The luxurious carriage swayed gently along the smooth highway.
Thick blankets lined the carriage, and charcoal burned brightly in the brazier.
Chikage reclined comfortably against a cushion and raised his wrist to check the time.
The hands ticked over to exactly five in the afternoon.
Chikage took the Konoha Military Police Force's specially made check-in device from his waist and casually pressed it.
A crisp mechanical notification sounded in his mind.
"Ding!" "On-time check-in successful. Enjoy your time off!" "Daily business trip check-in points: 500 points credited."
Immediately afterward, the system's screen unfolded before Chikage, pale blue text cascading down it.
"Detected that the host led the successful completion of the Land of Waves border campaign." "Successfully repelled the Six Paths of Pain and forced Obito Uchiha to retreat." "Chikage led his team in capturing the enemy leader, Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura, averting the Uchiha Clan's impending destruction." "Hidden campaign achievement unlocked: Light of Dawn!" "Calculating special rewards for this campaign..." "Achievement reward received: 30,000 points!"
Chikage looked at the number on his points panel, delighted.
After redeeming Wood Release and Sage Mode, he had only had a little over twenty thousand points left.
With this hefty thirty-thousand-point payout, his total had climbed back above fifty-two thousand.
In these chaotic times, having plenty of points gave him peace of mind.
Chikage bit into a soft, chewy Three-Color Dango, his face full of contentment.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building in Konoha.
The Hokage's Office was thick with acrid tobacco smoke.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his redwood desk, repeatedly tapping his pipe against its surface.
No complete intelligence report had arrived from the front, leaving him restless.
Just then, the office door burst open.
An Anbu Jonin assigned to border reconnaissance stumbled inside.
Mud covered his armor, and