"Phew, close call!" Ebara panted, collapsing in an alley a kilometer from the Third's house.
"No more seeing Asuma when the Third and Biwako are around," he muttered. "Those tricks I taught him would get me killed."
[Choice Successful! Reward: 1000 Chakra Points!]
The system's voice rang in his ears.
"I'm basically a jonin-level chakra beast now," Ebara grinned. "System, open my panel."
[Name: Ebara
Age: 18
Chakra: 1641
Attributes: Wind, Lightning
Stamina: 49
Strength: 50
Speed: 45
Agility: 56
Spirit: 32
Ninjutsu: Basics—Clone, Substitution, Transformation; Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet, Vacuum Great Bullet
Genjutsu: None
Taijutsu: Thousand Years of Death, Granny Under Covers, Crow on a Plane]
"Not bad. Future's bright!" Ebara said, closing the panel.
He headed to Jiraiya's place.
"Curtains drawn in broad daylight? Jiraiya's at it again? He'll drain himself dry," Ebara muttered.
The door was open. He strolled in, beelining for Jiraiya's bedroom.
"Heh… heh…" Jiraiya's sleazy chuckle echoed.
The bedroom door was ajar. Jiraiya was hunched over a table, engrossed.
Used tissues littered the floor.
Ebara crept closer. Jiraiya was reading those books Ebara gave him (Chapter 34).
"Stop before you waste away," Ebara said from behind.
Poof! "Jiraiya" vanished—a Shadow Clone.
"It's you. Thought it was someone else," the real Jiraiya said, dropping from the ceiling, hastily hiding the books.
"You knew I was here?" Ebara asked, surprised.
"Of course. 'Stay vigilant'—Sarutobi Sensei's first lesson," Jiraiya said. "What's up?"
"The Third's got a mission. Meet at the village gate tomorrow morning."
"What mission?"
"Pick up a little girl," Ebara said, handing over Kushina's file.
"An Uzumaki? For the Nine-Tails?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yup. It's critical. So lay off the 'reading.' If you're too weak to perform, we're screwed."
"I wasn't!" Jiraiya protested.
"Then what's with the tissue pile?"
"Sweat! Just sweat!"
"Yeah, right."
Ebara left Jiraiya's and stopped by the ninja school to announce a brief teaching break.
The kids "sobbed" dramatically.
Their "heartbroken wails" followed him out.
"Rest of the day's for these ninjutsu," Ebara said, finding a quiet grove.
"Shadow Clone first."
It was great for confusing enemies—unless they had dojutsu.
He unrolled the scroll. It started with text, followed by the hand seal (just one) and chakra flow instructions.
Shadow Clone required two things: specific chakra flow and the seal.
The seal was simple—a cross with index and middle fingers.
The hard part was chakra control.
Ebara studied the flow.
Two lines in, he yawned, exhaustion hitting.
He fought it. "Can't sleep yet."
Eyes wide, he kept reading.
Another yawn. Sleepier.
"Maybe a quick nap won't hurt," he said, convincing himself.
He dozed off, scroll as a pillow.
"What the—stars already?" he groaned, waking up. "Where's the sun?"
He'd slept the afternoon away.
"Whatever. No mastering any ninjutsu today," he said, giving up. "Time for dinner."
He headed home, mood lifted.
Dinner was ready.
When he mentioned the mission, his parents worried.
"Son, keep your wits out there. People aren't like family," his mom said.
"Fight if you can, run if you can't. Survival's king. Ignore any 'mission first' nonsense," his dad said.
"Don't worry. Your son's not dying that easy," Ebara said, nodding.
After dinner, he packed for the mission and hit the bed.
Two options appeared.
[Option 1: Study Shadow Clone all night. Reward: 5% Shadow Clone mastery!]
[Option 2: Sleep like a boss! Reward: 2 stamina points!]
Another choice today?
"What's mastery?" Ebara asked.
[100% mastery means you learn the ninjutsu!]
"What's my Shadow Clone mastery now?"
[Zero!]
"…" Ebara flicked off the light. Sleep it is. 5% for a whole night? Pass.
The next morning, Ebara was at Konoha's gate at dawn.
"Ebara, up this early? What's up?" Kamizuki Ei yawned.
"Yeah, only mission folks are up now. You, early? Is the sun rising in the west?" Kotetsu Hagane added.
They were the fathers of future gatekeepers Izumo and Kotetsu, two years older than Ebara.
"Mission," Ebara said, striking a pose he thought was cool.
"The village gave you a mission? Unbelievable," Ei said, suddenly awake.
"You finally got kicked out of the school? Done misleading kids?" Kotetsu said bluntly.
Ebara: …
"First, I got a mission because I'm strong. Second, I'm not fired. Third, I don't mislead kids!"
Ei and Kotetsu scoffed, unconvinced.
"Ebara, if you meet other village shinobi, can you not use those moves?" Ei asked.
"Why?"
"I'd be embarrassed! They'll think all Konoha shinobi are like you," Ei said, covering his face.
If Ebara's dirty tricks (Chapter 39) spread, Konoha's rep would take a hit.
"Tch, you don't get it. Those moves are perfect for enemies. I only use 30% power on our guys," Ebara said smugly.
"30%?" Kotetsu gaped. "Maya can't eat without everything sliding out in ten minutes. What's your full power like?"
"Use your imagination," Ebara grinned.
Soon, Jiraiya and the Third arrived.
"Bring her back," the Third said gravely.
"Understood!" Ebara and Jiraiya nodded.
"Stay safe. The Land of Mountains is friendly on the surface, but don't trust it. Act carefully and avoid revealing your Konoha identity unless necessary," the Third warned.
The Land of Mountains sat between the Lands of Earth and Fire.
It had a ninja village, Yoen Village, led by the Flame Shadow.
"Got it!" Ebara and Jiraiya said.
"Go."
They left, heading for the Land of Mountains.
After two days of rough travel, they reached the village where Kushina was hiding.
Disguised as traveling merchants, Ebara called, "Hello? Anyone need goods from the great nations?"
Jiraiya subtly used sensory ninjutsu.
"No one's inside," he said, heart sinking.
Ebara's stomach dropped. Checking for witnesses, he barged in.
The house was a mess—broken chairs scattered, even the ancestral tablet on the floor.
Jiraiya picked it up. No surname, just a name—Kushina's father.
"They've been taken," Jiraiya said.
Despite their rush, they were too late.
"Find them. They can't have gone far," Ebara said grimly.