Pyo Hand Seal (Seek Follow-up Reads)

Land of Rivers, Daimyo Palace.

Yamanaka En yawned, "I didn't expect this mission to be so boring. Who knows how much longer it will take to end."

Beside him, Shita Genichi was practicing hand seals and replied, "It should be soon."

"The new Daimyo of the Land of Rivers has already ascended to the throne."

"Besides, it's been a month. If more support were needed, the village would have sent another squad to relieve us by now."

Yamanaka En nodded, tilting his head to watch Shita Genichi form seals, "Genichi, are those seals really that magical?"

Shita Genichi smiled slightly, "They are indeed different from the basic seals."

"But they are quite difficult to master."

"Are you interested, En?"

Yamanaka En shook his head, "Forget it. The secret techniques of our Yamanaka Clan already have simple enough seals."

Shita Genichi nodded in agreement.

It was true.

For clans with secret ninjutsu passed down through generations, their techniques were often thoroughly refined, and the seals were very simple. There was truly no need to waste time learning the Nine Syllables Hand Seals.

After all, the power of these hand seals was notoriously difficult to grasp.

As of now, Shita Genichi could only use the "Zai" seal and the "Qian" seal.

He was currently focusing his research on the "Bing" and "Jie" hand seals.

He had already faintly grasped the essence of the "Bing" hand seal and felt it helped in increasing speed.

As for the "Jie" seal, Shita Genichi was attempting to apply it to genjutsu and countering genjutsu.

However, he had yet to make any real progress.

Whoosh!

Uchiha Namiichi suddenly appeared, "You two are certainly relaxed."

Yamanaka En laughed, "That's what you and the captain are here for!"

The four of them were actually split into two groups, taking turns protecting the new Daimyo of the Land of Rivers.

Moreover, the Daimyo had been staying inside the palace of the Daimyo Palace the entire time, surrounded by samurai. As ninjas, they were actually hidden in the shadows to provide protection.

Furthermore, the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers also kept his own ninjas for personal protection.

A month had passed, and nothing unexpected had occurred.

Although the Land of Rivers was not a major power, it was at least an ally of the Land of Fire.

It originally had its own ninja village, Amegakure.

But after the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzo was beaten into retreat and abandoned the Land of Rivers.

Consequently, the missions in the Land of Rivers were transferred to Konoha.

However, the Land of Rivers still possessed a certain foundation; otherwise, Konoha would not have sent only the White Fang Squad.

Shita Genichi stopped his training, "Namiichi, is the mission ending?"

Uchiha Namiichi nodded, "Yeah, a new squad has arrived to relieve us."

"Let's go!"

Shita Genichi and Yamanaka En stood up, and the three of them vanished from the spot.

"Big Brother Minato!"

Shita Genichi was quite surprised.

He hadn't expected the squad coming to relieve them to be Namikaze Minato's team.

"Big Sister Kushina!"

Shita Genichi greeted Uzumaki Kushina, who was wearing her flak jacket.

Yes, Uzumaki Kushina was not strictly confined within Konoha; she also performed missions abroad.

"Genichi seems to have grown a bit taller!"

Uzumaki Kushina reached out and patted Shita Genichi's head, "Hmm, your hair seems to have grown quite a bit, too!"

Shita Genichi scratched his head, "I learned a ninjutsu from Teacher Jiraiya, and having long hair is more advantageous for it."

Uzumaki Kushina understood instantly.

At this moment, Hatake Sakumo had finished the handover with Namikaze Minato and his team. Neither side lingered, so Shita Genichi waved goodbye and followed Hatake Sakumo and the others as they departed.

Once they were outside the Daimyo Palace, Shita Genichi looked back and asked, "Teacher Sakumo, the political situation in the Land of Rivers shouldn't remain this stable forever, right?"

Hatake Sakumo turned his head, curious, and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Shita Genichi replied, "The Land of Rivers is rich in resources. After Amegakure and Sunagakure were defeated, the interests here had to be ceded to us, Konoha, and the Land of Fire."

"But I don't think Sunagakure and the Land of Wind will be content with that, especially now that the political situation in the Land of Rivers is in such turmoil."

For Konoha, the interests in the Land of Rivers represent mission volume, which is the village's primary source of income outside of the funding provided by the Land of Fire Daimyo Palace.

As for the Land of Fire, those interests involve the development of various mineral resources and the like.

In the eyes of Shita Genichi, the ascension of a new Daimyo in the Land of Rivers is an excellent opportunity.

Yet, unexpectedly, there hasn't been a single incident during this period.

Is the deterrent power of the White Fang of Konoha too great?

Or do other factions truly have no designs on it?

A trace of doubt lingers in Shita Genichi's mind.

Hatake Sakumo is quite surprised to hear this, not expecting Shita Genichi to be so sensitive to politics and possess such a strong grasp of the big picture.

"Genichi, your considerations are indeed correct."

Hatake Sakumo affirms Shita Genichi's thoughts, then adds, "However, there really hasn't been any movement from the ninja villages of other nations recently."

"After all, the Great Ninja War didn't end long ago; the losses were significant, and everyone is currently focused on recovering their strength."

Shita Genichi nods upon hearing this.

That reason is indeed valid.

Furthermore, Yamanaka En laughs, "Genichi, don't overthink it. Isn't it better that nothing is happening?"

Shita Genichi chuckles at these words, "That's true as well."

"Compared to fighting and killing, I prefer quiet cultivation."

Speaking of which, Uchiha Namiichi cannot help but retort, "Genichi, with you working so hard, it makes En and me look incredibly lazy."

Although it is a retort, Uchiha Namiichi maintains his usual cold expression.

Shita Genichi says helplessly, "If I had your strength, I could certainly afford to be more laid back."

"But that is clearly impossible; there is still so much I need to learn."

Yamanaka En sighs dramatically, "Sigh, with you around, Genichi, I always feel so ashamed."

Shita Genichi rolls his eyes, "I have never seen you actually change your ways."

As soon as these words are spoken, everyone bursts into laughter.

It is the morning of the third day since returning to Konoha.

After the squad disbands, Shita Genichi returns home and immediately enjoys a comfortable bath.

It wasn't impossible to bathe during the month in the Land of Rivers, but it certainly wasn't as comfortable or convenient as being at home.

After changing into casual clothes, Shita Genichi greets his parents and heads out, arriving outside Shizune's house.

"Shizune!"

Shita Genichi cups his hands around his mouth and shouts.

Soon, the upstairs window opens, and Shizune sticks her head out, looking pleasantly surprised, "Genichi!"

"Wait for me!"

Before Shita Genichi can speak, Shizune shuts the window with a swish.

A short while later, Shizune appears before Shita Genichi and asks with a smile, "Did you just get back today?"

Shita Genichi nods, "Yeah, just got back."

"What have you been up to lately?"

Shizune clasps her hands behind her back, taking a few skipping steps, "Training with Tsunade, observing at Konoha Hospital, and practicing at home—it's been so boring!"

Shita Genichi smiles, "Then it seems you must have made quite a bit of progress during this time, right?"

Shizune says with a hint of shyness, "I've already mastered the Mystical Palm Technique."

In front of others, this would be something worth showing off.

But since Shita Genichi had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique long ago, Shizune feels a bit embarrassed instead.

"That's already very impressive."

Shita Genichi knows his own situation best.

Mastering the Mystical Palm Technique was entirely due to overdrawing his future potential, rather than possessing any truly formidable talent.

"Let's go, we're heading to Konoha Hospital."

Shita Genichi says.

Having received the praise, Shizune is very happy and nods quickly, "Okay!"

To her, as long as she is with Shita Genichi, it doesn't matter where they go.

As for Shita Genichi, he is going to Konoha Hospital for the cadavers.