Chapter 277 Win-Win

Until that golden figure disappeared at the end of the street, Hyuga Fū still felt as if he were walking on cotton, his head spinning as if he had drunk a liter of fake wine.

“Mom…”

Hyuga Fū swallowed hard and reached out to support the Old Lady’s arm, his voice airy. “Did… did you hear that just now? Lord Minato said… said Aokawa is a Jonin… that’s a Jonin!”

“I heard it! I heard it! I’m not deaf, what are you shouting for!”

The Old Lady rolled her eyes at her son. Although traces of tears remained at the corners of her eyes, her back was now ramrod straight, and her cane thudded against the ground with a powerful aura.

“I knew my grandson would be successful! Not like you, never making a name for yourself your whole life, only knowing how to sigh all day long.”

The Old Lady huffed, her spirit seemingly making her ten years younger in an instant. “Let’s go! Home! Go to the market and buy an old hen to raise. When that brat comes back, I’ll stew it immediately to nourish his body! Look how thin he’s gotten!”

The mother and son were about to turn back when they found they couldn’t move an inch.

The neighbors who had been watching from a distance now swarmed forward, their faces plastered with smiles warmer than those of close relatives.

“Oh, Auntie Hyuga! Congratulations! Such great news!”

The lady from the tofu shop next door squeezed through the crowd, her enthusiasm burning like fire. “I knew it! Seeing Aokawa running early in the morning back then, his eyes were different! What do they call it… the appearance of a Dragon and Phoenix! Come to my place tonight and take two pieces of tofu, on the house, to celebrate for the boy!”

“Move, move, what are two pieces of tofu worth!” The owner of a Ninja Tool Shop behind her squeezed in, his face glowing as he shook Hyuga Fū’s hand. “Brother Fū! From now on, the maintenance of Lord Aokawa’s Ninja Tools is on me! We’re all old neighbors here, I’ll give a discount… no, it’s free!”

“Your grandson isn’t engaged yet, is he? You’ve seen my daughter, she’s…”

“Mr. Fū, I’m from the Izakaya on the corner ahead. Come by and sit often in the future!”

Compliments, congratulations, and attempts to build connections flooded the mother and son like a tide.

This was reality.

A moment ago, they were the “unlucky Branch House” and “pitiful people who lost a son” in everyone’s mouths.

Now, they were “family of a hero” and “elders of a Jonin.”

Hyuga Fū was a bit at a loss, only able to smile awkwardly and nod repeatedly.

While the Old Lady was also experiencing this kind of scene for the first time, she had lived a long life; what kind of social fickleness hadn’t she seen?

She stood tall, a reserved yet proud smile on her face, accepting all the flattery while offering a few modest remarks.

“Not at all, it’s all thanks to the guidance of the lords.”

“The boy just has good luck. He takes after me, he’s tough.”

“Engaged? That won’t do. My Aokawa said he must focus on his career. Now that he’s a Jonin, he has to work harder for the Village, doesn’t he?”

The Old Lady dealt with the overly enthusiastic neighbors while hobbling toward home with her cane.

Though she spoke modestly, the slight upward curve of her lips and the pride in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Sunlight spilled over the crowded street, casting long shadows of the mother and son.

At the edge of the crowd, under the shade of a large tree.

Hyuga Ayane stood on her tiptoes, watching Aokawa’s grandmother and uncle from afar, tiny beads of sweat forming on the tip of her small nose.

“Lord Minato said… Aokawa-kun became a Jonin,” Hyuga Ayane murmured to herself.

“But… he’s been sent somewhere else again?” She bit her lip, her large white eyes filled with disappointment.

She had waited for so long, counting the days since the end of the exam.

But in the triumphant return of the troops, the figure she wanted to see was missing.

Although she knew he was a hero and felt proud of him, the small hope in her heart falling through still made her a little sad.

At the same time.

On the border of the Land of Hot Springs, atop the ruins of a fortress named “Cliff’s Edge.”

A wild wind howled, swirling the yellow sand across the sky.

Aokawa sat cross-legged atop a massive rock, his green Jonin vest flapping in the wind.

He wasn’t suffering as his family feared. At this moment, his eyes were closed, and his consciousness was fully immersed in the System interface deep within his mind.

[Hyuga Ryosuke defeated the enemies in a one-on-three battle. You have received blessing.]

[energy crystal * 200]

On the second day after they arrived at the fortress, some Rogue Ninjas looking to fish in troubled waters coveted the supplies Kumogakure had left behind.

Hyuga Ryosuke fought one against three. Although the process was dangerous, he ultimately killed all three.

Just as Aokawa had thought before, the targets of his Soul Distribution could also receive blessing when triggering events.

Except the benefits of this blessing went to him.

It really is comfortable being the boss; this is passive income.

Behind him, Hyuga Ryosuke had a bitter face, laboriously moving crates of heavy supplies into the cleared warehouse.

“What a sin…”

As Hyuga Ryosuke moved the crates, he didn’t stop grumbling. “Others are in the Village receiving flowers and applause, maybe even tricking a few girls into sweet hugs. But look at us, eating sand here and having to be porters.”

“Aokawa! Can we stop practicing with this bow? I feel like my arms are really going to break!”

Aokawa slowly opened his eyes.

Within his pure white pupils, a blue electric arc seemed to flash and vanish.

“Do you want to remove the character for ‘ugly’ from your bow?”

“Do you want to be able to kill an enemy with a single strike from an extreme distance next time you see one?”

Aokawa didn’t turn around, continuing, “If you do, then shut up.”

“Practice well!”

Hyuga Ryosuke was choked up by his words. Looking at Aokawa’s back, which was as straight as a pine tree, he finally sighed in resignation. After moving the supplies, he obediently picked up the specially made hard bow beside him.

“I’ll practice! Damn it, when I attain Major Achievement in this divine skill, the first thing I’ll do is shoot you onto a wall!”

Although he was cursing, Hyuga Ryosuke’s hand drawing the bow was steadier than ever before.

“Hey, I found my control ability has improved!” Hyuga Ryosuke exclaimed.

Aokawa turned to look. Indeed, the Spirit Bow in Hyuga Ryosuke’s hand was no longer as loose and dissipated as before; it had become much more compact.

A look of doubt flashed in Aokawa’s eyes. It had been less than an hour; the change shouldn’t be that obvious.

Unless!

He suddenly realized that before that group of Rogue Ninjas came, the fat guy’s Spirit Bow wasn’t much stronger.

But after killing several Rogue Ninjas, his control over the Spirit Bow had improved.

So it seemed that besides Aokawa himself receiving blessing, the fat guy himself could also improve his strength.

In that case, it really was a win-win.