The night passed without incident.
With shadow clones keeping watch, he could finally sleep soundly until morning. After a hearty breakfast, he dismissed the clones on guard duty. The flood of memories from the clones hit him hard, but with the energy from the food, he recovered quickly.
Swish, swish, swish…
The sound of movement echoed through the forest.
Umino Yoru signaled for Shukudō and the others to stay calm—it was just Team Ebisu, arriving to take over their patrol shift.
Team Ebisu was a mobile patrol unit, rotating between nine fixed guard posts to relieve squads returning to the base for reassignment. Each stationary patrol team worked in 10-day cycles, counted as a C-rank mission, with one day back at headquarters—basically a day off.
The mobile patrol team covered all nine sectors, plus their own rest day, completing the 10-day cycle seamlessly.
Admittedly, the mobile patrol mission was riskier, but the rewards were better. Though both were C-rank, the pay differed—Team Ebisu earned a full 50,000 ryō per cycle, along with standard-issue soldier pills.
In contrast, Team Umino only made 40,000 ryō, with half their rations being low-grade soldier pills. If not for Inuzuka Ryō's clan status, even he, as a genin, would've only gotten the lowest-quality ones.
Beyond supplies and pay, the mobile patrol also awarded higher merit points, which factored into future promotions. The extra danger came with tangible benefits.
Umino Yoru raised an eyebrow as Ebisu Hiko rushed over with his team. "Hiko, you're early today. What's the hurry?"
Ebisu wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Yoru , I heard you completed an A-rank mission last night?!"
"That spread fast?" Yoru was surprised, but then it made sense—Akimichi Torifu must've mentioned it while making rounds, either as a warning, motivation, or just plain bragging.
The earlier mission involving the Sand's jinchūriki was S-rank and classified, but last night's A-rank was fair game.
"No way, it's true?! How'd you pull that off?" Ebisu was stunned. All ten patrol teams in this sector were roughly equal in strength—if anything, his mobile team was slightly stronger.
Yet in just a few days, his old buddy had soloed an A-rank? No way this was a fluke.
"Just luck," Yoru deflected, trying to stay low-key.
"Yeah, right." Ebisu grabbed his arm, refusing to let it go. "We grew up together—spill!"
Sighing, Yoru relented. "Fine. I spotted the Sand nin early, set up traps, and used a ton of explosive tags and weapons. Barely pulled it off."
"Seriously?" Ebisu squinted. That easy? Explosive tags and weapons weren't cheap.
Yoru leaned in, lowering his voice. "Alright, you got me. I also used poison. You know how it is." He gave a knowing look, letting Ebisu's imagination fill in the gaps.
Ebisu's eyes lit up. "Traps, explosives, poisoned shrapnel… Damn, that's ruthless." He clapped, piecing together the strategy.
"Yoru , you're gonna make Special Jonin before me at this rate." He grinned, though a hint of envy lingered.
It was that classic dilemma—happy for his friend, but hard not to feel left behind.
"C'mon, we're brothers. Hook me up." Ebisu nudged him, clearly angling for the poison formula.
The two had known each other since childhood. Their families had ties to the Sarutobi clan—Yoru 's ancestors had branched off to sell fish, while Ebisu's clan stuck around as tutors for Sarutobi nobles, teaching etiquette and literature.
They'd met when Yoru delivered fish to the Sarutobi compound as a kid. Later, they both entered the Academy—Ebisu in the elite class, Yoru in the regular one.
"Here. Didiwei No. 5. Use it sparingly." Yoru tossed him a vial of Water Bat No. 5, then quickly made his exit.
Ebisu was sharp—sometimes too sharp. If he stayed, the act would crumble.
"Hey, wait! I was gonna give you something too!" Ebisu called after him, pulling a small book from his pouch.
Yoru , whose hearing was now razor-sharp thanks to his sound-wave detection jutsu, nearly tripped.
That little—! He resisted the urge to hit Ebisu with an infrasonic shockwave. Still reading those trashy novels, huh? No wonder he's not Special Jonin yet.
He shook his head. "No hope for a guy addicted to that kind of 'training.'"
With that, he led Shukudō's team toward the base—but not before a quick detour to the military exchange.
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