Return

Although they had gained the upper hand in this battle, to avoid Iwagakure reinforcements arriving, Team 3 returned to where the merchant caravan was and hurriedly set off.

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

"That's right. Stalling a Jonin is worth 200,000 ryo, while a Genin is worth 20,000."

Ishimura Yukito explained the details to Team 3. Their encounter with the Rock Shinobi squad had cost the caravan dearly. The mission reward had been raised by 260,000 ryo, and the mission rank also had to be increased.

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 elites died, that would be a serious problem. Therefore, if a mission client deliberately concealed the mission's difficulty or falsely reported its details, Konoha would not accept any more of their missions. In severe cases, they might even be wanted.

Fortunately, their encounter with the Rock Shinobi squad had been entirely accidental, and there had been no casualties. As long as they reported it to the Mission Office, increased the mission's difficulty, and received the additional compensation, Konoha would not pursue the matter.

Even if an accident truly occurred and people were killed or injured, Konoha would not relentlessly pursue it. After all, in such situations, either the entire team was wiped out, or Konoha Shinobi escaped. There was no third possibility where only the mission client survived. There was no such possibility—and even if there was, there wasn't.

There was no need to mention a total wipeout. If Konoha Shinobi escaped back to Konoha, they would bring back intelligence about the mission. Any situation capable of causing heavy casualties naturally involved highly valuable intelligence.

Team 3 divided up the gains from this mission.

First, Orochimaru had made it clear from the beginning that, barring accidents, he would not participate in this mission or any missions for some time afterward. Naturally, he would not take any reward either. Orochimaru did not care about such small sums.

However, since Orochimaru had held off Iwagakure's Jonin this time, the extra 200,000 ryo was still given to him. Orochimaru did not stand on ceremony. He had made a move, so it was only right that he took some money. Although 200,000 ryo was not even a tenth of the cost of one instrument he wanted to buy, Orochimaru still 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 a nice round number. Adding the additional 150,000 ryo in rewards from the bandits they had either killed or driven off along the way, the three members of Team 3 earned a total of 350,000 ryo.

Based on contribution, 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 earned 140,000 ryo from this mission. Whether 140,000 ryo in a month was a lot or a little was hard to say. Setting aside the reward, purely in terms of training value, Team 3 likely would not choose such safe escort missions again. This time had only been meant to help them adapt, as Orochimaru had intended. Assassinations, intelligence gathering, or more dangerous escort missions—such as escorting someone into the heartland of a major nation, or protecting someone who might be pursued by Chunin or Jonin—would be Team 3's main objectives in the future.

This mission had been safe, but not entirely safe. An accident had occurred midway through, and they had encountered the Rock Shinobi squad. During his fight with Kitsuchi, Uchiha Kiyoshi had not come away empty-handed.

"First, Kitsuchi's Earth Wall. Although I remembered the hand seal sequence, 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 too complicated. I should be able to work it out.

"Also, Kitsuchi's taijutsu was not weak either. That was a reminder for me.

"It's not as if the Ninja World lacks taijutsu experts. It's just that there are too few shinobi who mainly rely on pure taijutsu. People like Kitsuchi, who are naturally physically powerful, are not weak in taijutsu."

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

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

Perhaps Ninjutsu isn't the only path.

His encounter with Kitsuchi had affected Uchiha Kiyoshi more deeply than he had expected. Through Kitsuchi, Uchiha Kiyoshi thought of others as well: the Raikage, the Hyuga, and Kaguya. Didn't they all rely on taijutsu too? 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 taijutsu training. And after nourishing my body for so many years, my physical potential should be pretty good, right?"

Though both belonged to 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 rather than 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. At least for now, aside from Sage Art, it's the only means capable of affecting those at the Six Paths Level. Before I develop other methods to deal with the Six Paths Level, training taijutsu isn't a bad choice. And Sage Art too—I need both methods to be safe."

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

He could train in taijutsu, but Uchiha Kiyoshi would not imitate Might Guy. The Eight Inner Gates harmed the body, and their duration was too short. What Uchiha Kiyoshi needed was combat power that could be sustained, power capable of injuring Six Paths Level experts.

Uchiha Kiyoshi did not rest. Knowing what the future held, he was under tremendous pressure as well.

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

Even knowing the Uchiha Clan's potential and having a basic understanding of the Sharingan's evolution, the Mangekyo was still the peak he could reach in a short time. Going any further would be extraordinarily difficult, not to mention the Mangekyo's own side effects. Taking another step forward would be even harder.

That was why Uchiha Kiyoshi had not been in a hurry to awaken the Mangekyo from the start.

His strength could improve quickly, but he himself would be ruined. It was not only the mental effects; the burden brought by the Mangekyo itself would make further progress difficult.

Before awakening the Mangekyo, he needed to train himself until he could withstand it. Even if the side effects remained, he had to at least ensure that it would not burden his body 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 balls appeared in Uchiha Kiyoshi's hand. He had bought them long ago as tools to train Chakra control.

Over the past few years, Uchiha Kiyoshi had continued this kind of training. Whenever he was thinking or reading, he would hold several small balls and control them as they spun around in his hand.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll increase the intensity of my physical training. And the Eight Inner Gates—although the later Gates cause serious damage to the body, the first three Gates don't seem to have many side effects. Learning them wouldn't be bad.

"I just don't know whether the Eight Gates were really something Might Duy figured out on his own, as he claimed, or whether they belong to Konoha."

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