The Settlement Begins

He had enjoyed several long, hot baths in this village.

This Root mission had been terribly unlucky.

As he soaked in the tub, he thought back over the details of his battles with Pakura and the snake.

Against Pakura, he had relied mainly on the Shadow Clone Technique and his Kekkei Genkai, Storm Release. Tobirama's version of Water Release: Water Formation Wall had also played a crucial role.

As for the Azure-Black Serpent, he had used a Body Flicker Technique acquired from the Sunagakure Ninja as a basis to develop the Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique. The Lightning Release Chakra increased the distance he could cover with the technique, while Water Release Chakra stabilized his balance. Balance was extremely important: it meant he could immediately put his strength into action when the Body Flicker ended, smoothly transitioning into his next move.

Of course, his physical fundamentals—stamina, vitality, reflexes, and the like—had also been his "capital" for escaping danger.

If he had lacked stamina, his speed would inevitably have dropped, and Pakura and the Azure-Black Serpent would have caught up with him long ago.

His powerful vitality had greatly increased Byakuya's physical toughness. A ninja of equal strength who was injured in battle would have their injuries immediately affect their combat power and movement. In that situation, they would truly have had almost no chance of survival.

Besides, he had expended a huge amount of chakra twice in quick succession. If his vitality hadn't been strong enough, his body would already have given out.

By the time the hot water in the tub had gradually gone cold,

Byakuya got dressed and spread out the map of the Land of Rivers he had seized from the Sunagakure Ninja. He marked the forest where the Azure-Black Serpent lived.

Whatever else could be said, the Azure-Black Serpent had proven its strength in actual combat and earned his approval.

As a Summoning Beast, it was more than qualified.

"Esteemed guest, what would you like for lunch today?"

The head of the household asked Byakuya, who was sitting in a daze, with a rather cheerful expression.

"I'll have whatever you're having."

"Ah, all right. It's just, well..." The homeowner hesitated.

"Two hundred ryo?" Byakuya offered.

"Oh, that's too much. Since you—"

"Two hundred ryo is too much? Then one hundred."

"No, esteemed guest, you—"

Byakuya asked, "You think one hundred ryo is too much, too?"

"No, no." The homeowner hurriedly waved his hands.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"Ah, sure thing."

The villagers made their living by farming and hunting. They had no other source of income.

A few hundred ryo was a nice bit of extra money for them.

Byakuya was short on money, too. What he was spending now was what he had taken from the bodies during his first mission.

But every bit he spent was money he wouldn't get back.

Should I use this mission as an excuse to ask Root for a paycheck? They can't expect me to work like a pack mule for nothing.

Lunch was a bowl of coarse-grain rice and a dish of pickled vegetables.

He ate until he was about half full.

He weighed the cloth pouch of Military Ration Pills he had taken from the Sunagakure Ninja. He had already eaten them all.

He rested for another day.

Then he completed the Fate Grid task.

Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success

Time limit: 3 days. Successfully sense Natural Energy in a natural environment for a total of one hour. (Completed)

Reward: Sage Art Affinity increased slightly

His Sage Art Talent had already improved slightly, making it easy for him to sense Natural Energy.

But Byakuya had also experienced the danger of Natural Energy. It was a force that sought to transform the human body into part of nature, and it could easily spiral out of control if he wasn't careful.

The next morning.

The village suddenly grew noisy.

Wearing his Black Trench Coat, Byakuya opened the door and glanced outside.

A group of ninjas wearing Konoha Forehead Protectors were arguing with the villagers about something.

He didn't go out. Instead, he waited for the homeowner to return and asked what had happened.

"What do you think? Ninjas from the Land of Fire came to buy our food."

"They're not paying?"

"They are."

"If they're paying, why not sell to them?" As soon as he asked, Byakuya guessed the answer.

"They want to buy too much. If we sell it all to them, we won't have enough for ourselves."

"Do Konoha Ninja come here often?"

"This is the Land of Rivers! How could they come here often?! Who knows? As long as they don't interfere with our lives, that's all that matters."

The common folk in the village still didn't know that the fires of war had begun to spread.

The Land of Rivers was a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. If the two great nations clashed, the flames of war would sweep across the entire Land of Rivers. That was the tragedy of the small nations in the Shinobi World.

Byakuya left another two hundred ryo behind, put on the Shuten-dōji Mask, and climbed over the wall to leave the village.

The Konoha Ninja who had just arrived in the Land of Rivers had nothing to do with him. There was no need to approach them.

The journey back to Konoha was finally peaceful.

He didn't run into any more Sunagakure Ninja or Iwagakure Ninja, nor did he have the misfortune of encountering another powerful creature like the Azure-Black Serpent.

After passing through the checkpoint on the border of the Land of Fire and traveling for several more days, Byakuya stepped through Konoha's gates.

As before, the Konoha Ninja guarding the gate questioned him, and he showed his Anbu pass.

Unexpectedly, this time the gate guard added something.

"The Barrier Squad has recorded your chakra signature. You won't need to show your pass again."

Byakuya replied in a hoarse voice, "I appreciate it."

"You've grown quite a bit."

"Have I?"

"Actually, there's no need to deliberately use such an unpleasant voice. We don't care who you are."

Byakuya stopped and asked, "Has Squad Leader Namikaze Minato returned to the village?"

"Why are you suddenly asking about him?"

"I passed the Iron Ore Factory some time ago, and Akimichi Todō asked me if I'd heard anything about Squad Leader Minato."

"Who? Lord Akimichi Todō? Are you sure?!" The gate guard's tone immediately turned serious.

Byakuya looked at the heavyset ninja. "Are you from the Akimichi Clan, too?"

"Yeah. Lord Todō hasn't returned home since he went to the front to fight the Cloud Ninja. Oh, I forgot to mention—he's my cousin."

"I see."

"Forget it, I'll tell you a rumor I just heard. Kumogakure deployed a Jinchuriki on the battlefield, and Squad Leader Namikaze Minato fought him."

"Did he win or lose?"

"Of course he won. The Third Raikage's son was there, too."

The AB Duo had made their debut.

Byakuya couldn't help but say wistfully, "I really wish I could see Squad Leader Minato defeat them with the Flying Thunder God Technique."

What he admired even more was the Flying Thunder God Technique itself, an S-Rank Space-Time Ninjutsu.

At the thought of it, his mind couldn't help but wander.

Water Release: Water Severing Wave and the Flying Thunder God Technique had both been developed by Senju Tobirama. That famous Second really was a genius.

Since the gate guard had given him useful information about the battlefield, Byakuya's attitude softened, and he politely took his leave.

As before, he took a secluded route back to the Ninja Academy storehouse.

He took off the trench coat and removed the Shuten-dōji Mask.

Carrying the four sealed intelligence scrolls, he headed straight to the office of Hiroya, the old schemer.

He knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Hiroya's voice sounded unusually weary, as though he'd been up for several nights in a row.

"Principal, it's me. I've completed the mission and returned."

The moment he finished speaking, the chair inside the office scraped back with a sharp sound, followed by a yelp.

Hiroya must have been in such a rush that he'd fallen while getting up. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet and rushed to the door. He grabbed Byakuya by both hands and stared him up and down in disbelief.

"You—you—you—you... You're not dead?"

"What are you saying, Principal? I made it back safely, didn't I?"

"Headquarters said... Never mind. The intel they received was wrong!"

Patting Byakuya on the shoulder, Hiroya's bloodshot, raccoon-eyed gaze filled with relief. "You have no idea. You were gone for so long that we thought you'd died in the Land of Rivers."

"Your subordinate was lucky enough to survive, and I haven't let down your expectations, Principal."

"What are those...?" Hiroya's gaze fell on the scrolls Byakuya was holding.

"Scrolls I seized from three Sunagakure Ninja. They were all covered in Sealing Jutsu, so they were probably important. I brought them back with me."

"Excellent! Wait here. I'll put in a request for a reward right now! With this achievement, nobody will look down on either of us anymore. Tell me, what reward do you want? Don't hold back—ask for something big!"

Byakuya thought to himself, What do you mean, 'nobody will look down on either of us'? What does this achievement have to do with you?

He looked up and said, "Water Release: Water Severing Wave or the Flying Thunder God Technique, plus a large sum of money."