After dinner, Wen Lan and Mikoto returned to the Uchiha district and went their separate ways.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Wen Lan sat up with a yawn. After washing up, he got dressed, put on his forehead protector, strapped on his ninja blade, and headed out.
The morning mist had yet to disperse, and the air carried the damp scent of fresh earth.
Stepping over the cool stone pavement, Wen Lan walked briskly toward the Hokage Tower.
From afar, the tower's golden eaves glimmered in the morning light. Lanterns along the streets had not yet been extinguished, their faint glow swaying in the mist.
A few early-rising villagers were already hard at work, and the aroma of breakfast drifted from roadside stalls.
At the foot of the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi Ciqian was waiting on the steps. When he saw Wen Lan, he nodded slightly and handed him a thick stack of cash.
"There are no missions for you for now. This is the reward for the supply transport mission."
Wen Lan took the money and counted it, a trace of confusion appearing on his face.
Transporting supplies during wartime between two nations was an A-rank mission.
The usual reward ranged from 150,000 to 1,000,000 ryō. Since there had been no interception along the way, it should've been around 300,000 ryō at most.
Yet this payout was 500,000 ryō.
And this was his personal share, not the total reward for the entire squad.
Wen Lan frowned slightly and looked up at Sarutobi Ciqian, a probing glint in his eyes.
Ciqian seemed to anticipate the question and explained calmly:
"The Hokage increased your reward. On the road, you killed three Iwagakure ninja—this was reported by the ninja you saved."
"Additionally, during the Iwagakure night raid, you killed a jōnin. That merit deserves extra commendation."
Wen Lan's face lit up with joy. He said excitedly,
"Then please thank the Hokage on my behalf, Ciqian-Senior!"
With that, he happily walked off.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Ciqian couldn't help but show a rare smile and turned to head up into the Hokage Tower.
The moment Wen Lan rounded a corner, however, his expression collapsed.
He sneered coldly.
"Fifty thousand ryō and you think you can buy me off? Do you really think I'm one of those idiots like Itachi or Shisui?"
"In canon, Sarutobi Asuma had a 35 million ryō bounty from the Bounty Stations. Even Chiriku from the Fire Temple was worth 30 million."
"Other jōnin are worth at least 20 to 40 million."
"Fifty thousand to buy my loyalty?"
"Ridiculous."
Wen Lan shook his head in disdain and turned toward the other side of the village.
Inside the Hokage Office
Sarutobi Ciqian knelt on one knee respectfully.
"Hokage-Sir, Uchiha Wen Lan was very happy after receiving the money. He asked me to pass along his thanks."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled faintly at the report.
Children that young were the easiest to control—just a bit of favor, and they'd give everything in return.
Even the Uchiha were no exception.
Hiruzen slowly stood and walked to the window, overlooking the entire village.
"Ciqian," he said gravely, "Wen Lan's potential goes far beyond this. If the Uchiha's Sharingan can be used for the village, he will surely become a pillar of Konoha."
Ciqian paused, then answered softly, "Yes, Hokage-Sir. Your insight is admirable."
Hiruzen's gaze deepened.
"However, the Uchiha clan has been restless lately. Keep an eye on Wen Lan in secret. If anything seems off, report it immediately."
"Yes, sir. I'll make the arrangements."
Hiruzen nodded slightly, a complicated look flickering in his eyes.
The earlier a Uchiha child was guided, the easier they were to control.
But once they slipped out of control, they would become the greatest threat.
"I hope you won't disappoint me, Wen Lan," Hiruzen murmured.
"Hello, I'd like some gourds—ones with especially sturdy material."
Wen Lan stood in front of a shop and called out.
"What kind of material does the ninja-sir want?"
The shopgirl behind the counter smiled brightly at the handsome little ninja.
"We have many types of gourds here."
Wen Lan frowned as he looked at the shelves packed with gourds, then said,
"One of each."
Soon, Wen Lan left the shop carrying a huge bundle on his back.
He was planning to train using Tanjiro's gourd-breathing method(Total Concentration Breathing) from Demon Slayer.
Right now, he still couldn't maintain Breathing Techniques at all times—he needed to strengthen his lungs and control.
Though Demon Slayer's overall combat power capped at around chūnin-level in the Naruto world, power depended on who was using it.
The same Wood Release—
Yamato could build houses.
Hashirama could reshape the heavens and earth.
Once he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, if he used Susanoo together with Breathing Techniques—
Who would dare touch him?
As for why he didn't buy these from the Ninja Cat Clan—
Though the Ninja Cats had close trade ties with the Uchiha, and some even formed summoning contracts, they weren't true summons.
They were more like contracted ninja beasts—business partners.
And as everyone knew:
In business, you fleece acquaintances, not strangers.
Wen Lan used to be foolish enough to buy kunai and shuriken from the Ninja Cats. Even the blade he was carrying now had been bought from them.
That was until he discovered that the same tools sold in regular shops were at least half the price.
After that, he never went back.
Those cats were brutal with pricing.
Sure, their weapons were high quality—but kunai and shuriken were disposable throwing weapons!
They were suitable for weaker ninja or Uchiha who specialized in fine shuriken control.
But they didn't fit Wen Lan's combat system at all.
He didn't even carry shuriken.
His ninja pouch only held a few soldier pills, over a dozen explosive tags, and several kunai.
Wen Lan walked a close-combat blade path.
His genjutsu talent was mediocre, and his shuriken control was terrible.
Everyone knew the Naruto world's combat styles broadly fell into four categories:
Weapon usersNinjutsu specialistsGenjutsu specialistsTaijutsu specialists
Genjutsu was notoriously difficult. Even in canon, only a handful truly excelled at it—
Especially Yūhi Kurenai.
To this day, Wen Lan couldn't understand where she got the courage to use genjutsu on Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi specialized in genjutsu.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And she dared to cast genjutsu on him.
Was she always that brave?
Did she not know the Sharingan was the ultimate counter to illusions?
Next was ninjutsu specialists, represented by people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hatake Kakashi, who relied primarily on techniques.
Then came weapon users—also known as the tool or projectile type. Their skill varied widely, and there were many of them: battlefield chūnin, genin, and even Uchiha Sasuke.
Weapons first, ninjutsu second.
Finally, taijutsu specialists—
Rock Lee.
Might Guy.
The Raikage of every generation.
And Might Duy, the man who beat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen into the "Lucky Trio."
All of them were monsters of pure physical combat.
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