Chapter 18. Long, jet-black hair cascaded over her shoulders…

You didn't come to the Land of Waves just for a vacation. Although the scenery here is beautiful, you haven't forgotten your work. Recently, you've been trying to get involved in the arms industry. Opening up a new business empire is more difficult than you imagined, especially since this industry is monopolized by a few large organizations. As a newcomer, you will naturally face their exclusion.

You were still looking at documents during dinner. These were the materials that Bai had collected and integrated, which recorded the leaders of the military industry organizations.

He poured you a glass of lemon sparkling water and then asked, "Do you need me to take care of these people?"

“Wait, I haven’t even finished looking at this list yet.” You took a sip of your water and Zabuza said, “If you want to enter this industry through peaceful means, the chances of success are zero.”

He still loves to dampen your spirits, and you glance at him. "I don't think I asked you to speak, did I?"

Zabuza clicked his tongue, his expression displeased, but he obediently remained silent until you flipped to the last page of the list. You leaned back in your chair, your body slid slightly, sitting lazily, holding a glass of sparkling water that was still bubbling. You turned to one of the pages and said with a bit of curiosity, "This guy, wasn't he just a nobody before? How did he suddenly become a leader?"

He glanced at him and said, "There must be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes to get him into this position."

Bai suddenly remembered something, "I remember... he was originally from the Land of Rain. He went to other countries to make a living because he couldn't stay in his own country. But then he suddenly returned to the Land of Rain and quickly rose to his current position."

Ah... there must be many details to explore here. You rub your chin with your fingers. "Is there a ninja village there too, called... um, Amegakure, right?"

“Yes, but this village has very little contact with the outside world, so I don’t know much about it,” Bai replied.

This is a closed foreign policy. You seemed to be thinking about this. Zabuza noticed your doubts and said, "Never mind, I happen to have some free time in the next period of time. I will go to Amegakure to investigate."

Your attitude towards his interruption was completely different this time; you smiled and said, "That's really too much trouble for you."

Zabuza sneered, "So you feel embarrassed too? I thought you were the kind of person who would let others do whatever they wanted with a clear conscience."

"You always have to put on a show," you shrug.

Although you have achieved some success in business, you know that even a successful businessman can be wiped out in an instant in this world. After all, this is a cruel world where the strong prey on the weak. Your business development has also aroused the envy of other competitors. You don't know when it started, but you have been assassinated one after another. Fortunately, you had the foresight to prepare in advance. The guards you prepared in advance came in handy at this time. You left the elite part of this team in the Land of Waves, and you even established a special military base there.

Fortunately, as long as you pay enough, the Daimyo of the Land of Waves will let you do whatever you want, unless you build a military base next to their capital. It's just a military base.

Moreover, the military base you establish here can also help the local residents. At least for the time being, the frequency of pirates has greatly decreased, and the social security level here has risen sharply.

After all that, what you really want to say is that there are quite a few people who want to take your head.

Therefore, you specifically arranged for several powerful subordinates to accompany you.

You put down the glass and said to Zabuza, "Actually, I'm a little reluctant to see you leave."

Zabuza's expression became very subtle, probably because he didn't expect to hear such words from you. He said, "Are you saying this just to disgust me?"

His personality is very awkward; he's the kind of person who can turn a perfectly good sentence into a threat or intimidation. You could only say he's exceptionally gifted. You could say, "Anyway... be careful on the road, don't die out there. I'll be very sad to lose a subordinate like you."

For some reason, Zabuza suddenly asked again, "Did you say something like that to that Uchiha brat too?"

"No." You were at work when he went on his mission, and by the time you got back, his mission was over. Besides, even from a layman's perspective, you know that Itachi's talent far surpasses Zabuza's, so you said, "He's stronger than you."

That's just your personality—speaking frankly. But Zabuza seems even angrier. He didn't even eat dinner before storming out to carry out his mission. Seeing his angry back, you still smiled and commented, "What a responsible and good subordinate."

Bai hesitated, then looked over, the smile still on her face. She said, "Does Bai also want to go on a field mission? I'm really going to miss you. It's probably better for Bai to stay by my side."

"It'll get cold if you don't eat dinner soon," Bai reminded you. Only then did you lower your head and concentrate on eating your dinner.

After dinner, you changed into your swimsuit and swam a few laps in the outdoor pool. Then you leaned against the edge of the pool, panting. Sigh, your physique is the same as in your previous life. In your previous life, your physique would have been considered above average among a crowd, but because there are ninjas in this world, your physique seems very weak.

Bai knelt by the pool and asked if you needed help. You looked up, and water droplets slid down your brow bone, with tiny droplets clinging to your eyelashes. You blinked, and the water droplets shook off.

Bai was still wearing that plain-colored suit, which made him look elegant and refined. You crossed your arms and rested your head on it, saying, "Want to come play in the water together?"

"this……"

Before he could even finish speaking, you dragged him into the mess. In reality, with his strength, how could he possibly not have avoided your sneak attack? He just didn't want to dodge it.

With a splash, the boy tumbled into the pool, creating a spray of water. A smug smile played on your face as you gloated over your mischievous act.

Bai could swim too. He quickly regained his balance, suspending his upper body on the water's surface. He then wiped the water droplets from his cheeks with his hands, without any intention of blaming you. He simply said, "My clothes aren't really suitable for swimming."

He was telling the truth. His clothes became somewhat heavy after getting wet. You could see the hem of his clothes soaking in the light-colored pool water, swaying slightly with the flow of the water, just like a blooming water lily.

You readily apologize, but he seems somewhat at a loss and says, "No, you don't need to apologize to me. It's my fault, and I should have considered that."

How did it become his problem again? You blink and decide not to argue with him about it. You scoop up a handful of water and splash it at him.

Bai has definitely never played the water-splashing game before. No matter how much water you splash on him, he doesn't retaliate at all. You sigh and say, "Bai, you can fight back."

"But I don't want to." He was even reluctant to splash water on you, and in the end he just shook off a few tiny water droplets with his hands, and even then he was worried that the fine water droplets might splash into your eyes.

Finally, you conclude, "You really are a very kind and good child."

Bai walked ashore, wringing out the water from his clothes, and asked, "Is this a compliment or a criticism?"

"It's a compliment, why would I criticize you for no reason?"

Water dripped from his white hair and the corners of his clothes, while his long, jet-black hair cascaded over his shoulders, making him look like a beautiful water ghost. He said, "Because you often criticize Mr. Zabuza."

"Hahaha—" You couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I definitely use different methods for different people. Zabuza... If you're too nice to him, he'll think you're up to something. Some people are just naturally suspicious. He's different from you. You're a good kid."

The praised boy smiled brightly, and you took his hand as you walked down the corridor and escorted him back to his room.

"Goodnight then," you said.

His hair had become half-dry as he walked, and his eyes were sparkling. "Well, goodnight."

When you return to your room, you find that you are not the first to come back. There is another uninvited guest in your room. Don't misunderstand, he is not here to assassinate you, but the person in charge who has come to report on the situation of other orphanages.

You were still wearing a large bath towel, and your half-dry long hair was casually draped over your shoulders. You looked at the young man standing by your desk helping you tidy up. He turned around, adjusted his glasses, and smiled gently and politely. He said, "Going swimming tonight, Miss Mingxi, you're really in high spirits."

"Alright, let's skip the unnecessary pleasantries. What did Orochimaru ask you to do this time?" you asked Kabuto.

The latter casually opened your wardrobe and took out your pajamas and bath towel, as if he did it often. He said, "It's nothing really, just reporting to you on the recent situation at those orphanages. Oh, by the way, Lord Orochimaru asked me to thank you on his behalf, saying that the experiments with the death row inmates you provided went very smoothly."

As he spoke, he walked over to you and dried the ends of your hair with a towel. "He also said he was very happy to have such an excellent partner as you."

You said, "It's better to use death row inmates for experiments than to let you harm orphans."

Kabuto carefully wiped your hair, saying, "But even if we don't harm these orphans, they will die in the war."

"Aren't you just using a fallacy? Since you're going to die eventually, according to your logic, wouldn't I be able to take your life right now?" You chuckled irritably as he continued to argue with you.

"Oh dear, Miss Mingxi's temper is still as fiery as ever. Do you really care that much about those orphans? Some of them don't even care about their own lives. What's the point of you doing that?" He lowered his eyes, and the light from the bedside lamp shone on his glasses, creating a streak of light.

"I did it because I had the ability to do it, so what's the point?" You looked up and stared into his eyes. He paused in wiping his hair, and the smile that was always on his face stiffened for a moment.

"Ha... Miss Aki is so... kind."

A note from the author:

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After Mingxi leaves Konoha, lots of girls will be flocking to him! [starry-eyed]