Mission

The central streets of Konoha were always this lively; even the blazing midday sun couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm for shopping. Crowds came and went, faces smiling as they bought goods that caught their interest.

A black cat with white paws, like clouds treading on snow, lay lazily on a tree branch, soaking up the sun. Its languid aura spread through the entire town.

But Zi Xu and his group were completely out of step with this leisurely life. Right now, they stood panting under the tree, staring up at the little black cat. Beside them was an old woman in a straw hat, her face full of worry as she also gazed up at the cat.

"Ninja-sama, you have to save Xiao Hei! He's so young and climbed this high—it's too dangerous! If something happens to him, what will I do..." The old woman grabbed Tenzo's arm and shook it relentlessly, rattling his head until he felt dizzy.

"I'm saying, that little black cat isn't in any danger. Look how comfortably he's sleeping. Cats aren't that fragile; when he gets hungry, he'll come down on his own..." Hatsumi, usually full of energy, also drooped her head and muttered weakly.

Hearing Hatsumi say that, the old woman wasn't happy. She grabbed Tenzo's sleeve and shook it even faster, wailing as she did: "Xiao Hei is my son! How can you ninja be so heartless!" "Throwing a little kid onto a tree seven or eight meters high—how can that be fine?" "Ninja are all liars! You take a commission but don't do the job!" In an instant, tears streamed down her face, her expression switching faster than a face-changing performer.

Zi Xu swore her crying was more piercing than the noisy cicadas by the roadside. At times like this, he felt lucky to have the Silent Fruit. Quietly, he cast a Soundproof Barrier on himself, and the world fell silent again.

Maybe unable to bear the old woman's nagging, a vein pulsed faintly on Chino's forehead. After pausing for a moment, she used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared on the tree trunk. The little black cat, who had been sound asleep, sensed danger nearby. Spreading all four legs, it prepared to leap down. But Chino really didn't want to hear that old lady's nagging anymore; if the cat got away this time, they'd have to waste effort chasing it again.

The little black cat's figure left a black arc in the air. Just as it was about to land on the eaves and escape, a black paw reached out, caught it in its arms, and then rolled to the ground.

"Your son is safe. Settle the payment, and we can leave." Zi Xu took the still-struggling little black cat from the little panda's arms, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and handed it to the old woman. She finally quieted down, hugging and kissing the cat.

"Is this what ninja missions are? Feels more like a odd-jobs shop?" Zi Xu had thought safe missions were fine before, but he always suffered from not being able to actively activate Conqueror's Haki. So he wanted to fight strong enemies quickly to boost his presence. The system's previous missions were pretty awful, but he had to admit that after going to Ryūchi Cave, his presence and perspective had changed.

Take the Body Flicker Technique Chino just used—even Tenzo thought it was decent. Though the technique was basic, few could master it to perfection. Her level was good for her age, but Zi Xu saw many flaws: too long a startup, slower than Taijutsu, and the recovery was hard to cancel—full of openings. He even thought of ways to improve it.

Add Senjutsu Chakra to reduce casting time, use a strong physique to make movements before reaching the target point to shorten recovery, or simply use Senjutsu to enhance the Body Flicker's effect, boost base speed with Taijutsu, and eliminate sound with the Silent Fruit—a one-shot assassination combo.

Though Zi Xu spoke bluntly, it was indeed what Chino and the others were thinking. The little black snake coiled on Zi Xu's head yawned boredly and lay flat like a salted fish.

"Don't underestimate these missions. They temper your will. Ninja must accumulate experience to achieve great things. And these D-rank missions are the most suitable for new Genin. Don't aim too high..."

Tenzo patiently explained. Zi Xu and the others didn't know how good they had it. In his era, kids who became Genin were sent straight to the battlefield. It was precisely because of that policy that the new generation was somewhat lacking, so the higher-ups had loosened training for these kids.

"Mm-hmm, got it. It's just that I wish there were some missions outside the village. We've been stuck in the village our whole lives and haven't seen the world outside. We can't help but yearn for it." Zi Xu's smile was pure and innocent—looked genuine at a glance.

"Hmm... you have a point. We've finished our current tasks anyway. When we submit them, we'll see if there are any missions that leave the village. But don't get your hopes up—there aren't many of those."

Though Zi Xu's words sounded sincere, Tenzo felt something was off. For some reason, he recalled the image of a smiling man taking notes while observing him soaking in a solution. Zi Xu's smile just now was a bit like that guy's.

"Great! Leaving the village is awesome! I've wanted to travel for ages!" Hatsumi, who had been listless, got excited at the chance to go on a mission (play). That meant more opportunities to collect new species of bugs.

She had named her Summoning Beast Chun Qiu, but for some reason, Chun Qiu was always too lazy to move, as if recovering its strength. So she focused on cultivating new bug species.

Chino also wanted to get out. Every good day of hers ended the moment she saw someone from the Main House. Out of sight, out of mind—best not to see them at all.

After finishing the old woman's commission, the group returned to the mission hall. Tenzo, after submitting the task, casually glanced at 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 hard—C to D rank suited them well. With a strange expression, Tenzo read the details and tore off the scroll.

"You guys are really lucky. There's a mission outside the village this time. It's posted by two Wandering Samurai. They need a few ninja to accompany them to Kirigakure, just to the outskirts. They say they need a ninja's perception... Looks fine. I've notified the receptionist. We'll meet at the designated spot tomorrow." Tenzo waved the mission scroll, sighing at their good fortune.

"Awesome! We're leaving tomorrow! What should I prepare? I don't know Fire Release, so I need matches, and food..."

Tenzo waved at them. "Let's meet tomorrow. I'll go get permission from the Lord Hokage to leave the village. You all go home and prepare." With that, he left the three of them and hurried toward the Hokage's office.

"It's still early, how about we..." Hatsumi seemed about to suggest something, but Zi Xu spoke first.

"We're not kids anymore. As ninja, we must be ready to die on a mission. Improving our strength is the top priority. Hatsumi, any progress on the bug fusion method I mentioned? Don't forget the original purpose of our organization."

"Not... not yet..." Hatsumi couldn't meet Zi Xu's eyes and lowered her head guiltily.

Chino also felt the shift in Zi Xu's aura. He was more imposing now, more like a leader, and also... more distant?

"Mm, keep it up." He made a gesture to Chino, meaning he had a lead on the Cursed Seal issue. He wasn't lying—the Flowery Sakura in Haki might solve the problem.

After sending them off, Zi Xu returned to his room. Following the same method as yesterday, he closed the doors and windows and summoned a Silent Clone. But since making the clone achieve "silence all things" from the start was too far off, he set a small goal.

"Silence all things can be your final goal. For now, just figure out how to use Silent Power to block others' perception. If you succeed... I'll let you slack off for a day..."

When the clone dispersed, its memories would feed back to Zi Xu's main body. He knew well what a lazy bum the Silent Clone was. Though it wouldn't disobey him, it wouldn't put in much effort either. Every time he absorbed the clone's slacking memories, he had to spend time separating the useless ones. So he used slacking as a reward.

Hearing this, the Silent Clone perked up. It struggled up from the bed, sat down, and began thinking seriously.

Zi Xu nodded in satisfaction. Leaving the little black snake behind, he returned to Ryūchi Cave again.

This time, he didn't waste words. He used the Shadow Clone Technique, summoning two more clones. The three of them trained in Sage Mode together. The clones' memories would also transfer to him, so even failures provided experience. Adjusting the Natural Energy in the returning Chakra was a bit troublesome, but the benefits outweighed the flaws—acceptable.

Another reason Zi Xu was so eager to train Sage Mode was that by sensing Natural Energy, he could perceive his surroundings through the free-floating energy in the air. This gave him a chance to "independently awaken Observation Haki," saving him a lot of points...

"Slap! Slap!" Two sounds of snake scales hitting objects came. Zi Xu and his clones, eyes closed, tried to dodge the Goddess's attacks by sensing Natural Energy. But one clone wasn't fast enough and got hit by the snake tail, showing signs of snake transformation.

Zi Xu quickly dismissed the clone and sat cross-legged, adjusting the energy ratio in his body.

"Hey, did you see that? That kid's clone can take a hit like that. Did he start training Taijutsu in the womb? Even the creator of the Eight Gates wasn't this tough at his age..."

"Don't tell him. He doesn't seem to realize how strong his body is. Let him keep thinking that way—it'll surprise his enemies."

"Yeah, yeah, exactly. Good idea."

The Goddesses' whispers were only known to them. Zi Xu sat there cross-legged, summarizing the experience from the clone's memories. Still not strong enough. He had to keep learning.