Chapter 121: The Fourth Battle - Pre-Mission Training!
Leaving the dense forest and heading back to camp.
"Tsukasa, I think..."
"Stop!" Tsukasa immediately interrupted Shisui.
He took a deep breath, frowned, and sternly advised,
"Shisui, I'll keep this a secret for you, but don't contact them again."
"Trust me, it's very dangerous."
At this point in time, the nascent Akatsuki could still thrive for a few more years, but once the Battle of Kannabi Bridge broke out—
After Obito Uchiha's dark turn, Akatsuki would soon face disaster.
In the events that led to Yahiko's suicide and Nagato's rampage, even when Akatsuki had grown powerful enough that three major nations couldn't ignore them, they could have turned things around.
However, Obito, in order to push Nagato toward darkness, ambushed the Akatsuki members who came to support them, leaving the organization in ruins with no one able to act.
Tsukasa estimated he probably wouldn't live to see that day, so he didn't want Shisui to risk it.
Shisui was silent for a moment, then nodded.
At this point, the two arrived at the camp's main gate.
"By the way, Tsukasa, the Great Elder arranged for Brother Shin'ya to teach you clan ninjutsu. Don't forget,"
Shisui suddenly remembered the Great Elder's arrangement and reminded him,
"This requires assessment and verification."
"When you're not assigned missions, you must gather in the woods behind base camp every morning at nine o'clock to train."
Shisui looked up at the sky and said,
"It's almost time. Come with me to see Brother Shin'ya now."
Upon hearing this, Tsukasa's face twitched slightly.
"Training"—
such a distant word.
In the first three months of his year in this world,
he had only mastered the basics of water-walking and tree-climbing, plus a single Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu through rote memorization.
Then came an endless cycle of grueling D-rank missions.
It wasn't that he didn't want to practice other techniques, but this body's aptitude was truly absurd.
Tsukasa had practiced a single D-rank Fire Release: Fire Bullet Jutsu for a full six months while completing missions, yet made little progress.
Of course, he absolutely refused to admit it might be due to his low chakra control.
It was only later, with the enhancement of Heart of Steel and the Sharingan, that he mastered a host of advanced techniques.
Now, being asked to seriously train,
Tsukasa suddenly recalled those painful times he couldn't bear to remember, and an expression of suffering instantly crossed his face.
He was silent for a moment, then said quietly,
"I understand. Let's go now."
However,
at that moment,
a Root operative draped in a pitch-black cloak and wearing a bird-patterned mask suddenly appeared before Tsukasa.
The eyes within the mask's eyeholes stared at Tsukasa coldly, and he said indifferently,
"Shura, Lord Ryoma summons you."
"Now, follow me!"
Shisui saw this and felt rather helpless, having to reschedule.
"In that case, you go ahead and handle your business. Don't forget about training."
Tsukasa nodded and immediately followed the Root operative through the rain to a command tent.
Lifting the tent flap,
he found Aburame Ryoma dressed in a black cloak with distinctive purple marks on his cheek.
Standing with his back to a map, he wore the imposing demeanor of a commanding officer,
as if he were about to issue orders or lay out brilliant strategies.
However,
as Tsukasa drew closer, he realized Ryoma wasn't even looking at the map, nor contemplating battle strategies.
Instead, this eccentric man was teasing a rhinoceros beetle placed on the map with his finger.
He grinned as he did so, his cheeks twitching and causing his sunglasses to tremble.
"Ahem, Ryoma-sama,"
Tsukasa coughed dryly, thinking, Once again with the Aburame clan. This hobby is truly something else.
"Huh?!"
Aburame Ryoma's shoulders jumped, and he quickly pocketed the beetle, tucking his hands into his pockets while staring at the map with a serious expression, as if nothing had happened.
"Uh, ahem." He cleared his throat and turned around with a straight face.
"You're here."
"What were you just doing?" Tsukasa asked flatly.
"W-what? What nonsense are you talking about? Of course I was studying strategy and thinking about how to help Lord Danzo eliminate Sunagakure's stubborn resistance!"
Aburame Ryoma nonchalantly raised his hand to adjust his sunglasses.
Of course, it would have been more convincing if he could have ignored the beetle still clinging to his finger.
"Oh, I see." Tsukasa glanced at his questionable superior with exasperation.
He shook his head and asked,
"So what exactly did you summon me for?"
Aburame Ryoma raised an eyebrow, grabbed Tsukasa's shoulder, and pulled him over to the map.
Then solemnly, he said,
"Your mission is here!"
With that, Aburame Ryoma raised his finger and tapped a red-circled spot on the Land of Rain map.
It was a desert area.
It was located behind several positions in the Land of Rain, toward Sunagakure territory.
Following the red-circled area, beyond it lay the desert of the Land of Wind.
Tsukasa raised an eyebrow slightly.
After Sunagakure's surprise attack last night, Konoha was ready to return the favor.
"A spy deep inside Sunagakure sent back intelligence,"
"A shipment of strategic supplies will arrive at this location in three days. Among them is poison prepared according to formulas developed by Sunagakure's Chiyo."
"If we can destroy this shipment, the next large-scale attack from Sunagakure will be much easier to handle."
"It will save a few hundred lives on our side."
Aburame Ryoma pointed to the red circle.
"At that time, a Sunagakure squadron will be transporting this shipment—thirty people total."
Tsukasa looked at the map, activated his Sharingan, and recorded the information.
He raised his head, frowned, and asked:
"So this is my mission?"
"Kill these thirty people?"
"No."
Aburame Ryoma shook his head, grinned, and said: "That's my mission."
"Your mission is here—"
As he spoke, Aburame Ryoma pointed to the Sunagakure camp closest to the supply route.
"You're going to stop this group."
"Three hundred of them."
Tsukasa blinked and pointed at himself: "Me?"
"By myself?"
Aburame Ryoma nodded expressionlessly.
"Fight however you want. Even if you die there, you have to hold them all back until I send out the signal flare."
"That shouldn't be too difficult for you."
"After all, Orochimaru said that for you, this is—"
"An appetizer."
Tsukasa swallowed, his eyes brightening.
"Okay!"
Without hesitation, he immediately accepted the mission. After all, he'd left the village precisely for this kind of battle!
Seeing this, Aburame Ryoma nodded,
and then, thinking of something, he suddenly chuckled, patted Tsukasa's shoulder, and reminded him,
"Oh, that's right."
"Remember to sleep in your gear these next two nights."
"Also, this is for you."
"Orochimaru requires you to master it before tonight, otherwise your mission will be canceled."
After saying this, Aburame Ryoma tossed over a pale blue scroll with serpentine patterns.
Hearing this, Tsukasa frowned immediately,
thinking to himself, How bold of you, Orochimaru!
You give me a carrot and then a stick—are you treating me like a donkey?
Tsukasa was indignant.
He caught the scroll with one hand and unrolled it.
The expression on his face froze.
On the scroll's cover was a line of large characters clearly written:
"Orochimaru-Style: Substitution Technique"!
End of Chapter 121
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