"Hmm, it's about time," Ren murmured, looking up at the sky.
Their battle had lasted for about half an hour, and combined with their previous patrol, it was almost time for the shift change.
"Let's go, we should head back."
"Yes!"
The three Ninja didn't dare to delay. Each carried a corpse and followed Ren. Noticing their actions, Ren stopped and said with a strange expression,
"Why are you carrying them?"
"Huh?"
Ren's words truly stumped them. Yao blinked and said hesitantly,
"But aren't these all intelligence? Wouldn't it be bad not to bring them back?"
"Hmm, yes and no."
Ren didn't deny it. After a moment of thought, he pointed to the Jonin corpse nearby and said softly,
"Intelligence is tiered. For example, the intelligence a Jonin provides us is definitely far superior to that from these three Genin.
And there are hundreds, even thousands, of squads like ours on this battlefield. The amount of intelligence brought back daily is tremendous, so unless there are special circumstances, the Intelligence Department usually prioritizes investigating powerful Ninja.
As for Genin…"
Ren paused here before continuing,
"There's no problem if you want to bring them, but the effort might not be proportional to the reward."
While speaking, Ren had already walked to the Kumo Ninja Captain's corpse. He squatted down, took out a small booklet, and began flipping through it, muttering to himself.
"Hmm, he's a Jonin after all, he should be on the list."
Noticing Ren's strange actions, Suzuki curiously leaned closer and asked,
"Captain, what are you doing?"
"Nothing, just checking how much this Jonin is worth."
Ren didn't turn around, but his voice slowly reached them, instantly making the three feel like they had discovered something new, and they all gathered around.
"Captain, are you a legendary Bounty Hunter?!"
The sharp-eyed Yao noticed the small booklet in Ren's hand and said excitedly.
For them, everything outside the Village made them curious and eager to explore.
Whether it was living in tents or patrolling, it was all fresh for them, who were just starting out. Now, seeing their Captain's actions, it was as if they had discovered a new continent.
"Hmm, half of one, I suppose."
As Ren answered, the booklet he was flipping through stopped. His eyes lit up when he saw the portrait that appeared.
"Kumogakure Jonin Hikochi, skilled in Lightning Release Ninjutsu, bounty: 9.3 million!"
Not bad, not bad. This trip wasn't in vain; I made a small profit.
Ren's smile grew wider. He pulled out a scroll from his person, placed it on the corpse, and began forming hand signs.
"Seal!"
With a low shout, a puff of white smoke burst from the scroll in front of him. When the smoke cleared, the corpse below was gone, but the character "Seal" appeared on the scroll.
Ren stood up, then put the scroll into his embrace, his movements so practiced it was as if he had rehearsed them thousands of times in secret, leaving the others stunned.
"Don't just stand there. Take your spoils and let's go."
Ren turned around, patted Suzuki and Shio on the shoulders, and walked away.
After realizing what was happening, the others quickly followed. Suzuki hurried to Ren's side and asked with some anticipation,
"Captain, that Jutsu you used to seal the corpse in the scroll, it seems so convenient."
"Want to learn?"
Ren glanced at them and smiled.
"Yes, yes!"
Even Yao and Shio, who were nearby, looked expectant.
Although this storage Jutsu was a relatively basic Sealing Jutsu, their understanding of Sealing Jutsu during their Ninja Academy days was vague, and they hadn't had a teacher specifically guide them or taught them.
For them, if they could learn it, at the very least, they wouldn't have to carry things around or transport intelligence as they were doing now. Sealing it directly into a scroll would be much easier.
"Alright, I'll teach you when we get back."
Ren didn't refuse. After all, learning practical small techniques on the battlefield had no downside.
Not long after, the group arrived back at the shift change location. A squad was already waiting there. Noticing them, Ren and the others quickened their pace, reaching them in a few breaths.
"I apologize, we encountered enemies earlier and got into a fight, so we're late."
Ren stepped forward two paces and said apologetically.
"It's alright, we just arrived not long ago either."
The Jonin leading that squad also responded politely. Noticing the injured Yao and the others, he turned sideways, pointed to a short-haired brown-haired girl not far away, and asked softly,
"Do you need help? We have a Medical Ninja here."
"No, thank you. We need to get some intelligence back to the Konoha Camp quickly. Treatment can wait until then."
Ren nodded to the other party, then politely declined their offer. After all, he was also a Medical Ninja, so he had been paying attention to their injuries. They were all minor and had already been bandaged. A simple treatment back at the Konoha Camp would suffice.
"Alright, then be careful on your way back. We'll go on our mission now."
The other party didn't insist. After nodding to Ren, he turned back to his squad, ready to begin their patrol.
"Let's go. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can rest."
Ren turned around and smiled.
"Yes!"
Ren and the four Ninja entered the forest directly, leaving the hilly area. When they emerged from the trees again, the Konoha Camp came into view.
"Please show your identification."
The Ninja at the gate extended his hand to Ren and the others, speaking plainly. Ren didn't mind, pulling out his identification while smiling.
"Thank you."
The other party didn't say a word. After thoroughly checking Ren and the others' identification, and finding their information in the travel records, he returned the identification to Ren only after confirming everything was correct.
After successfully entering the Konoha Camp, Ren didn't stay with the three Ninja. Although they were back, there was a lot to take care of, and moving together would be too inefficient.
"You guys take these to the Intelligence Department first, then just head back to your tents to rest. I'll bring dinner back after I report the mission."
At this point, Ren seemed to remember something. He took out a scroll from his person, threw it to Yao, and explained,
"These are some basic knowledge about Sealing Jutsu. Take them back and read up on them. Pay attention, because I'll be testing you when I get back."
"Yes!"
The Ninja didn't dare to delay and responded in unison.
"Alright, hurry up. The Intelligence Department closes quite early. If you miss the time, you'll have to prepare to spend the night with them."
"Uh… We're going now, Captain!"
They certainly didn't want to spend the night with three corpses. While they had the resolve to kill their opponents, they didn't seem to need the resolve to rest overnight with them, at least not yet.