- Why didn't we help them, sensei!? - Surizawa exclaimed emotionally for the first time, clearly taking what had happened too personally. - With your strength, scattering those bandits wouldn't have been a problem!
Hmm, that she was too affected by this... Oh yeah, her parents are from a trading family, so some of her relatives must have driven caravans or still do.
- I'll answer you, but first, tell me, who are we?" I asked in response, not to evade at all, but rather to set the stage and lead the students to the conclusion I wanted.
It confused the weakest of my students a bit to let the others speak.
- Uh, shinobi? - Asani answered a little uncertainly.
The leader of the trio preferred to keep silent for now, obviously actively thinking and realizing that the current situation was one of my lessons, and not the most important one, judging by the seriousness of it. Her partners have not yet come to such a realization.
- Great, who are shinobi? - I patiently continued to ask leading questions.
Surizawa and Asani looked at each other perplexed, obviously not understanding where I was going.
- Shinobi are mercenaries," Hoshi said with a brightened face.
- Well done, Hoshi," I nodded to my student, "what do mercenaries do?
- They sell their services to their employer! - The kunoichi almost started jumping up and down on the spot, obviously from the joy that she was able to solve the riddle first, what happened to the caravan was pushed to the background.
- Exactly," I raised my index finger up in a stern manner.
The meaning of my unspoken answer to the first question was clearly beginning to dawn on the rest of the Genii.
- So, we left people in trouble, even though we could have helped them, just because we weren't paid? - The iryonin of the team stared at me disbelievingly.
Yeah, yeah, it's hard to let go of the rose-colored glasses that Konoha puts on its shinobi when they're recruited to the academy, but better now than when it costs you your life.
- You're right on the money," Surizawa nodded, "precisely because no one has paid us for this, nor will they.
- But people are dying out there," Asani said timidly.
I've got more interesting stuff on patreon (+ 200 chapter)
patreon.com/Chill76