Business Negotiation

Normally, with war imminent, genin would have no time to accumulate experience through D-rank missions.

However, after repeated deliberations by the Konoha high command, it was decided that the first batch of eighteen graduating teams would continue to complete their quota of D-rank missions, while the second batch would undergo intensive training at the Genin Training Center.

Naturally, with this division, the roles assigned to the first and second batches of genin would differ.

Because the first batch had completed their full quota of D-rank missions, they would be assigned highly specialized tasks such as infiltration, assassination, intelligence gathering, and sabotage behind enemy lines.

The second batch, lacking such experience, would be sent directly to the front lines to fight alongside the border defense forces.

As mentioned before, the Genin Training Center could well be called a cannon fodder camp; however, because the war broke out so suddenly, the village increased its investment in the facility.

Not only were quotas for cultivation elixirs increased, but many scrolls for joint ninjutsu were also made available, allowing a single genin to master up to three elemental techniques.

Kenta, a childhood playmate of Touma, had been excited about this for a long time.

Kenta possessed the rare Lightning and Water dual affinities. The reason it was considered rare—much like the Fire and Wind combination—was that the two elemental techniques could be cleverly combined.

Previously, Touma had tried to teach him the C-rank Water Release: Water Spirit Wave, but because Kenta's hand-seal speed was too slow, the success rate of the technique was extremely low, rendering it useless in actual combat.

Now, most of the joint ninjutsu available at the training center were lower-difficulty D-rank techniques. Basics like Water Release: Wave, Earth Release: Earth Tremor, Fire Release: Flame Flower, Lightning Release: Electric Shock, and Wind Release: Hanging Net all required three hand seals or fewer.

For Kenta, as long as he had enough chakra, he could guarantee a one-hundred-percent success rate!

Of course, Kenta was not without his merits; his shuriken accuracy was exceptionally high. He could even accurately predict a target's movement trajectory and use shuriken to precisely seal off their path.

Therefore, Touma secretly taught him a set of techniques applying the basic Three Body Technique to shuriken.

This set of techniques was inspired by the Third Hokage's series of shuriken jutsu.

Touma certainly couldn't teach Kenta the Third Hokage's actual shuriken techniques; not to mention whether the Third would approve, Kenta might not even have the talent to learn them.

One must realize that the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique alone requires the user to form eight hand seals rapidly while the shuriken is in flight, placing high demands on seal-forming speed.

Moreover, "the innocent man is innocent, but his treasure makes him a crime." If Kenta were to flaunt the Third Hokage's signature jutsu, he would easily invite jealousy from his peers. If their envy grew too strong and they tripped him up on the battlefield, he would never return.

Conversely, the small techniques Touma taught could be used by anyone with a decent brain, an understanding of the basic principles, and sufficient proficiency in the basic Three Body Technique.

These were Shadow Chaos Leaf, Body Hidden Leaf, and Wind Whirl Leaf, corresponding to the Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique, respectively.

To be honest, after these techniques were developed, even Haruno Kizashi, who specialized in ninja tool techniques, was nearly defeated by them upon first encounter.

Shadow Chaos Leaf was straightforward: the principle involved creating multiple illusory images of the shuriken and, through superior throwing skill, hiding the real shuriken among them to confuse and ambush the enemy.

However, any large-scale ninjutsu, such as Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, could directly negate the confusion effect of this move.

The other two, Body Hidden Leaf and Wind Whirl Leaf, were much harder to defend against. Even after Haruno Kizashi understood their principles, he could only use long-range methods to probe and break them.

Body Hidden Leaf involved using a pre-prepared ninja tool pouch containing explosive tags as a substitute object. Upon a successful substitution, the explosive tags would be activated simultaneously, turning the shuriken inside the pouch into shrapnel to attack the enemy.

The power of an explosive tag is not small; the shockwave generated by an explosion in a confined space is enough to send the shuriken inside the pouch flying over ten meters away.

In other words, the ten-meter radius around the substitution point becomes a splash zone, and anyone with slightly slow reflexes would be unable to escape.

This is far more devious than placing explosive tags on a substitution log, as the lethality of shrapnel from shuriken and wood splinters is vastly different.

It is just that this move is somewhat extravagant; one explosive tag plus a set of shuriken costs nearly a thousand ryo.

However, if one could catch someone off guard with a single use of Body Hidden Leaf, the loot recovered would more than compensate for the loss; it all depends on the timing.

The final move, Wind Whirl Leaf, is even more sinister. It involves transforming shuriken into plant stems, leaves, or willow catkins and firing them from within bushes or trees, which increases the complexity of the battlefield environment.

It could even potentially interfere with the perception of sensory ninja in the rear, as they would have to spend significant energy distinguishing which flying plant matter was actually a transformed shuriken!

Kenta did not disappoint him; in less than half a day, before returning to the training center to report, he had mastered all three techniques.

The reason Touma called them "techniques" was that the basic ninjutsu framework remained unchanged; only the target of the technique had been altered. This was an idea he had after dreaming of the 65th episode of Boruto and seeing the classic Naruto and Sasuke shuriken combination once again.

It must be said, the only truly "combustible" episode of Boruto was episode 65, directed by a Chinese animator. Although the plot overlapped with the movie, the pacing and emotional rhythm were spot on, effectively showcasing nostalgia and leaving a lasting impression on everyone who watched it.

Team Shinku accepted three D-rank missions located in the capital. The first two were unremarkable: one involved helping transport construction materials, and the other involved babysitting for a noble family; neither were difficult.

Even the children in the second mission were very obedient. They just played ninja games with them for two days while waiting for the adults and the guard team to return. The only thing worth mentioning was that the pay was quite generous.

However, the third mission was worth noting.

It was a protection mission, providing security for a Ministry of Finance official from the Land of Fire who was conducting business negotiations with representatives from the Land of Demons.

Normally, this finance minister was not a member of the Yuan Clan from the Daimyo's household and thus would not be protected by the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Yet, while checking for security loopholes, Touma and his team repeatedly saw members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja moving stealthily in the surrounding area.

One must know that the current Twelve Guardian Ninja were not recruited from the outside; they were raised personally by the Yuan Clan from childhood, and their loyalty was far beyond that of the group during Asuma's era.

Their movements were absolutely restricted by the orders of the Yuan Clan. Seeing the Twelve Guardian Ninja near the negotiation venue could only mean one of two things.

Either the finance minister, Watanabe Kenfu, was no longer trusted by the Yuan Clan, or the Yuan Clan had received wind in advance that someone intended to cause trouble at the venue.

Team Shinku's security might only be for show, but there was certainly enough power from the Twelve Guardian Ninja lying in ambush nearby!