Farewell and Departure

Ryuto stuffed the last of his dry rations into his cloth bag and tied it shut.

He looked around the cave he had stayed in for almost two months: the stone bed, the stone table, and the marks he had accidentally left on the wall while practicing his punches. It was time to go.

He shouldered his bag, walked to the entrance, and pushed aside the vines.

The sunlight was a little dazzling.

Without hesitation, Ryuto headed straight for the heart of the Uzumaki Clan grounds. He had to say goodbye to two people.

The Uzumaki clanspeople nodded in greeting when they saw him. Over these past few months, they had all gotten to know him.

When Ryuto found Mito Uzumaki, she was studying maps in a room. Several lay spread across the table, covered in all sorts of markings.

"Mito." Ryuto stood in the doorway.

Mito looked up, saw the bag on his back, and paused before understanding.

"Leaving?"

"Yeah." Ryuto stepped inside. "Came to say goodbye. Thanks for these past few months."

Mito set down her pen and walked over.

"We should be thanking you," she said. "You helped guard our border and drew the Uchiha's attention away. Though... you caused quite a bit of trouble, too."

Ryuto smiled. "We helped each other."

Mito took a scroll from a cabinet nearby. It was dark gold and a little thicker than the black scroll she had given him before.

"This is for you." She handed it to Ryuto. "A more advanced Weighted Scroll. You can adjust the weight sealed inside, up to tenfold. And this."

She took out a large, finely detailed map as well.

"This is the most detailed map of the surrounding area, including some trails, dangerous places, and resource sites most people don't know about." Mito pointed to a circled spot on the map. "Here. This is a natural training ground our Uzumaki Clan discovered some time ago. The terrain is treacherous, but the conditions are extreme. It should suit you."

Ryuto took the scroll and map, weighing them in his hand.

"This is a pretty hefty gift."

"Not at all." Mito looked at him. "Someone like you will become very strong sooner or later. Consider these an investment. If our Uzumaki Clan ever faces trouble, I hope you'll remember today."

Ryuto nodded. "I will."

"Be careful out there," Mito said. "Things are chaotic outside right now. The Senju and Uchiha are fighting like mad, and the smaller clans are taking sides too. You're on your own. Don't get mixed up in it."

"Understood." Ryuto put away the scroll and map. "I'll be going, then."

"Rena's over by the storehouse. She said she wanted to prepare some things for you," Mito said. "Go see her."

"All right."

Ryuto turned and left.

When he reached the storehouse, Rena Uzumaki was crouched on the ground, stuffing things into an even larger cloth bag.

Dry rations, dried meat, water skins, and a small packet of salt and medicinal herbs.

"Are you trying to empty the storehouse?" Ryuto walked over.

Rena looked up. Her eyes were a little red, but she wasn't crying.

"For you to eat on the road." She pushed the bag into his arms. "This much should last you a month."

Ryuto took the bag. It was heavy.

"Thanks."

"No need for that." Rena stood and dusted off her hands. "You saved me. Preparing some food for you is the least I can do."

She looked at Ryuto and opened her mouth as if she had a lot to say, but in the end, all she said was, "You... don't go dying out there."

Ryuto grinned. "Don't worry. I'm hard to kill."

"Have you looked at the map? Where are you planning to go?" Rena asked.

"I have," Ryuto said. "Deep into the mountains. Find somewhere deserted and train properly. Once I feel I'm strong enough, I'll come back out."

"Then... what about your old village?"

"I'll go back to check on it now and then," Ryuto said. "But right now, I need to train until nobody dares mess with me."

Rena nodded. "That makes sense. You should get going, then, while it's still early."

"I'm off."

Ryuto shouldered both bags, waved to Rena, and turned toward the edge of the clan grounds.

Rena stood at the storehouse entrance and watched him go. Only when he had disappeared from sight did she turn and head back.

The moment Ryuto stepped beyond the barrier surrounding the Uzumaki Clan grounds, he felt the difference.

Even the air outside seemed thick with tension.

He took out the dark-gold Weighted Scroll and activated it.

Five dark-gold patches attached themselves to his limbs and chest.

Humm-

His body suddenly grew heavy.

It was heavier than the previous black weights, probably around sevenfold. Ryuto hadn't set it to the maximum. He would get used to it first.

He tried taking a few steps.

Heavy, but he could still move.

"All right. I'll travel like this."

Ryuto extended his Ki Sense, sweeping his surroundings like radar. Within a one-kilometer radius, there were no large concentrations of chakra, just a few scattered points, probably animals or lone wandering ninja.

He chose a direction and started walking.

Not running, just walking. Under sevenfold weight, walking conserved more ki than running and still provided continuous training.

Ryuto kept his Ki Sense active throughout the journey.

He avoided every area with dense chakra signatures. Those places were either battlefields or camps, and stumbling into one certainly wouldn't end well.

Occasionally, he encountered one or two lone ninja. Seeing him walking alone with bags on his back, and not moving particularly fast, some would set their sights on him.

But whenever Ryuto released just a little ki, they felt its pressure and generally fled.

In the chaos of the Warring States Era, those who survived weren't fools.

He walked for roughly three days.

Ryuto had mostly adapted to walking and jogging under sevenfold weight. He began trying short bursts of high-speed movement under the load.

Whoosh!

His body shot forward, but much slower than usual, and his ki drained rapidly.

"No good. I need to refine this."

As Ryuto walked, he pondered how to exert force more efficiently under the heavy load.

On the afternoon of the fourth day.

As Ryuto passed through a small grove, his Ki Sense suddenly picked up activity ahead.

Not animals.

Human chakra. Five people, gathered together. There were also a few weaker chakra signatures, trembling.

"Robbers?"

Ryuto quickened his steps without running, approaching with the weights still active.

Beyond the grove lay a clearing.

Five ninja in mismatched armor surrounded three civilians: an elderly couple and a child. A battered cart lay overturned on the ground, its contents scattered in disarray.

"Old man, hand over all your money and food!" A scar-faced ninja pointed a kunai at the old man's nose.

"Sir, this is all we have. You can take everything. Please, just let us go..." The old man knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"Shut up!" Another ninja kicked the old man over. "Search him!"

Two ninja stepped forward to strip the old man's clothes off.

"Stop."

The voice came from the edge of the grove.

All five ninja turned at once.

Ryuto slowly approached with his bags on his back.

"Who are you?" The scar-faced ninja narrowed his eyes.

"Just passing through," Ryuto said. "You looked busy, so I thought I'd say hello."

"Got a death wish?" A tall, thin ninja drew his sword. "Get lost, or we'll rob you too!"

Ryuto ignored him and looked at the three civilians. "You can go."

The three civilians froze, looking from Ryuto to the five ninja, not daring to move.

"I told you to get lost!" The tall, thin ninja charged and swung his sword at Ryuto's head.

Ryuto shifted his feet and turned sideways. The blade missed, passing just by his shoulder.

Then he raised his hand and slapped the man across the face.

Smack!

The sound rang out sharply.

The tall, thin ninja flew sideways, struck a tree, and passed out.

The remaining four ninja were stunned.

"Get him together!" The scar-faced ninja recovered and shouted.

All four lunged at once.

Ryuto didn't remove the weights.

He moved under the sevenfold load.

He wasn't fast, but every step was frighteningly steady. The first ninja threw a punch. Ryuto grabbed his wrist and twisted.

Crack!

The wrist broke.

The second ninja thrust a kunai at Ryuto's back. As if he had eyes behind him, Ryuto sidestepped it and drove a backhanded punch into the man's stomach.

"Urgh!"

The man doubled over and collapsed.

The third ninja was only halfway through his Fire Release hand seals when Ryuto reached him and punched his hands.

Bang!

The bones in his hands cracked. His Fire Release was forced back, scorching his own face black.

Only the scar-faced ninja remained.

He held up his kunai, his hand shaking.

"Y-you stay back!"

Ryuto walked over and looked at him.

"Still going to rob civilians?"

"N-no! Never again!" The scar-faced ninja threw away his kunai and dropped straight to his knees.

"Get lost."

As if granted a pardon, the scar-faced ninja scrambled over, dragged his unconscious and injured companions up from the ground, and fled without looking back.

Ryuto walked over to the three civilians.

"It's all right now. Go."

"Th-thank you, sir!" The old man started to kneel again.

Ryuto held him up. "Hurry along. This place isn't safe."

The three civilians thanked him profusely and left, pushing their battered cart.

Ryuto watched them leave, then continued on his way.

That fight hadn't even counted as a warm-up. His movements were still a little stiff under sevenfold weight, but they were enough to deal with rogue ninja like those.

He walked for another two days.

Ryuto took out the map and studied it.

The deep mountain region lay just ahead, far from the Senju and Uchiha spheres of influence, with no outposts belonging to other clans either.

Treacherous terrain and harsh conditions. Just right.

He adjusted the weight to eightfold.

His body grew heavier again.

"This is the place."

Ryuto put away the map and headed toward the mountain range marked on it.

The farther he went, the harder the going became. The woods grew denser, the rocks more numerous, and occasionally he heard the cries of wild beasts.

But within Ryuto's Ki Sense, human chakra signatures had all but disappeared.

Good.

He reached the edge of a cliff and looked down.

Below lay a deep valley shrouded in mist, its bottom hidden from view. Across from him stood an even taller mountain, with a waterfall cascading down its slopes.

"A waterfall... I can train my resistance to impacts. A deep valley... I can practice climbing and weighted jumps. Tall mountains... I can do weighted mountain climbs."

Ryuto quickly planned his training exercises in his head.

He found a flat rock, sat down, set his bags aside, and took out some dry rations, eating a few mouthfuls.

Once he finished, he stood and looked at the wilderness before him.

No villages, no clans, no war.

Only mountains, trees, rocks, and himself.

"Let's begin."

Ryuto shouldered his bags again, activated the eightfold weight, and walked toward the edge of the deep valley.

First, he had to find somewhere to live-a cave, or a shelter he built himself.

Then came the relentless training.

Until he felt strong enough. Strong enough to go back, strong enough to protect what he wanted to protect, strong enough to live his own way in this chaotic era.

Ryuto's figure slowly disappeared into the ancient forest deep in the mountains.