For Yubi, staying in the village for so long meant using its resources to enrich himself.
It was not solely for carrying out his plan.
He had used his early accumulation through the system to earn a reputation as a genius, allowing him to receive support he had never had at the Ninja Academy.
That included guidance from an Elite Jōnin like Arai, as well as the ninjutsu scrolls he was studying now.
Although he had the system's help, Yubi believed he still needed to build a fairly solid foundation.
This counted as a stage of "foundation building" for him.
"Seals... require a certain degree of proficiency before they can be simplified, especially the way they interact with chakra and direct its flow. Once that feeling becomes instinctive... you can reduce the number of hand seals when performing certain ninjutsu. A simpler opening gesture alone can mobilize chakra... The key lies in the 'response' between the two."
One day, at home.
Yubi set down the ninjutsu scroll in his hand, deep in thought.
He had gained a new insight... These nature transformations had, at the very least, given him a better understanding of the "connection" between seals and chakra.
Lately, he had felt as though he were preparing for exams in his previous life. He hardly stepped outside, burying himself in these ninjutsu scrolls... Fortunately, the ninjutsu the village had given him were not particularly difficult. They were relatively basic, things he could attempt and understand at his current level.
"The more I understand the ninjutsu system, the more I discover how difficult this power and these methods are... Sure enough, it's not that simple."
Yubi rubbed his temples and spoke quietly.
"Yubi..."
Just then, a Sunagakure ninja appeared outside the window and called out.
"Sasori... is back."
When Yubi looked over, the ninja made a gesture.
"Finally back."
Yubi smiled.
He was afraid Sasori would take another mission and leave without stopping after returning to the village, so he had specifically asked the Sunagakure ninja guarding the village gates to keep an eye out.
"It's about time I left the village and continued my growth, too."
Yubi put away the pile of ninjutsu scrolls. Although he had not completely "analyzed" these nature transformations, the research he had done so far was enough.
At the very least, it had given him a clearer understanding of the "logic" of ninjutsu.
After leaving home and returning the scrolls to the relevant personnel, Yubi headed straight for the village's mission assignment office.
He had prepared thoroughly. Using the funds from his previous missions, he had bought quite a few things at the village's ninja tool shop.
In particular, a supply of his custom-made scalpels.
They required special forging... which took a great deal of work.
Fortunately, he had stayed in the village long enough this time.
Yubi had barely arrived when he spotted Sasori, who had already accepted a mission and was preparing to leave.
"Hey."
Wearing Sunagakure combat gear, Yubi raised a hand and called out with a smile.
Sasori saw him as well.
"That's cold... Planning to sneak off alone again? Didn't we agree last time that we'd go together...?" Yubi said with a smile.
Compared with the last time he had seen Sasori...
In just a few short months, Yubi found that Sasori's whole demeanor had changed somewhat again.
When the two of them had carried out missions at the border, Sasori had been withdrawn and cold, but there had still been a trace of youthful inexperience in his eyes... Now, however, a faint, sinister harshness had settled over his features.
Simply standing there, he gave off an intangible sense of extreme danger.
Barely contained killing intent...
Something stirred in Yubi's mind.
He knew that look in Sasori's eyes was not directed at him.
Rather, it was anger, a transformation of negative emotions.
He needed to kill... to vent his rage.
"What mission did you take?" Ignoring Sasori's coldness, Yubi walked up and asked.
"Konoha."
Sasori hesitated, then uttered the name.
Sunagakure and Konoha had already ceased large-scale hostilities... In this Shinobi World War, at least, the conflict between the two villages had ended.
But just as Arai had said, minor clashes... still existed.
With the trend already so clear, Sasori's choice to take a mission involving Konoha was plainly deliberate.
"The details?"
Yubi asked.
"Head to the Land of Grass... Konoha's people are fighting Iwagakure there. Our side received intelligence identifying one of Konoha's supply routes... We're to find a way to intercept and kill their support squad," Sasori said coldly.
"Let's go... Count me in."
Yubi nodded.
"We need three people."
Sasori said.
"Mm... Let's wait a bit. He should be here soon," Yubi said with a smile.
A few minutes later, a familiar figure appeared.
It was Arai.
Upon learning that Yubi intended to leave the village on a mission, Arai had immediately set off to join him.
The village could not possibly let two geniuses like Sasori and Yubi go out on their own... It would have to provide some protection.
Now that Sunagakure and Konoha had ceased hostilities, there was, logically speaking, no need for the two boys to take risks... But training in the village could never match the improvement brought by actual combat.
Of all the formidable figures who had made names for themselves in the Shinobi World, which had not forged their way forward step by step through blood and fire?
Thus... the Third Kazekage and the senior leadership tacitly approved of Yubi leaving to gain experience.
But only on the condition that a certain degree of safety could be guaranteed.
Seeing Yubi with Sasori, Arai's eyes flickered.
So Sasori really was the reason Yubi wanted to leave at this particular time...
Yubi had expected Arai's arrival.
Sasori, on the other hand, no longer had any of that former "familiarity" in his eyes when he saw Arai. In its place was undisguised indifference.
Clearly, Sasori took issue with the village's "ceasefire."
"Let's talk on the way."
Arai also noticed Sasori's estrangement and distance, and his tone was somewhat stiff.
"Mm."
Without questions or further discussion, all three accepted forming a team together again.
Soon, the group of three left the village.
Following the route they had once taken toward the Land of Rain, they headed straight for the Land of Grass.
A day later, the three stopped to rest in a stretch of stony desert.
After learning the details of the mission, Arai, as team captain, had formed an operational plan.
"The intelligence only gives an approximate location for Konoha's route. We don't know much about conditions on that battlefield yet, so we need to be careful... Before we move against Konoha's people, we should make preparations. Their numbers and strength are still uncertain."
"In the fighting between our village and Iwagakure, both sides have narrowed their fronts. Iwagakure's main force is dealing with Konoha as well... But Iwagakure is still on guard against us. Entering the Land of Grass through the Land of Earth is unlikely to be possible."
"So we can only pass through the Land of Rain... to reach the Land of Grass. This mission will probably take a long time."
"Also, although our squad is capable of entering the Land of Rain... the journey through it will be dangerous, too. We need to be careful."
"After entering the Land of Rain, we'll find a way to get travel permits from a merchant caravan, then... disguise ourselves as merchants. That should make things easier... Or we could simply pose as black-market merchants. Given the current state of their country, inspections on that front probably won't be too strict."
"The Land of Rain is on the defensive now. Their border deployments shouldn't be all that heavy anymore, right...?"
Yubi looked at Arai and spoke.
"Yes... But the situation inside their country is extremely chaotic. The present-day Land of Rain was formed almost entirely through expansion. Add the continuous warfare of the past few years, and they've had very little time to develop... So, in a sense, although the Land of Rain appears unified thanks to Hanzō's formidable abilities and methods, local power brokers still exist throughout the territories under him. These local forces are a tangled mess, and quite a few rebel factions have even sprung up..." Arai nodded.
"Their internal fighting is fierce as well... So we must be careful."
"Understood."
Yubi smiled.