White received it blankly, looking perplexed at Aoba.
Then Aoba patted his shoulder and smiled, "It's a gift for you, take it. You're welcome."
Although Aoba had many masks in his ninjutsu bag, he would only randomly give one away once he was sure which one he was looking for.
So, the mask he gave to White was explicitly used to discipline troublesome kids.
Except for the eyes, pure white was practically a semi-finished product without any other facial features.
If it hadn't been for searching for a gift for Karin, he would have forgotten he still had this thing.
White probably wouldn't mind because, for White, the meaning of the gift might be more significant than its practicality and value.
Just like how Karin was so happy over a pair of pink glasses.
"A gift... for me..."
"Thank you!"
After a daze, White suddenly showed a genuine smile as clean as a snow lotus.
Coupled with his beautiful appearance and long hair, it was tough to distinguish his gender.
No wonder in a past life, White's gender was explicitly marked as male, yet there were still many who refused to believe it, insisting White was female and arguing about it everywhere.
Even some fan fiction specifically turned a White into a female or simply turned a White female and then included her in a harem...
It was for the pursuit of some thrill.
The overly innocent Aoba confessed he didn't understand; he was still a kid.
Seeing White very happy to keep the mask carefully, Aoba smiled satisfactorily. The gift was inexpensive, but the thought counted—saving him some money on perfect gifts!
If only everyone were like White...
A particular greedy person thought of peaches again.
After White left satisfied, Aoba suddenly turned to Karin, "How have the training missions been completed while I was away?"
Karin, wearing pink glasses and grinning foolishly, was stunned and then said in a small voice, "All... all completed."
Aoba sneered, "Really? You should know what the punishment for not telling the truth is."
Karin instinctively covered her bottom, swallowing nervously, "Just missed a little bit..."
"A little bit? Ranmaru, tell me! Don't think about colluding with someone; otherwise, you'll be punished too."
Karin turned her head, threatening Ranmaru fiercely.
However, Ranmaru hesitated momentarily before recognizing the situation and immediately betrayed Karin without hesitation!
"Karin sneaked off to play for three days!"
"And didn't even bring me!"
The latter part seemed more important!
Three black lines appeared on Aoba's forehead, and he waited with a chuckle for Karin to continue making excuses.
But the truth was out, and Karin wasn't that foolish.
She immediately knelt on the chair, bowing her head cleanly.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault!"
The posture, tone, and the speed of admitting fault... were all perfect.
This should merit a lighter punishment.
Karin couldn't help but praise her cleverness, humming to herself and preparing to deal with Ranmaru properly after getting through this difficulty.
She had 'turned' him but didn't expect the big-eyed Ranmaru to be a 'traitor'!
Indeed, not taking him out to play was the right decision!
And then...
Thud!
"Ah!"
With Aoba's merciless tap on her head with his knuckle, Karin instantly cried out, then covered her head, tears swirling in her eyes.
It hurts~
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Karin, with her hands covering her head, nodded pitifully.
"So, as punishment, your training volume will be doubled next week!"
Karin felt as if she had been struck by lightning. The bump on her head from being hit seemed not to hurt as much anymore because there was something even more painful waiting for her.
A week... Doubling the training volume is deadly!
Karin immediately protested cautiously: "I've only missed three training days. Why am I being punished for seven days?"
"Hm? Dare to talk back? Ten days!"
Karin's gaze turned bleak, but she dared no longer bargain, as she had no rights whatsoever.
"Don't think about slacking off by the lake, fooling around. I will personally supervise your training for the next ten days, and if you don't complete it, you won't get to eat."
"Yes..."
Karin replied feebly. The next ten days would be hellish.
She suddenly regretted it!
Not because she didn't run out to play but because she should have brought Ranmaru along.
That way, she could have dragged someone down with her, a tactic commonly called the "water ghost strategy"!
It was truly unfair that she was the only one being punished.
That night, Karin ate like a starving ghost reincarnated, not putting down her chopsticks until she was so full she couldn't move, begrudgingly accepting it was probably the last decent meal she would get for a while.
She had to eat as much as possible to endure as long as possible.
This also let Aoba, who had seen all of this, couldn't help but laugh and cry, guessing precisely what she was thinking.
If only she had put all this effort into her daily training, he wouldn't have to stand by with a small whip every time.
Does he have nothing better to do?
No need for complicated training?
...
As Karin suffered, critical words like Akatsuki, Yasuo, and the Blood Moon Sect were making the rounds among the leaders of the various ninja villages.
With the drama getting so big, involving renowned powerhouses like Tsunade, all parties were bound to do everything possible to gather intel.
Hence, although Orochimaru had issued a gag order behind the scenes, much information about this battle still leaked.
Of course, the focus was on Yasuo, a member of the Akatsuki, who single-handedly defeated all of Konoha's pursuing forces and even forced the legendary Sannin Tsunade into a hasty retreat.
This achievement was enough to draw the attention of all the major ninja villages.
Moreover, a specific point was highlighted in the intel: Yasuo was most skilled in swordsmanship, to the extent that Tsunade herself admitted that she and a group of Konoha's elites didn't even qualify to force him to draw his sword.
Just how strong is this person?
Furthermore, the intel mentioned that Yasuo knew a forbidden jutsu capable of summoning the souls of the deceased to fight for him.
The Fourth Mizukage and the Fourth Kazekage were frequently mentioned in this context!
This matter provoked the major ninja villages, daring to defile the souls of previous generations.
This was intolerable!
Initially, even the Second Hokage, who developed the Impure World Reincarnation, didn't dare to do such a thing. Who gave Yasuo the courage?
Thus, Yasuo became famous, becoming a thorn in the side of many people.
And along with him, the Akatsuki also gained infamy...