[Third Update]
On her way home, Mitsuki Mui glanced down at the two scrolls in her hand, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.Lightning Release: Ground Walk.
Both were B-rank jutsu. For the foreseeable future, Mui finally had techniques worth pouring herself into.
At the same time… the Academy had gone on break.
The reason was simple.
The war had reached its final stage.
Every village, Konoha included, had bled its shinobi dry.
Aside from the Third Hokage and a handful of remaining chūnin, nearly every single ninja had been sent to the front to bring an end to the Second Great Ninja War.
In such circumstances, Mui's class no longer even had a teacher. And even if the war ended in victory, Konoha still wouldn't have enough shinobi left to serve as instructors for their generation.
It was fair to say the village had become weaker than at any point in its history.
Of course… Konoha still possessed its top-tier fighters.
But for their generation of students, classes had been suspended.
Originally, Mui had expected to advance normally, to become an upperclassman by the time Kakashi enrolled. But the situation had changed. Now, she and Kakashi would belong to the same year. She could apply to graduate early, but after thinking it over, she decided against it. One year was one year—better to leave it be.
With that thought weighing on her, Mui walked on toward home.
As for Kato Dan… that doomed man had already begun to fade from her heart. Even though she still carried one of his scrolls in her hand.
In the end, the bond had never been strong enough.
Back at home, Mui lay down on her bed and formed the hand seals. In an instant, every shadow clone she had dispersed, the accumulated fatigue crashing into her like a wave.
"Ugh… so tired…"
Right now, each shadow clone consumed about two hundred units of chakra. Taking her reserves into account, Mui produced fifty shadow clones every day for training.
That was the true reason behind her astonishing growth—it wasn't just her AA-rank cultivation speed.
And since her house was far too small to contain so many clones, she had long since sent them to practice at the training grounds instead.
She fell into a deep sleep. By the time she woke again, it was already afternoon.
Without hesitation, she split off another fifty shadow clones and began assigning tasks.
"Numbers one through ten, train Lightning Release: Ground Walk. Eleven through twenty, practice Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet. Twenty-one through forty, work on hand seal speed. Forty-one through fifty, refine chakra control! Now go!"
The clones exchanged quick glances, nodded, and departed without a word. This wasn't their first time, after all. As for deciding who was which number—they would sort it out among themselves on the way.
As for Mui herself…
"Guess I'll see what Kakashi's up to."
Stepping into the backyard, she spotted him sitting cross-legged, eyes shut in concentration.
"Oh… training his chakra, huh."
After a moment of thought, Mui decided not to interrupt him. Instead, she returned to her room, gazing absently out the window at the house across the street.
That house… would make the perfect location for a shop.
It was her target.
She had asked about it recently. The price was one hundred thousand ryō—assuming it didn't appreciate or depreciate before she managed to save up the full amount.
One day, she thought, she could open her own shop there. Spend her days sitting behind the counter. Possess the strength to face down any danger, but live quietly, peacefully…
A hidden boss, just like the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. The idea alone thrilled her.
But then—
"Ugh… one hundred thousand ryō… that's so much…"
Suddenly, a thought struck her. Asuma Sarutobi's bounty was worth thirty-five million ryō…
"In that case… if I just pull off a single job like that, wouldn't I be set for life?"