"Wow—this place is crowded."
Yahiko tugged Nagato forward, his eyes shining as he looked around. The Sacrificial Shop was alive with movement: Ninja in different uniforms, accents from distant lands overlapping, mission notices being replaced almost as fast as they were read.
After delivering the intelligence to the Allied Forces, Jiraiya had temporarily arranged for the three of them to stay in Konoha.
After the war, Tsunade personally performed Nagato's eye transplant.
The eyes now resting in Nagato's sockets had once belonged to Jiraiya.
It had been Jiraiya's final decision.
He wanted Nagato to see the peace that was coming—if not with his own eyes, then at least with those he left behind.
Nagato attended his teacher's funeral in silence. Afterward, he, Konan, and Yahiko politely declined Tsunade's invitation to remain in Konoha and instead set out for the Land of Whirlpools.
Konan looked around, visibly stunned.
"There are Ninja from all Five Great Villages here… and from countless smaller ones too."
She paused, then added quietly,
"I've already seen three patrol teams from Amegakure."
Yahiko stopped walking.
He turned slowly, gazing at the bustling streets, the orderly queues, the absence of hostility between Ninja who would normally glare at one another on sight.
"One day," he said, voice steady,
"I'll make the Land of Rain look like this."
Despite the grief still weighing on all three of them, they consciously avoided dwelling on it. Cheerfulness—however forced—was their unspoken agreement.
Nagato smiled faintly.
"Then you'll have to work very hard. What's happening here didn't come easily."
After asking for directions and acquiring a simple map, the trio headed deeper into the Sacrificial Shop.
"I heard the shop employs more than seven thousand ordinary staff now," Konan said softly.
"All of them at least Genin-level, from different Villages—and yet they work together without conflict."
There was envy in her voice, impossible to hide.
Yahiko suddenly threw his arms up.
"Then let's work here!"
Konan nearly jumped. She yanked his arm down immediately, cheeks flushing as she glanced around. Only after confirming no one was paying attention did she exhale.
"Lower your voice!"
Yahiko laughed it off, grabbed her with one hand and Nagato with the other, and strode forward.
"I already know where the Dan Building is."
Reality Check
They left the Dan Building in silence.
Then Yahiko abruptly tilted his head back and howled,
"How can it be this expensive?!"
Konan couldn't even speak.
Before leaving Konoha, the Five Great Villages had rewarded them generously for the intelligence they provided. The three had assumed they could buy at least a few meaningful upgrades—whatever they lacked, they could make up for with missions.
That illusion shattered the moment they saw the prices.
"Yahiko," Nagato said calmly,
"that's a high-grade Spirit Bone with Healing Release. Of course it's expensive."
"Healing Release would drastically increase our survivability," Yahiko argued.
"If something like last time happens again, we wouldn't be completely helpless."
Konan cut in mercilessly.
"Can we afford it?"
Silence.
2.7 million sacrificial coins.
At 120 coins per D-rank mission per day—no rest, no expenses—it would take over sixty years.
High-grade Spirit Bones were impossible. Ordinary ones barely helped. Items like the Ring of Nature were long sold out.
They left the Dan Building empty-handed.
The Martial and Heart Buildings weren't much better. They bought only basic pills and a few cultivation manuals—nothing more.
By the time they reached the Mission Hall, they stopped short.
The line outside was terrifying.
Over a thousand Ninja waited patiently, uniforms from every corner of the continent visible at a glance.
Assuming a major mission had dropped, they slipped inside through the side entrance.
What they saw made them freeze.
Special Mission: Erecting Stone Tablets
Mission Content:
Erect stone tablets across the Ninja World to teach basic medical knowledge, literacy, Chakra cultivation, and survival skills.
Requirements:
Genin and above. Mandatory training and assessment. Strict discipline, patience, and responsibility.
Duration:
Minimum 360 days (extendable).
Compensation:
500 sacrificial coins per day, settled daily.
Penalty:
Any violation results in immediate expulsion and permanent ban from the Sacrificial Shop.
"This isn't a normal mission…" Konan murmured.
They sought out a staff member for clarification.
The explanation was slow, detailed, and sincere.
Many villagers lacked even the most basic medical knowledge. Minor injuries turned fatal. Preventable illnesses became death sentences.
The Sacrificial Shop wanted to change that.
Medical tablets. Literacy tablets. Chakra basics. Farming, hunting, animal husbandry.
Knowledge carved into stone—left behind even after Ninja departed.
"Because this mission spans the entire continent," the staff member concluded,
"it may take years. Please consider carefully."
Yahiko didn't answer immediately.
In his mind, stone tablets rose in village squares. Ninja crouched beside farmers, herbs in hand. Children learned to read. Wounds healed before they festered.
For the first time—
He saw a real path.
Yahiko suddenly dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
"Please—let me join this mission."
The staff member panicked, hurriedly pulling him up.
"I can't decide that. Registration is outside. Selection will be public."
Yahiko thanked him repeatedly and ran straight to the back of the line.
Konan hesitated.
"What if none of us pass?"
"Then we follow them anyway," Yahiko said without hesitation.
"If we can't teach officially, we'll help however we can."
He smiled—bright, stubborn, and unyielding.
"This is how we save the Land of Rain."
Nagato clenched his fist.
"Then we pass the assessment. And when we're done—"
Yahiko nodded firmly.
"We go home. And erect the first stone tablet ourselves."
_____________________
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