Since Kiichiro possessed the adult mind of a transmigrator, he knew he couldn't track down the culprits himself. Instead, he decided to utilize the system and hire Kumogakure ninjas to investigate the attack on the mine.
Although the main shaft had collapsed, Kiichiro had inherited a considerable fortune from his "cheap parents," more than enough to post a C-rank investigation mission.
The efficiency of Kumogakure's intelligence division was excellent. Only five days later, an active Chunin arrived at the manor with the results.
"According to our investigation, the attack was orchestrated by a band of Rogue Ninjas originating from the Land of the Moon. Their leader is a man named Kuroda Hiroki," the Kumogakure ninja reported, standing rigidly before Kiichiro. After delivering the intelligence, the shinobi didn't miss a beat before pushing for an upsell. "Do you wish to post a follow-up mission for us to eliminate them?"
The intelligence was far too concise. Kiichiro frowned. "Why did they do this? What are their combat strengths, elemental affinities, and specific numbers?"
The Kumogakure ninja's face remained impassive. "The mission parameters you posted were solely to identify the targets. There were no requests or funds allocated for deep-cover combat reconnaissance."
In reality, this Kumogakure shinobi probably knew the exact political reason behind the attack.
Over the past decade, Kumogakure had been aggressively expanding its military influence and plundering resources from neighboring territories, with the small Land of the Moon often bearing the brunt of their aggression. Naturally, the displaced people there harbored a deep, burning hostility toward the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure.
Just because the Land of the Moon didn't have an official, recognized Hidden Village didn't mean they didn't have trained shinobi.
These rogue operatives from the Moon were utterly powerless to fight a direct war against the Kumogakure military machine, but they still had the capability to cross the border and carry out sabotage operations within the Land of Lightning. Because Kiichiro's family's iron mine was a primary supplier of raw steel for Kumogakure's weapons foundries, it wasn't surprising that they had been targeted.
There was a lot of dark, bloody political history surrounding Kumogakure's actions in the region—history this Chunin certainly wouldn't disclose to a civilian child.
Kiichiro sighed internally. It was true; the mission he had posted at the bounty office only covered identification, with no further requirements.
"Hypothetically," Kiichiro asked, "how much money would it take to commission an assassination mission to eliminate them?"
"Roughly between two hundred thousand and five hundred thousand Ryo. The final price would need to be officially appraised by the Village based on the target's estimated threat level."
The enemy was a loosely affiliated group of Rogue Ninjas, meaning their numbers and combat strength likely fluctuated. Therefore, the Chunin could only propose a broad price range based on historical averages.
Kiichiro helplessly shook his head and refused. Besides hard assets like the manor, the damaged mine shafts, and the transport carts, he only had a little over three hundred thousand Ryo in liquid cash right now. His family had been wealthy by civilian standards, but they weren't feudal lords. Dropping half a million Ryo on a revenge mission would bankrupt him.
Sorry, dear parents, Kiichiro thought dryly. It's not that I don't want revenge, but I am truly too poor to afford it right now. This matter will have to be postponed until my stats are high enough to do it myself.
After dismissing the Kumogakure ninja, Kiichiro walked down to the ruined work site. He was immediately stopped by a small crowd of surviving miners.
"Young Master Kiichiro," the foreman said nervously, twisting his soot-stained cap in his hands. "Now that the main shaft has collapsed... what are you planning to do? When will excavation resume? We need our wages to feed our families. If you don't open the site for work soon, we'll have no choice but to pack up and find work elsewhere."
Miners lived incredibly hard, impoverished lives. It was honestly commendable that they hadn't caused a riot, looted the manor, or tried to bully the newly orphaned Kiichiro over the past five days.
Kiichiro looked up at the towering, muscular men without a shred of timidity. He spoke with the calm authority of an adult. "Don't worry. Production will resume today."
After delivering the bold statement, he led the highly skeptical miners directly to the collapsed mouth of the primary mine shaft.
For the past few days, Kiichiro had stayed away from the rubble, terrified that the rogue ninjas might have left explosive tags or hidden traps behind. It was only after the Kumogakure investigation team had swept the area and confirmed it was safe that he dared to approach. He was still just a child with a civilian cover; naturally, he had to prioritize his own survival.
Standing before the massive pile of fallen boulders blocking the tunnel, Kiichiro raised his hands and rapidly formed a sequence of seals. He placed his palms flat against the largest rock.
"Earth Release: Rock Collapse Jutsu."
Streams of Chakra flowed from Kiichiro's hands directly into the stone. The massive, jagged boulders suddenly trembled, cracked, and began to aggressively crumble into fine gravel, quickly revealing the dark, hollow stone passageway beneath.
This specific C-rank Ninjutsu was one Sensuke had learned from Pakura's scroll over in Sunagakure. Because its offensive power was incredibly weak, its activation time painfully slow, and its chakra consumption rather high, it was almost never used in live combat. However, it was exceptionally useful for non-combat utility, such as rapidly reshaping terrain to build hidden bases, clear rubble, or excavate tunnels. The five of them had mastered it weeks ago.
Kiichiro wiped his hands and turned back to the dumbfounded miners. "The rubble is cleared. The subsequent structural work is up to you. I will be securing funds to recruit more personnel by the end of the week."
"Don't worry, Young Master!" the foreman shouted, his eyes wide with awe at the display of ninjutsu. "We'll get right to work!"
The miners were thrilled to see the tunnel open and immediately began hauling in timber and tools. Of course, Kiichiro had only cleared the blockage; actual ore mining would still take several more days. Reinforcing the shaft, remodeling the blast zones, and formulating a safe excavation plan all required time. But the crisis was averted.
Meanwhile, over in the Land of Fire, time flew by.
A major event had just rocked the Konoha Ninja Academy: Kakashi Hatake had officially applied for early graduation. If he passed the Jonin assessment next month, he would become a true, active-duty shinobi.
It was important to note that only five months had passed since the start of the academic term. For a six-year-old to graduate so quickly... his speed was simply heaven-defying.
However, what surprised the Academy students even more was the rumor that Uesugi Kyosuke had also submitted an early graduation application.
Inside the faculty office, homeroom instructor Takahara Naoyasu sat across from Kyosuke, currently engaged in earnest, desperate persuasion.
"Kyosuke, listen to me. You are an exceptionally outstanding student. You have the potential to become an elite shinobi in the future; I have absolutely no doubt about that. However, you shouldn't be acting out of spite or rivalry," Takahara reasoned gently. "Kakashi's father is the White Fang of Konoha. Kakashi has been receiving Jonin-level training since he could walk. His early graduation means nothing regarding your own worth. If you stay in the Academy and build a solid foundation, you will definitely be able to catch up to him in the future."
Over the past five months, Kyosuke's performance had skyrocketed. His physical growth and ninjutsu comprehension were terrifyingly fast. The proud heirs from the noble ninja clans had all been utterly left in the dust by this "civilian orphan." Because of this, Takahara had incredibly high expectations for the boy.
Takahara was being extremely cautious with his words. He was terrified of damaging Kyosuke's confidence and motivation, but equally terrified of the boy becoming overly conceited and getting himself killed on a real battlefield.
Kyosuke smiled warmly. "Hehe... Teacher Naoyasu, I know perfectly well that I can't compare to Kakashi right now. The reason I'm applying for early graduation is partly due to youthful vanity, I admit. But mostly, it's because I want to directly experience the Jonin assessment. I want to understand the exact gap between myself and a true shinobi so I can find the right direction for my future training. Even if I fail the exam miserably, I won't be discouraged. I promise. So please, submit my application."
Kyosuke's attitude was perfectly calibrated. It was sincere, humble, and showed a level of mature self-awareness rarely seen in children. He neither denied his competitive vanity nor failed to provide a highly logical, educational justification for the attempt.
Takahara watched the steady, mature student flawlessly refute his concerns. He felt utterly helpless, yet incredibly proud on the inside. He finally sighed and let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! What a headache of a kid you are! Fine. I will submit your application to the Hokage's office. But whether the administration approves a civilian for the exam... I make no promises."
Kyosuke stood up and bowed deeply, perfectly respectful. "Thank you very much, Teacher Naoyasu. I will give it my all."
Takahara waved a hand dismissively, though he was smiling. "Get out of here. Seeing your face irritates me."
As Kyosuke pushed the office door open and stepped out into the hallway, he immediately spotted Might Guy, Obito, Asuma, and Ebisu huddled together, furtively peeking around the far corner of the corridor.
"How did it go? Did you succeed?" Guy asked, speaking in an uncharacteristically hushed, thief-like whisper as Kyosuke approached.
Kyosuke smiled, flashing a perfect set of white teeth, and gave them a crisp 'OK' sign with his right hand.
"YOSH! Kyosuke, you're the absolute best!" Guy immediately cheered at the top of his lungs, completely forgetting to whisper.
Beside him, Obito and Asuma looked incredibly conflicted.
"Hmph. It's just applying for the exam, it's not like you actually passed it yet. What's there to be so happy about?" Obito muttered sourly. Unable to handle the bruised ego, he turned and literally sprinted toward the office doors. A few seconds later, Takahara Naoyasu's high-pitched, furious roar echoed down the hallway as he presumably rejected Obito's own impromptu demand for graduation.
Ebisu adjusted his dark sunglasses, slyly sidled up to Kyosuke, and bumped his shoulder. "Hey. Since you're taking the Jonin assessment soon, want to go challenge Kakashi? You know, just as a warm-up before the real exam?"
Kyosuke immediately threw an arm around Ebisu's neck, trapping the boy in a friendly headlock, entirely ignoring his frantic struggles.
"A warm-up? Why bother trying to find Kakashi? Finding you is more than enough! Come on, Ebisu, let's go 'warm up' on the sparring grounds. Loser buys a premium barbecue meat feast!"
Ebisu flailed his limbs wildly. "Hey! Hey! Let go! Last week you scammed a free meal out of me! It's time to switch targets! Go bother Asuma!"
"Hahaha!" Kyosuke laughed, dragging him toward the exit. "Who told you to be born into a rich family while having such terrible Taijutsu?"
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