Return

Although they had held the advantage in this battle, Team 3 hurried back to the merchant caravan's location and resumed their journey to avoid Iwagakure's reinforcements arriving.

They traveled day and night, only slowing down after entering the border of the Land of Fire.

Half a month later, Team 3 escorted the caravan back to Konoha once more.

"This mission took the longest so far. It was safe, and the pay was relatively high. What happened this time was an accident—we ran into a Rock Shinobi squad returning from a similar mission. There was even a Jonin among them. Since we drove them back, the caravan will give us an additional 260,000 ryo in compensation, according to the rules."

"Yes. Stopping a Jonin is worth 200,000 ryo, and a Genin is worth 20,000."

Ishimura Yukito explained the details to Team 3. This encounter with the Rock Shinobi squad had cost the caravan dearly. Their mission reward had been increased by 260,000 ryo, and they would also have to raise the mission's rank.

A sudden increase in mission difficulty could easily result in the deaths of the shinobi carrying it out. Ordinary cannon fodder was one thing, but if an elite died, that would be a disaster. Therefore, if a client deliberately concealed a mission's difficulty or falsely reported its details, Konoha would not only refuse their future missions, but in serious cases might even place them on the wanted list.

Fortunately, encountering the Rock Shinobi squad had been purely accidental, and there had been no casualties. As long as they reported it to the Mission Office, raised the mission difficulty, and received additional compensation, Konoha would not pursue the matter.

Even if an accident really did occur and there were casualties, Konoha would not relentlessly pursue it. After all, in such situations, either everyone was wiped out, or Konoha Shinobi escaped. There was no third possibility where only the mission issuer survived. No, and even if there was, there wasn't.

There was no need to mention a total wipeout. If Konoha Shinobi made it back to Konoha, they would also bring intelligence about the mission. Any situation capable of causing severe casualties involved information of considerable value.

Team 3 divided up the rewards from this mission.

First, Orochimaru had made it clear from the beginning that, for this mission and the missions for some time afterward, he would not participate unless something unexpected happened, and naturally would not take any payment. Orochimaru was not short on that little bit of money.

However, Orochimaru had stopped Iwagakure's Jonin this time, so the additional 200,000 ryo was given to him. Orochimaru did not stand on ceremony. He had acted, so it was only right for him to take some money. Though 200,000 ryo was not even one-tenth of what he needed for a single instrument, Orochimaru understood that small gains added up.

After the mission difficulty was raised, the reward for this mission changed as well. The outward trip remained at 70,000 ryo, while the return trip increased to 130,000 ryo, making for a neat total. Adding the extra 150,000 ryo from the bandits they had either killed or driven away along the road, the three members of Team 3 had earned 350,000 ryo altogether.

Based on their contributions, Uchiha Kiyoshi had faced the strongest enemies every time, so he naturally received the largest share: forty percent. Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku each received thirty percent of the remainder.

In other words, Uchiha Kiyoshi had earned 140,000 ryo from this mission. Getting 140,000 ryo in a month was neither especially much nor especially little. Setting the pay aside, purely in terms of training value, Team 3 probably would not choose such safe escort missions again in the future. This time, Orochimaru had only wanted them to get used to things. Assassinations, intelligence gathering, or more dangerous escort missions—such as escorting someone into the heartland of a major nation, or escorting someone being hunted by Chunin or Jonin—would be Team 3's main targets from now on.

Though this mission had supposedly been safe, it had not truly been safe. An accident had occurred midway through, and they had encountered the Rock Shinobi squad. Uchiha Kiyoshi had gained something from his clash with Kitsuchi as well.

"First, Kitsuchi's Earth Wall. I remembered the hand seal sequence, but I don't know the exact Chakra circulation, so I probably can't use it. Sigh! If only I had Two Tomoe. I should have been able to see the Chakra circulation then.

"Still, now that I know the hand seal sequence, the Ninjutsu itself probably isn't that complicated. I should be able to work it out.

"Also, Kitsuchi's Taijutsu wasn't weak either. That was a reminder for me.

"There aren't no Taijutsu experts in the Ninja World. There are simply too few shinobi who focus purely on Taijutsu. People like Kitsuchi, who are born with powerful physiques, are never weak in Taijutsu."

After dividing the rewards, Team 3 had been away from Konoha for a month and was somewhat tired. They agreed to train together the next day, then went home to rest.

After returning home, Uchiha Kiyoshi did not rest immediately. Instead, he continued considering the direction of his training.

"Perhaps Ninjutsu isn't the only path."

Meeting Kitsuchi this time had affected Uchiha Kiyoshi more than he had expected. Through Kitsuchi, he thought of others—the Raikage, the Hyuga Clan, Kaguya. Didn't they all rely on Taijutsu as well? Who said Taijutsu had no future?

It was only because Taijutsu experts like the Raikage relied on Secret Jutsu or bloodlines that many people subconsciously overlooked the fact that they were Taijutsu experts.

"Chakra still has hidden dangers. I used to think about finding a way to solve that problem, but now it seems there's another path, isn't there?

"I have the Body Nourishment Technique. That gives me quite an advantage in training Taijutsu. And after nourishing my body for so many years, my physical potential should be pretty good, right?"

Although they were both part of the Chakra system, Taijutsu was still different. Chakra's greatest hidden danger was that it could easily be absorbed—or rather, "reclaimed"—by the Ōtsutsuki.

Taijutsu often used Chakra to strengthen the body without releasing Chakra outside the body. The Ōtsutsuki could not directly reclaim it, which resolved that hidden danger.

"Besides, Taijutsu can harm Six Paths Level opponents. From what I can see, apart from Senjutsu, it's even the only method that can affect Six Paths Level opponents. Before I develop other methods to deal with Six Paths Level opponents, training Taijutsu is a good choice. There's Senjutsu too. I need both methods to be safe."

Uchiha Kiyoshi's gaze flickered as he planned out his path of training.

He could train Taijutsu, but Uchiha Kiyoshi would not imitate Might Guy. The Eight Inner Gates damaged the body, and their duration was too short. What Uchiha Kiyoshi needed was sustained combat power—combat power capable of harming Six Paths Level experts.

Uchiha Kiyoshi did not rest. Knowing how the future would unfold put immense pressure on him.

Even though there were still twenty or thirty years left, Uchiha Kiyoshi could not guarantee that he would reach Six Paths Level. He could only do his utmost.

Even knowing the Uchiha Clan's potential and roughly understanding the Sharingan's evolution, the Mangekyo was still the peak for the short term. Going further would be unimaginably difficult, not to mention the Mangekyo's own side effects. Taking another step forward would be extremely arduous.

That was why Uchiha Kiyoshi had not rushed to awaken the Mangekyo from the beginning.

His strength could rise quickly, but he himself would be ruined. It was not just the mental effects; there was also the burden brought by the Mangekyo itself, making further improvement difficult.

Before awakening the Mangekyo, he needed to train himself to the point where he could endure it. Even if the side effects remained, he had to at least ensure that his body would not suffer a burden when he was not using Dojutsu.

Hashirama Cells? If possible, Uchiha Kiyoshi did not want a transplant. Injecting someone else's cells into his body was deeply unsettling.

Five small round balls appeared in Uchiha Kiyoshi's hand. He had bought them long ago as tools for training Chakra control.

Over the past few years, Uchiha Kiyoshi had continued this type of training. Whenever he was thinking or reading, he would hold several small balls and control them as they circled above his palm.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll increase the intensity of my physical training. And the Eight Inner Gates—while the later gates do serious damage to the body, the first three seem to have no major side effects. Learning them wouldn't be bad.

"I just wonder whether the Eight Gates were really something Might Duy figured out on his own, as he said, or whether they belong to Konoha."

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