Bottleneck

Ninjas are such a fragile class; they possess extraordinary power, but their defense is quite poor.

Whether it's Ninjutsu, swords, or even a Shuriken, anything can take a ninja's life.

This fight really taught Taiichi lesson. In a head-on confrontation, no matter what methods Nagano Masaru used, he couldn't even scratch Taiichi's skin.

However, due to a moment of carelessness, he was successfully ambushed, and a Short Sword almost took Taiichi's life.

So how can we improve our own defense?

Currently, the Third Raikage possesses the strongest defense in the Ninja World. Both his lightning-style Chakra Armor and his extremely well-trained physique provide him with unparalleled protection.

It is said that the Third Raikage was able to fight the Eight-Tails one-on-one with just his physical body, which gives you an idea of just how strong his defense was.

With the Third Raikage as a reference, Taiichi also had some ideas on how to improve his own defense.

First and foremost is the physical body. Taiichi believes that as his Advanced Taijutsu level continues to improve and his body is constantly tempered, his physical defense will definitely continue to increase. Moreover, judging from the nature of the stats, he has already mastered Basic Taijutsu, Advanced Taijutsu, and who knows, he might even master Taijutsu in the future.

In short, he is Taiichi confident in his abilities and abilities, especially regarding the panel.

The only drawback is that it requires a long period of training and cannot be effective in the short term.

Another idea is Ninjutsu, and there are quite a few Ninjutsu in the Ninja World that can provide extra defense to the body. The common Five Basic Nature Transformations include Lightning Style Armor, Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu, Steel Style: Steel Body, and Earth Style: Sand Cloak.

Even more powerful techniques include Susanoo, Tailed Beast Cloak, and Six Paths Sage Mode.

Taiichi's favorite is Gaara's Armor of Sand from the future. It looks no different from an ordinary person, but its defensive power can easily withstand Rock Lee's high-speed kick after First Gate.

This level of defense is more than enough to deal with ordinary sneak attacks. As for stronger attacks, that's beyond what sneak attacks can achieve, and Taiichi is not afraid to face the enemy head-on.

Looking at the series of Ninjutsu he had recorded from his memories, Taiichi had a headache. He had the Ninjutsu he liked, but he didn't know how to practice it. After thinking it over, Taiichi finally decided to develop a suitable Ninjutsu on his own.

Thinking about it, Taiichi dug out all the Ninjutsu materials that Tsunade had left him. It contained all Five Basic Nature Transformations. After searching through it, Taiichi did find some Ninjutsu with similar effects, but none of them suited his taste.

However, since the decision has been made to develop it independently, these Ninjutsu are only meant to provide some reference value.

Thinking this, Taiichi picked up a scroll and began to study it, while also jotting down his thoughts and insights with a pen.

At the same time, in the Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his large desk, the wisps of smoke rising from his pipe obscuring his deep gaze. Mitokado Homura stood to one side, the two listening to the reports from Utatane Koharu and Masasuke Yamaguchi.

After the report was finished, Utatane Koharu, took out the draft for 700 million taels of silver and handed it over.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the draft, slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "700 million taels, that's almost half more than expected. You've done a great job this time."

"That's good. Now the village's financial situation has finally been alleviated. The previous purchase of war supplies had almost emptied the village's reserves." Mitokado Homura also breathed a sigh of relief.

"But the Daimyo's attitude—" Utatane Koharu frowned, "He not only used Samurai to test the Konoha ninjas, but also secretly sent officials to win over the Genin during the banquet. Especially towards Taiichi, he repeatedly mentioned his orphan status, thinking we hadn't noticed. His intentions are too obvious."

"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze narrowed slightly, and he sat up abruptly, his expression becoming much more serious. "It seems the Daimyo is no longer satisfied with the power he holds?"

"I just don't know if he just wants to expand his own power, or if he has ideas about the One Country, One Village's framework," Utatane Koharu continued.

Mitokado Homura, standing to the side, sneered, "Since the First Hokage established this system, the Daimyo's Mansion and Konoha have always kept to themselves. Now he's secretly recruiting Samurai and coveting our ninjas. Does he intend to abandon Konoha?"

"That's not all," Masasuke Yamaguchi added. "During that time, the Daimyo inquired about Konoha's manpower situation, hoping to regularly send Jonin squads to Kyoto. I suspect they wanted to use the guise of protection to infiltrate and recruit them."

The office fell silent for a moment, and the rustling of leaves outside the window sounded particularly irritating.

"Hiruzen, give us an answer?" Utatane Koharu lowered her voice, "If the Daimyo really has such intentions, what should we do about the village?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi his eyes in deep thought, the image of Danzo unconsciously flashing through his mind. If Danzo were here, he might be able to offer some useful advice. However, Danzo the chilling look in Danzo's eyes when he recently obtained the list of Root, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but abandon the idea of finding him in the short term.

After a long pause, he opened his eyes, his tone grave. "First, strengthen intelligence gathering. Send the Anbu to keep an eye on the movements of the Daimyo's Mansion and see if they make any unusual moves. Without substantial evidence, there's nothing we can do right now."

"Hiruzen, why not let Danzo— "

Mitokado Homura had barely opened his mouth when Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him without hesitation.

"That's enough, En. The Anbu can do this too. Let the Root forces keep an eye on the other ninja villages."

The office fell even quieter, everyone remaining silent, none of them having expected why Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry.

After a long silence, Masasuke Yamaguchi cautiously broke it: "What about Taiichi and the others—"

"Let's hold back for now." Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his cigarette ash. "Since the Daimyo is interested in Taiichi, there will most likely be more action later. We might as well turn the tables and let Taiichi bring back more information."

You mean—a spy!

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye. Just as the Konoha High Command had guessed, the Daimyo sent his envoy to Konoha, requesting the dispatch of guards.

The number of people doesn't need to be large, just three Jonin squads. This number isn't too many, because it won't affect Kyoto's defense; but it's not too few either, because it's more than enough to protect the Daimyo.

This is undoubtedly a provocative act for the already sensitive nerves of Konoha High Command.

Unfortunately, the Daimyo's Mansion acted in accordance with normal mission assignments, and all procedures were legal and compliant. As the only ninja village in the Land of Fire, Konoha had no reason to refuse.

Otherwise, who would bother coming to Konoha to request missions? They'd only accept easy missions and refuse the difficult ones. What would become of the Daimyo's Mansion's funding? If other ninja villages found out, they'd just laugh at Konoha's weakness, unable to even accept missions from their own country.

Therefore, the Hokage could only select his trusted subordinates, explain the key points to them, and then assign them to carry out this guard mission.

However, the Hokage himself knew that in this kind of situation, there's no such thing as being able to guard against a thief for a thousand days without being able to do so. In the long run, there will always be a few ninjas who can't resist the temptation and accept the Daimyo's offer of recruitment.

It seems we still have to let Danzo handle this; he's the only one who excels at this kind of thing.

Ignoring the infighting among Konoha High Command, Taiichi was engrossed in writing at his desk, his study littered with discarded manuscripts.

Taiichi has been maintaining this state for the past few days. If he didn't know how to create Shadow Clone for training, he would probably be completely obsessed. Even so, his eyes are bloodshot, his hair is a mess like a bird's nest, and his clothes are covered with ink stains and food scraps.

Developing Ninjutsu is no easy task. Taiichi's previous creations, such as Water Style: Wild Water Dance, Chakra Perception, and Chakra Enhanced Body Flicker, were all inspired by chance and gradually completed after finding the initial clues.

However, Taiichi was completely clueless about this Ninjutsu development project. His mind was blank, and he had no idea where to begin. It's baffling how the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju Konoha...

He developed all of the S-rank forbidden techniques by himself.

Considering that it took Minato three years to develop just one Rasengan in the original story, he was extremely lucky to have successfully developed the other Ninjutsu before.

Just as Taiichi was becoming increasingly obsessed with developing Ninjutsu, a sudden knocking sound came from the door.

Taiichi was slightly taken aback by the sound, wondering who would be looking for him at this time.

The moment the First Gate, the dazzling sunlight blinded Taiichi appear white. Taiichi instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, but this was due to his long-term exposure to darkness and the sudden bright light.

"Taiichi, how long has it been since you went out? What happened to you?" Yohei 'Saori surprised gasp.

At this moment, Taiichi's eyes gradually adjusted to the sunlight and he could see the two people in front of him clearly. "Yohei,

Saori, what brings you here?

"Have you gone mad from staying at home all day? Have you forgotten what day it is today?" Yohei looked like he'd seen a ghost. This was the first time he'd ever seen Taiichi like this. Taiichi used to always look so confident and composed. Now, he was a complete couch potato.

Taiichi led the two into the house, muttering, "What day is it today?" His dazed mind was like a rusty gear, creaking and unable to turn.

"Today is the day we agreed to train together!" Saori Taiichi reminded Taichi, who seemed unable to remember. "We waited for you at the training ground for ages and, worried, came to your house to find you."

"Ah! Damn it, I completely forgot about that." Taiichi looked guilty and apologized repeatedly to Yohei and Saori.

"Hey Taiichi, what are you doing at home? It's such a mess!" Yohei asked, pointing to the piles of draft papers all over the room.

Looking in the direction Yohei was pointing, Taiichi, who had just regained some spirit, slumped down again, like a snake whose bones had been removed.

"Ugh, I'm trying to develop Ninjutsu, but I'm completely clueless. My head is about to explode from worry." Taiichi sat weakly in his chair, angrily grabbing his messy hair, and told Yohei and Saori about his experience of trying to develop defensive Ninjutsu these past few days.

"No way, no way, Taiichi, have you been thinking about this all this time?!" Yohei looked incredulous, as if he were meeting Taiichi for the first time.

Saori had the same expression, looking at Taiichi as if he were an alien.

Now it was Taiichi's turn to be confused. He asked with a bewildered look, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Yohei and Saori exchanged glances, and finally Saori spoke up to explain, "Taiichi, although I haven't developed Ninjutsu, I've heard my father say that developing Ninjutsu is a very long process, not something that can be done overnight. Very few people say they can develop Ninjutsu today and complete it tomorrow."

Saori's words struck Taiichi like a thunderclap.

Yes, I was really getting stuck on this. The Second Hokage spent his whole life developing Ninjutsu, and I'm still so young; Minato spent three years developing the Rasengan, and I knew that all along, yet I still thought I could develop it in a short time.

They were really blinded by their previous successes.

Having figured everything out, Taiichi felt a sense of relief. "Thank you so much, Saori, Yohei! If you hadn't come today, I don't know how much longer I would have remained lost in this obsession!"

"Haha, Saori, how about it? I'm so glad I insisted on coming!" Yohei boasted to Saori, then turned to Taiichi, "Aren't you going to get ready? We're not training today, let's go out and relax. A balance between work and rest is the right thing to do!"

Hearing Yohei's arrangements, Taiichi was deeply moved. To help him, Yohei and Saori gave up their original training plans just to help him relax. Taiichi appreciated their kindness.

"Wait a moment!"

Taiichi quickly walked into the inner room, and soon the sound of running water could be heard. A dozen minutes later, when Taiichi reappeared in front of Yohei and Saori after he had finished getting ready, apart from looking a little tired, he had regained his usual confidence.

"Come on, to thank everyone, I'll treat you to barbecue today!" Taiichi called to the two of them, and they all walked outside together, beginning their day of relaxation.

The streets of Konoha were as bustling and lively as ever, and the crowds of people brought Taiichi back to the human world. Taking a deep breath, Taiichi felt the long-lost fresh air, and the pent-up frustration of the past few days seemed to be exhaled with that breath.

"Hey, Taiichi, what are you daydreaming about!" Yohei grabbed Taiichi's shoulder and pointed to a newly opened dessert shop ahead. "Look, their Three-color Dango are pretty good, buy one and try it, sweets can make people happy!"

Saori walked beside the two, but her gaze was drawn to the price tags outside the general store on the street.

"That's strange," she muttered to herself. "Does the price of rice change every day? It wasn't this high a couple of days ago."

"What?" Taiichi followed Saori's gaze and saw a label that read, "New rice arrived, 120 per jin."

"Two." He remembered that when he bought rice a few days ago, it cost 100 taels. "Prices had been rising recently, but not as much as today."

Yohei, ignoring the Three-color Dango, also came over, his brow furrowing involuntarily. "It's not just rice; look over there, the prices of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar have all gone up."

The three of them simultaneously recalled the 700 million taels of military funds they had brought back from the Daimyo a few days ago. Taiichi lowered his voice. "It seems the village has already started purchasing basic supplies—"

Merchant are often more shrewd and quicker to react than anyone else. They can always detect slight fluctuations in prices and changes in the types of goods traded immediately and make corresponding adjustments.

With prices rising so dramatically, the village must know it can't hide it any longer and has started to increase its purchasing efforts.

The streets were still bustling with pedestrians, and the shouts of vendors rose and fell, but the three of them felt much heavier at this moment.

"Is this going to be another war?" Saori incredulously. "We've only had peace for a few years!"

A silence fell over everyone. Suddenly, Yohei patted the two on the back, deliberately raising his voice an octave. "Hey, hey, we came out here to relax today, we even stopped cultivating for it, and now you're thinking about war? That's something for the Village Higher-Ups to worry about. Let's just have fun today!"

Taiichi was startled awake by the slap, and seeing Yohei's winking and grimacing, he couldn't help but chuckle, "You're right, even if the sky falls, the Hokage-sama will hold it up!"

"Come on, let's go eat at each restaurant one by one today, and try all the good food. It's on me!" Taiichi called out to everyone.

The worry in Saori's eyes gradually faded, and a faint smile appeared on her lips, "You said it yourself, so don't complain that I ate too much later."

"Haha, Taiichi's going to be spending a fortune today!" Yohei waved his arms exaggeratedly. "Let's go, let's go! First, let's eat Three-color Dango, then go to the fruit shop, and then have some barbecue for lunch!"

The three regained their energy and strolled along the street, eating, drinking, and playing around until noon. They then sat down at Barbecue Restaurant, chatting while waiting for the meat to cook.

Saori sipped her drink and suddenly said, "Actually, I don't think Taiichi needs to be in such a hurry to develop new Ninjutsu. You're already very strong."

"Yeah." Yohei watched the meat slices slowly cook, then grabbed several pieces and stuffed them into his mouth, mumbling incoherently, "Even the two of us combined couldn't beat you. Your strength is now comparable to Jonin!"

Taiichi paused, his hand holding the chopsticks pausing, a warm feeling welling up inside him once again. He looked up at the concerned eyes of his two companions and suddenly felt that the problems that had been troubling him were no longer so important.

"Thank you," he said softly. "However, the development of Ninjutsu will continue, but we won't get bogged down in the details anymore."

"That's more like it!" Yohei raised his glass of juice. "Come on, cheers! To our friendship, and to the successful development of Taiichi's Ninjutsu."

Cheers! *3

The three people's cups clinked together in the air, making a crisp sound.

Taiichi sip of his juice, watching it swirl around in the glass, and fell into deep thought. "What do you think is the principle behind the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique?"