Revolution in the Ninja World

When the Konoha front-line camp was raided and chaos erupted, Habara didn't panic and rush to do anything. Instead, he remained vigilant and stayed put in his tent.

This, it must be said, was a correct decision. If he had run around frantically at that time, first, he might have been casually killed by a passing, powerful enemy; second, as an unreliable "Konoha ninja," he might have been casually killed by a passing Konoha ninja.

Not causing trouble was helping. Habara was completely thinking of Konoha's best interests.

Fortunately, his tent was located in a secluded corner of the Konoha camp, and the attacking enemies had clear, prioritized targets. A surprise attack had to achieve its intended goals within a limited time, so operational efficiency was crucial.

No one would specifically come to deal with someone like Habara.

In short, he wasn't worth the effort.

So, this night's attack was, for Habara, a close call but ultimately uneventful. However, when dawn broke the next day, he received some bad news.

The Kumo forces had retreated after a single strike. At daybreak, the entire Konoha camp was filled with the smell of burning and blood. Some Konoha ninjas were cleaning up the battlefield, collecting and aiding their comrades, and quickly assessing the losses from the previous night.

When Habara, Daigo, and Izayo returned to the Konoha front-line hospital, they saw Nobuyoshi's corpse.

Nobuyoshi hadn't died during the dangerous mission, but instead died after returning to the relatively safe Konoha camp. Saying it like this was a bit condescending, but Habara felt that this encounter, where he voluntarily gave up his power to protect himself and was then suddenly killed by the enemy, was somewhat ironic.

He wondered if, last night, when Nobuyoshi faced the attacking enemies and was unable to form hand seals to fight, he had felt any regret. Or rather, before he could even regret, he had already been killed.

In a sense, Nobuyoshi's death could be considered suicide.

Having seen life and death, and experienced countless dangers, he then began to yearn for a peaceful life. Habara could understand this feeling. But in such a dangerous world, no matter what, a person should never give up the ability to protect themselves.

Because when it came down to it, only you could protect yourself… Habara could only express his deep regret for Nobuyoshi's fate.

However, his teammate's death wouldn't affect the team's next steps.

Since the Konoha camp had been raided by Kumo, it was only natural that Konoha would launch an equivalent retaliation. In this situation, the battered and incomplete Squad Z had no need to remain at the front lines.

Three days later, the remaining five members of Squad Z left the devastated front-line camp and began their return to Konoha.

...

Habara finally figured out the current time period: it was Konoha Year 47, and the events that were supposed to happen seemed to have already happened.

Soon, Namikaze Minato would succeed as the Fourth Hokage, and considering that it was already near the end of the year, the "Child of Prophecy," Naruto, might have already begun his development.

Several days later, the group of five arrived unhurriedly at Konohagakure.

The two people Habara wasn't familiar with went directly to the camp outside the village that they had previously been at, while Habara himself was momentarily unsure where to go.

"Habara, come with me," Izayo called out to him at this moment.

So, without hesitation, Habara followed her, along with Daigo… This could be considered a temporary stay with Izayo.

The three of them then arrived at her home, an old two-story wooden house located in a corner of Konoha. And unlike Habara's first arrival, Daigo seemed to have been living here all along.

First, he was locked in Orochimaru's dungeon as a test subject, then he was suddenly thrown onto the battlefield. After so long in this world, Habara finally had the chance to relax a little.

He took a thorough bath, changed into some old clothes provided by Izayo, ate a proper meal, and then… went straight to bed.

He slept from the afternoon all the way into the night. At two o'clock in the morning, Habara woke up, completely refreshed, and couldn't fall back asleep.

He opened the window beside him, propped himself up on the windowsill with one hand, and looked up at the sky outside.

The weather was very good tonight. The moon and the starry sky were visible.

The night was quiet. Habara seemed to faintly hear a soft sobbing sound… Once a person relaxed, escaped danger, and returned to their most familiar environment, all the suppressed emotions would burst out.

After all, Izayo's brother had died on the battlefield. Ninjas were ultimately human, not true killing machines.

At this time, it was best to remain silent and not disturb her.

Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Habara began to think about what he should do tomorrow…

In short, before he left Konoha again, he had to acquire some combat ability.

The next day.

Ninjas woke up early, and Habara hadn't slept at all. He asked Izayo about a few places and then leisurely left the house.

Compared to the of the front lines, Konoha Village was indeed prosperous and lively. Habara found a place to eat breakfast and then headed straight for a certain location…

The first thing he needed to do was go shopping, so he appeared at a ninja tool shop.

Habara wasn't short on money. He now had 200,000 ryo in mission funds.

"Shopkeeper, is the shopkeeper in?"

The customer had arrived a bit early. Only after Habara called out a few times did a middle-aged man appear in the shop.

"Welcome, customer."

The shopkeeper greeted Habara warmly while wiping his hands with an apron.

"I'd like to order two custom ninja tools. Is that possible?" As he spoke, Habara took out a diagram from his pocket.

"Of course, it's possible. No matter what kind of ninja tool, our shop…"

The shopkeeper took the diagram and began his habitual self-praise. But when he saw what was drawn on the diagram, he immediately stopped talking.

"Customer, is this… a ninja tool?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Of course, there was no problem, but there was no need for Habara to come to a ninja tool shop to buy this. He could have gone directly to a blacksmith, which would have been more appropriate.

Habara ordered two 10x20x120 "sword boxes." One was specified to be solid steel, and the other was specified to be cast iron on the outside and filled with mercury on the inside.

"Customer, I must remind you that the total weight of these two items will be just over half a ton…"

So, this weight was simply impossible for any usable ninja tool. It was too heavy.

"Just assume I'm buying them to weigh down pickle jars… How about it, will you take this order?"

"…Yes!"

Although the crude items Habara had ordered made the veteran shop owner feel a bit insulted, he absolutely wouldn't turn away business.

After paying a deposit, they agreed that he would come to pick up the goods in one day. Just as Habara was about to step out the door, he suddenly stopped.

"Customer, is there anything else you need?" the shopkeeper asked again. He was worried that this customer would order something even more bizarre.

Habara hesitated for a moment, and then stammered, "Well, um, do you sell elementary school textbooks for the Ninja Academy here?"

Shopkeeper: "…"