That was right.
What Yuu had just activated was Reverse Summoning, directly disappearing from inside Konoha Village and arriving at Wailing Canyon, where the weasel clan lived.
With his appearance, a small yellow figure swept out from the depths of the cave like a whirlwind. It was Tarōmaru of the three weasel brothers. He nimbly jumped onto the rock in front of Yuu and waved his little claws hard.
"What a coincidence, Yuu! Pakura just came yesterday too! If you had come a little earlier, you might have run into her!"
"Oh? When did she leave?"
Yuu asked.
"Yesterday evening!"
Tarōmaru scratched his head, as if remembering something. He dug through his fluffy fur and pulled out a small dark brown scroll, then presented it to Yuu like a treasure.
"She left this behind and said it was for you. She told us to make sure we handed it to you when we saw you!"
Yuu accepted the scroll and opened it.
There were not many words on the scroll, only a few short lines. It was Pakura's handwriting, saying that she had successfully received a Kazekage nomination.
Pakura probably did not want to reveal too much information about Sunagakure, so she did not mention much about anyone else. But Yuu could roughly infer that Rasa had most likely taken the blame for the defeat at Mount Kikyo and been kicked out of Sunagakure's upper ranks. Chiyo had also borne some responsibility because of Sasori's matter.
Rasa, Sasori, Chiyo…
These three people, whose strength or prestige surpassed Pakura's, had all exited the stage for various reasons. Under these circumstances, Pakura becoming the Fourth Kazekage was not completely set in stone, but it was already almost certain.
When that time came…
it would also be time for Pakura to pay Yuu the price for the Third Kazekage puppet.
Yuu had not yet fully decided what he wanted Pakura to pay. After all, Sunagakure was truly poor. Trying to obtain a large sum of money as compensation was definitely not very realistic. As for ninjutsu resources, they specialized in Wind Release and puppet techniques, which were not things he urgently needed either…
For now, he could only have Pakura help promote Konoha Raw Cola first and slowly consider the rest later.
At once,
Yuu put away the scroll and lifted his chin toward the weasel in front of him.
"Come on, Tarōmaru. Call a few more weasels over and practice ninjutsu with me."
So far, Yuu had not used Heavenly Fire Judgment or X-Dragon Turning Destruction in reality, mainly because he was worried that using them would cause too much commotion and expose his new trump cards ahead of time. Now that he had come to Wailing Canyon, he could finally test them boldly and freely.
He imagined that even Danzō or White Zetsu would not be able to plant eyes in a place like this.
Of course, Wailing Canyon was still a real location in the world. Although its safety level was not low, it was not completely risk-free either. It could still be found by others. Later, he would need to find time to raise the slug's affection and think of a way to visit Shikkotsu Forest. That would be truly safe and worry-free.
Soon,
the three weasel brothers appeared in front of Yuu again.
One human and three weasels went to the raging wind formation outside the cave and began training…
…
Over the next few days,
Yuu spent most of each day in Konoha Village, training with Rin and the others, or studying sealing technique texts. A smaller portion of his time was spent coming to Wailing Canyon, where, with the help of the weasel brothers, he explored and integrated various ninjutsu:
Fire Release, Water Release, swordsmanship, taijutsu…
Each ability was practiced one by one.
Along the way, he also entrusted the three weasel brothers with guarding his main body while he tried the Spirit Transformation Technique once or twice here.
This technique really was something like a bug-level skill in the Naruto world. Compared to ninjutsu, it was closer to the style of immortal cultivation. With only a few hand seals, it could achieve something like "the primordial spirit leaving the body and roaming the void." In theory, it could even enter another person's body and control them, similar to the Mind Body Switch Technique.
Of course, the weaknesses of this technique were also obvious. First, after the soul left the body, the main body was defenseless. Second, it could be imprisoned by barrier-type ninjutsu.
Therefore, Yuu did not dare let his spirit body move too far away from his main body. He only drifted out, flew around Wailing Canyon once to observe the surroundings, then returned to his body.
From the weasels' perspective, they could not see Yuu's spirit body after it left his body. They thought Yuu had suddenly died and panicked, squeaking wildly. Fortunately, Yuu had told Tarōmaru in advance to guard his main body, and the weasel clan did not have a custom of cremating someone on the spot, so Yuu managed to "come back to life" without danger.
"Well, today's training is about enough."
Yuu stood up and stretched his body.
"I'll come play with you again another day."
"…Okay! Then you have to come back soon!"
Tarōmaru squeaked and waved his little claws.
Not far away, the large weasel named Kazekirimaru was also lying on a rock, watching from afar.
Although Kazekirimaru seemed cold and aloof, in reality, he was still quite curious. Over the past few days, while Yuu trained, he had often seen it watching nearby. It was just that the two sides had not had much contact yet, so Yuu still could not summon it to assist in battle for the time being. But reaching that point was probably only a matter of time.
With a flash of white smoke,
Yuu left Wailing Canyon and once again appeared inside Konoha Village, in his own bedroom.
At this moment, Mikami Aoi happened to be knocking on his door, calling him out for dinner.
"Coming."
Yuu answered. He took off the outer coat dirtied by wind and sand and placed it aside. Then he went to the dining room and ate with his parents.
During the meal, Mikami Tajima excitedly talked about the two major orders Raw Cola had recently signed, and also placed a bulging red envelope on the table.
"Yuu, this is Lady Tsunade's share for this month. It's ninety thousand ryō in total. When you visit Lady Tsunade next time, bring it over for her."
"Alright."
Yuu nodded, then raised an eyebrow.
"Ninety thousand… Lady Tsunade's share is thirty percent, so that means Raw Cola's monthly profit has already reached three hundred thousand ryō?"
"Of course!"
Mikami Tajima nodded proudly.
"During this period, the village has been supporting Raw Cola very strongly. It's even been added to the Logistics Department's procurement list as a substitute for soldier pills. The shop's income is rising steadily…
"Once we develop the 'Sprite' you mentioned last time, along with those fresh fruit juices, and expand the drink varieties, our family's income should rise by another large amount. This is all thanks to you and Lady Tsunade!"
The speaker had no intention, but the listener took note.
Back then, Yuu had made a bet with Tsunade about whether Raw Cola's net profit could reach two hundred thousand ryō within half a year. Now, counting from when Mikami Tajima left the hospital and opened the shop, it had only been a little over five months, yet they had already achieved the goal. It was truly worth celebrating.
Of course, Tsunade had already predicted she would lose, so she had fulfilled the bet in advance and accepted Yuu as her disciple. So now, he could not cash in on it again.
"Right, Yuu, there's also three hundred thousand ryō here. This is specially prepared for you."
Mikami Tajima took out another money pouch.
"You're carrying out missions for the village outside now, and your expenses in every area are probably quite high. Your mother and I stay in the village, so we don't have much to spend money on. Take this and use it. If it isn't enough, tell me anytime."
"…Then I won't be polite."
Yuu smiled and accepted the money pouch.
He had indeed been a bit short on money recently.
During wartime, mission commissions were not as high as usual. For the same B-rank mission, a military operation issued by the village definitely did not pay as much as a mission from nobles hiring bodyguards for travel. Sometimes, there was even only subsidy-like income.
And during war, ninja tools were consumed very quickly.
Although Yuu could use the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to reduce his consumption of ninja tools, explosive tags, various medicines, and the regular maintenance costs for the White Fang short blade were unavoidable. With Mikami Tajima's support, his financial pressure would ease a little.
"Speaking of which…"
Mikami Tajima seemed to remember something and asked quietly, "Yuu, has Lord Hokage's side said when they'll have you leave the village again for missions?"
"Not yet."
Yuu shook his head. "Maybe because Teacher Minato and the others have been doing well recently on the Kumogakure battlefield, and the pressure there isn't too great, so they haven't arranged anything for us for now."
"That's good… You were running around outside for so long before. Take this chance to rest properly in the village."
Mikami Tajima let out a breath of relief.
Beside him, Mikami Aoi also showed a smile.
Although making achievements was a good thing, and the title of genius sounded nice, as parents, the two of them still hoped that Yuu could live a little more easily and freely. The Ninja World War was really not something a group of children in their early teens should participate in.
Mm… if it were a certain unnamed Uchiha clan head, he would probably very much hope his child could go to the battlefield earlier. Ideally, at three or four years old, so as to reproduce the glory of the Uchiha from the old Warring States Period.
After finishing dinner,
Yuu helped wash the bowls and chopsticks, then chatted with Mikami Tajima and his wife for a while before stretching and returning to his room to rest.
What Mikami Tajima had mentioned at the dinner table reminded him.
Indeed.
It had already been seven or eight days since their group returned from the Sunagakure battlefield.
Although the Kumogakure battlefield had two Kage-level fighters, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato, stationed there, and theoretically there was not too much pressure, Konoha probably would not let them relax in the village for too long. Most likely, a mobilization order would come soon and scatter them outside again.
These few days, he should start preparing his luggage in advance.
…
While Yuu was thinking about things and gradually falling asleep,
a thousand away,
the Land of Waves, located in the southeast of the continent, welcomed a group of uninvited guests.
As a small coastal country surrounded by sea on three sides, the Land of Waves did not have a very good geographical environment. Its land area was small, and the soil was poor and unsuitable for farming. Because of that, most residents could only make a living by fishing. For this reason, a fairly large port was located here.
Today,
with the sound of surging waves, a fleet cut through the thick sea fog and appeared at the port of the Land of Waves. Compared with the fishing boats around them, the ships in this fleet could almost all be described as enormous. Their outer surfaces were wrapped in iron plating, and when they docked, they produced heavy sounds.
On the deck of the leading ship,
a figure with an especially obese body, looking like a mountain of flesh, stood in the cold damp fog and looked toward the shore. He carried a strangely shaped greatsword wrapped in thick bandages on his back. On his forehead was a forehead protector engraved with a mist pattern. He looked fierce and imposing.
"Tsk, so this is the Land of Waves… Compared to the last time I came here, it basically hasn't changed at all."
The obese ninja swept his gaze over the desolate, barren coastline behind the mist, as well as the vague outlines of low, ruined villages in the distance, and said with disdain,
"It's been almost ten years since the last time we came here like this, right? And this place is still half-dead like this, without any progress at all."
At this moment,
another figure silently walked to the rear side of the obese ninja. This person also carried a uniquely shaped greatsword on his back. He was lean and thin, with a mask worn diagonally across his face, exposing only the upper half of his face and his sharp eyes.
"After all, it's only a small country. It doesn't even have a proper ninja village. For a country like this, simply surviving in the cracks between the Five Great Nations is already not easy. Wanting too much would only make it die faster."
"Hmph, true."
The obese ninja nodded, snorting a fishy breath of hot air from his nose.
"Our target this time is the Land of Fire, the most fertile land in the entire ninja world, as well as the resources of Konohagakure…"
As he spoke, the obese ninja stretched out his scarlet tongue and licked his lips. Greed and cruelty flashed in his eyes. Then he brought up another topic.
"I heard that Sunagakure recently suffered a huge fall at Konoha's hands. Even their Kazekage became Konoha's prisoner, and in the end, they had to exchange prisoners to get him back. Ha, that's hilarious! I really don't know what Sunagakure has been doing all these years."
"…"
A brief silence followed.
Then the lean ninja spoke again.
"Fuguki, don't be too careless. Sunagakure may not be the strongest among the Five Great Ninja Villages, but it definitely isn't weak either. For Konoha to defeat them completely, it definitely wasn't just luck. They probably really have some special methods.
"We are acting as the advance force this time, investigating the truth of Konoha's border defenses and paving the way for the later large-scale operation. So we must follow Lord Mizukage's orders and proceed cautiously, avoiding alerting the enemy."
That was right.
This obese orange-haired ninja was none other than one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the current wielder of the greatsword Samehada, an elite jōnin, and commander of Kirigakure's advance force—
Fuguki Suikazan.
And the lean ninja standing beside him was also one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the current holder of the Kubikiribōchō—
Jūzō Biwa.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!