Ebisu, You Wouldn't Want Your Business Discovered By Others, Would You

"Ice Release: Ice Pillars."

Extending slender fingers, Kazashiro channeled the chakra within him and began forming hand seals.

As the final seal was completed, several not-too-thick ice pillars burst from the ground.

"I see. If Ice Release is used in a waterless environment, the chakra consumption is significantly higher than in a watery one."

Feeling the rapid depletion of chakra within him, Kazashiro understood the mechanics of Ice Release.

"Conversely, if it's in a watery environment, Water Release: Water Bullet! Ice Release: Ice Pillars!"

Spitting a puddle of water onto the ground like he was clearing his throat, Kazashiro unleashed Ice Release once more...

Wait, am I doing something pointless here?

Looking at the ice pillars created this time using both Water and Ice Release, Kazashiro felt the remaining chakra within him and suddenly thought of something.

No, I shouldn't think like this. If I could use a ninjutsu like Kisame's, which can turn a waterless land into a lake, then for my use of Ice Release...

Wait, if I already have that much chakra, do I even need to worry about the chakra consumed by using Ice Release?

For the first time, Kazashiro felt concerned about his own intelligence.

Really, I've wasted so much time on something so meaningless.

Meanwhile, Yakushi Nonō nodded with satisfaction as she watched Kazashiro, who had gone to the courtyard to train diligently after eating. She then took out a small notebook and began writing something in it.

Elsewhere, Danzo, who was assigning missions at the Root base, suddenly saw a puff of smoke appear before him.

"Is this a message from Yakushi Nonō?" Ryoma Aburame recognized the summoning beast as soon as the smoke cleared.

"That's right." Danzo reached out, retrieved the letter from the summoning beast, and opened it to read.

After reading the contents, Danzo's expression remained unchanged. With a slight exertion of his fingers, sharp Wind Release chakra instantly tore the letter to shreds, turning it into powder that scattered on the ground.

"Things have been a bit uneasy lately."

At the Dango shop, Asuma, sitting to Kazashiro's left, said for no particular reason as he watched Konoha ninjas passing by on the street.

"Huh? I don't think it's any different from before." Anko, sitting to Kazashiro's right and engrossed in eating dango, looked up with a bewildered expression.

"Eat your dango." Kazashiro placed a dango from his own plate into Anko's, gently poking her forehead to signal her to just eat.

Seeing a new dango appear on her plate, Anko's eyes narrowed happily. She quickly finished the dango in her hand to get the newly appeared one.

"Do you know those ninjas from just now?" Kazashiro, who didn't particularly like sweets, had also noticed the white flowers in their hands. They seemed to be heading towards the Memorial Stone.

"Sort of. They're quite well-known Chunin in Konoha." Asuma admitted Kazashiro's guess with a nod, and also shared his observation: "Although there hasn't been a large-scale memorial service, the names on the Memorial Stone have increased by one line recently."

"Is that so..." Kazashiro cast his gaze to the street, watching the sparse pedestrians, and sighed.

It seems the Third Shinobi World War has begun its countdown.

I just wonder if the war, which was supposed to start in a few more years, will begin early with my arrival as a transmigrator.

Actually, it wouldn't be bad if it started now. At the very least, no matter how difficult the situation, the Konoha higher-ups wouldn't send children like us, 7 or 8 years old, to the front lines. They'd pick the older brothers and sisters who are 11 or 12.

Yeah, thinking about it that way, it might not be bad for it to start soon.

"Hmph, I need to hurry up and improve my strength, then I'll show that old man that I've completely grown up!" Asuma was full of drive, wanting to show off to the Third Hokage so he wouldn't treat him like a child anymore.

"Yeah, that's right. Improve your strength and strive to accomplish three things for the Land of Fire in three minutes." Kazashiro replied perfunctorily.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Asuma didn't understand Kazashiro's words.

"Uh, it just means you'll be very strong." Kazashiro quickly covered up his mistake, "When you fight someone then, just sing 'Wu Fa Qi Dai~' and I guarantee no one will dare approach you."

"Wu Fa Qi Dai?" Asuma, already confused, became even more bewildered after Kazashiro's explanation.

Shiranui Genma, sitting at the opposite table, fiddled with a toothpick and leaned lazily against the table edge, reminding Asuma, "Alright Asuma, don't overthink it. Kazashiro always says weird things, you're actually taking him seriously."

"Instead of worrying about Kazashiro's words, why not think about what to do for next week's team combat exercise? The guys from the next class are tough to deal with." Ebisu, wearing his small sunglasses, chimed in.

"I've inquired. The class leader of Team Three, that black-haired girl, is named Shizune. She seems to be from the Kato Clan. Her uncle, Dan Katō, was once quite famous, an outstanding Jonin of Konoha, who died in the Second Shinobi World War."

Thinking of Shizune's cute face, Ebisu's face involuntarily flushed slightly.

"You guy, you can't walk straight when you see a beautiful woman. You'll definitely be a pervert in the future." After teasing Asuma, Kazashiro, who had been silent, suddenly stood up. To everyone's confusion, he walked over to Ebisu and patted him on the shoulder.

Ebisu, who thought Kazashiro was coming to give him some important instructions, jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on after hearing his words: "You, you, you, Kazashiro, how can you slander me out of thin air! That's not me being unable to walk straight, that's admiration, do you understand?!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, others might not know, but I'm very clear. Just last Saturday, you sneakily from the bookstore owner, woo woo woo--" Before Kazashiro could finish speaking, Ebisu covered his mouth with his hand and pulled him aside.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, did you wash your hands, you bastard." After forcefully pulling Ebisu's hand away, Kazashiro spat a few times and questioned Ebisu.

Ebisu clearly didn't have time to explain such trivial matters. All he wanted now was to shut Kazashiro up by any means necessary: "You, you guy, what exactly do you want!"

Stumped by Ebisu's question, Kazashiro blinked. Heaven and earth as his witness, he had never intended to blackmail someone in the way commonly seen in NTR manga.

But he did want to say those lines: "Ahem, well, Ebisu, you wouldn't want people to find out about you reading adult manga, would you?"

"Kazashiro, I'll do anything, please don't tell anyone. Wait, this phrasing sounds so familiar." Ebisu, who had responded instinctively, realized something was wrong.