Inside the Tsurugi Tavern, Yagami listened to the chatter of the patrons.
"Have you heard? The first Jonin Council meeting since the end of the war keeps being postponed."
"You're just a Chunin; why are you worrying about the Jonin Council?"
"Why wouldn't I? I might not dare shout about becoming Hokage like those young clan heads, but can't I say that I'll eventually become a Jonin?"
"By the time you become a Jonin, I'll be the Commander-in-Chief of the battlefield."
"Once you start drinking, it's like you piss your brains into the toilet. I'm talking about the council meeting being delayed—where are you going with this?"
"I heard the Jonin recommendations sent to the Hokage building haven't been reviewed by Lord Hiruzen yet. It's making those Special Jonin so anxious they want to visit the Hokage building three times a day."
"There aren't any Special Jonin that restless. Special Jonin are experts—at least in one specific field."
Listening to the conversation, Yagami thought to himself that the issue of post-war Jonin recommendations had become so urgent that even ordinary ninja were gossiping about it.
...
Walking out of the Tavern, Yagami looked up at the night sky. The full moon was like a silver plate; it was another full moon night.
He had to investigate a Special Jonin of the Uchiha clan. This individual had been recommended for promotion to Jonin by Uchiha. Additionally, the Fox Squad was responsible for investigating a Special Jonin from the Senju clan and a civilian Special Jonin recommended by Sakumo Hatake.
Yellow Dog had issued a strict order: they had to find a "bone in the egg"—nitpick until they found a flaw—to halt their promotions.
Donning his fox mask in a dark alley corner, Yagami waited for the Hippo Team's report. The silver moonlight reflected off his mask.
Yagami pondered how to increase his strength. During the war, he had been cautious, not daring to use the system's death opportunities lightly. Now that it was peacetime and mission frequency had dropped, his strength had grown significantly, making it harder for him to die. What he needed now was a planned approach to power.
Hard training? Hard training was out of the question. Yagami had crossed over to enjoy life; practicing something new occasionally was fine, but that was it. Between his time with Qiaoyi, Yuka, and Purple Cat, he was far too busy with his "vulnerabilities" to spend all day training.
Utilizing the system was the path that suited him best. In the last mission, he had upgraded his Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears from "Proficient" to "Mastery" through a Stone ninja. Upon reaching Mastery, the execution speed received a fundamental boost, requiring only a single seal.
To handle various emergencies, Yagami planned to round out all five natures during this post-war period, obtaining at least one Mastery-level jutsu for each. For instance, his Absolute Defense: Copper Light was vulnerable to Lightning Style. If he could obtain a single-seal or seal-less Wind Style jutsu to counter Lightning, he wouldn't be so afraid of being targeted. Lightning Style was essentially a plasma jet; Wind Style could disrupt it.
Earth Flow Spears already met the requirement. For Water Style, he had the seal-less Water Gun and the single-seal Water flicker, but his most powerful offensive jutsu, Water Severing Wave, required five seals. In the entire shinobi world, the only person confirmed to have mastered Water Severing Wave was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Orochimaru, with his love for research, might know it too.
Maybe... he should try his luck with Hiruzen Sarutobi? Yagami kept the idea in mind: find an opportunity to let Hiruzen kill him with Water Severing Wave, and he might draw a Mastery-level version of the jutsu.
Wind was his third nature, and his jutsu there weren't as fluid as his Earth or Water. He didn't need Wind Style for its killing power; he just needed it to ensure he had a counter-response when facing Lightning ninja. His most proficient Wind jutsu currently was Great Breakthrough. He could find a way to go to the Land of Wind and look for a Sand ninja who excelled at it.
He didn't have Fire or Lightning natures yet. These were easy to acquire; once he had the natures, he could slowly develop a Mastery-level jutsu for each. As for what lay beyond "Mastery," Yagami didn't know yet—presumably seal-less casting for everything.
Yagami turned his head as a figure appeared beside him.
Hippo spoke: "Captain, we have gathered sufficient intelligence on the target. Uchiha Goka, a Special Jonin of the Uchiha clan. He performed exceptionally on the Land of Whirlpools battlefield, once holding back a Hidden Mist unit single-handedly. He has killed over 30 Mist ninja and is a very powerful Fire Style user. The Deputy Commander of the Whirlpool war, Uchiha Clan Head recommended him for promotion. His strength and mission record are more than enough to become a Jonin. It's hard to find an opening regarding his combat achievements or history."
"However," Hippo continued, "I discovered that Goka is the Jonin in charge of the Interrogation Division of the Konoha Military Police Force. I believe we can find a breakthrough in his interrogation cases—find a stain to attack him with, making him too busy to defend his promotion."
Yagami thought for a moment. "Searching through interrogation cases for past mistakes is too time-consuming. The Jonin Council meeting can be delayed for a month or two, but it definitely won't be delayed for three. We must learn to share our superiors' burdens. Hippo, do you have a better way?"
"I do!" Hippo said. "It's just a bit... unethical."
Yagami replied, "Unethical? We're doing all of this for the Hokage. Can anything done for the Hokage be called unethical? This is called sacrifice! Sacrificing our moral compass and enduring the guilt of our conscience—isn't that a form of sacrifice in itself? Tell me, let me see just how unethical it is."
Hippo explained, "Captain, the ANBU keeps tabs on many spies from other villages. To have them transmit false intel, we don't clear them all out. I suggest finding a spy from another village and staging a case to have the Police Force arrest them. While Goka is interrogating the spy, we make the spy die suddenly. We know he's a spy, but the ordinary villagers won't. Then we stir up public opinion, saying the Uchiha Police Force used torture to kill a leaf citizen. It gets rid of a spy and frames Goka at the same time."
Yagami couldn't help but take a long look at Hippo. As expected of a Team Leader Yellow Dog used to value; he really was devious. Seeing the Captain staring at him, Hippo thought the plan wasn't perfect enough and added quickly:
"Captain, my Akimichi clan has secret medicines. I guarantee that spy will die of sudden heart failure within two days of entering the Police Force. I'm confident the Police Force won't be able to detect our clan's medicine. After the spy dies, his body will be covered in purple bruises, looking exactly like he was beaten to death."
Yagami nodded repeatedly. Who would have thought the plump, seemingly harmless Akimichi clan would study such harmful secret drugs?
Seeing the Captain's approval, Hippo continued: "Captain, that Senju Special Jonin we're investigating is a medical ninja at the Hospital. I'll set up two more spies to have them 'die' under her care, creating a medical malpractice scandal. We'll make them unable to clear their names, and our mission will be over in no time."
Yagami couldn't help but ask, "I believe the Police Force can't find your medicine, but can the Senju medical ninja really not detect it either?"
"I won't use drugs. I'll use a bit of fat to cause the spy to die from a myocardial or cerebral infarction. Who could possibly detect that?"
The Akimichi clan excelled at body control and secret medicines; Yagami hadn't realized they were also so skilled at making deaths look like accidents. They truly were a clan that had pushed physical development to the limit. Fat didn't count as poison, so it was impossible to trace.
Yagami nodded. "Go ahead and do it boldly, Hippo. I believe in you. Once this mission is over, I'll personally apply for an S-rank mission credit for you. I never realized before... you're quite the talent."