Konoha's Tatsuya

Having bid farewell to Shisui and Itachi, Tatsuya quickly returned home.

This time, they had accepted a total of three missions, all A-rank.

The first mission was a bodyguard assignment, protecting a wealthy merchant from the Land of Rice Fields. The mission was expected to last a little over two months.

A merchant wealthy enough to commission an A-rank mission must possess considerable wealth and status.

Protecting such an individual was no simple task, as there were far too many people who coveted their wealth. It could be the employer's competitors, or it could be a bandit group composed of rogue ninja.

Of these, rogue ninja bandit groups were the most troublesome. Although most of them weren't individually strong, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

Especially after the devastating Third Shinobi World War, many small countries and ninja villages had been destroyed, leading to an even greater number of rogue ninja.

These rogue ninja, in order to survive, roamed around causing trouble, and a plump target like the one in this mission was likely to become a focal point of their attacks.

After completing the bodyguard mission, they would immediately move on to two missions involving the elimination of rogue ninja. The three missions were expected to take at least half a year.

After carefully studying the relevant information about the missions, Tatsuya began to prepare.

First and foremost, the most crucial preparation was food supplies.

With the help of the bio-chip, Tatsuya had now completely mastered the Akimichi clan's Multi-Size Technique and Partial Multi-Size Technique. Combined with the Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall and Great Breakthrough techniques he'd acquired recently, achieving chunin-level strength shouldn't be difficult.

As long as he prepared sufficient food reserves, Tatsuya could maintain a stable output during the mission.

However, considering the long duration of the mission, ordinary food simply wouldn't last. Tatsuya could only purchase as much dried meat and dried fruit as possible, and seal them in storage scrolls.

While Military Ration Pills were effective, they were far too expensive, and Tatsuya couldn't afford them at the moment.

To ensure combat readiness, Tatsuya also purchased some kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and other ninja tools.

Although the quantities weren't large, they still cost a considerable amount.

After this shopping spree, Tatsuya found his wallet even emptier than before.

It pained him, but for the sake of his life, these preparations were necessary.

This also demonstrated how much wealth was required to cultivate a qualified ninja with reliable strength.

After preparing the necessary items for the trip, Tatsuya began to look for a suitable place to keep Seiryu (the green snake).

This trip would take about half a year, and he couldn't keep Seiryu sealed in a scroll for that long.

As for his other summoning animal, Cha-maru, Tatsuya wasn't worried.

Ever since Tatsuya brought him back to Konoha a few months ago, the little guy had quickly "defected" and become a permanent resident at Kyoko's house.

Kyoko absolutely adored him, keeping him by her side whenever she could. She wouldn't treat him like Tatsuya, who either sealed him away or left him to guard the house.

Although Tatsuya was a bit annoyed by Cha-maru's "betrayal," he wasn't overly concerned.

Especially after recently imprinting a Fujinhoin on him, Tatsuya felt even more relieved.

After imprinting a Fujinhoin, Cha-maru's appetite had increased two or three times.

While Cha-maru's appetite was nowhere near Seiryu's, it was still a small burden. Since Kyoko liked him so much, Tatsuya had unburdened himself without any guilt and simply sent him off.

How to accommodate Seiryu was a problem.

Tatsuya had initially only intended to use him as a test subject for the Fūja Hōin, but Seiryu's growth rate had completely exceeded his expectations.

After Tatsuya's long-term nurturing, Seiryu had grown into a massive python as thick as a barrel and nearly ten meters long, and his chakra reserves were also considerable.

According to the bio-chip's estimates, Seiryu's strength might even surpass Tatsuya's own.

Naturally, Tatsuya wanted to carefully cultivate such a summoning snake with enormous growth potential.

But since Tatsuya needed to be away for half a year, he couldn't directly bring the massive Seiryu with him. He had to find a suitable place to house him.

After thinking it over, Tatsuya finally came up with a location: the Forest of Death.

In Konohagakure, the Forest of Death was a special place. It was an area specifically designated for combat training exercises. The Ninja Academy organized numerous practical exercises for soon-to-be genin students in the forest each year, and the Chunin Exams were also typically held there.

The Forest of Death was vast, a sprawling 10-kilometer-radius forest, teeming with poisonous insects, rodents, and wild beasts. It was a well-maintained natural treasure trove.

What Tatsuya valued was its natural environment.

The Forest of Death was a vast, rarely visited area with abundant natural resources. Placing Seiryu there shouldn't pose any problems.

Tatsuya swiftly ran to the outskirts of the Forest of Death and chose a secluded spot. Then, he took out his summoning scroll.

Poof!

A cloud of white smoke rose, and Seiryu was summoned.

Seiryu, newly summoned, appeared very excited. He rubbed his huge head against Tatsuya, then slithered around for a bit before obediently coiling up.

Seeing this, Tatsuya gently stroked Seiryu and then began to imprint Fujinhoin on him.

"Go!"

When he was finished, Tatsuya lightly patted Seiryu's body, signaling him to enter the Forest of Death.

This time, Tatsuya imprinted eight Fujinhoin on Seiryu. He wanted to see if Seiryu could survive in the wild in this state.

Tatsuya eagerly anticipated the day Seiryu would fully mature.

Hisssss~

Seiryu understood Tatsuya's intention. He turned his head to look at Tatsuya, flicking his tongue and hissing softly, seemingly expressing his reluctance to leave. Then, he slithered into the Forest of Death.

Behind him, Tatsuya stood there for a moment before turning to leave.

That night, Tatsuya fell into a deep sleep, filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

The next morning, Tatsuya knocked on Kyoko's door bright and early.

"Tatsuya-san?"

After a brief exchange of greetings with Kyoko's mother, Tsuchida-san, at the door, a sleepy-eyed Kyoko emerged, wearing an adorable set of pajamas.

"Ah! Wait!"

Seeing Tatsuya, Kyoko suddenly remembered their agreement. She spun around and dashed back into her room.

A few minutes later, a fully dressed Kyoko reappeared before Tatsuya. After saying goodbye to Tsuchida-san, the two of them left.

Before leaving, Tatsuya had one more thing to do: imprint Fujinhoin on Kyoko.

Tatsuya wouldn't neglect this kind girl who had helped him so much.

The experimental data for the Fujinhoin was already quite complete, and Tatsuya could confidently apply it to Kyoko.

Taking Kyoko to the clan's secret training room, Tatsuya imprinted three Fujinhoin on her.

With the help of these three seals, Kyoko's training speed would increase dramatically.

At 9 AM, Tatsuya arrived at the village gate and found Shisui and Itachi already waiting there.

"Let's go!"

Seeing Tatsuya arrive, Shisui didn't say much, simply uttering this phrase before leading Itachi out of the village.

Tatsuya quickly followed.

Under the morning sunlight of spring, the shadows of the three figures were stretched long on the road.