The two of them strolled to the barbecue restaurant. With most of the Leaf's ninja away at war, the usual main clientele was missing, leaving the place deserted.
During the meal, Izumi seemed like she wanted to say something else, but every time she opened her mouth, it turned into lecturing Byakuya on the importance of being loyal to Principal Hiroya.
"Byakuya, it's getting late. Oh, right—I already paid the bill."
Izumi, who had used the "restroom" excuse to sneak off and pay, beamed with a mischievous smile. "I know what you're going to say. Technically, it was your treat, but since I paid, that makes it even, right? Once you get your first paycheck, then it'll be your turn to pay."
Byakuya looked apologetic and offered a few polite refusals, but eventually, they walked home together under the moonlight.
"It seems Teacher Izumi has her own secrets," Byakuya thought. "I wonder what she really wanted to tell me."
With his enhanced sensory perception, how could he miss the flicker of something hidden in her eyes?
However, his priority remained increasing his strength.
The Third Great Ninja War was raging outside the village, and deception filled the village within. Without power, he would be nothing more than a pawn, discarded by the "important people" at a moment's notice.
The Way of Laying Low was profound. You couldn't be the tallest tree in the forest, but you also couldn't be a fish on the chopping board. You had to show just enough value—be just slightly better than the dead-last failure—to carve out enough space to maneuver safely.
---
Just as Hiroya had said, time flew. Seven days—one week—slipped through his fingers like sand.
Standing before Hiroya's office door again, Byakuya realized with a start that he was significantly stronger than he had been a week ago.
Physically, he was still a teenager. But his soul was mature. He could suppress the impulsiveness of youth and endure the loneliness of training, studying, and the tedious process of developing new jutsu.
In a sense, Byakuya was a genius too—a genius of discipline.
Moreover, completing the system's timed missions felt like constantly stacking experience points. He was now just one step away from crossing a threshold into a whole new level of power.
The only thing holding him back was—combat experience.
Laying low without combat experience was like a reflection in a mirror; one touch and it shatters. But even then, he had to advance steadily and carefully. He couldn't go looking for death.
"Byakuya? Come in."
"Sorry to disturb you, Principal."
Hiroya looked him up and down. Byakuya seemed taller. "How is your ninjutsu training coming along?"
"I haven't let you down, Principal. I've made some progress."
"Good. Show me the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Byakuya crossed his index and middle fingers in a cross shape.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof.
An identical shadow clone appeared beside him.
Hiroya observed it for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "This jutsu distributes chakra evenly to create a solid clone. It sounds simple, but it's deceptively difficult. Byakuya Senkaku, you haven't disappointed me. It seems I need to re-evaluate you."
"I did it all for your mission, Principal."
"Good. I'm happy you think that way. Since you've mastered the Shadow Clone, the other two jutsu shouldn't be a problem. I can confidently assign you your first mission as an off-the-books Root agent."
Hiroya patted his shoulder, turned around, and pulled a mission scroll from his drawer.
"Did you not do your weighted run today?"
"I stopped yesterday to recover my stamina and be in peak condition."
Weighted running was one of the system's timed missions—
> [System: Hard Work Pays Off]
> Limited Time Mission (6 Days): Run 100km with 30kg weights (100/100)
> Status: Complete.
> Reward: Increase in Stamina.
It had nearly killed him!
But the reward, "Increase in Stamina," was incredibly effective. He had gone to the forest early to sense natural energy and practice his new Storm Style jutsu, yet he felt zero fatigue right now!
> [System: Hard Work Pays Off]
> Limited Time Mission (4 Days): Sense Natural Energy (Incomplete)
> Reward: Minor increase in Senjutsu (Sage Art) Talent.
Honestly, at this stage, he would have preferred a boost to his Ninjutsu talent rather than Senjutsu. Unfortunately, the system's mission assignments seemed random.
"I see. Seeing you work so hard makes me genuinely happy for your parents."
Snake with a honeyed tongue, Byakuya cursed silently.
"Principal, if there are no other orders, I'm ready to execute the mission."
"Not so fast. This is your pass. Without it, you can't leave the Hidden Leaf. Although this mission has no time limit, I hope you complete it as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir."
Just as he was about to leave the office, Hiroya called out, "Feel free to use any ninja tools from the Academy warehouse for this mission."
The snake has a conscience after all.
Byakuya bowed. "Thank you for your kindness, Principal."
"Go."
On his way back to the warehouse, he noticed fewer students around. They must have taken their graduation exams and left.
He locked the doors and turned on the warehouse lights.
Reading the Root mission scroll, Byakuya frowned.
A group of rogue ninja had attacked a Hidden Leaf Ninja Tool Research Substation. Byakuya needed to find and eliminate them.
The substation was located about twenty miles southwest of the Hidden Leaf.
"Too little intel. I don't know the strength of these rogue ninjas."
Rogue ninjas didn't belong to any village. They wandered between nations, stealing ninjutsu techniques that were often incomplete or bastardized versions. They were usually second-rate.
"But why would rogue ninjas attack a Leaf research station? Were they hired? Or are they ninja from another village disguised as rogues to conduct sabotage behind our lines?"
He hadn't expected his first Root mission to be this tricky. If they were real rogue ninjas, fine. If they weren't... he was in trouble.
Byakuya rolled up the scroll. He selected a ninja sword from the warehouse that suited him. The hilt of this particular sword concealed an explosive tag mechanism. If he pressed a switch during combat, a needle would drive the tag into the enemy's body, detonating it.
The sword was a feint; the bomb in the handle was the real killer.
He didn't know why such a dangerous weapon was sitting in a school warehouse, but since it was right there, he would happily take it.
He packed enough kunai, shuriken, and soldier pills, strapped the sword to his back, and threw on a black cloak to hide his weapons. Finally, he put on the Shuten-doji mask his father had bought him at a fireworks festival years ago. He vaulted over the school wall, took the back roads, and headed for the village gates.
The Hidden Leaf was surrounded by a spherical detection barrier, both underground and in the sky. Unauthorized entry or exit would be immediately detected by the Barrier Team. Plus, patrols scouted the perimeter daily.
The pass Hiroya gave him was his ticket out.
Looking through the eyeholes of the demon mask, he examined the pass. It was issued by the ANBU, but it contained absolutely no personal information about him. Danzo's Root was truly tyrannical; it was no wonder the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was in the dark about some of their operations.
---
Once outside the gates, Byakuya headed southwest, trying to sense natural energy as he walked.
Natural energy was dangerous. Fortunately, the system mission was only to "sense" it, not "absorb" it. But even just sensing it was incredibly difficult; Byakuya didn't have a clue where to start.
---
Meanwhile, in an underground base.
"Lord Danzo, this is the latest intel on that group of rogue ninja."
Danzo Shimura took the file and sneered. "Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage... he always loves these petty tricks. Hired bounty hunters from the underground exchange, is it? Ryoma..."
"Lord Danzo."
"Go to the exchange. Hire ninjas to conduct sabotage behind the Land of Earth's lines. Also, put a bounty on the Rock Village's Gari—three million ryo."
"Understood."
"These bounty hunters are not to be underestimated. We need to take this seriously. Has the mission been assigned?"
Ryoma Aburame replied instantly, "It was sent to Hiroya."
"The off-the-books personnel Hiroya handles are all incompetent. Sending them is just sending them to die. Send a real squad to kill the targets."
"Yes, sir!"
Danzo wasn't in the darkness of the base; he stood by a window, looking out at the Hokage Rock. "Four Chunin-level ninja with extensive combat experience. We cannot be careless."