

Kurokawa Kaoru's words were so blunt that even the knowledgeable Sawada Iemitsu couldn't help but gasp.

From what he said, if Cerbero didn't take good care of the shark, it was clear that they didn't care about the Vongola's image at all. As a threat to the family, the Vongola assassination team, Varian, had an obligation to eliminate them.

"Even XANXUS was plotting against them."

Sawada Iemitsu clenched his fists and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

He had never met anyone like Kurokawa Kaoru, who was smart and calm, and would take advantage of people and things he didn't care about without hesitation.

In fact, this is in line with the outside world's definition of the mafia, but for Sawada Iemitsu, this kind of Kurokawa Kaoru... rather than being an excellent mafia, he is more like a precise calculating instrument, with a hint of coldness.

Allowing such a dangerous person to come into contact with Tsuna——

Sawada Iemitsu lowered his eyes and said in a flat voice, "Do you think this is good for Tsuna, Reborn?"

"You're only seeing the surface of things."

As if he had already guessed that Sawada Iemitsu would say this to him, Reborn smiled and turned to look at Kurokawa Kaoru on the screen: "What you saw is your understanding of Kurokawa Kaoru. You didn't see what he was like in private, how he interacted with Tsuna, and how he treated the people around him. You didn't see any of that."

“…”

"I was thinking too narrowly."

After a brief silence, Sawada Iemitsu sighed: "I feel relieved to leave Tsuna to you. Since you think there is no problem with Kurokawa Kaoru, I will also try my best to trust him."

Sawada Iemitsu's idea was simple: the current state of the Vongola required a new leader. He hoped that Tsunayoshi Sawada would become the tenth generation leader, and that the Vongola would continue to prosper under his leadership. As Tsunayoshi's tutor, Reborn had an obligation to screen the people around him, helping him avoid unnecessary interpersonal complications before he could truly grow.

He considered Kurokawa Kaoru dangerous because he attacked the shark without hesitation when he saw it. Sawada Iemitsu knew that without Kurokawa Kaoru, Sperbi Squalo and Yamamoto Takeshi, who remained in the building, would likely have been killed by the shark. However, since no one had been injured, from his perspective, Kurokawa Kaoru's actions were a bit too cruel.

But from Reborn's perspective, if he clearly knew that the shark would pose a threat to those around him, it would be a wise choice to kill it before any misfortune occurred. So he didn't think there was anything wrong with Kurokawa Kaoru's approach, and even admired it a little.

However, Kurokawa Kaoru did not kill the shark. Instead, after seeing the unread message, he calmed down.

Killing the shark and letting the shark get hurt and retreat are both correct choices. The former only shows that Kurokawa Kaoru is a qualified mafia, and as for the latter, Reborn values Kurokawa Kaoru more for his control of emotions, which is also a prerequisite for a qualified family leader.

"In fact, it wasn't until just now that I truly confirmed that becoming friends with Kurokawa Kaoru was the right thing for Tsuna, and it was also something to be thankful for."

If it weren't for that unread message, the shark would have been killed by Kurokawa Kaoru. Reborn and Sawada Iemitsu could see that Kurokawa Kaoru was close to losing control at that time, but he was able to regulate his emotions in such a short time.

On the one hand, as he thought, no matter what the relationship between the person who sent the message and Kurokawa Kaoru was, at least he was important to him. On the other hand, the fact that he could control his emotions so precisely was enough to show how terrifying Kurokawa Kaoru was.

A terrifying person like him can only be a friend. If Kurokawa Kaoru is Sawada Tsunayoshi's enemy, the consequences will be disastrous.

"What kind of person is Kurokawa Kaoru, and whether he will pose a threat to Vongola in the future, these are not important. What is important is that Kurokawa Kaoru and Tsuna are friends now."

Hearing the meaning behind Reborn's words, Sawada Iemitsu's expression changed slightly, and he finally nodded in compromise: "I understand."

He didn't care at all about Reborn and Sawada Iemitsu's evaluation of him. Together with Yamamoto Takeshi, he dragged Sperbi Squalo out of the building. After confirming that he was caught by Lusilia and others, Kurokawa Kaoru planned to leave.

He never expected that as soon as he turned around, someone grabbed his collar from behind.

"XANXUS."

Kurokawa Kaoru was somewhat helpless: "As you said, I have changed back into men's clothes. What else are you dissatisfied with?"

"That was some pretty good stuff just now."

After confirming that Sperbi Squalo was alright, Xanxus's expression relaxed slightly, though not noticeably. Grabbing the man's collar, he managed to make him stare down at him with his feet suspended in the air. Sensing Kurokawa Kaoru's inner rage, Xanxus's eyebrows rose, and his grip on him suddenly loosened. Seeing Kurokawa Kaoru stumble a few steps before regaining his footing, he smiled with satisfaction.

"Did you deliberately speak in front of everyone so that I could find out? Is there something wrong with Cerbero?"

"In fact, I don't think you would trust a guy like this who suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

The reason why he believed Cerbero was simply because of the souvenir from the ninth generation of Vongola.

"That letter was given to you by Cerbero, right?"

"You're really smart."

Hearing what Kurokawa Kaoru said, the smile in XANXUS's eyes became even brighter: "The truth is just as you said. If it weren't for this rubbish organization that calls itself Cerbero, I wouldn't have received the souvenir from the Ninth Hokage."

XANXUS used the stiff "Ninth Daeme" instead of "Father" to address the Ninth Daeme. Hearing something else in the other person's words, Kurokawa Kaoru's expression shifted slightly, and he looked up to meet XANXUS's gaze.

"I'm not interested in your Vongola affairs. At most, I'm just curious. After all, from my point of view, I don't think you would do anything that would be detrimental to Vongola."

"Those self-righteous losers who naively think they can fool everyone. There are plenty of opportunities to kill them. What's important is... what I can gain through them."

XANXUS hadn't concealed anything about the matter with Cerberus. Seeing the silence on his face, he reached out and once again grasped Kurokawa Kaoru's collar. "Since you're so smart, why don't you guess what I want?"

Kurokawa Kaoru's brows furrowed: "This is your business."

He had clearly stated that he had no interest in Vongola affairs, whether XANXUS had a theoretical conflict with the Ninth Generation, or was dissatisfied with the existing Vongola system, or why he ultimately reached a "deal" with Cerberus, none of it had anything to do with him.

"Since the duel between you and Sawada Tsunayoshi is already a foregone conclusion, all we need to do is wait for the outcome."

As a bystander, Kurokawa Kaoru had done quite a bit. In fact, even on his way here, he had already decided to sever all ties with the Mafia after the Ring War was over. As for whether he would have any new interactions with Sawada Tsunayoshi in the future... Honestly, Kurokawa Kaoru didn't really want to think about it.

His meaning was very clear, and even someone as slow-witted as Sberbi Squalo could understand it.

However, XANXUS has always been a man of his own accord, doing things according to his own will. Furthermore, XANXUS is somewhat interested in Kurokawa Kaoru at this stage, so Kurokawa Kaoru's idea of "staying away from the mafia" is probably impossible to achieve.

Do you want to stay out of it and be a condescending bystander?

Seeing Kurokawa Kaoru frowning at him, clearly wanting him to let go, XANXUS scoffed, his hot breath splashing on Kurokawa Kaoru's face. "The reason I'm telling you all this is to make you think hard, rack your brains, and then come up with a correct answer."

"If your answer doesn't satisfy me—"

As if thinking of something interesting, XANXUS licked his lips, his eyes flushing a frightening red with excitement. "Your parents, your friends, and your Kurokawa family, which is vulnerable except for the database...everything will be dragged down by you."

“…”

"You don't want this to happen, do you?"

TBC.