Chapter 46: Peaceful Times
In Ishiro's opinion, the ten-day vacation passed too quickly, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, leaving the village for missions was essential training for shinobi. For instance, if not for encountering Mizunotsuki Kagami, Ishiro might never have decided to develop his own Kekkei Genkai. Without that life-and-death battle, Ishiro wouldn't have been so urgently motivated to speed up his ninjutsu execution.
When Team Five regrouped, Kitsuchi found the three students refreshed and spirited, especially Shouhara. Ishiro had experienced danger during the last mission when Jonin Imamura Kosuke nearly killed him; he'd barely escaped with his life, experiencing a real brush with death. But in fact, the most endangered had been Shouhara, who was almost impaled by ice spears multiple times.
Fortunately, Shouhara was determined and resilient. This near-death experience hadn't broken him. Instead, it sharpened his resolve and significantly improved his strength. It was similar to Ishiro's previous victory over Kenmoto—confidence strengthened Ishiro, whereas crisis had strengthened Shouhara. Both outcomes followed a similar principle.
Kitsuchi was pleased. Even though he hadn't taught them much personally, under his leadership, all three team members had undergone notable transformations. This proved his success as their sensei.
However, there was one regretful flaw. Although their teamwork was excellent, none of the three had developed a decisive individual attack.
Mizunotsuki Kagami, for example, could unleash a massive B-rank ice jutsu when fully prepared. Ishiro and the others still lacked such signature attacks.
Kitsuchi believed Ishiro was already developing his upgraded Water Thread, likely to become his trademark. With enough time, Ishiro would surely succeed. However, Shouhara and Tanaka still needed to find their own paths.
"I should fulfill my duties as their sensei and pay attention to their strengths and personalities. Maybe then I can help them find their direction," Kitsuchi thought.
But for now: "Let's move out! We're taking another rogue-nin hunting mission."
"Ah~~~!" the three students groaned simultaneously. They had failed the last hunt, marking their first mission failure, something difficult for the youngsters to accept. Thus, they were reluctant about these thankless missions.
"Hahaha!" Kitsuchi laughed happily. He had experienced the same feelings in his youth, fully understanding their thoughts.
But shinobi needed to accept failure. Trying desperately to complete every mission was dangerous and inevitably deadly, leading to an inability to judge when to retreat.
Ignoring their protests, Kitsuchi accepted another hunting task.
Thus, Ishiro and his teammates traveled across various smaller countries, hunting rogue ninja under Kitsuchi's guidance. However, their results were sparse—over two years, Team Five only eliminated four Chunin-level rogues, completing merely four B-rank missions. Of course, hunting missions weren't always available, so they completed numerous C-rank missions as well.
During those two years, they visited most small countries around the Land of Earth, even venturing as far as the distant Land of Whirlpools. But because the Five Great Nations hadn't fully signed peace treaties, they avoided the other four major countries.
Today, the Tsuchikage's Office announced important news: the Five Great Nations officially ended the war. As of yesterday, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire signed their peace treaty, marking the conclusion.
Henceforth, shinobi from major villages couldn't openly kill each other as before. Instead, they had to avoid contact unless missions directly conflicted. Naturally, this was the official stance—covert operations and sabotage would undoubtedly continue.
The ninja world now entered a period of peace and recovery. Yet, based on the past two great wars, this peace wouldn't last. The recently concluded war had planted countless seeds of hatred.
There were too many war orphans like Ishiro. Countless children had already decided to become shinobi for vengeance.
Though peace had arrived, every nation was now assessing war damages. Konoha suffered the heaviest losses among ordinary shinobi, severely weakening its forces.
This explained why the other nations had hesitated to sign peace treaties—everyone sensed Konoha was nearly defeated. Any nation willing to strike could've potentially shattered Konoha. But mutual distrust prevented action, eventually forcing them into reluctant peace.
However, Konoha's elite power hadn't diminished; no Kage-level shinobi died. In fact, the war birthed the Legendary Sannin.
Still, Tsunade became disillusioned after repeated tragedies and left Konoha shortly after the Uzushiogakure disaster. With Tsunade gone and Jiraiya missing, the state of war persisted.
Initially, Jiraiya recuperated in Mount Myoboku, later returning to the Land of Rain to mentor three disciples. Only now, three years later, had Jiraiya finally returned to Konoha.
Realizing no one would risk attacking and seeing Jiraiya return, the other nations finally abandoned their ambitions.
Meanwhile, Iwagakure suffered least—not due to Ishiro's efforts—but because it had the largest shinobi population, making it resilient to prolonged warfare.
If a decisive battle similar to the First Shinobi War had occurred, Iwagakure would have been the worst off, as it had only one Kage-level shinobi. During crises, the village relied heavily on two Jinchūriki. If someone from Konoha had managed to eliminate Onoki, the other nations might've torn Iwagakure apart.
The Land of Wind, impoverished and hungry for territory, would've eagerly seized land from any weakened neighbor—Fire or Earth. Meanwhile, the aggressive Land of Lightning across the sea was unpredictable and could've easily invaded.
Standing beneath the Tsuchikage's office, listening to Onoki announce peace, Ishiro felt indifferent. He was already a proper shinobi, and peace or war only differed in intensity. His life still consisted of dangerous missions.
Hearing civilian cheers, Ishiro felt out of place. Thankfully, Onoki's speech was brief, and soon the crowd dispersed.
Today, Ishiro had no missions. Shouhara and Tanaka would soon take their Chunin Exams, meaning Team Five would soon disband. His own reassignment remained uncertain. Perhaps he'd lead a squad, or maybe he'd receive specialized duties.
"I'll visit the Barrier Division," Ishiro decided. After two years, the research seemed finally nearing a breakthrough.
Over these two years, Ishiro occasionally visited the Barrier Division, though he no longer actively participated, merely reviewing new data and ideas.
Currently, the division was conducting a crucial experiment expected to decipher one fragment of the "Fire Domain" sealing formula. They anticipated a breakthrough soon. Though several previous experiments had failed, adjustments had shown promising signs.
Ishiro had provided two fragments: one for absorbing natural energy and another for autonomously generating Fire Release.
The current promising experiment involved natural energy absorption. Due to inherent risks, it occurred in a valley outside the village, with Anbu guarding the perimeter.
Entering the valley, Ishiro easily gained access; he was a frequent visitor with Onoki's approval.
Surprisingly, Ishiro saw Onoki himself present, unsure if he'd just arrived from the Tsuchikage's office or if the earlier speaker had been a clone.
No one paid Ishiro much attention. He reviewed data tables and eagerly asked Captain Mizuhara, "Captain Mizuhara, based on the data, last time seemed quite stable. Will it succeed this time?"
Mizuhara nodded silently, even more nervous than Ishiro. While Ishiro had transitioned into a combat-oriented shinobi, Mizuhara was purely a sealing expert who'd dedicated immense effort to this project.
Uzumaki Yumi, standing nearby, explained openly, "The likelihood of successfully absorbing natural energy is high. But yesterday, someone raised a new concern—what happens to all that accumulated natural energy afterward? Could it build up indefinitely, suddenly exploding?"
Ishiro pondered briefly—indeed, having forcibly separated the "Fire Domain" technique, the natural energy originally meant to fuel the fire was left without an outlet.
Unable to immediately devise a solution, Ishiro decided to watch carefully and adapt accordingly.
Soon, over a dozen sealing specialists simultaneously activated the reconstructed sealing formation, based on the "Fire Domain" fragment. Ishiro estimated it had reached A-rank complexity—something no single shinobi in Iwagakure could yet perform alone.
An Anbu member stood beside each specialist, ready to intervene if the natural energy became unstable.
Shortly after activation, Onoki visibly reacted. Noticing this, Ishiro's heart stirred with excitement—could it finally be working?
Eagerly, Ishiro crouched down and initiated his sensing ninjutsu. Unfortunately, his skills were still limited. Even now, just as the experiment began, he couldn't yet sense anything.