"Whoosh..."
The four of them leaped forward continuously through the dense forest.
After some slight healing and recovery, they hurried toward the Village.
At this moment, smiles were plastered on all three of their faces. Kakashi took charge and claimed two of the five boxes of money, leaving one box each for the others. One box of money was enough for the reward of an S-rank mission.
As for the remaining goods, they had to be handed over to the Village. The Anbu had just arrived and taken over the supplies, and none of the three had any objections.
Aoki Yoru was very satisfied. Fortunately, he had met an enlightened leader like Kakashi; if he were more old-fashioned, they wouldn't have gotten a single cent.
In the Hidden Rain Village or Kusagakure, they might have had to hand over all the spoils of war. After all, winning was attributed to the superior leadership of the higher-ups, and all the credit would belong to them.
Suddenly, Kakashi slowed down in front and looked back, asking in a lazy tone, "With your strength, your grades in the Academy shouldn't be at a mediocre level, right?"
"Hahaha!!!"
The three laughed awkwardly and looked at each other like kindred spirits.
"Kakashi-sensei, you have to realize that those from Ninja clans all have deep family legacies. The Ninja Academy is truly a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons! Civilians like us are no match for them," Aoki Yoru scratched his face with an embarrassed expression.
"Is that so? The students at the Ninja Academy these days are getting more and more terrifying."
Ignoring his students' serious nonsense, he picked up his textbook and immersed himself in it again, occasionally revealing a lecherous smile.
...
The group returned to the Village travel-worn. Kakashi went to submit the mission report, while the others disbanded on the spot and went to their respective homes.
Entering the West Gate Outskirts.
After greeting neighbors along the way and being stuffed with some hot food, Aoki Yoru returned home.
He washed up a bit to relax. Too many things had happened today, and he was a bit exhausted.
Before sleeping, Aoki Yoru sat upright in meditation as usual, clearing his mind and body to draw in the Natural Energy from the air.
He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible. The Ninja World was far too dangerous; even a C-rank bandit suppression mission could run into Kumogakure Jonin and Chunin.
If Kakashi hadn't been leading the team this time, any other team from the same graduation year would likely have been finished.
Forming hand seals, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate his spiritual energy to sense the surrounding Natural Energy.
He slowly guided it into his body to merge with his spiritual and physical energy. This process was like walking a tightrope, allowing for no mistakes.
However, it had to be said that combat really allowed for rapid improvement. Not only did he learn the Kumogakure secret technique, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but his spiritual energy had also grown in that tense environment.
Now, he could guide Natural Energy into his body more smoothly, and his degree of fusion with his body had increased, allowing for brief control and usage.
This would explosively increase his strength in a short period, and he now had a powerful trump card.
Strength +1.
Early the next morning, he got up early and began practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
Under the warm sunlight, he practiced basic swordsmanship. Raising his hand, dropping the blade, turning his waist, and stepping—he strove for standard execution in every movement, with heavy force, a correct stance, and a steady rhythm.
Although his cheap parents had only left behind basic swordsmanship, it was enough for him.
With his comprehension, as long as the foundation was solid, he could create his own moves. He could dismantle about seventy to eighty percent of others' moves just by seeing them once.
After breakfast, Aoki Yoru walked toward the Village's largest weapon shop with his head held high.
We have money now.
He wanted to forge a chakra metal Ninja blade; he had been eyeing one for a long time. The blade he had now was a relic from his father and was already chipped.
Thinking of the various functions of Asuma's chakra blades in the original story, he couldn't help but drool.
A moment later!
Aoki Yoru walked out of the shop dejectedly, like a defeated rooster.
"Profiteer! A total profiteer!" Aoki Yoru couldn't help but complain inwardly on the road.
"chakra metal is actually several times more expensive than gold. Yesterday's windfall can only buy a few dozen grams, far from enough to forge a Ninja blade."
"It seems I shouldn't think about it for a short while. I can't afford it with just C-rank mission rewards," he looked up at the sky speechlessly.
"Asuma's chakra blades were probably obtained with the help of the Third Hokage; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to afford them at all with his own strength."
While Aoki was complaining on the road, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
He reflexively looked back and saw Kenta standing behind him with a smile, followed by three children who were peeking at him timidly.
"Out for a stroll, Kenta?" Aoki Yoru greeted him with a smile and reached out to rub the head of the youngest child.
"Hmm, feels nice!"
"Yeah, taking my younger siblings out to buy some clothes and food."
Only then did Aoki Yoru notice that his younger siblings were wearing faded, ill-fitting clothes with several patches, and their faces had a sallow complexion from malnutrition.
It was likely a case of the younger ones wearing what the older ones outgrew, mending and patching for another three years. This was the norm among Konoha's civilians; it was already good if everyone could eat until they were half-full.
"Want to join us? I heard a new dessert shop opened and it's quite good," Kenta invited directly.
Hearing about the dessert shop, his siblings' faces showed expressions of longing, and they smacked their lips.
Aoki refused directly, "No, you guys go ahead. I still need to purchase some equipment. Have a great time!"
He waved goodbye to them.
Kenta's family probably provided him with most of the food, hoping a Ninja would emerge from the family to change their destiny. This was the practice of most civilians in Konoha.
Watching his siblings skip toward the dessert shop with him, Aoki Yoru smiled.
Fortunately, Kenta had good talent and made a big profit this time; life should be much better for them afterward.
Becoming a Ninja meant a leap in social class; it was one of the few upward paths for civilians. Otherwise, why would so many civilians rush into it, knowing the mortality rate for Ninjas was extremely high?
Afterward, Aoki Yoru continued to browse through various Ninja tool shops and eventually walked into a weapon shop that looked decent.
"Welcome! Is there anything you need?"
A girl with her hair in buns, wearing a white Chinese-style short robe, asked with a clean and bright smile from behind the counter.
"I didn't expect this to be Tenten's shop."
Aoki Yoru recognized her at a glance, one of the Konoha 11.
"I'm here to buy a Ninja blade. I'll take a look for myself first."
After saying that, he walked straight to the wall covered with Ninja blades, picking and choosing until he selected one that seemed to be of good quality.
He gently drew it from the scabbard and performed a few sword flourishes; it felt good. This was the one.
"This was forged from refined steel by a senior swordsmith. It has enough hardness and flexibility, and the edge won't chip easily during hacking."
Tenten introduced it at the right time. It was rare to make a sale; for a shop like theirs, this was a big business deal.
Afterward, Aoki Yoru also bought some explosive tags, Soldier Pills, shuriken, and Kunai.
Under Tenten's enthusiastic send-off, he walked out of the shop with a swagger.
Patting the equipment on him, Aoki Yoru felt much more at ease.
Before this, he was so poor he was almost down to his last pair of pants. The money his parents left was only enough to keep him from starving; he couldn't afford Ninja tools at all and was using what his parents had left behind.
Otherwise, during the last bandit suppression, he would have tied an explosive tag directly to a Kunai and blown up the bandit leader, giving him no chance to activate the trap.