Little Rich Woman

In the era that once knew no peace, the Warring States period.

Even children born into great ninja clans like the Senju or Uchiha were inevitably forced to take up weapons and begin training at the age of six or seven, soon to be thrown into the cruel, life-or-death struggles of the battlefield.

It was not until Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara joined hands to establish Konoha, creating a system where the five great ninja villages governed together, that this endless cycle of blood feuds finally came to a halt.

However, the peace maintained by absolute power lasted only a few years, coming to an abrupt end following the successive passings of Madara and the First Hokage.

During the First Shinobi World War, which saw the scale of conflict expand even further, the painful memories of the past were resurrected, and every village was forced to return to the old path of militarism to secure victory.

Director Chosokabe, Chief Inoue Hisahide, and Instructor Nara Motonari had mostly entered the war as the backbone of their forces during that very era; having felt the pain firsthand, they knew all too well what kind of hellish nightmare it truly was...

Conversely, the students—including Soji—had mostly only learned of that harrowing history through textbooks, leaving the three youngsters before them filled with uncertainty and fear regarding the so-called war.

"Instructor Motonari, are we really going to war?" Sarutobi Erina was the first to speak up and ask.

"Apologies, apologies, did I say too much just now?"

"Instructor..."

Nara Motonari chuckled, but seeing that all three students were listening with rapt attention, he decided not to hold back any longer.

"Fine, fine. You would have found out sooner or later once we reached the border anyway. Since the higher-ups didn't explicitly order me to keep it a secret, I suppose there's no harm in telling you a little in advance."

He lowered his head, beckoned the three of them closer, and then lowered his voice to continue his explanation: "In fact, as border tensions have escalated, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind have already clashed several times, both openly and covertly, along the front line near Amegakure. Although the scale of these conflicts was small and both sides claimed they were accidents afterward, there have indeed been casualties."

"So that's how it is! Then are we going there to reinforce the depleted border troops?" Erina subconsciously bit her left thumb nail, her expression growing increasingly solemn.

"That is the formal reason, but among all the graduates, your abilities are relatively well-suited for the battlefield, so there is no need to be so nervous."

"Does the instructor know about my situation as well?"

"Before confirming your placement in Team Five, I did take a look at your files. However, if possible, it would be best if Miss Sarutobi explained it to us herself."

"Ah! Of course!"

Setting aside her worries for the moment, Erina made a playful face and began to explain her specialties to her future teammates: "This humble one is named Sarutobi Erina, and I specialize in using kunai, shuriken, and other exclusive ninja tools of my own design for combat~

As for ninjutsu, although I have dabbled in the basics of the Water, Fire, Wind, and Lightning styles, the actual power of my applications is quite average. I hope you will all be patient with me~

That is all!"

Erina gave everyone a salute, her bright, dark eyes squinting into two thin slits. Paired with her DIY-modified dark blue tactical vest and the forehead protector tied beneath her neck, the image of a vibrant, energetic girl left a deep impression.

But compared to these external features, what truly caught Soji's attention were the many details revealed in her words...

First of all, for a newly graduated genin, being "proficient" in ninja tools was actually a very rare specialty.

Limited by their total chakra reserves and physical fitness, it was difficult for 12 or 13-year-old children to pull off any new tricks when using throwing weapons. Unless they possessed a special Kekkei Genkai as an aid, most people's scores in shurikenjutsu were hard to distinguish, let alone being considered "proficient."

Furthermore, the cost of ninja tools was generally not cheap!

Not to mention high-value products involving sealing arts like Explosive Tags or Flash Tags, even ordinary kunai and shuriken required a hefty processing fee to be polished to a standard suitable for actual combat.

During wartime, the village would provide a certain quota of ninja tools for frontline combatants, but for students still in the Ninja Academy, if they wanted to increase their training volume, they had to pay out of their own pockets at the ninja tool shops...

Soji himself had only been able to secure a reimbursement quota through the Konoha Hospital channel after proving his worth through actual deeds, thereby achieving "shuriken freedom," but Erina clearly wasn't taking that route.

Combining these two points, it wasn't hard to conclude that this young girl from the Sarutobi Clan was not only gifted, but her parents were likely at least middle-class within the clan; otherwise, it would be impossible to supply a ninja student with such expensive equipment...

Of course, that wasn't the most terrifying part.

Because according to Erina's own words, she didn't just excel at "using" ninja tools; she even had the ability to "manufacture" them herself!

Combined with the two packs of Flash Tags she had previously given to Soji and Todo, this girl even understood the trade secrets that many ninja tool merchants relied on for their livelihood...

This was a specialized professional skill! It was far beyond what could be summarized by just being rich or talented!

To receive such generous environmental resources and support, it was likely that the Sarutobi Clan, led by the Third Hokage, held extremely high expectations for her as she grew up.

Added to her extraordinary foundation of being able to use four types of chakra, Soji even suspected that if this woman developed steadily, she would have a very good chance of running for Fifth Hokage when the time came...

Even if such a teammate could only provide limited assistance to the boy in the short term, the long-term investment returns were undoubtedly very promising!

"Possessing four types of chakra simultaneously is truly breathtaking... but to be honest, I'm actually more interested in your ninja tool modifications."

Soji turned slightly, observing Erina's expression while adjusting the direction of his flattery.

He noticed that she didn't react much to praise regarding her natural talent, but she showed great interest the moment the topic of ninja tool modification was raised.

Thus, the cunning Soji immediately catered to her interests, prescribing the right medicine for the illness and aiming straight for Erina's "soft spot"!

"I always thought the inscriptions on ninja tools were fixed, unchangeable content, just like sealing scrolls. I never expected there to be hidden mysteries within them."

"Isn't that so? Actually, it's not just the inscriptions; choosing different activation methods also affects the effects of various tags. Take the most common Explosive Tag, for example: they are divided into chakra-detonation, tag-detonation, trigger-detonation, and delayed-detonation types! For these different uses, as long as you change the rune composition just a little, the result could..."

"Ahem, Erina, don't just focus on talking. Come, come, try the chef's specialty at this ryotei."

Perhaps it was because she had long lacked peers with similar interests, or perhaps because they had just formed a squad and she was too eager to win favor in front of her future teammates.

Erina had momentarily forgotten the social etiquette of not speaking too freely to new acquaintances, nearly exposing industry secrets to Soji right there in the sushi restaurant!

Although the speaker had no intention and the listener might not have meant anything by it, if walls had ears and trouble arose, it would be a difficult problem for two 12-year-old academy graduates.

Fortunately, Nara Motonari spoke up to interrupt the girl's reckless behavior, successfully stabilizing the situation before any incriminating words could be spoken.

As the person involved, the young girl also realized in a daze that she had nearly implicated her companions due to her momentary slip of the tongue.

So, to avoid saying more wrong things and further endangering the Third Hokage, Erina could only abruptly cut off her train of thought and offer Soji an awkward smile.

To be honest, Soji had not originally cared much about this. But the little rich girl was truly a stickler for etiquette!

To express her apology, she specifically took a box of Explosive Tags from under the table and placed them beside Soji, while simultaneously poking the boy's thigh discreetly and using her index and middle fingers to mimic a kneeling gesture of begging for mercy on the tatami mat.

Then, she straightened her fingers, proactively extending an invitation for the Seal of Reconciliation.

Seeing this, Soji immediately reached out to respond, without a hint of hesitation.

Although it might not be appropriate to say so, Yamada-kun vaguely felt at this moment that, aside from official expense reimbursements, he had found a new path for financing!