Guoding, outside the west gate of Konoha.
This place is far from the center of Konoha and adjacent to the Forest of Death; wild beasts frequently break out of the forest, causing casualties and destroying farmland.
Looking down from above, the area is filled with low, dense houses, mostly earthen dwellings and adobe huts.
The people living here are all civilians of the Village, primarily farmers and craftsmen.
This is his home, where he has lived since he was a child.
"Yoru is back! Congratulations on graduating from the Ninja Academy. Yoru will surely become a great Ninja."
At this moment, Aoki Yoru was returning from team building, walking leisurely down the street. When the neighbors saw the forehead protector on his head, they offered their congratulations one after another.
He was even handed a few steaming buns by Grandma Chidao, and Aoki Yoru waved goodbye to them with a smile.
Aoki Yoru felt grateful for these kind neighbors.
When he was two years old, his parents sacrificed themselves on the battlefield. At that time, he knew that the orphanage was Danzo's territory, and there he could be dragged into Root or become experimental material at any moment.
Therefore, he refused the orphanage director's invitation and insisted on living alone.
Seeing him living alone at such a young age, the neighbors reached out to help him. One neighbor would send a bowl of hot porridge, another would stuff a few steamed buns into his hands, helping him in the most simple and earnest ways.
"I'm home."
Aoki Yoru pushed open the old wooden door, and the empty room was deathly silent.
Not expecting a response, he lit three incense sticks and bowed before his parents' memorial portraits.
"Father, Mother, I have become a Ninja. Don't worry, I will protect myself well."
After a pause, he looked at that blurry yet warm photograph and said softly:
"May your spirits rest in peace." After saying this, he bowed deeply again.
Aoki Yoru was a transmigrator who had been born into this world; he could clearly feel the love his parents had for him, and the reluctance in their eyes when they looked at him while heading to the battlefield.
He took a simple shower and slept for a while to recharge his energy; today's battle had consumed too much of his physical and mental strength.
At night, in the pitch-black room.
Aoki Yoru sat cross-legged, adjusting his mental state, and then used his mental power to perceive the natural energy around him.
Having transmigrated, he knew about the "cheat" known as Sage Mode in the world of Naruto. After realizing he didn't have the bloodline of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, he began to rely on his powerful mental strength to perceive the surrounding natural energy.
Every day, without fail, he would sit and perceive it. After 10 years, he had gradually begun to grasp the hang of it. This energy permeated the world, omnipresent within plants, fossils, soil, wind, and rain.
This energy appeared gentle and light, but when he guided it into his body, the moment it made contact, it immediately became uncontrollable and violent. His body and soul sent out frantic warnings, as if he would be torn apart the very next second.
During his first attempt, Aoki Yoru relied on his powerful mental strength to expel this natural energy from his body.
That time, Aoki Yoru had truly walked through the gates of hell. He also understood why so few people mastered Sage Mode; it was too dangerous. One slip-up and you'd be dead, and that was even with the cultivation methods available at the three great sage regions.
Afterward, he dared not attempt it lightly and could only perceive and analyze it every day, slowly guiding it to be used for his own purposes.
Now, he had found a way and could blend small amounts of natural energy with his physical and mental energy.
Forest of Death
A dark brown cat suddenly darted out from the bushes. At that moment, a hand reached out from beside a tree and grabbed it by the neck; no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't break free.
"Your sensory ability is really useful. Otherwise, who knows how long it would have taken to find it. I didn't expect it to run into the Forest of Death."
Kenta and Yui walked out from the bushes nearby and said.
"Yeah, thanks to your sensory ability during this time, we've completed 21 pet-finding missions." Yui also chimed in, with an expression of envy on her face. Sensory ability, it was as rare as a Kekkei Genkai.
It had been a while since they became Genin. Ever since Kakashi learned of his powerful sensory ability, he had been consciously seeking out pet-finding missions.
Relying on Aoki Yoru, their team's mission completion rate far exceeded that of veteran Genin teams. Even the Third Hokage looked at them with a much gentler expression; after all, although they were all D-rank, the volume was high—every little bit counts.
Of course, their team's wallets had also fattened up.
Together with Kakashi-sensei, they handed the cat, named Tora, to the client. Watching the plump woman clutch Tora tightly in her arms, Tora's limbs were stiff, eyes wide open, looking as if it were about to suffocate.
Aoki Yoru finally understood why this cat ran away during Naruto's time; being with this woman, one could easily be strangled to death by accident.
This woman was practically a Konoha VIP client. In the original story, not only Team 7 but even Konohamaru Sarutobi's team had caught this cat.
This cat spent its whole life in a loop of running away and being caught back; Aoki Yoru even felt a little sorry for it.
"Kakashi-sensei, what's the next mission? It can't be looking for pets again, right?" On the way back, Aoki Yoru complained directly; he had been catching them until he was sick of it these past few days.
"The next one is bandit suppression; it's time for you all to see some blood." Kakashi, immersed in the ocean of textbook knowledge, said this without even looking up.
As soon as the words fell, the three of them were immediately excited. None of them had ever left the Village, and they were full of curiosity about the outside world.
Aoki Yoru was no exception; after all, what one sees on a screen is different from the feeling of experiencing it firsthand.
"Then, meet at the Village gate tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock." After saying this, Kakashi disappeared in front of them.
The three of them also said goodbye to each other and went to make their own preparations.
Early the next morning, just as the sky brightened, several figures appeared at the Village gate on time, and the group headed out of the Village.
"This mission is to suppress the bandits on Mount Katsuragi, 50 miles to the northwest. This group of bandits has seriously affected the trade route from the Capital of the Land of Fire to Konoha. The mission rank is C-rank."
On the way, Kakashi introduced the situation of the mission while walking.
It was the three of them's first time doing a killing mission. Upon hearing that they would have to kill people later, their expressions immediately became solemn.
For them, who had just been searching for lost pets, the pressure was a bit high.
Seeing this, Kakashi offered no words of comfort; this was the necessary path to becoming a qualified Ninja.
They ran all the way, with Kakashi in the lead, his figure weaving through the forest. Aoki Yoru followed closely behind, his steps light, his breathing steady.
Kakashi turned his head to look at him in surprise. Although he had deliberately controlled his speed, this pace was very difficult to keep up with, even for a Chunin.
Behind, Yui was also panting heavily, her face solemn as she struggled to keep up. Kenta, who was at the back, was pale, every jump a struggle, yet he gritted his teeth and relied on sheer willpower to follow the team ahead closely.
As they neared Mount Katsuragi, Kakashi stopped on a hillside. Aoki Yoru stopped right behind him, panting slightly as he looked back; Yui arrived, gasping for air.
Kenta, who had fallen to the back, arrived stumbling and immediately lay on the ground, gasping for breath, without even the strength to speak.
"This is the vicinity of Mount Katsuragi. To avoid alerting the bandits, we must proceed with stealth." Kakashi looked around and said.
"You must complete this bandit suppression yourselves; consider it a test for you."
"Don't worry, this group of bandits are just ordinary people. With your strength, it's enough to deal with them. For this mission, Aoki Yoru is the team leader." After saying this, he disappeared in front of the three of them.