Journey to the Land of Waterfalls

"Are you sure you came here to complete a mission and not for a picnic?" Uchiha Izumi asked, speechless as she watched Hyuga Gen leisurely preparing food.

The aroma of the meal wafting over made the group suddenly feel that the "Military Ration Pills" in their hands were no longer appetizing. Then again, to be fair, Military Ration Pills never had much of a scent to begin with; when made well, they were barely edible, and when made poorly, they were downright lethal.

Hyuga Gen had eaten them before; they were indeed quite effective at restoring stamina, but the taste was something else entirely. Still, they had their uses—popping one when hungry during a battle could restore one's energy.

However, these pills were somewhat different from those in Shippuden; their effect on restoring chakra was negligible. Their only real purpose was to fill the stomach, and once the stomach was full, one regained physical strength, though chakra recovery still relied on the ninja themselves.

It had to be said that these scrolls were quite useful. Fuinjutsu relied on them, summoning techniques required them, and one could even store items within the scroll's space—they were truly an essential artifact for home and travel.

Hyuga Gen had put a lot of effort into Fuinjutsu previously and was quite adept at using scrolls. After all, he had used them frequently while learning the art, so he was very familiar with their functions and utility.

Therefore, storing items in a scroll was no challenge for Hyuga Gen, and he had packed quite a few things into the scroll's space.

However, it seemed the scroll space could not store living creatures. Hyuga Gen had experimented with this before; it could only hold inanimate objects, though, of course, food was perfectly fine.

"Tsk, it tastes pretty good. Do you guys want some?" Hyuga Gen scooped a small bowl, took a bite, and decided it was quite tasty, so he offered.

After saying this, he quickly scooped up a large bowl, grabbed a piece of the fish he had grilled, and ran over to Might Guy to curry favor.

Naturally, there was a reason for this sycophancy: he wanted to learn the "Eight Inner Gates" and hoped Might Guy would teach him.

Hyuga Gen was very interested in the Eight Inner Gates; after all, Guy had nearly kicked Madara to death while opening the eighth gate. Even without the eighth, opening the seventh gate was powerful enough to instantly kill Kisame, which was already incredibly impressive.

"Teacher Guy, could you teach me the Eight Inner Gates?" Hyuga Gen asked, looking at Might Guy with anticipation.

Might Guy was a bit surprised that Hyuga Gen knew about the Eight Inner Gates, but he was a blunt person by nature and didn't press for details.

"Why are you trying to learn Steel Fist instead of focusing on your Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist? Isn't that throwing away the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed? Do you have any idea how many people envy the Gentle Fist techniques of your clan?" Might Guy asked, looking at Hyuga Gen with a hint of what seemed like envy.

Gentle Fist was indeed excellent. In Shippuden, it was vastly underestimated; to call it invincible in close combat was no exaggeration, and it was quite a counter to Might Guy's style.

"I will continue to study Gentle Fist, but I also want to learn Steel Fist. Perhaps cross-referencing them will yield unexpected results," Hyuga Gen said, looking at Might Guy earnestly.

"No. Greed is not a good thing. Only by specializing in one path can you go further. Learning many ninjutsu is not as good as honing one to the extreme."

Hearing Might Guy's words, Hyuga Gen felt as if he were seeing him in a new light. He hadn't expected such profound insight from him, which caught Hyuga Gen off guard.

Even so, this didn't change Hyuga Gen's mind. He still wanted to learn the Eight Inner Gates; he was determined to master this technique.

And so, for the next few days, he launched wave after wave of "attacks" on Might Guy, providing meticulous care—massaging shoulders, pouring tea, and fetching water—which made everyone else look on in bewilderment.

Even then, Might Guy did not agree to teach Hyuga Gen the Eight Inner Gates, leaving Hyuga Gen with no other options.

All he could do was perform well and complete the mission beautifully; perhaps if Might Guy were happy enough, he might just teach him.

"Here, Lord Bu Qianfan, take this. Remember to leave a good review once the mission is complete," Hyuga Gen said, handing a portion to their big benefactor with a wide grin.

"Isn't your Hyuga clan a prestigious family in Konoha?" Bu Qianfan asked, the implication of his question clear.

Bu Qianfan had assumed that Konoha ninjas were all arrogant and condescending, so he hadn't expected them to be so approachable. He had encountered other ninjas in the past, and his impression of them hadn't been good.

After all, ninjas in this world seemed to consider themselves superior; they had the power to kill ordinary people with ease. Some ninjas didn't even view commoners as human, killing them at whim.

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" Hyuga Gen asked, finding it strange. He didn't really care about prestige.

He felt that calling his benefactor "My Lord" didn't cost him anything, and building a good relationship was what mattered most. It seemed everyone in this world liked that title.

Bu Qianfan took the food from his hand and said nothing more.

They had been away from Konoha for over a week. The journey had been smooth, and they had grown familiar with their employer, whose name was Bu Qianfan.

He seemed quite fond of science, wasn't much older than them—only about three years—and got along well with the others. Other than that, he didn't like to talk much.

However, his bag seemed to contain something important, and Bu Qianfan was very protective of it. Hyuga Gen had curiously glanced at it with his Byakugan; it appeared to be some blueprints, though what they were for remained a mystery.

Because Bu Qianfan was an ordinary person, they had to travel on foot. If they hadn't had an employer, the group could have reached the Land of Waterfalls in just three days at full speed.

Hyuga Gen had actually considered summoning Xiaojin to help; with Xiaojin's speed, carrying himself and the employer might have finished the mission quickly. But he only thought about it; after all, it was a team mission, and Might Guy wouldn't allow it. Besides, they were heading to unfamiliar territory, and there was no telling what might happen.

Moreover, he doubted Xiaojin would be willing to let anyone else ride on its back; currently, only Hyuga Gen and Hyuga Natsu had ever been on Xiaojin.

After lunch, the group set off again, continuing their journey toward the Land of Waterfalls.

They hadn't encountered many villages or towns along the way. From a modern perspective, Hyuga Gen felt Konoha wasn't particularly prosperous, but compared to the small towns and hamlets they passed, it was worlds apart.

They had encountered mountain bandits, but the moment they saw the Konoha ninjas, the bandits had scurried away. It had to be said that the reputation of Konoha's ninjas was quite formidable; ordinary people wouldn't dare provoke them.

Then again, who would want to cross one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations? Especially the strongest one, Konoha—that would be playing with one's own life.

The group pressed on toward the Land of Waterfalls, drawing ever closer to their destination.

Meanwhile, in Longyue Town in the Land of Waterfalls, a transaction was taking place in secret.

"Are you sure it's just a squad of Genin?"

"Yes, Lord Water Snake. Their team leader is a Jonin, a ninja named Might Guy who only uses taijutsu."

"Very well, I accept this mission," the ninja known as Water Snake said after a moment of thought.

"But you must have the rest of the items ready quickly. I will come to collect them once the job is done. If they aren't there, you know the consequences," Water Snake said with a sinister tone.

"We understand, we understand," the pot-bellied middle-aged man replied with a fawning smile.