The Future

For now, Qi Shuang had cleverly avoided this ninja graduation exam, but next time, he probably would not have such a good opportunity.

There was only one first time; it could not happen again.

If he tried to use his wits to avoid the exam again, or deliberately failed it, Kirigakure would forcibly send this "good-for-nothing" who had not graduated to the front lines.

After all, they were in desperate need of manpower.

Moreover, a "good-for-nothing" who failed to graduate twice in a row would probably become a discarded pawn in the eyes of certain people. If he were sent out as bait or something at that point, he would truly be doomed!

Therefore, during this year of "repeating a grade," he had to become proficient in the basic abilities this body already possessed and make ample preparations in advance for going to war the following year.

Although he knew the battlefield was dangerous, he had no other choice.

This war would take about three more years to end.

Even if repeating a grade delayed him for a year, there would still be more than two years left. No matter what, he simply could not evade it.

Fortunately, more than two years was neither a long nor a short time.

The front lines were not fighting every moment of every day. Everyone was conducting reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, and searching for opportunities to strike.

All things considered, the time he would truly need to fight on the battlefield should be less than a year.

As long as he was a little careful and did not casually get involved in high-level battles, he would still have a very good chance of making it through if he gritted his teeth.

Once he survived these few years, the future would belong to people of their generation.

Apart from the "Blood Mist Village Incident," he could live in peace for quite some time.

"Right!"

Speaking of the "Blood Mist Village Incident," he suddenly remembered something else. The person who cleared away Kirigakure's gloom and ended the Fourth Mizukage's dark era was the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi.

Mei Terumi had appeared in the original story before the Fourth Shinobi World War. At that time, she was around thirty years old, while Naruto was around sixteen.

Naruto had graduated from the academy at the age of twelve. At that time, Kakashi, who was around twenty-six, had become Team 7's instructor.

Using Naruto's age as a reference, Mei Terumi and Kakashi should have been the same age.

In other words, Qi Shuang himself, who was the same age as Kakashi, had been Mei Terumi's classmate.

Of course, because he had repeated a grade, he was no longer her classmate, but a "junior" in the class after hers...

"Looks like I'll have to find a chance to invest in that woman ahead of time and build a relationship!" At this thought, Qi Shuang's heart burned with excitement again.

Throughout the Land of Water, the two most powerful backers were the daimyo and the Mizukage.

If he built a good relationship with Mei Terumi now, and even helped her rise to power, then as a "Minister of State," he would have a Mizukage as his backer.

He dared not say anything else, but as long as he did not commit crimes, his future life in the Land of Water would certainly be smooth sailing.

As for seizing the position of Mizukage himself, it was not as if he had never considered it.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea.

There were simply too many concerns.

He knew that the future of this world came from an anime he had watched in his previous life.

Yet he was now inside that very world. If he changed things recklessly, he could not guarantee what would happen to the future he knew.

Some minor details and inconsequential things could be changed without concern, but if something as significant as the position of Mizukage were altered, the consequences would be difficult to predict.

Perhaps the future he knew would be turned into another kind of unknown future. That was not impossible.

For someone who "knew the future," that would be extremely disadvantageous.

After thinking it over, he decided to observe for now, go with the flow, and focus on profiting from the situation.

As for whether he should alter the future, he would consider it slowly later.

After one night, Qi Shuang quickly regained his strength under the careful care of the medical staff. Early the next morning, he left the hospital.

However, when he saw the injured and suffering Mist ninja in the other wards as he left, he could not help feeling a greater sense of urgency.

He did not want to become crippled, much less die on the battlefield. A brighter ninja career still awaited him.

Therefore, he had to become stronger—very strong.

At the very least, he had to survive on the battlefield!

After leaving the hospital, he did not immediately return to the communal residence arranged by Kirigakure. Instead, he went straight through the gates of Kirigakure and continued into a small forest.

After finding a quiet, flat spot, he took a necklace from around his neck.

It was an ordinary Beast Fang Necklace, and also "Xiao Lin's" favorite possession.

Using a kunai, Qi Shuang dug a hole beneath a large tree and gently placed it inside.

He was going to say his final farewell to "Xiao Lin."

"From now on, I'll be you, and you'll no longer be you. I'll live on as 'Qi Shuang,' while you can rest here in peace!"

After saying this softly, he filled the hole with the surrounding dirt and buried the necklace that symbolized "Xiao Lin."

From this day forth, there would be no more "Xiao Lin" in this world—only "Qi Shuang."

Then, he held his head high and strode confidently back the way he had come, ready to begin his new ninja career.

Not long after he left, two masked ninjas landed in the clearing. Judging by the Four Ripple Markings on their forehead protectors, they were likely members of Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Anbu.

"Go dig it up and see what that brat buried." One of them pointed at the spot where the soil had clearly been disturbed and signaled to his companion.

"What's there to see? He's just some brat." Although extremely reluctant, the man still slowly walked over as instructed.

"Be careful. It'll be troublesome if there's a trap!" the man in front continued to warn him.

At those words, the Hidden Mist Anbu member digging the soil paused. He then carefully checked the surrounding area before continuing to dig.

Before long, a beast-bone necklace appeared before their eyes.

"Look, it's just an ordinary beast-bone necklace! What's there to investigate?" The man scooped the necklace out of the dirt and said carelessly.

"Let me see it!" The other man reached out with a solemn expression.

After taking the necklace, he used every investigative method he knew, but could not find anything unusual.

He then handed the necklace back and said helplessly, "There's no chakra fluctuation, nor any special markings or symbols. It looks like it's just an ordinary necklace!"

"Bury it again."

"I told you that you were making a fuss over nothing, but you wouldn't believe me! Now do you believe me?" His incessantly chattering companion snatched the beast-bone necklace away, tossed it into the hole, and prepared to bury it again.

The other man shook his head and said earnestly, "It's wartime now. We have to be careful about everything!"

"What if that kid is a spy from another village who deliberately came out to deliver information? If that caused Kirigakure to suffer major losses, the consequences would be severe!"

"All right, all right! You're right about everything!" After reburying the necklace, the man returned to his companion and added, "Everything's normal now. Should we head back?"

Then, amid the helpless sigh of the other Hidden Mist Anbu member, the two disappeared into the forest.