Chapter 53: Not Enough Time
After selecting his ninjutsu, Ishiro immediately went to the mission center to request assistance in mastering the Underground Submergence Jutsu. Among all ninjutsu Ishiro had encountered, this one posed the greatest risk—any mistake while underground would mean being buried alive.
The first sentence on the scroll clearly warned that it was best practiced with a skilled instructor who could rescue the user if things went wrong.
The schedule of Anbu missions was tight. Although their previous patrol lasted over a month, they only received a ten-day break afterward. Ishiro needed to master the jutsu within these ten days; once outside the village, no one would have time to help him.
Remembering his previous experiences learning jutsu with guidance, Ishiro eagerly awaited the support of a senior ninja. This time he'd focus on Underground Submergence first. Next break, he'd move on to another jutsu, using his accumulated savings to issue four more B-rank tutoring missions if needed.
Under the supervision of a skilled Chunin specializing in Earth Release, Ishiro quickly grasped the basics. However, his first attempt underground left him extremely nervous, causing chakra consumption to spike dramatically, nearly reaching 5C per second. He panicked after only a few moments, quickly surfacing in fear.
That brief attempt alone drained a quarter of his chakra—this, despite his recent chakra reserves doubling to 2.4B. Without that increase, he'd have lost half his chakra instantly.
The consumption was huge, yet the result was unimpressive; he'd barely traveled ten meters underground. In combat, such performance would be a joke.
Back on the surface, Ishiro explained his struggles to his instructor. The Chunin reassured him, offering several tips that greatly improved Ishiro's second attempt. Although still consuming around 2C per second—more than average—it no longer felt unsustainable.
After a few days of practice, Ishiro finally grasped the jutsu, learning several practical applications from his instructor before the vacation ended.
But before he could simplify the hand seals or fully refine the jutsu, another mission arrived.
This time, Captain Shiden selected an intelligence-gathering mission in the Land of Rain. The task involved retrieving intelligence collected by undercover agents and assessing Rain Country's current situation.
Rain Country bordered the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind, serving as the main battlefield during the previous ninja wars. During the Second Shinobi War, Hanzo led Rain Village's fierce resistance, inflicting substantial losses on all three major countries. Still, Rain itself suffered greatly; aside from Hanzo, the village had been severely weakened.
Ishiro's team had two main objectives: first, assessing whether Hanzo could still revitalize Rain Village, and second, investigating whether Fire or Wind had extended their influence into Rain during this vulnerable period.
The mission didn't require them to infiltrate Rain Village, and Hanzo rarely left his village, making this relatively safe. Still, due to his knowledge of the original story, Ishiro remained wary—not just because of Hanzo, but because of Nagato's Rinnegan. Those eyes meant involvement from figures like Madara and Black Zetsu.
Regardless of Madara's current strength, Ishiro knew he'd stand no chance if noticed. Black Zetsu was even more terrifying; once noticed, who knew how long he'd be targeted or when an attack might come. Zetsu was the ultimate patient predator, after all, having waited a thousand years without wavering.
Moreover, the Land of Rain was a target of Danzo's scheming. Ishiro vividly remembered how Danzo cooperated with Hanzo to eliminate the Akatsuki in the original timeline. Engaging with Danzo, the "King of Backstabbing," was rarely beneficial.
Yet this timeline differed. After the Uzumaki incident, Danzo's power within Konoha had grown dramatically, even convincing Konoha's higher-ups to expand Root. His reasoning was simple—the Hokage's personal Anbu had failed, so Root had to step up. To solidify his position, even Sarutobi Hiruzen had reluctantly agreed.
Currently, of Sarutobi's three students, one had left the village, one had lost interest in leadership, and Orochimaru was growing ever closer to Danzo. As a result, Sarutobi's influence had declined significantly.
Danzo's goal remained becoming Hokage, a desire that kept his spirit sharp and active. Sarutobi, meanwhile, caught up in political struggles, was becoming increasingly weary. The deterioration of relationships with his three students after the Second War had been especially hard. Sarutobi had once stood atop the ninja world with three exceptional disciples destined to surpass even Kage-level standards. But the devastating loss in Uzushio and the sudden shift of power toward Danzo made him feel increasingly isolated.
Recent reports indicated Danzo was causing trouble in Rain. Unable to restrain him effectively, Sarutobi could only let things unfold. However, Danzo's current actions differed from the original timeline. Instead of collaborating with Hanzo against the Akatsuki—still too small a threat—Danzo was secretly supporting Akatsuki to weaken Hanzo's influence, ultimately forcing Rain Country into submission.
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Returning to Ishiro's side, for convenience, his team didn't appear as Anbu or use disguises. Instead, they simply took on a civilian escort mission for a merchant caravan traveling from Earth Country across Rain Country toward the border near Wind Country. Essentially, they would traverse nearly the entire Rain Country.
Captain Shiden wore a Chunin vest, while Ishiro, Shironeko, and Little Stone dressed as Genin.
Due to the caravan's slow pace, Ishiro's team had ample time to practice their ninjutsu. Inspired by Ishiro, Little Stone started rigorous training in the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin). Ishiro, though proficient, still felt room for improvement, so they often practiced together.
Shironeko showed particular interest in Ishiro's rapid ninjutsu casting, frequently training with him to dodge attacks. Her ninja cat companion, Dango, had been a kitten she saved during a mission, later surprisingly displaying chakra manipulation talent. Recognizing its potential, the village actively supported Dango's growth, even allocating special resources to Shironeko.
Living closely with Dango, Shironeko learned various cat-like movements, including the bizarre agility she displayed. Previously, she and Dango had trained dodging thrown weapons, but practicing against Ishiro's ninjutsu proved even more effective.
Ishiro also enjoyed their daily training, having never considered how multiple ninjutsu might synergize. Observing their interactions inspired him to create techniques that could rapidly unleash consecutive Water Line attacks.
His existing Earth Spear technique had a similar function, but its limitations were clear—it emerged slowly, one spear at a time, easily dodged by agile opponents. Ishiro was unaware that there was already an upgraded B-rank version capable of simultaneously summoning multiple spears.
In any case, Ishiro aimed to develop a large-scale attack similar to the one he'd seen Mizuki Mirror use. He chose Water Line as the foundational jutsu due to its low chakra cost and future potential to upgrade into a mass-attack version of Water Pressure Line.
Discussing his ideas with his teammates unfortunately yielded limited insight, as none were ninjutsu specialists. Captain Shiden mentioned several similar B-rank area attacks, but Ishiro remained determined to create his own, ensuring it would synergize seamlessly with his existing techniques.
Thus, in addition to routine training, Ishiro devoted considerable time contemplating this new mass-attack version of Water Line. Yet juggling ninjutsu creation, cooperative training, Shunshin practice, underground travel mastery, and other new techniques left him feeling increasingly pressed for time.
The sense of urgency deepened—there simply weren't enough hours in a day.
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