Dinner was uneventful. However, just before they parted ways, Izumi looked at him and said softly, "You have such a handsome face. Don't go dying on me."
"I have no intention of dying."
The BBQ shop was becoming increasingly quiet; they were the only two customers tonight.
The owner took Izumi's money with a heavy sigh. "You guys are teachers at the Academy, right?"
"How could you tell?"
"Only the Academy and the hospital staff aren't on the front lines yet. But the hospital workers are too busy to breathe, so that only leaves the Academy. Not a hard guess."
They paid and left.
The streetlights in the Hidden Leaf were dim. Izumi's shadow stretched long, slowly dissolving into the darkness.
Byakuya shoved his hands into his pockets and headed toward the market.
It was around seven o'clock. Even though the weather was cooling down and the sun set earlier now, experience told him there would still be street vendors out.
Most of these vendors were village commoners who grew vegetables in their own small plots. It wasn't enough to warrant a store, so they'd lay out a cloth on the designated street corners and hawk their goods.
Prices were steep compared to the world outside.
But that was life. The Hidden Leaf was essentially an independent city-state; with its massive population and daily consumption, external supply lines couldn't keep up with the demand.
By the time he reached the corner, the market was empty.
Just a void.
Is this what war does? he wondered. Does it just erode the small, normal things you take for granted?
The flower shop was still open, though. That was run by the Yamanaka clan. In fact, most noble clans had their own private businesses.
The "Ino" of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio handled the visible side of things with floral shops all over the village. What they did in the shadows was beyond Byakuya's current pay grade.
After all, the Yamanaka secret techniques—reading the memories of the dead and long-distance telepathy—were basically a license to print money.
---
Back home.
Byakuya put on a generic mask and headed deep into the forest.
Effort yields results. Diligence brings rewards.
The timed missions from the System were hard, but the rewards were fair and substantial.
Byakuya had analyzed his previous failures, and this training session went much smoother.
It was well past midnight.
Listening to the strange rustling of the forest, he pulled up his panel.
[Fortune Favors the Diligent]
Time Limit: 6 Days
Task: Using only the tip of your index finger to release chakra, create 100 non-dispersing water droplets on the water's surface and maintain them for 30 seconds (52/100)
Reward: Increased Chakra Control
Progress was faster than expected.
With plenty of time left on the clock, it wasn't worth sacrificing his sleep. Sleep was, after all, a vital way to recover chakra.
Aside from the System tasks, Byakuya still had to master the Flying Thunder God.
He put Water Style: Water Severing Wave on the back burner for now. He'd try again once his chakra control improved.
However, an idea for a new Storm Release jutsu was beginning to take shape in his mind.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War of the original story, Madara Uchiha—who was close to the level of the Sage of Six Paths—used a move called Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang.
He spat a beam of lightning from his mouth, similar to a Water Style: Water Trumpet but as a high-intensity laser.
Byakuya's own Storm Release: Torrential Lightning, which he developed from Water Style: Wild Water Wave, could be focused into a point, but it was still essentially a high-impact area-of-effect spell.
Now that he had Tobirama's secret scroll for the Water Severing Wave, he could study the mechanics of that high-pressure cutting stream.
He could reference Madara's Light Fang and use the principles of the Water Severing Wave to create his own signature Storm Release jutsu.
Byakuya knew the nature transformations were different.
But the beauty of Storm Release was that it was a Kekkei Genkai born from Water and Lightning. There was plenty of room for experimentation.
"The new jutsu will require intense chakra control. I have to finish the timed mission before I even start on it."
"That old bastard Danzo hasn't given me a mission in a while. He's definitely cooking up something big."
"It'll probably be something regarding the Sand in the west or the Mist in the east."
The danger levels were different. The Hidden Sand, currently being bled dry by internal chaos, was definitely safer than the treacherous Hidden Mist.
The Mist's "Bloody Mist" training produced ninja that were nightmares to deal with, even at mid-tier levels.
As long as a Sand mission didn't involve running into someone like Pakura again...
"Wait, is the Third Mizukage still alive at this point?" Byakuya wondered.
He used the Flying Thunder God to jump to the outskirts of the forest. "The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, didn't become the Three-Tails Jinchūriki until after Rin Nohara died."
He wracked his brain, but because the original timeline for the Third War was a mess, he couldn't form a solid conclusion.
He got home and sank into a hot bath.
"The Third War has only just begun. The Leaf has built defenses against the Stone and Cloud on the main fronts. In the west, the Sand has internal and external woes; Rasa has probably just barely stabilized his power. After the Stone's failed invasion, they might be quiet for a while. In the east, the Mist is looking for a chance to land... but I wonder when the Seven Ninja Swordsmen will show up... wait."
He bolted upright in the bathtub.
"Minato is tied down by Killer B and the future Fourth Raikage on the Cloud front. The Third Raikage is fighting the Stone... is he about to die against those ten thousand Stone ninja?"
Even with his "God's eye view," the actual battlefield intel he had was too thin to make a certain judgment.
"Whatever. What does it have to do with me?"
"I just need to keep my head down and survive."
Byakuya's expression suddenly soured. "Now that the old bastard Danzo let me in on Izumi's true identity, he's definitely up to no good."
Sure enough.
The next day, Hiroya found him, looking ecstatic.
"Byakuya! I'm officially the Principal! The great Third Hokage has retired to the background as the Honorary Principal!"
"Congratulations, Principal Hiroya."
"Sit, sit! There's one more thing."
"What is it?"
Hiroya took several deep breaths, trying to suppress his overflowing excitement, and solemnly handed over a scroll.
"This is your new mission."
"You haven't read it, Principal?"
"I'm not cleared for the contents of this one."
Byakuya didn't open it immediately. "When do I start?"
"The higher-ups said you have four days to prepare. Pack as many supplies as you can carry."
"Understood. Principal, any other news in the village?"
"Yes. Minato Namikaze is becoming a legend on the Cloud front. Victory reports are coming in constantly."
"How is the fight between the Cloud and the Stone going?"
"That, I don't know."
"Alright. I'll take my leave."
"Byakuya, your salary is being decupled—ten times—starting this month."
"Huh?" His first thought was: What trap is he setting for me? "Why?"
"You completed two major missions for Root. It's a bonus from above."
Crap.
When things are too good to be true, there's always a catch.
Root had already given him his rewards.
He opened the mission scroll right there in front of Hiroya.
Byakuya's face went dark instantly.
The mission sounded simple:
Contact Pakura of the Hidden Sand. Inform her of the Hidden Leaf's desire for an alliance. Have her relay this to the Sand high command and bring back their decision.
You old bastard, Danzo! You're throwing me straight into a fire pit!!!
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