kscans

Chapter 30 -

"By the way, Master. You said that group you were fighting just now was after me. Did you find out their objective?"

After finishing the battle, he came straight here, so normally I wouldn't think he'd have time to extract information from the enemy. But my master is different. He can use mind-reading, so he can steal the enemy's information even while fighting.

The momentary smirk he gave me when I asked told me he definitely had it.

"The enemy's objective, you ask? Of course I know. But there are conditions for telling you."

There it is. This man has always had a habit of hitting me with impossible demands for every little thing…

It’s a pain to deal with his requests all the time, so I think I'll just go ahead and do it myself.

"Come on, it's fine. Just tell me. I've cleared three dungeons yesterday and today. I'm tired."

Alright, mind-reading on.

"You do not get tired from something of that level."

If I can just make him conscious of it for a moment, I'll succeed.

Given the timing, I figured it was probably related to dungeons, so I said the word out loud. It seems I hit the mark, as images of countless people being taken away by the Goddess flooded into my mind.

This is the Iga-ryu Mind-Reading Technique.

They call it mind-reading, but it’s not actually about hearing someone's inner voice. It's a technique for peeking into the images inside another person's brain. It's close to synesthesia, I suppose.

And with that, I stole the images my master had stolen from the foreign special forces soldiers.

From the situation, they probably came to get me to rescue those people.

"I just started dating Rena, so I'd rather not fly all over the world right now."

"Hayate, what are you talking about?"

"Hm? ...Hah! Y-You, don't tell me you used mind-reading on me!!?"

"No, no, no, wait a minute. That's impossible! There's no way mind-reading would work on the leader of the Iga ninja!!"

Mochizuki-san, Rena's bodyguard, said as much, but from my perspective, my master's thoughts are relatively easy to understand. Is it because our mental ages are close? I think it's probably crazier that my master, who has lived for about 200 years, has the same mental age as me.

But because he's like that, he's easy to get along with, and we're still on good terms today.

"Now, now. I understand what I have to do for now, so I'll decide the rest after consulting with Shinonome-san and Rena."

If there are people in trouble, I have to go help them. It'll lead to boosting my fame, and I might even be able to earn some money.

The Shinonome Group's investigation had revealed a trend among those who had been turned into trophies around the world. It wasn't that people loved by many, like idols, were being kidnapped. Rena was quite popular too, but her streaming site had only about 600,000 subscribers. There were plenty of streamers more popular than her.

And yet, Rena was chosen as the trophy for Japan's Kanto area.

In other words, it seems the selection criteria for trophies isn't just the person's popularity, but also the power possessed by those who want to protect that person at all costs.

A clear example of that is the daughter of the President of the United States. She's an actress who's also active in Hollywood movies, popular and with a parent in power. It makes sense that the Goddess would target her.

Still, it's a pain to think about me having to rescue everyone who was turned into a trophy.

Apparently, people are being taken into dungeons in various countries at a rate of about one per fifty million people. The world's population is close to nine billion right now, so that means I have to rescue roughly 180 people.

One hundred and eighty people, huh…

Seriously, all of them is impossible.

"You seem troubled. I have good news for a troubled Hayate such as yourself."

Damn. This time, my master read my mind.

Just as I find it easy to read his thoughts, it seems he also understands mine quite well.

"Let us put the matter of you becoming the head of the Iga ninja on hold for now. First, accept my recommendation and become a Jonin. If you do, you will be able to command several hundred Chunin and Genin. With your guidance, it will be easy for them to clear Grade 3 dungeons."

"I see. That sounds much faster than me running around the world to save 180 people."

"If you accept my proposal, I will grant you the title of Special Jonin. There will be no bodyguard quotas. If possible, however, it would be a help if you could divert a portion of the money you receive from Shinonome to the village."

Ninja really are struggling for funds, huh.

Well, putting that aside, if I can mobilize several hundred Chunin-class ninja, I feel like I can manage. For now, I wonder what kind of weapons I should have them use?

…Ah, that's it!

At that moment, I had an idea.

I realized that this was a chance to popularize that thing I love so much among several hundred people.

Honestly, I don't really like dictating what weapons other people should use. But if we're going to rescue the people who've been turned into trophies in the shortest amount of time, the quickest way is to have them completely trace my movements. I think the Iga Chunin can do it. I can mass-produce several hundred fairly high-level dungeon explorers.

I'll go rescue the people who are likely getting the most attention, like the US President's daughter, to raise my own profile, and leave all the rest to them.

"Hayate, you look like you're having fun."

"Do I?"

"You were grinning. You're planning to have the Chunin-san use the four-sword style, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

Rena-san, can you use mind-reading too, by any chance?

"When you're trying to do something related to the four-sword style, the corners of your mouth lift just a little. I guess you really didn't notice it yourself."

…Seriously?

Is it possible that I, someone who has mastered modern-style ninjutsu, would have my expression read by someone without meaning to?

Well, if Rena says so, it must be true.

I'll be more careful from now on.

"Master. I'm going to discuss this with Rena and her father, but personally, I'd like to accept your proposal."

"Is that so. Understood. Then I shall go and speak to the Chunin scattered across the globe. For the training method, that online thing we did before will be fine, yes?"

"Yes. I'll do it the same way you did for me, Master."

That method is pretty tough, but a Chunin can probably endure it.

The Hayate-Style Four-Sword Style Ultra-Short Training Course is holding its first session!