[Special Reward: Strength +10!]
A surge of power flooded into his body. Kazuyama Gekkō closed his eyes, savoring the rush. Then he waited.
The system had said this operation harmed a massive number of people. Surely the reward wouldn't stop here.
But no matter how long he waited, nothing else came.
"Hey, stingy system, that's it? Just ten points of Strength?"
[That's it. What? Not enough? Host, you should know—coming from a miserly system like me, giving you ten points in one go is already a blessing!]
[What, you'd rather I split it into one point at a time and hand it out ten times? I can do that too.]
Kazuyama's mind instantly filled with stampeding curses, a whole epic parade of them.
"No, that's not right. I didn't just make civilians and ordinary ninjas suffer—even Ōnoki and Iwagakure's top brass weren't spared! This reward doesn't add up!"
"Forget it. You're the boss. Whatever you say goes."
What else could he do? Heaven and earth were big, but the system was the biggest. A reward was a reward—better than nothing.
... At least, that's what Kazuyama tried to convince himself.
The moment he closed the interface, he exploded.
"Damn it! Rotten system! Miser system! Cheating me out of my reward! Bastard! Yalu yalu!"
An endless stream of curses spilled out.
"Kazuyama, what's wrong with you?"
"You're watching a show and throwing a tantrum?"
"My, my. Terrifying, truly terrifying."
Chōmei watched his host's face cycle from green to white, red to black, then purple. He was utterly fascinated, and only short of bringing out some bugs and wine to complete the picture.
"Hmph, nothing. Let's move, Chōmei."
"I doubt Iwagakure will be eating seafood again for years."
"First, we'll head to the Land of Hot Water. After that, Sunagakure."
The Land of Hot Water was under Terumi's watch. A flower shop, huh? Not bad.
As for Sunagakure, Kazuyama was just curious about Gaara—and whether he could stir up some chaos.
After all, attribute points weren't easy to earn these days.
A few days later, in the Land of Hot Water, at the bustling central town of Hyakka-kyo.
Kazuyama entered with a grin, his legs carrying him straight to the largest bathhouse as if they were guided by instinct.
"The hot springs of the Land of Hot Water—perfect."
Married or not, father or not, who didn't enjoy a little beauty?
Robe on, body in the hot spring, Transparent Escape activated—everything in sight was his.
Three streets away, in a flower shop.
"Hm? Kazuyama Gekkō came to the Land of Hot Water?"
"You're sure you didn't see wrong?"
The shop's owner, Terumi, dressed in a cyan robe, looked stunning. Young as she was, her sharp and commanding aura was only growing stronger.
"Boss, we're sure. Our brother at the gate saw him enter Hyakka-kyo with his own eyes."
"Should we alert someone?"
Kazuyama's reputation in the shinobi world was notorious—the Ghost of Konoha. For someone like that to suddenly appear here, of course it raised concern.
But Terumi wasn't worried. What was there to fear? He was, after all, her shameless sensei.
"No need to be on guard. It's fine. He's a ninja, going on missions is normal."
She already suspected the reason. Her sensei had probably come to check on her. She'd been out for nearly two months, and it wouldn't be strange for him to evaluate her progress.
"He went to the Supreme Bathhouse. He's in the hot springs now."
Terumi wasn't the clueless girl she once was. During her time in Takigakure, Yugito had told her plenty about Kazuyama.
A peeper. A thief. A gambler. Every black mark imaginable could be stuck on him.
If he went to a bathhouse, bathing was the least of it. Hmph.
"Got it. Forget about him, no need to track his movements."
"But collect more intel on the Land of Hot Water's businesses lately."
She knew intelligence was only the first step. Once gathered, it was time for action.
And for that, they needed money. Everything required money.
So exhausting... Kakashi-san, are you thinking of me?
But the Kakashi she was longing for had already returned to the Land of Fire.
"So you're saying it's very possible the previous Daimyō was assassinated by one of our own?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage. But their trail is so well-hidden, we haven't found any clue in a whole month."
In the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze frowned so tightly it looked like he could crush a fly.
The Daimyō's murder had thrown the Land of Fire into turmoil. Mr. Yanagimura's commission had been to uncover the truth behind the killing.
And now it seemed clear—the death was suspicious. Assassinated by his own men?
"Fine, leave it for now. They're too cautious—it'll be hard to catch them."
"But Kakashi, based on your analysis, who do you think is most likely?"
Kakashi paused, thought it through, and finally spoke two names.
"The ninja commander, Kazuma... and the Daimyō's minister, Hōgen."
"They're the only ones with the motive. I don't think anyone else would."
Minato leaned back in his chair, nodded, and dismissed him.
After Kakashi left, another figure stepped inside.
Minato raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Well, this is rare. You don't usually come to me. Something wrong?"
"But you're just in time. Help me think this through."
"Do you think Kakashi's guess is right, Midori?"
Midori shook his head. He was a fighter, not a thinker. Otherwise, he wouldn't be ANBU.
Why use his head when fists worked fine?
"You should be asking Nara Shikaku. Why would you ask me?"
"But I'll ask you this—when is that bastard Rokudenashi coming back? The next ANBU training cycle is about to start." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"The surrounding great nations have been moving in secret lately. Better to stay prepared."
Yes, Midori rarely came here, and only for one reason—to ask for a man back.
Since the war, ANBU had recruited many promising new shinobi. He and Kazuyama, as instructors, had been managing their training.
But now Kazuyama had gone off on missions, leaving Midori to handle everything alone.
And it was lonely. Very lonely.