Konoha's main street was always this lively. Even the blazing midday sun couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm for shopping. The crowds came and went, smiling as they bought the things that caught their interest.
A large black cat with snow-on-charcoal markings lounged on a tree trunk, lazily basking in the sun. Its languid air seemed to spread across the whole town.
But Zi Xu and the others were completely out of place amid this peaceful scene. At that moment, they stood panting beneath the tree, staring up at the little black cat. Beside them stood an old woman wearing a straw hat, her face full of worry as she watched the cat overhead.
"Please, Ninja, you have to get Xiao Hei down safely! He's so little, and he's climbed such a tall tree. It's incredibly dangerous! What would I do if something happened to him...?" The old woman clutched Tenzo's arm and shook it over and over, making his head spin.
"I don't think that little black cat is in any danger. Look how comfortably he's sleeping. Cats aren't that fragile. He'll come down on his own when he gets hungry..." Even the usually energetic Hatsumi drooped her head and made the suggestion in a weary voice.
The old woman wasn't pleased to hear Hatsumi say that. She clutched Tenzo's sleeve and shook it even faster, wailing, "Xiao Hei is my son! How can you Ninjas be so heartless?" "How can a little one be all right after being tossed up into a tree seven or eight meters high?" "Ninjas are all liars! You take a job, then refuse to do it!" Tears streamed down her face in an instant, and her expression changed faster than a mask.
Zi Xu swore her cries were more grating than the noisy cicadas by the roadside. At least he could be grateful for his Silent Fruit. He quietly cast a Soundproof Barrier around himself, and the world fell silent again.
Perhaps the old woman's incessant pestering had finally gotten to her. A vein on Chino's forehead twitched. After pausing for a moment, she used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared on the tree trunk. The sleeping Xiao Hei sensed danger nearby and spread all four little legs, preparing to leap down. But Chino couldn't bear to hear any more of the old woman's nagging. If Xiao Hei got away this time, they'd have to chase him all over again.
Xiao Hei's body traced a black arc through the air. Just as he was about to land on the roof and escape, a black paw reached out and caught him. Then it rolled to the ground.
"Your son is safe. Settle the payment, and we can leave." Zi Xu took the still-struggling Xiao Hei from the little panda's arms and held him by the scruff of the neck, handing him to the old woman. Only then did she quiet down, hugging and kissing Xiao Hei.
"So this is what a Ninja's mission is like? It feels more like a general errand service." Zi Xu had thought safe missions were nice, but every time, he suffered from not being able to activate his Conqueror's Haki at will. He wanted to face powerful enemies soon and build up his presence. The missions the system had assigned him before had been a pain, but he had to admit that after visiting Ryūchi Cave, both his presence and his perspective had changed.
Take the Body Flicker Technique Chino had just used. Tenzo considered it quite good. The technique was basic, but few people could master it to such a high degree. For her age, Chino's skill was impressive. But Zi Xu had spotted countless flaws: the technique had too long a windup and was slower than Taijutsu; its recovery was difficult to cancel, leaving her vulnerable all over. He'd even thought of ways to improve it.
Add Senjutsu Chakra to shorten the casting time. After using the technique, rely on a powerful physique to move before reaching the target, reducing the recovery time. Better yet, simply enhance the Body Flicker Technique with Senjutsu, use Taijutsu to improve basic speed, and let the Silent Fruit erase all sound. One clean assassination.
Zi Xu's words might have been rather blunt, but Chino and the others had been thinking the same thing. The little black snake coiled atop Zi Xu's head yawned in boredom and flopped down like a salted fish.
"Don't look down on these missions. They're meant to temper your resolve. A Ninja has to build up experience over time before accomplishing anything great. Besides, D-rank missions are the most suitable for Ninjas who've just become Genin. Don't reach for more than you can handle..."
Tenzo patiently explained it to them. Zi Xu and the others didn't know how good they had it. In Tenzo's day, children were sent to the battlefield as soon as they became Genin. That policy had left the new generation in short supply, so the higher-ups had become much more lenient in training this generation of children.
"Mm-hm, got it. It'd just be nice if we had some missions outside the village. We've lived in the village our whole lives and never seen the world beyond it. We can't help but feel curious." Zi Xu smiled with perfect innocence.
"Mm... You're right. We've finished our current mission, so when we go back to turn it in, we can see if there are any missions that'll take us outside the village. But don't get your hopes up too high. There aren't many missions like that."
Zi Xu sounded so sincere that Tenzo couldn't help feeling something was a little off. For some reason, he seemed to picture a smiling man holding a notebook and observing him submerged in a solution. Zi Xu's smile had looked a little like that man's.
"Great! We can go outside the village! I've wanted to travel for ages!" Hatsumi had been listless, but the moment she heard there was a chance to go on a mission outside the village—go play—she got excited. It meant she'd have more chances to collect new kinds of bugs.
She had named her Summoning Beast Chun Qiu, but for some reason Chun Qiu was always too lazy to move, seemingly still recovering. So she had to focus on breeding new kinds of bugs instead.
Chino wanted to go out and see the world, too. Every day, her good mood ended as soon as she saw someone from the Main House. Out of sight, out of mind. Better not to see them at all.
After finishing the old woman's mission, the group returned to the mission hall. As Tenzo turned in the assignment, he casually scanned the mission board. He hadn't expected much, but this time, by some stroke of luck, there really was a mission outside the village. And it wasn't too difficult; a C- or D-rank mission suited them well. Wearing a strange expression, Tenzo read the details carefully, then tore down the notice.
"You're in luck. There's a mission outside the village this time. Two Wandering Samurai posted it. They need a few Ninjas to accompany them to Kirigakure, though we only have to reach the outskirts. They say they need a Ninja's sensory abilities... It doesn't look like there's anything wrong with it. I've notified the receptionist. We'll meet at the agreed-upon location tomorrow..." Tenzo waved the mission notice, marveling at their good fortune.
"Great! We can leave tomorrow! What should I bring? I don't know Fire Release, so I'll need matches, and food..."
Tenzo waved to everyone. "Let's meet up tomorrow. I have to go to Lord Hokage's office and get permission for us to leave the village. Go home and get ready." Leaving the three of them behind, he hurried off toward the Hokage's office.
"There's still time. Why don't we..." Hatsumi seemed about to suggest something, but Zi Xu spoke first.
"We're not children anymore. Now that we've become Ninjas, we have to be prepared to die on a mission. Improving our strength is what matters most. Hatsumi, have you made any progress on that bug-breeding method I told you about last time? Don't forget why we started our organization."
"N-not yet..." Hatsumi couldn't quite meet Zi Xu's eyes. She lowered her head, feeling guilty.
Chino could sense the change in Zi Xu's presence, too. He had more authority now, more and more like a leader. And also... more distant?
"Mm. Keep at it." He then gestured to Chino, telling her he'd made progress on the Cursed Seal. He really hadn't lied to her; flowing Sakura from Haki might be able to solve the problem of the Cursed Seal.
After sending the two of them off, Zi Xu returned to his room. Just as he had the day before, he shut the doors and windows, then summoned a Silent Clone. But since his original goal of having the clone silence all things was too far off, he gave it a smaller goal.
"Think of silencing all things as your ultimate goal. For now, just research how to use Silent Power to block other people's senses. If you manage to figure it out... I'll let you slack off for a day..."
Whenever the clone was dispelled, its memories returned to Zi Xu. Of course, he knew what a slacker the Silent Clone was. It wouldn't disobey him, but it wouldn't put in much effort, either. Every time he received the Silent Clone's lazy, dispirited memories, he had to spend time separating out the useless ones. So he decided to use a day of slacking off as a reward.
Hearing that, the Silent Clone perked right up. It struggled out of bed, sat down, and began thinking hard.
Satisfied, Zi Xu nodded. After leaving the little black snake behind, he returned to Ryūchi Cave once more.
This time, he didn't waste any words. He immediately used the Shadow Clone Technique and summoned two clones. The three of them began training in Sage Mode together. A Shadow Clone's memories could be passed back to the original, so even failure would teach him something. Adjusting the Natural Energy in the returned Chakra was a little troublesome, but the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. That small flaw was within acceptable limits.
Another reason Zi Xu was so eager to train in Sage Mode was that, by sensing Natural Energy, he could use the Natural Energy drifting through the air to sense more or less everything around him. That gave him a glimpse of a chance to "figure out Observation Haki on his own," which would save him a huge amount of points...
"Clack, clack!" Two sounds rang out as snake scales struck something. Zi Xu and his clones closed their eyes and tried to dodge Goddess's attacks by sensing Natural Energy. But one clone was too slow to dodge and was struck by her tail, beginning to turn into a snake.
Zi Xu quickly dispelled the clone, then sat cross-legged and began adjusting the proportions of energy within his body.
"Hey, did you see that? Even that kid's clone can take a beating. Did he start training in Taijutsu in the womb? Even the creator of the Eight Gates didn't have a physique like that at his age..."
"Don't tell him. He doesn't seem to have realized how powerful his physique is. It's better to let him keep thinking that. Then he can surprise his enemies."
"Right, right, just like that. Good idea."
Only the Goddesses knew what they were whispering about. Zi Xu remained seated cross-legged, reviewing the experience his clone had sent back. Still not strong enough. I have to keep learning.
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