Happy Troubles

[Mission complete, please select your rewards.]

Oh right, I almost forgot about this.

So, were the previous options too weak, failing to meet the criteria for completing the mission?

Lost in thought, Shinmoku opened the reward interface.

It had been a long time since he last completed a B-rank mission. He had chosen Water Release back then, and he'd even regretted it at the time after learning that the ninjutsu provided by the system came at max proficiency.

Shinmoku fell into a state of happy distress.

There were too many things he wanted. Even for Fire Release and Lightning Release, which he didn't strictly need, there were powerful techniques like Hiding in Ash and False Darkness.

Not to mention the Uchiha-exclusive Uchiha Flame Formation and the Flying Thunder God Slash, which was based on the Flying Raijin Jutsu.

It was a pity there was no Flying Thunder God: Second Step; that technique seemed to be A-rank, otherwise, it would have ended the game right there.

As expected, he should stick to elemental types. There was no helping it; he was only three away from having all attributes, so he had to see it through to the end.

There was no Yang Release, which meant it was likely in a higher-tier pool... surely he wouldn't be forced to rely on RNG when the time came?

Shinmoku shook his head, suppressing the unease in his heart.

"Wind Release it is."

He confirmed his reward.

With the reward distributed, Shinmoku closed the system interface.

...Crap, I forgot to ask for directions.

He could naturally find the exit by continuing with his previous method, but a crazy idea popped into Shinmoku's mind—he could sense the Flying Raijin user in Konoha.

Should he just walk back?

No, since he had realized it, wouldn't it be a waste not to practice?

It was only five hundred kilometers; that wasn't too far.

The devil and the angel in his mind began to fight. Shinmoku's breathing grew heavy, and his heart hammered against his ribs.

Here goes!

"Flying Raijin Jutsu!"

Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes wide with intensity.

The moment before he closed his eyes, he saw the image of himself that Shinna's Clone had transformed into within the room.

Ryūchi Cave.

A tall woman materialized, staring at the spot where Shinmoku had vanished.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu, is it?"

She knew about the old hag's trial. It was nothing to those with a firm heart, but for anyone showing the slightest sign of weakness, it would be fatal.

However, even after passing the trial, the contract scroll wasn't something given out lightly.

Although Orochimaru was annoying, his abilities could not be denied. What right did this person have to obtain the scroll?

She had been curious about what the old hag was planning, which was why she had signed the contract with him... though, of course, she also had the intention of wanting to go out and see the world.

Now, she had no more doubts. An Uchiha who had mastered Space-Time Ninjutsu would never be weak.

"Three days, that woman came four times."

Shinmoku leaned against the headboard, Shinna standing by his side, speaking indifferently.

"Which one?"

Shinna glanced at him, a cold sneer seemingly in her eyes.

"...How did you fool her?"

"Behind a screen, I had the Clone jump into the Medicinal Bath. There was no direct interaction."

"Not bad."

"Also," Shinna continued, "Hinata came once, Tenten came twice..."

"Can't help it, my charm is just that potent."

Shinna gave him a flat look. "Rock Lee twice, Might Guy twice, Neji once."

"Personal charisma," Shinmoku added as a cover, then continued, "What did Neji come for?"

"He was with Tenten; they probably stopped by while on their way to training."

"Good."

No more questions. The Kai Team was still reliable.

"So—" Shinna changed the subject, "where did you go?"

"I took a trip to Ryūchi Cave," Shinmoku said, gesturing with his chin toward the scroll in the corner of the bed. "I got a contract scroll. Want to sign it?"

After taking a second to process the information, Shinna asked with a grave look in her eyes, "Is it dangerous?"

"What could possibly be dangerous about that?"

"I'm talking about Ryūchi Cave!"

Shinmoku shrank back, "...It was alright. Quite fun, actually."

Unable to tell if he was telling the truth, Shinna said nothing more. She didn't even glance at the scroll, instead shooting him a fierce glare before turning and walking out.

After a day of rest, Shinmoku resumed his previous training.

Days passed one by one, and soon, only a single day remained before the Chunin Exams.

At dusk, in the Hokage Mansion.

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, gazing at the portrait of the Fourth Generation. The embers in the pipe flickered, and the smoke stretched into long lines, slowly vanishing into the air.

If you were still alive, Konoha surely wouldn't have fallen into such a state, would it?

Beset by troubles from within and without, the strength of Konoha had plummeted to its lowest point since the village's founding.

The only consolation was that the cultivation of the Will of Fire had proceeded without error; the new generation of ninjas was growing rapidly, and before long, a large number of powerhouses would emerge.

Since taking office as Hokage, this was the time he felt the least confident.

But he was not dead yet, and he could still continue to protect the children!

He stood up and walked out of the Hokage Mansion.

He spent a while before the Konoha Memorial Stone, as the teachings of the First Generation and Second Generation flooded back into his memories.

He then walked to the Ninja Academy, where some children were undergoing taijutsu training.

Opposite the Hokage Rock, Iruka was teaching the new students about the Will of Fire, and his grandson was among them.

After delivering a speech, he bid them farewell and headed toward the outskirts of Konoha, walking all the way to the former compound of the Uchiha clan.

Shinmoku, having finished his training, was heading home under the setting sun when he saw the Hokage waiting at his door.

"Hokage," he paused and called out respectfully.

"Shinmoku," Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a kind smile, "have you been getting used to life since returning to the village?"

"?" Shinmoku was puzzled, but replied, "It's been fine."

"I have come to apologize to you."

"?" Shinmoku blinked. "Is it because of those Anbu?"

"Yes, and Anko as well. She was also tasked with monitoring you."

"..." Shinmoku remained expressionless. "I understand."

"It seems you already knew." Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed it from his expression.

"After all... that is what I do."

Both sides fell into a long silence.

Shinmoku struggled internally for a moment before finally sighing.

"Hayate Gekko was killed by Baki of Sunagakure, and Kabuto Yakushi was there too. It can be concluded that the Sound Ninja and Sunagakure are colluding. If tomorrow's exam proceeds... watch out for the Kazekage."

These were the intelligence he had gathered and his logical deductions.

The consequences of revealing this were—

The Chunin Exams might end early, lowering his mission score.

Or, by providing critical intelligence, his mission score for protecting Konoha might increase.

It might save the Hokage's life.

It could eliminate the potential threat of Orochimaru, because he knew that he knew about the impersonation of the Kazekage. If he didn't say anything, Orochimaru would likely reveal it later, at which point he would be in danger.

"When did you obtain this information?" the Hokage asked with a sharp gaze.

"..."

This was the most immediate consequence; his level of trust had once again plummeted to freezing point.