"Hmm, seems like I've grown a bit taller again?"
While washing up in the morning, Hoshita Shūichi noticed something unusual.
After finishing, he immediately measured himself and confirmed that he had grown 2 centimeters compared to a week ago. He was now 130 cm tall, already taller than most of his peers and almost catching up to Uchiha Shisui and Kurama Sanyō, who were two years older.
The boost in physical constitution is insane!
"After my physique improved last time, my stamina slightly surpassed Kakashi's. If I'm being modest, our chakra reserves were about equal. Now, with another doubling of my physique, I can proudly say I've reached '2 Kaka' levels."
Shūichi grinned to himself. It had been a week since he acquired the [Taijutsu Expert] title.
Of course, "2 Kaka" referred to the current Kakashi, not the adult version.
But the improvement in physique also meant his growth potential had increased proportionally. This, however, required continuous training to fully realize.
After all, even the Senju Clan—or Senju Hashirama himself—weren't born with overwhelming chakra reserves.
Still, the thought of the Sage Body or the Uzumaki Clan's physique quickly brought Shūichi back to reality.
Even after two physique upgrades, I'm only at '2 Kaka.' Without these improvements, my chakra reserves would've capped at mid-genin level at best.
"Still a long way to go..."
Compared to Nagato, who mastered six mainstream jutsu by age ten, I'm nothing special yet. And my chakra reserves are nowhere near Naruto's—or even Jiraiya's, the pinnacle of ordinary shinobi.
That said, Jiraiya was currently in his prime. His chakra level was the ceiling for those without special bloodlines.
After packing his gear and strapping on his scrolls, Shūichi headed out.
At the usual meeting spot, Namikaze Minato briefed them on the mission: "This mission takes us to the Land of Rivers."
"Shūichi, you remember our clash with the Suna-nin there last year, right?"
Shūichi nodded. He remembered it clearly—many Konoha shinobi had been injured, and he'd assisted in their treatment.
Kurama Sanyō asked, "So, is this mission related to our previous one, sensei?"
Minato confirmed, "It is. The Land of Rivers' daimyō didn't sever ties with Sunagakure after that incident. According to intel, Suna discovered an iron mine there, and a Fire Country merchant lost the bidding war."
"Additionally, Suna appears to be aligning with Amegakure. However, the Hidden Rain Village is being handled by ANBU and Root."
"Our mission focuses on the Land of Rivers. After the last conflict, things stabilized briefly, but with the iron mine dispute escalating, the Land of Wind and Sunagakure have grown bolder, targeting Fire Country's commercial interests."
"So, our task is to eliminate Suna-nin and protect Fire Country merchants and caravans."
Shūichi and his teammates nodded in unison. "Understood!"
"Then let's move out!"
Minato took the lead, and the team followed, heading southwest toward the Land of Rivers.
By noon, they reached the Fire Country border, resting by a river and enjoying grilled fish for lunch.
On April 6, Year 40 of Konoha's calendar, at around 1 p.m., the team crossed the border into the Land of Rivers.
"Sensei, I'd like to visit that village from last year," Shisui suddenly requested.
Minato paused, then agreed. "Very well."
Shūichi pondered silently as they changed course.
Soon, they arrived at the village from their previous mission. But now, it lay in ruins—devoid of life, its houses crumbling, reclaimed by wildlife.
A year had turned it into a ghost town.
Shisui froze at the sight. Kurama Sanyō murmured, "Were the villagers relocated?"
Shisui's expression darkened. He was naive but not foolish. Having slaughtered the village's men himself, he understood the implications.
Shūichi, however, thought of Orochimaru—and Danzō.
If even Konoha shinobi aren't safe from their experiments, death might've been a mercy for these villagers.
Back then, I might've guessed this would happen. But while the pitiable often have their reasons, this village's survivors were complicit, benefiting from the bandits' raids.
Shūichi's mind was clear. Though he wouldn't have slaughtered the village himself, he refused to play the hypocrite, pretending they deserved forgiveness.
I have no right to judge.
But if Orochimaru had used them for experiments...
This world is truly twisted.
Noticing Shisui's distress, Shūichi patted his shoulder. "Everyone reaps what they sow. Killers must accept being killed; thieves must face punishment. The women and children here may not have participated, but they enjoyed the spoils. That's their karma."
They may seem pitiful, but our compassion belongs to the innocent of the Land of Fire—those robbed and murdered.
People were always biased. Loyalty dictated perspective.
Their loyalty lay with Konoha and the Land of Fire—not this village, nor the Land of Rivers.
Shūichi didn't know about Shisui's role in the massacre.
But even if he did—so what?
His stance was clear: Konoha came first. Shisui was his comrade.
"Thanks, Shūichi," Shisui said, regaining his composure.
Minato gave the order: "Let's keep moving."
Ten minutes later, the team stood on a hill overlooking a riverside town.
Minato explained, "This is the first stop for Fire Country merchants entering the Land of Rivers. Though we still handle some missions here, Suna's expulsion of our merchants means they've taken a share of our work."
Shūichi studied the town. "So, sensei, we're the vanguard of this operation?"
Minato nodded. "Correct. Suna isn't seeking all-out war, so they're not massing troops at the border. Instead, they're securing key towns to assert control over the Land of Rivers."
Shūichi mused, "The Land of Rivers' daimyō likely doesn't want to sever ties with the Fire Country entirely. By letting Suna dominate mission allocations, they can later use the mines as bargaining chips."
"So, it's not just the Land of Rivers and Wind's daimyō—or Suna—avoiding war. The Fire Country daimyō is the same. If Konoha loses here, the Fire Country daimyō will still have options."
"But for Konoha, losing means more than just missions in the Land of Rivers."
Minato was impressed. With intel, he'd reached similar conclusions—but Shūichi had pieced this together from scraps.
Such sharp political insight... He'd make an excellent Hokage.
"Spot-on analysis," Minato praised.
Shisui marveled inwardly. As expected of Shūichi—his foresight is unmatched.
Kurama Sanyō, however, was lost. The only thing he grasped was:
Konoha must not lose!
Read advance chapters here:
patreon.com/CNBLUE