Fate Choice II

He wolfed down all the rice balls he'd brought, and only then did Byakuya start to feel better.

He rested until sunset before gathering his ninja tools and heading home.

Overusing chakra required extreme caution.

In the original story, Uzumaki Naruto trained in wind nature transformation under Hatake Kakashi, practicing with the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique. For anyone else, it was unthinkable—it would be pure suicide.

Byakuya made some Guobaorou and ate his fill again. Then, not wanting to do anything, he lay down on the bed.

He wondered whether, after midnight, his Fate Grid tasks would refresh and a "Fate Choice II" would appear.

Thinking about it, he drifted off to sleep.

He slept soundly.

He opened his eyes before the alarm went off.

He hurriedly brought up the Fate Grid Panel.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success

Time limit: 4 days: 100-meter sprint (0/50)

Reward: Slight increase in speed

Fate Choice II: Establish yourself in the Anbu Training Department (time limit: 30 days)

Reward: Major increase in chakra quality]

A major increase in chakra quality?!

Did that mean that, since his chakra quality would be higher, his ninjutsu would be more powerful even if he used the same amount of chakra?

Byakuya thought it over, but couldn't recall any explanation of chakra quality from the original story.

Still, it had to be a good thing.

After all, the reward for the previous Fate Choice had been the Kekkei Genkai Storm Release.

"At last, you came along. Good thing I didn't give up. Happiness came so hard to find, which made it all the more precious~~"

He hummed as he sang.

For breakfast, he had a Tomato and Egg Rice Bowl and a cup of hot milk.

The food in the Shinobi World didn't taste all that good to Byakuya. He preferred these home-style dishes; eating them made him feel at home.

Only after finishing his meal and getting ready for work did he realize, "What happiness? Root's missions are so dangerous that one little mistake could get me killed."

Root, also known as the Anbu Training Department, was exactly what Fate Choice II called for in his current situation.

He opened the warehouse's triple doors.

After one boost to his stamina and another to his vitality, Byakuya felt exceptionally energetic.

After ten 100-meter sprints, a teacher came to apply for ninja tools and filled out the form as required.

"Your name is Senkaku Byakuya?"

"Pleased to meet you."

They shook hands.

"The previous warehouse manager was hard of hearing. Whenever we came to request ninja tools for class, we had to shout for ages, wasting time. The Ninja Academy should have replaced him long ago."

"Long-serving employees are cautious. I'm too young and a little rash."

"Haha... Byakuya, you're so modest. By the way, the Ninja Academy teachers are getting together one of these days. Want to come?"

"No, I'm only a warehouse manager, not a Ninja Academy teacher. Sorry, I'll have to turn down your kind offer."

"No problem, no problem. See? You're too modest. Let me introduce myself. I'm Sarutobi Eiji, and the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, is my uncle."

"So you're the Hokage's esteemed nephew. Pleased to meet you!"

"I'd better get to class."

"Take care."

After seeing off the Ninja Academy teacher from the Sarutobi Clan, Byakuya did another ten 100-meter sprints. The open ground in front of the warehouse was long enough for him to race across it.

He didn't feel tired at all.

Just as he was about to finish the time-limited Fate Grid task in one go, someone unexpected arrived.

Yuhi Kurenai.

"Senkaku Byakuya, so you work at the Ninja Academy."

"Hello, Yuhi Kurenai."

"These are the ninja tool request forms, signed by Vice Principal Hiroya."

Byakuya took the forms and checked them carefully.

All the listed tools could be used in battle: Kunai, shuriken, Explosive Tags, Space-Time Scrolls, and so on.

After recording the tools' checkout in the warehouse ledger, Byakuya quickly gathered the items Yuhi Kurenai needed and handed them over.

"Were you sprinting just now, Byakuya?"

"Yeah. I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd get some exercise."

Yuhi Kurenai was beautiful. Though she hadn't fully grown into her looks yet, she already had the air of a mature woman.

"Konoha is at war. Would you really rather waste your time here?" She counted the tools, confirmed they were all there, and asked.

Her words were rather blunt.

Byakuya smiled politely. "To be honest, I have little talent. If the village hadn't announced its new policy, I might not even have passed the Ninja Academy graduation exam. I'm already extremely lucky to have a job as a warehouse manager at the academy."

Seeing Yuhi Kurenai about to speak again, he continued, "Besides, you're fighting enemies on the battlefield, while I manage the warehouse at the Ninja Academy. We're both contributing to Konoha."

Though Yuhi Kurenai felt there was something off about what Byakuya had said, she couldn't find a way to argue with him. She simply put away the tools and took her leave.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

Besides a slight increase in speed, he also gained slight increases in perception and reaction speed.

Izumi Orange came to see him once. Byakuya showed her no courtesy and pressed her about whether she meant to harm him. She could only deny it repeatedly, then said that only she could save him. Byakuya ignored her and focused on training.

Izumi Orange even tried to flirt with him while they talked. Unfortunately, the soul inside Byakuya was "mature" and had already experienced all those pleasures, so he ignored her completely. This left Izumi Orange wondering whether she simply wasn't attractive enough...

During this time, he also refined Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash. He grew increasingly proficient at this ninjutsu, which he had developed from Water Release: Water Wave.

For now, Byakuya could only use Lightning Release: Earth Flash in combination with Water Release: Water Wave. He would use Water Wave first, then Earth Flash, letting the water quickly conduct the lightning. The drawback was that it was easy to hit himself by mistake.

Compared with the Storm Release technique, it was leagues behind.

He had also learned the Summoning Technique. Since he had no Summoning Beast contract, he could only use the Space-Time Scrolls from the warehouse to store his ninja tools. That would make carrying supplies much easier when he went on Root Organization missions in the future.

As the time remaining for Fate Choice II dwindled day by day, Byakuya knew that completing it would require him to succeed at his next Root Organization mission.

The sun was shining brightly today.

Hiroya didn't dare delay and waited at the warehouse for Byakuya to arrive at work.

When he saw the vice principal crouching in front of the warehouse, counting ants, he asked in surprise, "Principal, what are you...?"

"Byakuya, come with me."

From Hiroya's serious tone, Byakuya knew there was a new mission.

They went to Hiroya's office, and he shut the door tightly.

"How's your new ninjutsu training going?" he asked, seemingly out of concern.

Byakuya shook his head. "I have average talent. I haven't made any progress yet."

"Oh, that's all right. You're still young, and your future is full of possibilities. You'll learn it sooner or later. Have you memorized Lord Tobirama's Water Formation Wall?"

"I've memorized it all."

"Return the ninjutsu scroll. I have to hand it back to my superiors."

"Yes, sir."

Byakuya had kept such a precious scroll with him. He placed it on the desk, and Hiroya carefully put it away.

"Senkaku Byakuya, this is your second mission as an auxiliary member of the Anbu Training Department." Hiroya solemnly handed him the mission scroll.

"Principal, when should I carry it out?"

"As soon as you receive this mission."

"Understood."

"Byakuya..."

"Yes?"

"Take care."

He bowed. "Thank you for your concern, Principal."

"Mm. I won't keep you here chatting any longer."

"I'll take my leave."

Back at the warehouse, Byakuya opened the mission scroll.

Among the Konoha Ninja stationed in the Land of Rivers was a spy from Sunagakure in the Land of Wind. Byakuya's mission was to kill the Sunagakure spy, named Sanshan Xun, without alerting anyone.