Chapter 702: Challenging the Strong
Chapter 702: Challenging the Strong
After a brief exchange, the Mist Hidden ninjas quickly escorted the Konoha Exchange Team back to their village.
As they entered the village, Daigo couldn't help but look around with curiosity. This wasn't his first time visiting another ninja village, but it was his first time in a major one.
Perhaps due to the need for secrecy, the Mist Hidden Village was built deep within the mountains, surrounded by towering peaks, making the terrain incredibly complex.
"The villagers here must rarely leave the village; otherwise, it would be too exhausting," Daigo thought to himself.
Even he, a ninja, found it a bit confusing, let alone ordinary people.
However, even if the terrain wasn't complex, the villagers of Mist Hidden probably wouldn't venture out often, as ninja villages inherently had the attributes of military bases.
It might have been because they arrived in the village as night fell, but Daigo felt that Mist Hidden's prosperity paled in comparison to Konoha.
"It's probably related to the complex terrain here. Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue once said that economic and transportation conditions must be improved for development," Daigo analyzed internally.
He thought that even if he were a caravan leader, he wouldn't want to do business in Mist Hidden. Finding the village aside, navigating through so many mountains would be exhausting.
"Then we won't disturb your rest any further." After leading the Konoha Exchange Team to the reception area, the Mist Hidden ninjas took their leave.
Considering the team's long journey, the exchange event was scheduled to start two days later, allowing ample time for rest.
"Get a good night's rest tonight and don't wander around the village," Akatsuki Akaso instructed after assigning the rooms.
It was unlikely that Mist Hidden would make a move against Konoha at this time. If they did, there would be no place for them in the ninja world.
His concern was that a family member or close friend who had fallen in battle in Konoha might lose control of their hatred and attack a member of the Konoha Exchange Team.
Just a few months ago, Mist Hidden and Konoha had been sending ninja forces against each other. Such an incident was entirely possible.
Although the powerful Konoha could demand a satisfactory response from Mist Hidden after the fact, it would still be a distressing matter for the attacked Konoha ninjas. Therefore, it was best to avoid it if possible.
The Konoha ninjas responded in unison.
In truth, most of them didn't have any intention of going out to explore; they just wanted to get a good night's sleep.
The room allocation principle was two Chunin per room and one Jonin per room. Additionally, except for married ninjas, men and women were not allowed to share rooms.
Since there was still some time before bedtime, Daigo invited Kakashi Yorihara and Akane to his room for a chat.
"It's too early to sleep now. Let's talk about something," Daigo suggested.
Koushi Tetsu's face, which had been tired, brightened at Daigo's words, and he asked, "Captain Daigo, can you tell us about your mission experiences?"
After hearing Daigo's brief account of the Snow Country mission on the ship, Koushi Tetsu became curious about his mission experiences.
"Mission experiences? What type of missions do you want to hear about?" Daigo scratched his head in thought.
Recalling carefully, they had indeed undertaken numerous missions of various types over the past few years.
"Just talk about the ones that sound really impressive, like something out of a ninja novel," Koushi Tetsu replied excitedly.
"Oh, I see..." Daigo furrowed his brows in thought.
If they were discussing impressive missions, the Ruan mission was undoubtedly the most remarkable, with future ninjas traveling through time to the present. Even in ninja novels, such a plot was rare.
However, time travel was not something easily discussed, and it sounded far-fetched. If it weren't for Daigo's personal experience, he would have found it hard to believe that such things could happen in reality.
Daigo thought for a moment before speaking, "I don't know why, but Kakashi often had bad luck during missions. Several times, his words led to unexpected incidents."
Kakashi: ...
He wanted to refute Daigo, but he couldn't deny that during that period, he had firmly believed that nothing would go wrong, only to have his words proven wrong each time.
"When you're on a mission, never say things like 'nothing will go wrong.' You might run into the Lightning Shadow or something dangerous," Daigo said earnestly.
"It won't be that bad, right? Just because of a single sentence, we'd encounter the Lightning Shadow?"
Shiniguki Kumo's eyes widened in disbelief. This seemed even more far-fetched than the stories adults told to scare children about not going out at night.
"We didn't encounter the Lightning Shadow, but we did meet his son, the Deputy Lightning Shadow, and several Cloud Hidden Jonin and Chunin. And that time, we were just passing through on a C-Rank mission," Daigo recalled.
Shiniguki Kumo's eyes widened in surprise. Encountering the Deputy Lightning Shadow and multiple Jonin was something that even S-Rank missions rarely involved.
Could a C-Rank mission lead to such a dangerous encounter?
"Oh, right, I think I wasn't even a full-fledged ninja back then; I was still an intern."
Shiniguki Kumo: ...
Interns usually did menial tasks like removing weeds and collecting trash. How was Daigo's internship different?
Shiniguki Kumo's face showed a hint of discontent. He suddenly realized that compared to Daigo, he seemed as ordinary as a background character in a ninja novel.
"That time was indeed dangerous. Fortunately, we had Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue with us," Might Guy nodded.
Facing the Deputy Lightning Shadow at that time, they would have been instantly defeated.
"With Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue by our side, there wouldn't be any danger at all," Koushi Tetsu said.
The New AB Duo was famous in the ninja world, but they weren't on the same level as Teacher Yu Sheng Mu Yue.
Action: At that time, Yu Sheng Mu Yue wasn't as powerful as he is now, but he was still formidable. He single-handedly blocked the AB duo and most of the Cloud Hide ninjas," Kaito explained.
"Only a Chunin and a Jonin managed to bypass Mu Yue-sensei and catch up to us."
Kakashi felt a sense of unease upon hearing this.
"At that time, one of the official ninjas on our team, who was still a Chunin, insisted on showing off and wanted to cover our retreat alone, allowing me and Guy, the two interns, to escape."
"When the fight broke out, that official ninja was taken down in just a few moves.
Just as the enemy was about to be defeated, he suddenly stood up and took the kill, boasting about being a genius..."
Kakashi couldn't hold back and immediately covered Kaito's mouth.
He had blurted it out in the heat of the moment, but now, thinking back, he felt embarrassed.
"So, who was that Chunin?" Akane asked.
"Haha, I have no idea." Shiniguki Kumo casually looked up at the ceiling, avoiding the question.
"Yeah, it seems like Captain Kaito won't reveal it even if it takes a lifetime." Koushi Tetsu nodded in agreement.
In the end, at Kakashi's strong suggestion, they moved on to other topics.
For instance, whether there were Akane dumplings sold in the Land of Water, what famous scenic spots there were in Kirigakure, and the discussion about the most renowned genius ninja of Kirigakure.
"If we don't consider the new generation of ninjas, the most formidable genius in Kirigakure should be Chi Mei Ming or Kanto Kyo Shukaku," Kaito said.
During the second phase of the Chunin Exam, Chi Mei Ming's powerful Water Style had given Kaito a hard time, so he remembered it vividly.
However, that was in the past. In reality, Kaito had already made a comeback in the third phase of the exam.
By the time they met again at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, their strengths were no longer on the same level.
"Kanto Kyo Kimon? You must be mistaken, Kaito. I recall there was a ninja named Kanto Kyo Kimon in Kirigakure." Might Guy stroked his chin in confirmation.
Kaito was speechless. So, the guy who couldn't remember names was now correcting him.
"Anyway, I'm not interested in their young Jonins. If I fight, I want to fight those powerful Jonins." Kaito stated.
Fighting against Chi Mei Ming or Kanto Kyo Shukaku at his current level would be like bullying weaker opponents. Kaito had no interest in that.
If he were to fight, he wanted to face stronger opponents, the renowned powerful ninjas of Kirigakure!
He wanted to show the Kirigakure elders what a Leaf Village genius was capable of!
"Before you do anything, consult with Captain Akatsuki Akaso. Don't suddenly bring this up during the exchange meeting," Kakashi advised.
The rules of the exchange meeting dictated that ninjas of similar ages and ranks would interact, ensuring there wouldn't be situations like Chunins fighting Jonins or a thirteen-year-old Jonin fighting a thirty-year-old Jonin.
Clearly, Kaito was thinking of challenging stronger opponents, disregarding these rules.
If Kaito were to suddenly make such a move during the exchange meeting, Kirigakure would perceive it as a provocation or a test.
Kaito's actions would be seen as a breach of diplomatic relations from the Leaf Village's perspective as well.
If Kaito wanted to become the Hokage, this could be a significant blemish on his record.
"I understand. I'll inform Captain Akatsuki Akaso tomorrow," Kaito nodded.
If Akatsuki Akaso disagreed, Kaito wouldn't insist. He'd consider this trip as a vacation.
After all, it wasn't a matter of great importance.
"This is what youth is all about! I also want to challenge a powerful Kirigakure ninja!"
Might Guy gave Kaito a thumbs up, ready to join him.
Guy had signed up for the exchange meeting to challenge stronger opponents, only to learn about the rules later.
Koushi Tetsu and Shiniguki Kumo looked at the two with envy. This was the ninja life they had always dreamed of.
Protecting the princess, foiling conspiracies, and becoming national heroes.
With strength far beyond their peers, they never worried about opponents being too strong; they only worried about opponents being too weak.
Even ordinary missions could turn out to be extraordinary.
Shiniguki Kumo thought for a moment and decided to pass on the last suggestion. Kaito's unexpected actions could easily lead to casualties.
If it weren't for Mu Yue's presence and Kaito's own formidable strength, others in their place would have already met their end.
The next morning, after breakfast, Kaito, Might Guy, and Kakashi went to find Akatsuki Akaso.
Although Kakashi hadn't mentioned it during their conversation the previous day, he was also looking forward to honing his sword skills. Given the choice, he would undoubtedly prefer to challenge stronger opponents.
"I'll contact Kirigakure and see what they think." Akatsuki Akaso didn't give a direct answer.
As a Leaf Village ninja, he naturally wanted to see the Leaf ninjas shine at the exchange meeting.
However, this involved the diplomacy between the two villages, and he couldn't allow Kaito and his team to act recklessly.
While the Leaf Village was currently very powerful, casually abandoning an ally of a Great Ninja Village's caliber was not a wise move.
Even with a million taels of gold, one shouldn't casually throw away ten thousand taels, and Akatsuki Akaso didn't have the authority to discard that ten thousand taels.
In Kirigakure, upon receiving the message, the Third Water Shadow summoned Master Yuan and Kikyo Shizuka to seek their opinions.
PS:
This is the first chapter, and there will be another one later, hopefully before 3:00.
If it's not updated by 3:00, it might have to wait until tomorrow.
I wasn't in the best state of mind when writing this chapter, so I'm not sure if I can finish it, but I won't force it. After all, the holiday is over, and it's time to get back to work.
(End of Chapter)
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