Chapter 53: Great Nations Turn to Banditry, Escalating Chaos
The calendar pages flipped rapidly. Before anyone realized, Konoha Year 34 had reached its end.
Over the past two months, Yoru hadn't simply remained in Konoha training. Instead, he'd traveled across nearly half the shinobi world with Orochimaru.
They executed all varieties of missions.
There were C-rank missions escorting merchant caravans, B-rank missions protecting nobles, and even A-rank missions accepting invitations from small nations to help them eliminate enemy shinobi squads...
In just two months, Yoru's mission record transformed from one S-rank mission and double-digit D-rank missions into fifty-seven D-rank missions, one C-rank mission, one B-rank mission, one A-rank mission, and one S-rank mission.
Such a record absolutely made him the number one genin—far more impressive than even the records of Gaara's three siblings from the original series.
And only half a year had passed since Yoru's early graduation.
Yoru's ability to complete so many missions in such a short time naturally came thanks to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The most time-consuming missions weren't actually the high-level assignments eliminating shinobi squads. Rather, they were the C-rank and B-rank missions requiring them to travel on foot alongside their clients.
Without the Flying Thunder God Technique, just the round trip would require half a month.
But with the Flying Thunder God Technique, once Yoru and Orochimaru escorted their mission targets to their destinations, a few teleports brought them right back to Konoha.
To spread Flying Thunder God seals throughout the shinobi world, Orochimaru gave Yoru no extended breaks. After resting just a day or two, they'd immediately depart for another mission.
Training occurred during the missions themselves.
"At this hour, we can't reach the next village or town. Let's make do camping here tonight."
Yet another B-rank escort mission.
In Bear Country—sandwiched between Wind Country and Earth Country—they'd reached a rocky mountain region relatively close to Earth Country.
Orochimaru found a suitable location and addressed their client.
The latter didn't refuse. Instead, he politely requested: "Then we'll trouble you shinobi to stand watch tonight."
"Don't worry. That's our responsibility."
While the group set up camp, Yoru did as he always did—searching for remote, inconspicuous locations to leave Flying Thunder God seals.
Yoru didn't know the maximum distance between user and seal. He left a Flying Thunder God seal every dozen miles—sometimes even every few miles.
When Yoru focused his senses, numerous light points immediately appeared in his mind. Each represented a Space-Time anchor point from a Flying Thunder God seal.
By expending Space-Time chakra to connect with an anchor point, Yoru could instantly appear at any seal's location.
Whoosh—
Just as Yoru separated from the group, passing a massive boulder...
A cold gleam suddenly shot from within the rock, slashing through Yoru's body.
"Got one."
A transparent figure gradually solidified.
The shinobi, believing his assassination successful, wore a smug smile.
But the next second, his smile froze.
With a splat, Yoru's body—sliced in two by the blade—transformed into a puddle of mud.
"Earth Clone? No, Earth Substitution! When did he form the hand seals?!"
The shinobi's face filled with shock. He quickly recovered and tried forming seals to escape.
At that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Following us for so long must have been exhausting. Rest now."
"Sealing Technique: Four Limbs Seal."
Tadpole-shaped curse marks spread from his shoulder, instantly seizing control of the shinobi's body.
Swish—
The moment Yoru completed the seal, another figure's upper body emerged from a distant boulder. He spat a stone from his mouth, the projectile shooting toward Yoru with a piercing whistle.
"Another skilled opponent?"
Slightly surprised, Yoru used Body Flicker to dodge the stone.
That shinobi didn't press the attack. Instead, he burst from the rock, grabbed his companion, and tried to flee.
Slash—
As cloth tore, the shinobi's vision suddenly flashed with golden light.
The next instant, darkness consumed his consciousness. Death claimed his life.
As his head separated from his body, the shinobi's eyes still held confusion.
Clearly, he had no idea where that golden light came from or how he'd died so suddenly.
"Ryuta!!"
The sealed shinobi's eyes widened in horror, heart-wrenching screams tearing from his throat.
"So loud. You're the perpetrators here—why act like victims?"
Yoru cleaned out his ringing ears, deactivated the Sword of the Thunder God's laser blade form and returned it to hilt form, then placed his hand on the shinobi's head and used genjutsu to knock him unconscious.
A Flying Thunder God seal remained on this shinobi's shoulder.
When sealing him, Yoru had habitually left a Flying Thunder God seal—which became Ryuta's cause of death.
Yoru waited in place a while longer.
Seeing no one else emerge, he finally retrieved a storage scroll, collected the head of the shinobi called Ryuta, then carried the unconscious shinobi back to the group.
"Shinobi-sama, who is this?"
Seeing Yoru return carrying someone after going out briefly, the client's expression immediately changed, as though realizing something.
Yoru ignored him, instead reporting to Orochimaru—who wore neither jonin vest nor headband, appearing like an ordinary person: "Orochimaru-sensei, I've drawn out the rats. Besides this one, I eliminated another. They used Earth Release: Hiding in Rock Technique, Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, and Earth Release: Stone Bullet Technique. They should all be Iwa shinobi from Earth Country."
Hearing this, before Orochimaru could respond, the client's expression changed drastically again. He shouted to the group: "Stop setting up the tents! Pack everything—we're traveling through the night."
Orochimaru crouched down, searching the shinobi's body. Rising, he sighed. "Even great nation shinobi are infiltrating small nations to act as bandits now. This shinobi world is becoming more chaotic by the day."
"Orochimaru-sensei, might they have backup? Should I scout ahead?" Yoru asked.
"That's unnecessary. They're not even wearing headbands. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision but rather specialized training for robbery—they probably don't even have shinobi registration files." Orochimaru's voice turned cold. "People doing this kind of dirty work have curse seals planted in their brains. Higher-ups won't let them know much. We can't extract useful intelligence from their mouths. Kill him."
"Yes."
Yoru drew the Sword of the Thunder God and channeled chakra into it.
A brilliant golden beam instantly shot from the hilt's center, piercing through the unnamed shinobi's skull and sending him to the Pure Land to reunite with Ryuta.
Following the client's request, the group traveled through the night.
Such scenes weren't limited to Yoru's group. Throughout the shinobi world, they occurred everywhere.
Military conflicts triggered by economic imbalance escalated continuously.
For now, the great nations still maintained some shame—hiding their headbands.
When conflicts escalated further, they'd abandon even that pretense.