The following day, Ishiki awoke with a jolt of renewed energy and purpose.
The 'genius helmet' had accelerated his learning beyond measure, allowing him to master three complex ninjutsu techniques with unbelievable speed.
He was eager to demonstrate these new skills to his two closest friends, Madara and Hashirama, planning to surprise them with a powerful display of his newfound abilities.
He was already planning his journey to meet them.
He set out from his humble dwelling, the morning sun casting long shadows.
His path took him through the heart of the village market, a place usually bustling with cheerful chatter and the haggling of vendors.
Today, however, a palpable tension hung in the air.
A sudden commotion drew his attention.
A hulking figure, clearly a ninja by his attire, was loudly berating an elderly man.
Ishiki immediately recognised the old man; it was the respected Village Chief, a man who had often extended kindness and support to him in the past.
Moved by a sense of loyalty and justice, Ishiki quickened his pace to investigate the unfolding scene.
As he approached, a crowd had already gathered, their faces a mixture of fear and simmering anger.
Low, resentful murmurs spread through the onlookers.
"These ninjas are bullying us civilians too much," one villager muttered bitterly.
"Yes," another responded, his voice tight with desperation, "we don't even have enough food for ourselves, and now they are demanding more!"
From the fragments of conversation, Ishiki quickly pieced together the situation.
The aggressive figure was a ninja, evidently from an outside clan, sent to requisition or, more accurately, extort grain from their struggling village.
The Village Chief, his voice strained with pleading, said, "Please, look at the state of our village and our people.
Do you truly believe we have a surplus of food to give?"
The ninja remained entirely unmoved, his expression hard and contemptuous.
"We don't care about your circumstances.
You all need to gather the required food for us by the end of the day.
Our clan's needs supersede your paltry existence."
When the Village Chief attempted to reason further, the ninja, annoyed by the delay, roughly shoved the old man aside.
A collective gasp of outrage rose from the crowd, a wave of anger spurring several villagers to take a step forward to defend their Chief.
In response, the ninja smirked and unleashed a low-level Wind Release jutsu.
A sudden gust of wind coalesced into a sharp, crescent-shaped blade that gouged the dirt mere inches from the feet of the advancing villagers.
The threat was clear and effective.
Seeing the danger, the Village Chief, in a final act of desperation, grabbed at the ninja's legs, falling to his knees as he begged, "Please, Lord Ninja, don't harm us! We are poor, we truly have no food to spare!"
The ninja's only reply was a sharp, contemptuous kick that sent the elderly chief sprawling.
This act of brutality was the breaking point for Ishiki.
A fierce, righteous anger boiled within him.
The ninja, holding a kunai blade pointed menacingly toward the fallen chief, scanned the terrified crowd.
"It seems you do not fear the Sarutobi Clan," he spat out, his voice laced with cold menace.
Gather the food by the end of the day. If not, you will face the consequences.
He then scoffed disdainfully and stalked off, his mission apparently complete for the moment.
Ishiki watched the ninja retreat, his mind already formulating a plan.
This bully would not be allowed to leave unpunished. Quickly and decisively, Ishiki ran ahead, using the market's winding alleyways and side streets to overtake the ninja's path, intent on setting up a swift ambush.
He tracked the ninja's direction, confirming he was heading toward the region associated with the Sarutobi clan.
Finding a suitable spot along the expected route, Ishiki executed his plan.
He swiftly dug a shallow, easily concealed decoy pit in the path, then activated his Transformation Jutsu, melting seamlessly into the form of a common bush nearby, perfectly camouflaged.
Moments later, the arrogant ninja arrived. He paused just short of the decoy pit, his eyes scanning the quiet path.
Suddenly, he threw back his head and laughed loudly.
"Who is the fool attempting to ambush me? Which incompetent can't even conceal their tracks properly?"
As the ninja was preoccupied with his arrogant boast, Ishiki seized the moment.
With a burst of speed, he dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, reverting from a bush to his human form, and delivered a powerful, unexpected punch to the ninja's exposed flank.
The force of the blow sent the ninja flying several feet through the air.
'My strength has definitely improved,' Ishiki mused internally, a flicker of satisfaction passing through him.
His moment of triumph was short-lived.
A sudden, cold pressure against his neck brought him up short.
A sharp blade was held there, and a low, mocking voice spoke from behind him.
"You fool.
Did you truly think I would fall for such an easy trick?"
The ninja from the village, whom Ishiki thought he had knocked out, smiled with predatory malice.
"That was merely my Shadow Clone. Now, you are dead."
Ishiki, however, met the threat with a calm smile of his own.
"I am a Shadow Clone, too," he replied simply.
With that declaration, the Ishiki, standing with the blade at his neck, poofed into a puff of smoke, leaving the astonished ninja standing alone.
Before the ninja could react, the real Ishiki, who had been cleverly transformed into a large branch of a nearby tree, materialised and drove a second, even more powerful punch into the ninja's back.
The ninja was sent crashing violently into the trunk of a large oak, coughing up a spatter of blood onto the rough bark.
He slowly staggered to his feet, his playful malice replaced with genuine fury and pain.
He stared at Ishiki and immediately executed a hand sign for a powerful Wind Release technique: Boufuu Kyouzuu no Jutsu (Gale Surge).
A colossal vortex of wind and slicing air rushed toward Ishiki.
Ishiki smiled, anticipating the attack. "I've been waiting for this," he murmured.
In a flash, he took out the Reverse Cape. He activated it just as the massive wind surge reached him.
The jutsu struck the cape and then launched back with equal force at the bewildered ninja.
The reflected Gale Surge struck the ninja's position with the force of a bomb, resulting in a concussive explosion that kicked up a dense cloud of dust and debris.
Ishiki rushed toward the center of the blast, but as the dust settled, he found only scorched earth and a few drops of blood.
"Looks like he escaped," Ishiki clicked his tongue in irritation.
He spent several frustrating minutes searching the immediate vicinity, trying to find any trace of the fleeing Sarutobi ninja, but the trail was completely cold.
He sighed in disappointment at the failure to deliver a final lesson, but his message had been sent.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted into the forest where the ninja had fled, "Next time you dare step foot in this village, you are dead!"
With a renewed sense of vigilance, and a mission now complicated by a potential enemy, Ishiki finally turned away from the scene of the fight and resumed his original, delayed journey toward the Naki River, where he was to meet his friends.