After the last battle, the border was quiet for a while.
Between patrols, Aoki Tsuki's squad conducted tactical drills every day, and all its members improved.
Three months passed quickly.
The ten squads originally sent to reinforce the border were still ten squads, but more than half their members were new faces.
Sunagakure and Iwagakure were killing each other, and members of patrol squads were often caught up in the fighting. Few survived, so new members frequently had to be sent from the village to replace them.
But reinforcements had recently stopped.
They suddenly received orders to return to the village and suspend their border patrol duties, leaving only a small number of personnel to guard the camp.
"Brother Kurokawa, what's going on? Are we abandoning the border?" Aoki Tsuki asked.
Kurokawa shook his head. He didn't know either. After what happened last time, relations between the two had eased somewhat, and they were friendly when they met.
"I know a little about it," Umatsu said quietly.
He had often come to talk with Aoki Tsuki during this period.
He was also a sensory ninja who additionally specialized in hidden weapons and used a Senbon umbrella as well. He had settled down and started a family, with a beautiful wife and a lovely daughter.
Whenever he returned to the village from a mission, he passed Shibuki Bridge and bought gifts for his daughter and wife at Kaneyadō.
Now that they were colleagues who had been through life and death together, they had grown closer.
What mattered even more to Aoki Tsuki was that the man shared his dream.
To become Lord Hanzō's bodyguard.
More importantly, his uncle had once been an outer member. He had died in the Second Shinobi World War, but the connection remained.
Now all he lacked were experience points.
"Lord Hanzō has already spoken with Sunagakure and Iwagakure and made our neutral position clear. Amegakure will contract its defenses and withdraw from the combat zone."
"So we get to go home and lie around, then," Aoki Tsuki said, secretly delighted.
It was the perfect chance to go back and consolidate his gains.
Umatsu shook his head. "In your dreams. We're going to help suppress the rebel forces in our country."
"Oh, I get it."
We can't deal with Sunagakure and Iwagakure, but you? You unruly commoners.
Kurokawa, standing nearby, asked in puzzlement, "Didn't they send people to handle that last time? Why are they sending us too?"
"They messed it up."
Umatsu said disdainfully, "We may be weak compared to Sunagakure and Iwagakure, but we're actually considered the village's elites.
"The bunch sent to patrol the country are even weaker than us, and plenty of them got in through connections. They run whenever trouble comes up."
So they were being sent to clean up the mess.
Now Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa both understood.
Sure enough, the subsequent operations meeting Satō Ichirō held confirmed it. He told everyone to return to the village and rest for a week first.
After that, they would begin clearing out the rebel forces by accepting missions.
Naturally, no one dared complain. Being able to go back and rest for a while was good enough.
That very afternoon, they packed their things and hurried back, unable to wait.
The Land of Rain had given up defending the border, willingly handing it over to Sunagakure and Iwagakure to use as a battlefield.
After returning to the village, everyone went home.
When his mother Eiko saw Aoki Tsuki return safe and sound, she could finally put her worries to rest. That evening, she made him a feast.
Meditating before bed was an indispensable part of his routine.
He had to admit that although the dangerous environment at the border had kept him on high alert, it had also helped him grow stronger.
Now, after gazing at a candle flame, he could hold it steady in his mental world for over a minute.
"All right, let's see how far I can get today."
He formed the "front" seal with both hands and began gathering his mental energy. Once his body had calmed, he gazed at the candle.
A moment later, he closed his eyes and shifted his attention to his mental world.
The afterimage of the candle flame no longer remained motionless. Instead, it followed a spiral path, drawing closer to the center little by little.
With his current ability, he couldn't make it completely still. He could only make it move in a regular pattern.
In other words, it was relatively "still."
The spiral symbolized gathering and contraction, which suited the way he condensed his mental energy.
After thirty seconds, the afterimage reached the center of the spiral and was already beginning to disperse.
"Inhale..."
Aoki Tsuki's breathing rhythm changed as he used Rain Breathing, and the chakra throughout his body began to circulate faster.
As though it had absorbed fuel, the dispersing afterimage suddenly grew several times brighter and began spiraling in the opposite direction.
Thirty seconds later, it returned to its original starting point, its light dim.
"Exhale..."
Aoki Tsuki immediately adjusted his breathing rhythm, drawing in his chakra and slowing its circulation.
The afterimage was drawn back again and began spiraling inward from the outside.
Controlling it with the rhythm of his breathing technique to keep it moving in an endless cycle was the method Aoki Tsuki had come up with.
It was highly effective.
Once the candle flame's afterimage had completely dissipated, he opened his eyes and checked the time.
"Ninety seconds? Exactly three cycles."
Each cycle was a breakthrough. His perception was considerably sharper now than when he had first gone to the border.
That had helped him a great deal in battle and made grinding his skills much more efficient.
For example, in ninjutsu, he could now use Water Release: Water Formation Wall in various shapes with ease, and both the duration and control range of his Water Clone Technique had increased considerably.
Next came physical training, followed by tempering his hair before bed.
Two hours later, Aoki Tsuki had successfully tempered eight strands of hair.
There was now a dark blue tuft among his light blue hair, the result of several months' work.
He went to sleep.
Early the next morning, he got up and began sensing natural energy.
Amid the hazy drizzle, Aoki Tsuki's body was unusually still. With each breath, he had become one with the rain.
After four or five months since transmigrating, he had finally achieved a state of natural tranquility.
The next step was to make his heart as still as water, reflecting all things.
After sensing natural energy, he would try to absorb it into his body.
Two hours later, he finished cultivating.
Perception +1
After breakfast, Aoki Tsuki went to the mission office to collect his reward.
The patrol mission had originally been C-rank, but his squad had fought Sunagakure ninja several times and killed several enemy ninja, so it was assessed as B-rank.
The village paid his squad a total of 100,000 ryō.
Aoki Tsuki took 50,000 ryō himself, and Mieko, Ryōta, and Shinichi split the remainder equally.
What delighted the three squad members most was the B-Rank Mission added to their records. It would count heavily in their favor when they sought promotion to Chunin.
"Mieko, counting this mission, you should have enough to apply for Chunin, right?"
Aoki Tsuki had already given Mieko his captain's recommendation letter while they were still patrolling the border.
Mieko nodded. "I've already applied. The village said the situation is unusual right now, so they'll assess me based on my performance in the upcoming suppression missions."
"Is that so? Looks like we'll have to get a little more serious. Don't worry, I guarantee you'll pass," Aoki Tsuki promised at once.
That meant they would have to put some thought into choosing a mission. It had to be within their capabilities, but it couldn't be too obscure either.
For example, a bandit gang formed by some rogue ninja would be a worthless target, and the village wouldn't recognize it.
After all, Chunin were the backbone of any village. She had to produce results worthy of the rank.
Thinking of the suppression missions he had just seen at the mission office, he got an idea.
Mieko breathed a sigh of relief at Aoki Tsuki's assurance.
Of the ten squads that had gone to patrol the border, only two had returned with all their members. Only their squad had earned merit and been commended by the village.
"My treat today! What do you want to eat?"
"Grilled fish!!!" the three answered in unison.
"Ah, I knew it."
Mieko rolled her eyes. Of course they did. They had been stuck deep in the mountains and forests for two or three months without seeing a beautiful woman.
Satō Ichirō probably wouldn't mind if they took a look.
Before long, the squad arrived at the Silver Fish Pavilion. Sure enough, they saw the proprietress standing at the entrance in a cherry blossom apron, greeting customers.
Kikuno Momo was always changing the style of her apron.
When she saw Aoki Tsuki and the others, she greeted them first.
"Little Tsuki, Mieko, and you two handsome young men, it's been so long! I heard patrolling the border was quite dangerous. I prayed for you every day."
Kikuno Momo clasped her hands before her chest as if in prayer.
Her moist eyes seemed able to speak.
Ryōta and Shinichi's faces turned red with nervousness, and they didn't know how to respond.
"I was wondering how we'd had such good luck. So it was thanks to you, Sister Mimoto. Thank you very much."
Aoki Tsuki bowed slightly in thanks.
Kikuno Momo covered her mouth and laughed. "You're as polite as ever. Hahaha... Little Tsuki, you look so cute when you're serious."
"Of course! I'm going to become the most handsome man in Amegakure someday."
Mieko didn't want to watch the two of them exchange flattering pleasantries any longer, so she interrupted. "Sister Mimoto, a meal for four, please."
"Of course. I heard you did great things this time, so I'll give you half off today and throw in a few side dishes. Honored guests, please come in."
"Thank you so much."
"We'll head inside, then."
Not long after they were seated, the food arrived. They grilled it while eating the side dishes.
"Heh... I thought you'd all had your fill just by looking," Mieko teased.
Aoki Tsuki retorted, "This is Jōnin Satō's family's restaurant, after all. We ought to support his business."
"Really?"
Mieko didn't believe him for a second.
"Do you believe a fifteen-year-old like me would be infatuated with a woman in her twenties? All I want now is to grow stronger. Women will only slow down the speed at which I draw my blade."
According to rumors, Satō Ichirō was more than ten years older than Kikuno Momo, and they had only been married for a few years.
He didn't know whether it was true or not.
"Yes, that's what I think too," Ryōta said, holding his neck stiffly. He added, "Just looking is enough."
Shinichi hurriedly chimed in. "Me too."
Mieko froze. "All right, maybe I really was overthinking it. Your bodies really aren't capable of that yet. Eat, eat."
...??
They each picked up a skewer of grilled fish and began eating.
"While we're at it, let's talk about missions. Do you remember the Araki Rōnin Organization mentioned in that mission we took in Bishui Town?"
"Mm, you want to take that as our suppression mission? But didn't you give up investigating it last time because you were worried there was trouble involved?"
Clearly, Mieko had also studied the missions the village was currently issuing.
Aoki Tsuki nodded. "That's right. I suspect this organization isn't just a matter of rogue ninja. There may also be Konoha Ninja involved."
"Then why take it?" Mieko asked, puzzled.
"Things are different now."
Back then, the village had said it would send someone to investigate. Aoki Tsuki didn't know what had happened, but this time the village had put the organization on the suppression list and assigned it a B rank.
It was a tough nut to crack.
"This is how I see it. Behind every sizable force within the Land of Rain, there's one of the other great ninja villages.
"Iwagakure Ninja have powerful Earth Release attacks that counter us perfectly. If we go north, we're bound to have a bad time.
"The southwest is close to Sunagakure and lies in the war zone. We might run into Sunagakure ninja crossing the border."
"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. Only the southeast, which borders the Land of Fire, is relatively peaceful. Safety first," Mieko agreed.
"What about you two?"
"I'll follow the captain," Ryōta replied.
Shinichi nodded hurriedly. "Me too."