Daily Life

Training, reading, and practicing Ninjutsu —these are the few things Taiichi has been doing since he returned.

People often see First Shinobi World War, but few can match his dedication, spending almost all his time outside of rest improving his strength.

[Congratulations! After a long period of study and practice, your skill Sealing Jutsu has been upgraded to Lv5 (1/800)]

The intensive training over the past few days has lived up to expectations; the Sealing Jutsu has leveled up again, and it's only one level away from being able to create Multiple Lamp Array Sealing Talisman. At the current pace, it's estimated that it will be achieved within two months.

Just as Taiichi was overjoyed at the imminent achievement of yet another mission objective, the door, which had been silent for many days, was finally knocked on.

The door opened, and there stood Yohei and Saori.

The two men breathed a long sigh of relief when they saw the door open; finally, someone had returned!

Seeing the relieved expressions on their faces, Taiichi quickly ushered them into the house. After everyone was seated, before Taiichi could even speak, Yohei began to pour out his grievances.

"Taiichi, you have no idea, we've been so bored lately we're practically going crazy!"

As Yohei recounted the story, Taiichi learned about their experiences. In a way, this matter was somewhat related to him. Originally, when Taiichi was around, Team 8, although without Captain, could still carry out some C-Rank Mission. Later, after Taiichi left due to assigned missions, Yohei and Saori were no longer qualified to carry out C-Rank Mission and could only do D-Rank Mission.

That won't do. Doing D-Rank Mission is not as good as training at home. Besides, Captain Yamaguchi will be discharged from the hospital soon.

Unexpectedly, things didn't go as planned. On the very day Captain Yamaguchi was discharged from the hospital, he was called away again for a assigned mission, leaving only the two of them in Team 8.

The fact that Konoha currently so short-handed that even Captain Yamaguchi, who was just discharged from the hospital, immediately began carrying out missions is a telling sign.

Despite being so busy, Yohei and Saori couldn't even complete a C-Rank Mission for various reasons. Can you imagine how frustrated they were?

Watching Yohei's affected performance, even though he knew it was fake, Taiichi still felt embarrassed. Seeing Saori's helpless smile beside him, Taiichi felt even more guilty.

He's been back for several days now, and he didn't even inform them. It's true that he didn't do his job properly.

"Taiichi, you don't know, last time when we went to the Mission Hall, the staff there advised us to apply to regroup. How could that possibly work?"

Yohei was still complaining about the unreliability of the staff, and how could anyone advise a well-behaved team to disband? Just then, he felt Saori tug hard on his clothes.

Unaware of what was going on, Yohei followed Saori's gaze and saw Taiichi's guilty expression. Only then did he belatedly realize and say, "Taiichi, I wasn't talking about you! Don't mind it!"

But the more he said that, the more embarrassed Taiichi felt. Seeing Yohei, who was already somewhat at a loss, Taiichi interrupted his comforting words, "Alright, now that I'm back, we can carry out our mission again."

With that, Taiichi stood up and said, "Let's go, Mission Hall, let's go!"

Yohei and Saori exchanged a glance, cheered, and got up to follow Taiichi's steps.

With Taiichi joining, the team finally regained its eligibility to accept C-Rank Mission. Although normal C-Rank Mission were quite simple for the team, it was still much better than staying at home doing nothing in this busy environment.

And so, Team 8, having reunited, began their missions once again. Perhaps because they had been cooped up at home for too long, or perhaps because they wanted to get more experience, Yohei and Saori showed exceptional enthusiasm for their missions in the following days.

Not only did she shorten the rest time between missions, but she also took the initiative to take on Taiichi's work, which made Taiichi feel embarrassed over time.

But even with such frantic mission execution, their cultivation wasn't hindered. Firstly, they were all now able to create Shadow Clone for cultivation, and secondly, the three of them were basically together Tenten. With Taiichi, an all-around expert, as their regular sparring partner, it would be difficult for them not to improve.

After all, Taiichi could communicate with Yohei's Fire Style and Taijutsu, and Saori's Lightning Style and Sealing Jutsu. Even if they had any blind spots in their knowledge that Taiichi hadn't covered, he could provide guidance from a higher level.

Right now, they are on a C-rank mission—escorting the swordsmith Kriz out in search of inspiration and safely returning him to Kyoto.

This swordsmith Kriz Kritz was said to be a renowned master in Kyoto, but he had a rather eccentric and particularly obsessive personality. I guess that's a trait that every master swordsmith has, anyway, after Taiichi and his companions spent a day with him, they felt that this master swordsmith was quite kind.

This mission was issued by a nobleman in Kyoto City. There were no special requirements; they simply needed to safely escort Master Kriz back to Kyoto City within 10 days.

This easy and simple task also gave Taiichi and the others more free time. Now it was time to rest again, and the three of them immediately created Shadow Clone and disappeared into the nearby forest to conduct their respective training sessions.

This has become the norm for a while now, using every spare moment to guide training. Not to mention Yohei and Saori, even Taiichi himself has made significant progress in Fire Style, Taijutsu, Lightning Style, and Sealing Jutsu during this period.

Each of them added more than 100 points of experience compared to studying and practicing alone. This may be what is meant by reviewing the old to learn the new, or perhaps it is that communication makes people progress.

However, their good fortune didn't last long. Taiichi and his team clearly underestimated the extent of Kriz's eccentric and obsessive personality, a point that was explicitly stated in the mission manual.

On the third day after leaving Konoha, Master Kriz's eccentric personality began to emerge. At the morning assembly, the white-haired swordsmith did not choose the flat official road that caravans usually took, but instead pointed to a winding mountain road on the map.

"Let's take this route today." Kriz traced an arc in the mountains with his finger. "They say the maple leaves there are already turning red, that rust-like red is the inspiration for my new work."

"Master, you're a swordsmith, but you sound like a painter to me!" Yohei muttered quietly from the side.

"What do you know? Any skill, once it reaches a certain level, must find inspiration in nature." Kriz's face was full of longing, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if that maple forest were right in front of him.

Then he turned his gaze and stared intently at Yohei: "Aren't you ninjas the same? I often see you ninjas sitting cross-legged in those dangerous Takayama and places with unique scenery!"

"Really? Is that so?" Yohei scratched the back of his head, trying hard to recall if he had ever experienced this. "I don't remember it at all."

"Half of them are Jonin, or ninjas who have hit a bottleneck," Taiichi explained to the group. "They are also trying to understand nature and thereby comprehend the Nature Transformation of Chakra."

"I see!" Yohei exclaimed, feigning sudden realization. "Just like Taiichi, when you first grasped the essence of fire!"

"However, Master!" Saori frowned, looking at the route on the map, circling a section with her finger. "This area is all deep forest, teeming with wild animals and poisonous insects. You—"

"Beasts! Poisonous insects!" Kriz scoffed, his eyes gleaming with unwavering determination beneath his thick white eyebrows. "I've been forging blacksmiths since I was 10, swords since I was 13, and it's been over 40 years now. If I'm afraid of even this little bit of danger, then I don't need the title of master!"

Yohei quietly tugged at Saori's sleeve and whispered, "No wonder the mission description said he had an eccentric and stubborn personality; it turns out he's fearless!"

Taiichi. He had thought it would be a simple escort mission. He hadn't expected that the difficulty of the mission lay not in the enemies they might encounter, but in the target they were escorting.

These eccentric master-level quests often make some outlandish demands, and are generally only slightly better than annoying brats.

"Since you insist, we will do our best to protect you. But please follow our instructions and take shelter immediately if you encounter any danger."

"That's more like it!" Kriz looked at Saori. "This kid's words are so much more pleasant to hear."

Ignoring Saori's flushed face, he waved his hand and strode towards the secluded mountain path.

On his back, various shovels and spades clattered and clanged from time to time in his tool bag.

Taiichi stepped forward, patted Saori's clenched fist without making a sound, and whispered reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, just treat it as a normal mission objective."

"Yohei, let's catch up quickly." With that, he took the lead and caught up with Kriz, who was looking around nervously.

But no one noticed that Saori, who was walking at the back, had turned even redder. This time, however, it wasn't from anger, but rather from Taiichi's intimate actions just now.

The mountain path was more rugged than he had imagined. As the afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows, Kriz suddenly left the path and headed towards a steep slope.

"Master, where is the danger—" Before Yohei could finish his warning, Kriz had already lost his footing and slid down the hillside.

Earth Style: Earth Style: Earth Flow River. Taiichi quickly Hand Seals, controlling the range of the Ninjutsu, causing all the rocks on Kriz's path to turn into mud.

Fortunately, it was just a small slope with a small drop. When Kriz slid down the slope, he was unharmed except for being covered in mud and looking a little disheveled.

"You did that on purpose!" Yohei whispered to Taiichi, "At that distance, you could have Body Flicker there and scooped him up."

Taiichi looked at Yohei with surprise. This kid's observation skills have improved quite a bit, but he still denied it, saying, "How could that be? Protecting the target's safety is my top priority."

Ignoring Yohei's "say what you will, I just don't believe it" look, she jumped straight down the slope, leaving Yohei watching the show and Saori pointing at her fingertips.

At the bottom of the slope, Kriz, who was still struggling in the mud, suddenly felt his collar being pulled. He then felt a tremendous force and before he could react, he was pulled onto solid ground.

"Master Kriz, it's best to be careful in places like this. If this really is a cliff, we won't have time to rescue you," Taiichi kindly advised.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Kriz struggled violently, mud splattered all over his body, but his face was full of excitement. "I just saw a piece of high-quality ore, absolutely the best auxiliary material for forging weapons."

Taiichi let go of his hand and helplessly watched as the old man rushed towards a bare rock, picked up a small hammer and started tapping on it, occasionally listening to the echoes inside.

This is perhaps why Kriz became a master – he was completely dedicated and fearless in pursuing his goals.

Before Taiichi could finish his exclamation, Kriz cried out in pain, "Ah!"

The three quickly arrived at Kriz's side, and saw an Aoda crawl out from under the old man and swiftly swim towards the grass.

Taiichi casually flung out a Kunai, pinning down the Aoda that had already half-hidden in the grass, before bending down to examine the wound that Kriz was covering.

Yohei then went over to examine the dead snake. "Taiichi, it's Five-Step Snake, highly venomous!"

Upon hearing this, Kriz trembled, his face turning deathly pale. Even then, he clutched the ore he had just picked up, pleading, "Young man, is there any hope for me?"

He was just a kid, and now he's a little brother. Taiichi chuckled to himself.

But he still looked up seriously, carefully examining Kriz's face, without saying a word, until Kriz trembled from looking at him, before he lowered his head again to examine his bitten leg.

By this time, Kriz's wound had begun to turn black, and he could barely feel it when touched. Just as Kriz was about to be filled with fear, Saori quietly nudged Taiichi's back with her knee, signaling Taiichi to stop.

As expected of a companion who spends every day together, Taiichi noticed Saori's little trick.

Taiichi stopped trying to scare Kriz and took out an Antidote Pill from his Ninja Tool Pouch, handing it to Kriz: "Master, this is Antidote Pill from my special envoy. Take it first."

Kriz didn't care about anything else at that moment. When he saw the antidote that Taiichi handed him, he put it in his mouth without saying a word. But after chewing it a couple of times, his whole face twisted together.

Just as he was about to vomit, Taiichi covered his mouth with his hand, and he heard that devilish whisper in his ear, "Swallow it quickly, or you'll have to eat another one later."

Kriz, feeling helpless, forced himself to swallow the medicine in his mouth, suppressing the urge to vomit.

At this point, he no longer felt the pain in his legs, and even the ore he had been tightly holding in his hands loosened.

It felt like my whole being had been elevated; perhaps this is what they call "after hardship comes happiness"!

Taiichi, however, composed himself and instructed Yohei to open the water pouch. He then formed hand Hand Seals and used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to absorb a handful of water, slowly pressing it into the wound to gently draw out the venom and damaged blood cells that had entered the body.

A full minute passed before Taiichi pulled the water sphere out of Kriz's body again; the once clean sphere was now covered in black and red filthy blood.

After this was done three times, when Taiichi finished performing the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique for the last time, only a faint blood-red color remained in the water sphere, and the treatment officially ended.

Taiichi picked up the bandage and skillfully bandaged Kriz's wound. After everything was finished, when Taiichi got up to help Kriz up, he found that Kritz had already focused his attention on the ore in his arms and was no longer concerned about his injury.

Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori exchanged helpless glances. But at least after this incident, Kriz finally learned to restrain himself and stopped wandering around so recklessly.

In this way, Yohei would occasionally Saori a Flame Bullet to scare away the charging wild boars, and Taiichi would sometimes wield a Lightning Net to knock down a swarm of wasps. Taiyi would then offer his opinions after they performed the spells, so that they could correct their shortcomings in time and perform the spells faster and more powerfully next time.

Next, after touring the rust-red maple forest, the group, at Kriz's request, rowed across the vast lake, walked across the expansive Tano, and finally climbed the steep cliffs, standing on those towering peaks to gaze at the rising sun.

As the bright red sun leaped above the horizon, Kriz, as excited as a child, kept muttering, "Found it! Found it! This is it!"

Then, Kriz, who had found inspiration, seemed afraid that it would suddenly disappear, and kept urging Taiichi and the others to speed up. On the contrary, Taiichi, for the sake of Kriz's health, intentionally suppressed his speed.

Otherwise, if the target's health collapses before everyone even reaches Kyoto, would the mission be considered complete or incomplete?

Even so, Taiichi and his companions arrived in Kyoto City on the seventh day. The moment they entered the city, Kriz rushed into his Forge Room, dismissed everyone, and announced that he was going into seclusion to forge swords.

Taiichi and his two companions were left standing at the entrance of the foundry, looking at each other blankly, unsure of who to ask to confirm their mission!