Some information circulated only among the powerful. Low-ranking shinobi knew nothing about it.
That was where Hiroya came in. He told Byakuya everything he knew without holding anything back.
Byakuya wondered what sort of mission Danzo would give him next.
It would probably depend on how the battlefront was faring.
After leaving Hiroya's office, he went to Ichiraku Ramen Shop for a bowl of ramen for lunch, then returned to the Ninja Academy warehouse.
The horrors of war were becoming ever more apparent. The village felt somewhat deserted, with far fewer people around. The few civilians out buying food had vacant eyes, and an indescribable sadness hung over them.
Hiroya had also told him about the shinobi casualties on the battlefield.
Young shinobi topped the list.
Especially civilian shinobi who had been sent to the battlefield soon after graduating from the Ninja Academy.
Though this group of Konoha Ninja complained bitterly, they held on to their belief that they were protecting the village.
Byakuya couldn't describe how he felt. In his eyes, these young civilian shinobi shouldn't have had to bear such a heavy responsibility.
But there was no helping it. In the Shinobi World, weakness was a sin.
If he hadn't had the Heaven Rewards Diligence Fate Grid, would he have become another casualty listed on that piece of paper?
He clocked out.
First, he bought two suitable outfits. Then he went home, ate his fill, and put on the Shuten-dōji Mask before heading to the forest to complete the new task assigned by his Fate Grid.
The reward of improved chakra control was extremely important to Byakuya. It would let him continue developing new Storm Release jutsu.
His improved Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash was decent in terms of power, penetrating force, paralysis, and speed. But he knew very few offensive jutsu, so his options were far too limited. He had no other battle plans to choose from.
All he could do was use the Shadow Clone Technique to distract the enemy and create an opening to unleash Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash.
That had been abundantly clear during his battle with Pakura of Sunagakure.
His unexpected clash with Orochimaru had also proven that the Water Release: Water Formation Wall, enhanced with Storm Release chakra, could both attack and defend. But for now, he could only take hits passively; he couldn't change its form in any other way.
"Now that I've learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, I won't be so helpless if I run into a Kage Level powerhouse again."
He ventured deep into the forest outside the village.
He reached the riverbank where he had previously practiced Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
He released chakra from the tip of his index finger, formed a hundred droplets on the water's surface without letting them spread, and maintained them for thirty seconds.
It looked difficult, and it was even harder to do.
After slightly improving his chakra control several times and failing more than a dozen attempts, Byakuya finally managed to form a hundred droplets on the water with his fingertip without letting them spread.
"Thirty seconds. That's it."
He withdrew his chakra.
The droplets immediately merged back into the river.
This method of training put a great strain on his mental energy. Byakuya wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and began another attempt.
Failure!
No matter. Again.
Success.
Good. He had to keep his chakra under control and not let the droplets spread!
At twenty-nine seconds, one of the droplets near the edge dispersed. Failure.
Byakuya plopped down on the riverbank.
The ripples caused by the droplets spread out in circles.
It wasn't just sweat on his forehead anymore. His mental energy was draining rapidly, and he was tiring too. Sweat covered his whole body, nearly soaking his new clothes.
He opened the Fate Grid Panel.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Perseverance Leads to Success 6 days remaining: Release chakra from the tip of your index finger, form a hundred droplets on the water's surface without letting them spread, and maintain them for thirty seconds (2/100) Reward: Improved chakra control]
"No wonder it gave me six days. This really is difficult. Doesn't matter. My hard work pays off. As long as I put in the effort, I'll get results!"
Byakuya rallied and continued training.
The moon reached its zenith.
A thin mist drifted through the forest.
His clothes were completely soaked, and he had succeeded twenty times.
After taking a short break, Byakuya left the Flying Thunder God Formula on a tree by the riverbank.
"I wonder if the chakra I have left is enough to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to get home."
He had only been learning this S-Rank Space-Time Ninjutsu for a few days, and without a teacher to explain it, he had to figure it out bit by bit on his own. There were no shortcuts.
"I'll give it a try. The Fate Grid improved my vitality. As long as I don't overdraw my chakra too much, I won't die."
He proceeded step by step: sensing the Flying Thunder God Formula he'd left at home, converting chakra into space energy, breaking through the barriers of space, and leaping across.
In a flash, Byakuya arrived at his home.
But the next moment, his vision went black, and he knew nothing more.
When he woke again, it was past six in the morning.
His body had recovered well, and there was nothing seriously wrong. But he was so hungry his eyes were practically glowing. He forced himself up and wolfed down everything edible in the fridge. Once he'd replenished his energy, he felt much better.
"The distance was too great. I still can't teleport over long distances. Unless it's an emergency, I absolutely can't take that risk."
That was the benefit of having his vitality and stamina improved by the Fate Grid. Overdrawing his chakra a little wasn't a big deal.
An ordinary shinobi who overdrawn their chakra would be in serious trouble.
He changed clothes and headed out to work.
As Byakuya passed the market, he spotted a red-haired woman carrying a basket of vegetables.
Red hair. Could she be Kushina of the Uzumaki Clan?
He sensed her chakra.
Even just standing there, she had a tremendous amount of chakra. Byakuya was astonished.
Keeping his expression neutral and pretending nothing had happened, he was just about to pass her when the red-haired woman slowly turned her head. "Don't sense other people's chakra without permission in the village. It's really annoying."
"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to..."
There were a few radishes in the woman's basket. "It didn't seem like an accident. It felt like you were sensing me on purpose."
Hearing her call him out to his face, Byakuya asked, "You're Kushina, my senior at the Ninja Academy, right?"
"You know me?"
"Yeah. I'm the Ninja Academy warehouse manager. I happened to see your name while sorting through old ninja tool request forms."
Kushina furrowed her brow. "You recognized me just from my name?"
"Not just that. There's a photo of the graduates from past years on the wall in the principal's office. The principal also said, uh, that you left a deep impression on him, Kushina-senpai."
"Haha..." Kushina gave an awkward laugh. "I left a deep impression, huh?"
"I'm going to be late for work. Next time, let me treat you to some barbecue, senpai."
"What's your name?"
"Senkaku Byakuya."
Kushina watched him walk away, thinking there was something odd about the kid. He had a strange personality, and his chakra was strange too.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, she had excellent sensory abilities. Senkaku Byakuya's chakra was clean and pure, and its quality was high!
Was a shinobi like that really just a warehouse manager at the Ninja Academy?
Meanwhile,
Byakuya was also lost in thought. Kushina of the Uzumaki Clan was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki in the Hidden Leaf Village, the wife of Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, and the mother of Uzumaki Naruto, who would become the Shinobi World's undisputed main character.
And yet she was a tragic figure.
He still remembered the scene where Kushina gave Naruto her final words. It had made him burst into tears and shed a few precious drops.
He opened the warehouse's three heavy doors.
A teacher arrived just in time to request some ninja tools.
"Sorry to trouble you again, Byakuya."
"What's up?"
"There's this kid from the Uchiha Clan. He's pretty talented, and I want to teach him a few more tricks for using ninja tools."
"A kid from the Uchiha Clan? What's his name?"
"Uchiha Shisui. I suspect he'll graduate from the Ninja Academy very soon."
Before you continue