"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Kurokawa quickly formed hand seals and spat out a shockwave of water, disrupting Satō Ichirō's movements.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
A Senbon Rain fell from above, covering the space where Satō Ichirō could dodge.
Umatsu's Senbon were no longer controlled by a simple physical mechanism; he had infused them with chakra to manipulate them.
Like a raging storm, they were fast, covered a wide area, and struck with astonishing force.
"Blue chakra. Could this guy have a wind nature?"
Seeing this, Aoki Tsuki recalled Minato Namikaze using the Shuriken Shadow Clone technique. It had looked spectacular, like a rain of lasers.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
As expected, Satō Ichirō used a circular Water Formation Wall to protect himself.
Back when they had patrolled the border, Aoki Tsuki had learned that Satō Ichirō also specialized in Water Release and was a ninja known for his ninjutsu.
After blocking the attack, Satō Ichirō quickly counterattacked.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
White mist quickly spread through the entire training room, and Satō Ichirō vanished from sight.
"This move?"
Aoki Tsuki could only marvel that great minds thought alike. In a confined room, this move really was a sure kill. If he could think of it, there was no reason others couldn't.
The three quickly stood back-to-back, each defending a different direction.
Umatsu formed hand seals with both hands, then looked up and cried out in less than a breath, "Above us!"
Aoki Tsuki had no time to think. The moment he heard Umatsu's warning, he darted away.
By then, Satō Ichirō, hanging upside down from the ceiling of the training room, had already unleashed his ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
A massive torrent poured down in an instant, scattering the three of them.
Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa reacted a little faster. After dodging the water, they kept moving and each leaped onto a wall of the training room.
Umatsu had barely fallen into the water and regained his balance when he was trapped inside a spherical ball of water.
"This is... the Water Prison Technique?"
"Correct, and dead." One of Satō Ichirō's clones pressed a hand against the water sphere as he spoke.
Kurokawa clung to the wall with both feet, not daring to move.
Suddenly, a dark figure lunged out of the mist. He barely managed to resist for a few exchanges before a kick sent him flying, leaving him unable to fight.
From the sounds, Aoki Tsuki knew both his teammates had been "killed."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
A volley of Shuriken cut through the dense mist and flew toward him.
Clang, clang, clang...
Aoki Tsuki swung his blade to knock them away. When Satō Ichirō charged into view immediately afterward, he slashed at him without hesitation.
Drawing on the strength of his entire body, he burst forth at extreme speed and brought his blade down with force.
Thud...
The muffled impact sounded as though he had cut into a lump of glue. There was none of the satisfying ease of cleaving through his target as he had imagined. His blade seemed to be stuck fast, forcibly interrupting his follow-up attack.
"This is... the Water Prison Technique?"
A spherical ball of water had appeared around Satō Ichirō. Wearing a gas mask, he stood inside the water prison, completely unaffected.
A ninjutsu meant to trap enemies had been used on himself as a defense.
"Not entirely. I used Earth Release to increase the water's density. Its viscosity and elasticity are enough to absorb your attack," Satō Ichirō explained.
As a Jonin, he naturally knew more than just Water Release.
"I see."
Understanding dawned on Aoki Tsuki, and he couldn't help thinking of the crash barrels on highways.
Filled with water, they could cushion and absorb even the enormous kinetic energy of a car traveling at high speed.
He really is a Jonin. He's got some skill.
Now that he had seen the move, he would secretly learn it for his own use later, specifically to defend against powerful, forceful Taijutsu attacks.
Aoki Tsuki hurriedly pulled back and waited for Satō Ichirō to counterattack. Instead, no attack came, but he began to feel a little dizzy.
"Wait, this mist is poisonous... fuck..."
"Feeling it?"
Satō Ichirō walked over and pointed at the gas mask on his face. "Poison is one of us Rain Ninja's most important weapons. You need to get used to wearing one of these, or people will die."
Ibuse's poison really was potent. Even inhaling a tiny bit was enough to make one suffer.
The first lesson for a guard was to personally take a breath of its poison, so they would remember it firmly.
The two sides had exchanged only a few rounds, but the three had been thoroughly defeated.
"I have a rough idea of your abilities now. Next, I'll explain the basic procedures for guard duty."
Satō Ichirō began explaining the specific responsibilities of their posts.
He had two squads under his command. Over the past year, he had lost several people because they had carried out special missions during the war.
Aoki Tsuki, Kurokawa, and Umatsu had been brought in to fill the vacancies.
The guard team provided protection around the clock using day and night shifts. Since they were new, getting to work the day shift for a while was a perk.
Once they were familiar with the work, their shifts would be adjusted.
Responsibilities naturally came with benefits. Each person could choose one ninjutsu from the secret vault, take one day off per week, and receive a full monthly salary of fifty thousand ryō.
The ninjutsu in the secret vault were mainly Water Release techniques, and most were not particularly high-level.
Aoki Tsuki chose the Water Prison Technique without hesitation. It could make up for the weakness in his defense.
It had other important uses as well, such as treating poison.
In the Shinobi World, poison was a common means of attack, used by many ninja. There were all kinds of poisons, and no universal antidote.
He needed a conventional means of detoxification himself, using the B-rank Medical Ninjutsu, the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, as a reference.
Seventy percent of the human body was water. If he could precisely control the density of a ball of water, he could directly extract toxins from his own body.
This technique was worth spending time grinding hard to master!
Kurokawa chose the Black Rain Technique. Like the Hidden Mist Technique, it was a support-type ninjutsu.
It covered opponents with a rain of black oil, then used Explosive Tags or Fire Release to set a wide area ablaze, enhancing the attack's effect.
It was similar to the Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet.
Umatsu once again chose a support-type ninjutsu that enhanced perception.
All three got what they needed and were very satisfied.
Aoki Tsuki smiled and said, "Brother Kurokawa, you went down way too fast just now. Be honest, how many tricks were you hiding?"
This guy had escaped with his life from Iwagakure and Sunagakure's forces back then. Aoki Tsuki absolutely refused to believe that was all he could do.
Kurokawa hurriedly shook his head in denial. "Don't talk nonsense. I gave it everything I had, but Captain Satō is just too strong. Even if you gave me another ten years, I still wouldn't be fit to touch a finger of his."
"You're being modest. As if I don't know you."
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. But you, on the other hand, I don't believe you'd be poisoned so easily," Kurokawa countered.
Umatsu sighed beside them. "Sigh, you two are each more cautious than the other. Young people these days really are something."
"Ahem... I really did let my guard down then. Come on, our shift's over."
Click...
Aoki Tsuki put his equipment in his assigned locker, locked it, and left the underground space.
"It feels a little like Konoha's Anbu, though wearing a gas mask all the time is a bit awkward."
He collected eighty thousand ryō from the mission office for the B-Rank Mission guarding the daimyō, along with the fifty thousand ryō the village had awarded him for killing enemies and the hundred thousand ryō the daimyō had given him earlier.
Aoki Tsuki gathered Mieko, Ryōta, and Shinichi to split the money, then went to the Silver Fish Pavilion for a farewell meal.
Mieko had received notice to report to the medical department, so both she and Aoki Tsuki had achieved their goals.
Ryōta and Shinichi still didn't know which squads they would be assigned to and were waiting for word from the village.
"Come on, cheers!" Aoki Tsuki said, raising his drink.
"Cheers!!!"
The squad had been together for more than a year, and they had gotten along reasonably well. Now they were parting on good terms.
"Even though we won't be doing missions together anymore, if there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to come find me," Aoki Tsuki offered.
He was still a Chunin, but he had finally secured a position.
They were all Lord Hanzō's guards. No one could think of bullying him anymore, and most people in the village would have to show him some respect.
In a few years, once he had worked his way up to Jonin, he planned to have a reasonable talk with that guy Shinonome.
Mieko added, "If you get hurt or anything, just come find me."
"Thank you, Captain, and thank you, Miss Mieko. I was really lucky to meet you," Ryōta said hurriedly.
Shinichi, however, said seriously, "I'll become a Chunin too."
After more than a year as a Genin, some of Shinichi's youthful edge had worn off, and he no longer went around shouting that he would become a Jonin.
Jonin were among the strongest fighting forces in every village. Becoming one required both strength and opportunity.
"Mm-hmm. If things go smoothly, maybe we can even form a team again someday," Aoki Tsuki said with a nod.
The two hadn't done many missions with him, but the missions had been fairly high-ranking. For Genin, that was an impressive record.
Especially during wartime, when opportunities were more plentiful.
After the meal, they went their separate ways. Aoki Tsuki finally had a chance to exchange a few words with Kikuno Momo when he settled the bill at the end.
"Sister Mimoto, I officially joined Lord Hanzō's guard team today. The captain is Jonin Satō Ichirō."
"Well... I already knew."
Kikuno Momo wasn't surprised in the slightest. She leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"My husband rarely praises anyone, but he can't stop singing your praises. Little Tsuki, you have to keep working hard. I have high hopes for you too, you know?"
"Thank you for the compliment. I was wondering, though, what hobbies does the captain have? As his subordinate, I'd like to give him a little token of my appreciation."
"Hobbies... hmm, let me think..."
Kikuno Momo rubbed her chin and thought for a while before saying, "He doesn't seem to have any particular hobbies. If I had to name one... I suppose drinking tea counts."
"Okay, okay. Sister Mimoto, what do you like?" Aoki Tsuki continued.
"What, are you trying to bribe me?"
"Absolutely not. I figured you must have put in quite a few good words for me with the captain, Sister Mimoto. If I didn't show my appreciation, it would go against my Ninja Way."
Kikuno Momo asked curiously, "Oh? What is your Ninja Way?"
"Using the back door," Aoki Tsuki said, his face completely serious.
Kikuno Momo couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing when she heard that. "Haha... you little rascal. All right, I'll tell you. I like sweet pastries."
"All right, I'll remember that. Get back to work. I'm off."
"Little Tsuki, don't forget to come by our home when you have time..." Kikuno Momo invited him.
Aoki Tsuki swayed, and the "my boss's wife" and "the department head's wife" series automatically popped into his head. That absolutely would not do.
"No... no..."
He quickened his pace, looking a little like he was fleeing in disarray.
"Tsk! What a sly little man. And surprisingly thoughtful, too."
Kikuno Momo craned her neck to watch Aoki Tsuki's retreating back for a while before swaying away to continue attending to the customers.
Although Aoki Tsuki's family ran a gift shop, high-end gifts like tea leaves were expensive and difficult to store in the Land of Rain's conditions, so they weren't among the items sold there.
He spent a hefty sum elsewhere on a packet of good tea and a tea set, then went to a pastry shop and bought an assortment of pastries.
After returning home, he began wrapping them, keeping the presentation simple and unadorned.