After returning home from Konoha Hospital, Shita Genichi took a shower before going to his bedroom and lying down.
[Overdraft the Next Ten Years]
As the icon lit up, the Overdraft Panel burst into a mass of purple light. Shita Genichi's consciousness went blank in an instant, and every cell in his body began to tremble.
A moment later, Shita Genichi opened his eyes, looking a little astonished.
Three years!
This time, it was only three years—the shortest period yet.
He sat up, feeling somewhat helpless.
He had died in Year 47 of Konoha because of the Third Shinobi World War.
Being too outstanding apparently wasn't a good thing. It made it easy to get assigned dangerous missions.
Besides, the Ice Release cell transplant had failed. It was useless; the rejection was too severe, and he couldn't obtain the Ice Release genes.
But that had finally made him give up. If he wasn't a match, there was no point trying. It would only waste time.
"At least I got something out of it."
Shita Genichi sighed.
Over those three years, he had made considerable progress in genjutsu, kenjutsu, and other areas.
He had also made major discoveries in organ and bone marrow transplants.
After all, waiting to die when a problem arose wasn't in his nature. He had naturally done everything he could to research a solution. Although he hadn't managed to solve the problem in the end, he had still gained a great deal.
But that wasn't his biggest discovery.
It was the Soldier Mantra.
Previously, the Soldier Mantra had only increased his speed in various ways.
But this time, to solve his own problems, his future self had tried harnessing the power of the Nine Character Mantra in addition to looking for solutions through conventional medical techniques.
He had made some progress.
The Soldier Mantra wasn't just capable of increasing speed. It also possessed tremendous power to prolong life and restore youth.
Shita Genichi simply hadn't unlocked that potential before.
This time, however, he had discovered something.
It could heal wounds, cure illnesses, and neutralize poison. Its effects were even better than the Mystical Palm Technique.
Unfortunately, he hadn't developed it far enough.
"I guess I wasted an opportunity!"
"I'll have to plan carefully from now on. The best thing to do in the future is lie low. The longer I live, the more time I'll have to achieve results and reap rewards."
Shita Genichi pondered to himself.
This overdraft hadn't yielded what he'd expected, so he had no choice but to change his plans.
There was no way he could travel this year.
"Next year. I'll wait until I've overdrafted the future next year before heading out..."
Shita Genichi made up his mind.
Although overdrafting the future didn't give him memories of it, he could still glean some information about what lay ahead from the combat experience he retained.
The future might not remain unchanged, but this could still prove useful.
"Luckily, the negative effects from the future don't carry over. Otherwise, I'd still be dealing with the rejection from the Ice Release transplant."
Shita Genichi was quietly relieved.
Two days later, after taking half a month off, Sakumo Squad set out on another mission.
At dusk, they reached the border of the Land of Fire.
Hatake Sakumo stopped to rest and briefed Shita Genichi and the others on their mission. "Our objective is to work with shinobi from the Land of Grass to escort a high-profile prisoner to Hozuki Castle."
Hozuki Castle?
Uchiha Namiichi and Yamanaka En both looked puzzled.
Shita Genichi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Hatake Sakumo said, "Genichi, you know about it. Tell us about Hozuki Castle."
Shita Genichi nodded. "Hozuki Castle was established by Kusagakure at the request of the various countries. It's a prison for shinobi who have committed crimes, located on an island in the middle of the sea."
"The castle's warden is usually a Kusagakure Jonin, who must also know the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison technique."
This information wasn't just from his memories of his previous life. It had also been mentioned in the Ninja Academy textbooks, though only briefly.
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Genichi's right."
Yamanaka En asked curiously, "The countries asked Kusagakure to build the prison because it's neutral?"
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "The Land of Grass lies in a basin and is relatively secluded. It's also remained neutral for a long time. Kusagakure has good relations with the various countries and major shinobi villages, which is why Hozuki Castle exists."
Uchiha Namiichi said coldly, "If they're serious criminals, they should just be killed."
"That's true," Shita Genichi said with a smile. "But the fact that Hozuki Castle exists means it's a political compromise."
"Some people want a criminal dead, while others don't. So they reach a compromise and lock him up in Hozuki Castle."
Yamanaka En nodded thoughtfully. "So that's why we need to protect him."
"Does someone want to rescue this prisoner, or kill him?"
That was a crucial question.
Hatake Sakumo replied, "The prisoner is from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning. Our mission is to prevent anyone from rescuing him."
A Cloud shinobi...
Shita Genichi said, "Could he have been caught stealing a secret technique from another village?"
Hatake Sakumo couldn't help laughing.
Shita Genichi had clearly guessed correctly.
Yamanaka En asked curiously, "Genichi, how did you know?"
"I've heard Kumogakure likes stealing secret techniques from other villages, even Kekkei Genkai," Shita Genichi said.
"It's an old tradition of theirs."
"But since this involves Kumogakure, we'll need to be extra careful. Those guys have a strong fighting spirit."
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Genichi's right. We mustn't underestimate the people of Kumogakure."
Uchiha Namiichi and Yamanaka En nodded together.
Then Yamanaka En asked with a smile, "Genichi, how do you know so much more than we do?"
"Read more books. And, well... ask more questions," Shita Genichi replied.
"I remember that Kakuzu, the Takigakure shinobi who once tried to assassinate the First, was also imprisoned in Hozuki Castle."
He tried to assassinate the First!
Yamanaka En and Uchiha Namiichi both exclaimed in shock, then looked at Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "That did happen."
"Kakuzu was sent to Hozuki Castle too, but he escaped. He's an S-rank missing-nin now."
"He's an extremely dangerous opponent. If you ever encounter him, be very careful."
Shita Genichi and the others nodded again. Uchiha Namiichi then said, "If we run into him, we'll kill him."
Kill Kakuzu?
That would be no easy feat.
The man had five lives.
Without knowing that, he was extremely dangerous.
And even if you knew, Kakuzu himself was incredibly powerful.
He had mastered all five nature transformations. He was unquestionably Kage Level.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, Shita Genichi and the others entered the Land of Grass and arrived at Kusagakure around noon.
A young Kusagakure shinobi named Mui received them.
Shita Genichi remembered him. In the future, Mui would become the warden of Hozuki Castle and open the Box of Ultimate Bliss in an attempt to resurrect his son.
As he watched Mui lead the way, Shita Genichi couldn't help thinking of Karin's mother, the poor woman who had been literally "bitten to death" by the Grass Ninja.
She must be very young now, around the same age as Namikaze Minato.
Someone like her was being wasted in Kusagakure!
Shita Genichi couldn't help feeling tempted.
Before you continue