During their idle time in the shared dream realm, Kiichiro furiously voiced his worries. However, the others' reactions were utterly indifferent.
Kyosuke offered some highly insincere comfort. "You should have some confidence, Kiichiro. It's very likely you won't live long enough to be killed by them. Someone else might kill you first!"
Hearing this, Kiichiro was nearly fuming with rage and roared out directly.
"Thanks for the comfort! You're just too good at comforting people!"
Chisuke also chimed in with a laugh. "You can just learn from Madara. Place a cursed seal inside their hearts. If they dare to rebel, just activate it and finish them off."
Kiichiro said irritably, "Madara did exactly that, and Obito still found a way to rip the seal out. These villainous tricks always fail; maybe it's one of the unbreakable rules of the Naruto world. It's better to be cautious. Besides, I don't even know how to apply a seal like that!"
Mishu gave a light, dismissive chuckle. "If you ever feel someone is unreliable, just call me. I'll go over and take care of them for you."
Ooka Shin boasted proudly. "You have to influence them with love! Look at my Masao; after my emotional offensive, he trusts me completely and would never betray me. Tsk tsk, I really am a genius!"
"Forget it, none of what you guys say is reliable. I'll figure it out myself," Kiichiro grumbled. "Class starts now. Today we're learning about cellular extraction."
Kiichiro changed the subject, preparing to lecture them on the complex medical knowledge he had just spent a fortune to learn. Instantly, the remaining four people's expressions changed, and they immediately prepared to log off.
Kyosuke's excuse came rapid-fire: "Sorry, my injuries are almost healed. I'm heading back to the battlefield in a couple of days and need extra rest."
Chisuke followed up without missing a beat: "Me too!"
Ooka Shin's excuse was equally prepared: "I still have to cooperate with Nagato to study the Rinnegan. This is extremely important; I can't afford to be distracted."
Mishu thought for a moment. As a Rogue Ninja, he had plenty of free time lately and couldn't find a good excuse. So, he just went with the painfully honest route.
"I just don't want to learn."
In the blink of an eye, only Kiichiro was left alone in the sprawling dreamscape, his face swollen with anger.
"I feel so frustrated! If I don't vent this fire, I'm going to explode!"
Early the next morning, while Kito and the others were still sleeping soundly, Kiichiro violently kicked open their doors. Three strong servants dragged the dazed Kito, Junya, and Fuka from their warm beds and threw them into the cold courtyard.
In the courtyard, Kiichiro looked absolutely menacing. He paced back and forth with a thick rattan cane in his hand, looking as if he might strike them at any given moment.
"You need to know that I didn't buy you just so you could eat for free. You must pay a price!"
The three children looked at Kiichiro's furious face and then at the terrifying cane. Not knowing what he meant, they could only nod blankly.
"Starting today, you will wake up at six sharp! In the morning, you'll train your physical fitness and Swordsmanship. In the afternoon, you'll study academics, and in the evening, you'll continue physical training! No time is to be wasted except for eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom!"
Kiichiro rapidly laid out a grueling, rigorous training plan, fully expecting them to cry in fear. However, he found the three children looking surprisingly calm, without a single sign of unhappiness.
In fact, for three desperate war orphans, being able to eat their fill and survive another day was more than enough. Even if it was tiring, bitter, or involved daily beatings, it was infinitely better than starving in the streets.
So, hearing Kiichiro's harsh words, they actually felt incredibly relieved.
Food and shelter were guaranteed, they just had to do what they were told, and they didn't even have to do menial chores—they were being given the chance to learn actual skills. What was painful about that? It was simply absolute bliss!
Thus, during that first day, Kiichiro thought he had brutally "tortured" the three. Meanwhile, the three kids felt they had struck the jackpot, fully convinced that Uncle Mikuri Tomokazu was right—Kiichiro really was a wonderful, generous person.
In short, both sides were incredibly satisfied.
At this time, Mishu also had his own pressing troubles to deal with.
The four sub-accounts are gradually getting on the right track and have made many massive contributions, Mishu thought. I need to work hard too, or else my main account's status might be usurped by these ill-intentioned guys at any time!
As a Rogue Ninja, what can I do? I can kill as I please and run around everywhere. Well, I can help the sub-accounts eliminate enemies, gather experimental materials, and collect critical intelligence.
Currently, clearing enemies and gathering materials aren't very urgent. I'll collect intelligence first, specifically about the Three Great Sage Regions. In case something happens to Kyosuke's plans, I can learn Senjutsu through other means.
However, I should really find an assistant for traveling the Ninja World. I wonder if Takano Ishi is dead yet? While Kirigakure and the Rain Ninja are at war, and most of their high-end combat power is at the front lines, I should sneak back and take a look.
Speaking of which, I've been a Rogue Ninja for so long and haven't been hunted by Hidden Mist Village even once. It's totally ruining my immersion. Does Hidden Mist look down on a Chunin like me?
In fact, whether it was a Jonin, Chunin, or Genin, as long as they defected, Hidden Mist Village would strictly treat them equally and dispatch a ruthless pursuit squad.
However, Mishu's situation was a bit unique.
At first, Hidden Mist thought Mishu had died heroically at the hands of the Cloud Ninja. Later, when they learned he wasn't dead, they assumed he was hiding somewhere locally to recover from severe injuries.
Later still, seeing that Mishu hadn't returned to the village for a suspiciously long time, they weren't sure if he had officially defected or was just stranded. By the time his defection was finally confirmed, Hidden Mist Village was already locked in a brutal war with the Cloud Ninja, so they temporarily couldn't spare the manpower for him.
Upon reaching the seaside, Mishu used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into Rukawa Kaede and seamlessly followed the crowd onto a civilian ship bound for the Land of Water.
Once in the Land of Water, however, how to actually enter the Hidden Mist was a major logistical problem.
It was wartime, and Hidden Mist's defenses were incredibly tight. With the massive Tailed Beast Chakra hidden inside Mishu's body, he would easily be detected by sensory ninjas before even getting near the front gate.
Hidden Mist Village didn't have the Byakugan, but there were plenty of other ways to sense Chakra. It would be exceedingly difficult for either Mishu's main body or his clones to simply sneak in.
Unable to use the main gate, Mishu could only circle the perimeter of Hidden Mist Village to see if there were any structural loopholes. He found nothing.
Well, actually, thinking about it, being a lone wolf isn't so bad, Mishu reasoned, giving up. Why bring along a burden? Takano Ishi is weak; it's fine for him to live peacefully as a commoner. Following me might not be a good thing for him anyway!
Just as Mishu was feeling "charitable" and preparing to leave, he suddenly spotted two highly suspicious figures approaching from the distant mountain forest. He immediately hid himself in the thick foliage.
In the mist-shrouded forest, Kaguya Teppei skillfully avoided several squads of patrolling Kirigakure ANBU and stealthily handed a sealed scroll to another member of the Kaguya Clan.
Mishu, hiding perfectly in the shadows, saw everything.
Tsk tsk, the Kaguya Clan holding secret meetings in the woods... they're definitely planning their rebellion.
However, Mishu didn't have a good impression of either the battle-crazed Kaguya Clan or the brutal Kirigakure. He had absolutely zero intention of interfering.
Quietly falling in behind Kaguya Teppei, Mishu successfully infiltrated Hidden Mist Village through their secret route, and then immediately sent out a Shadow Clone to investigate Takano Ishi's current situation.
"Sir, Madam, would you like to buy some fish? Fresh, live fish right here!"
In a bustling, muddy marketplace, Takano Ishi was loudly soliciting business, refusing to let a single passerby ignore him. However, due to the heavy economic impact of the war, business was incredibly poor.
"Heh heh, Takano Ishi, why aren't you at the Ninja Academy?" a rival merchant mocked.
"Yeah, you're someone who's supposed to become a glorious ninja. Why are you out here selling fish with the rest of us grunts?"
"Have you heard? Only one student from this year's academy class actually survived the final exam. Look, Takano Ishi is a smart one; he dropped out early, otherwise he would have died too."
"Bah, what a pathetic coward!"
Cold mockery and cruel sarcasm constantly drifted from the surrounding stalls, but Takano Ishi ignored them all with a stoic face.
The heavy, crushing pressure of basic survival left him absolutely no time for sorrow or grief.
Moreover, he firmly believed that that person would definitely show up, because he had promised.
This was a promise his older brother had traded his very life for. Even if Takano Ishi was just deceiving himself, he stubbornly refused to give up the illusion.