svetikya Chapter 103 Testing
Chapter 103 Testing
Chapter 103 Testing
After resolving the issue with Nono, Taiichi felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, as if his soul had been purified. Even his training during this period became exceptionally efficient.
In the final days before the holiday ended, Taiyi improved his physical skills, meditation, and swordsmanship by one level. More importantly, through long-term training, his basic physical fitness was also enhanced.
【技能：进阶体术Lv3（231/4000），进阶冥想Lv2（654/3000），进阶刀术Lv3（425/4000）】
Constitution +1, Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1
Name: Matsushita Taichi Occupation: Genin Lv8 (641/1400)
Talent: Diligence can compensate for lack of talent, academic star, highly effective. Age: 8 years old. Physique: 22 (1/3).
Power: 22
Agility: 21
Spirit: 25
Chakra: 18000 (19500)
Although each attribute only increased by one point, and the skill only increased by one level, Taiyi was certain that while it was unrealistic for him to fight three opponents at once compared to his previous self, he could definitely take on two opponents at once.
The only downside is that, due to this attribute boost, my Constitution increased from 21 (1/2) to 22.
(1/3) It can be seen that it will only become more and more difficult to improve attribute points in the future, and attribute points will become more and more precious.
Taiyi indeed seized this rare opportunity and began cultivating with every second at his disposal. He even used his shadow clones with great effort to accelerate his cultivation.
However, this state only lasted for a few days before gradually disappearing, which made Taiyi sigh with regret. If he could have persisted for a few more days, his fire attribute nature change would have been able to advance further and reach the level of Lv9.
"Taiyi, why are you sighing?" Yangping asked curiously from the side.
This was the second day of their mission, which was to escort Koharu Tsunemura to Daming Prefecture to discuss an additional military expenditure.
On the first day of the mission, Taiyi's crazy dedication to cultivation really scared everyone.
Even while walking, Taiichi never forgets to condense a fireball that floats beside him, practicing chakra control and nature transformation.
Not to mention that during his rest periods, he created several shadow clones to train like crazy.
If it weren't for the fact that his main body always maintained enough chakra, Koharu Utatane, the advisor elder, might have already lost her temper.
"The opportunity for rapid improvement in cultivation is gone; how can I not feel regret?"
Yang Ping looked puzzled, clearly not understanding Taiyi's meaning.
Seeing Yangping's bewildered expression, Taiyi explained his situation to him, which amazed Yangping. Even Captain Yamaguchi and Saori, who were resting nearby, were astonished.
As expected of an advisor elder, his knowledge is indeed extensive. Upon hearing this, Koharu immediately provided an explanation, telling everyone that this is a special state of cultivation, a special effect that can only be achieved in a short period of time after a profound enlightenment.
"What a lucky little guy, you actually managed to run into something like this." Koharu Utatane's words carried a hint of envy that was barely perceptible. She had heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken advantage of the trouble caused by Taichi Matsushita to strip Danzo of a lot of power. It must have been that incident that spurred Taichi on.
"Alright, now that everything is back to normal, the guards behind us need to be more attentive and not be half-hearted like they were yesterday." Captain Yamaguchi interjected at the right moment, subtly covering up Taiichi's dereliction of duty yesterday.
Taiyi wasn't ungrateful, and he sincerely apologized for what happened yesterday, making the atmosphere quite harmonious for a while.
And so, the group arrived in Daming Prefecture before sunset.
Having lived in the Naruto world for so many years, Taichi still finds the world's national system quite peculiar. The daimyo, who holds the highest power in the country, doesn't seem to have much substantial military support. The strongest ninja village in the entire country is, however, a semi-independent organization.
This is also the "one country, one village" system established by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
For so long, Taiyi couldn't understand the logic behind this: a ninja with the strongest fighting power in the world doesn't hold the greatest power in the world.
The village's most important funding for development still relies on allocations from the Daimyo's government; the village's daily income actually comes from a percentage of the mission fees earned by ninjas after completing their commissions.
This is so outrageous. No one knows when this abnormal social relationship started to form, and no one seems to realize the problems with this form of state.
No, some people did realize that the "Twelve Guardian Ninjas" that the future Daimyo of the Land of Fire formed was precisely to regain control of the country's military power, but the final result was quite unsatisfactory.
The Hokage, representing the highest military power, never sought to unify the government and military. This "one country, two Hokage" political structure operated peacefully for over forty years.
Thinking of this, Taiyi couldn't help but shake his head. These things were still too far removed from his current self. To consider these things, he needed to have a certain degree of influence.
Stepping into this bustling Kyoto city, Taiichi and his companions were truly amazed by what they saw.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the city in a golden-red halo, making the entire city appear as if it were being shrouded in flames, echoing the name of the Land of Fire.
Lanterns on both sides of the street lit up one after another, creating a beautiful contrast with the sunset on the horizon. Taiyi and the others passed through the tall city gate and were greeted by the hustle and bustle of people and the rich aroma of cooking.
This city's prosperity surpasses even that of Konoha. After all, it's supported by the entire Land of Fire.
"I'll go with Seifu to submit our visiting cards. The three of you can just wander around the city today," Koharu Utatane instructed Taiichi and the other two.
Upon hearing this, the three were overjoyed, but still looked at Captain Yamaguchi.
"Go on, and remember to return to the inn early, and don't cause any trouble."
"Yes."
Watching the three figures depart, Captain Yamaguchi gave Koharu Utatane an apologetic smile: "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"No, they are three very good children, but you should be careful with that Uchiha."
Upon hearing this, Yamaguchi Seisuke frowned. Were the village's higher-ups so wary of the Uchiha? This was not a good sign!
As the sun gradually set, the lights of Kyoto shone even brighter. Taichi and his two companions walked side by side down the bustling streets, surrounded by the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and the enticing aromas of food.
"Wow, this is much more lively than Konoha's festival!" Yangping excitedly looked around, his eyes deeply attracted by the various street food stalls. "Look, that tempura, want to try some?"
Saori covered her mouth and chuckled, "All you ever think about is food! What kind of snacks does Konoha not have here?" She pointed to a shop with colorful ribbons hanging not far away, "I heard that Kyoto's silk is the best in the Land of Fire. I want to go and take a look."
Taiyi, with his hands behind his head, lazily followed the two, saying, "Whatever you want, there's still plenty of time."
After he finished speaking, he caught sight of several samurai with swords at the street corner. His eyes narrowed slightly because he could clearly sense the fluctuations of chakra emanating from those samurai. Judging from their attire, they seemed to be from the Daimyo's residence.
It seems the daimyo wants to control his own military force. I wonder if there are any organizations like the "Twelve Guardian Ninjas" now.
The three of them weaved through the crowded streets. Yohei and Saori each headed towards their own destination, while Taichi stayed at a distance to wait for the other two, glancing at the samurai out of the corner of his eye from time to time, keeping an eye on their movements.
"Taiyi, this is for you." Yangping's voice came, and a tempura was handed to Taiyi.
"Kyoto is so lively. I wonder when Konoha will be as lively as Kyoto."
Taiyi looked at Yangping, never expecting him to have such ambitions: "There will be such a day."
At that moment, Saori also came back, and it seemed that she hadn't bought anything.
The three strolled around for a while longer when a burst of music drifted over.
"It's a geisha performance!" Yangping mumbled. "Want to go take a look?"
Saori looked at the sky with disdain and said, "We should go back now. The captain will worry if it gets any later."
Taiyi nodded, taking one last look at the bustling city: "Let's go, we still have time."
Back at the inn, the dormitory advisor and Captain Yamaguchi were already waiting inside.
"How was the night view of Kyoto?" the dormitory consultant asked the three newcomers.
Yangping and his two companions cheerfully recounted their experiences along the way to Koharu Utatane and Masasuke Yamaguchi, their faces beaming with excitement, and they would occasionally pull Taichi and Saori aside to corroborate their stories.
Koharu, the girl in the Uchiha dormitory, nodded repeatedly. "Yes, a slightly foolish Uchiha is a good Uchiha."
Yamaguchi Seisuke looked utterly helpless. "Silly boy, you've been sold out and you're still helping them count the money!"
"We've already made arrangements with the Daimyo Prefecture. The Daimyo will meet with us first thing tomorrow morning. You'll all come with me then," Koharu Utatane instructed. "Be careful, things might not be peaceful tomorrow. So, when the time is right, don't hold back."
After saying that, he left his seat and returned to his room.
Taiichi and the other two looked at each other, not understanding what she meant, and then looked at Captain Yamaguchi.
"It's hard to say for sure right now." Yamaguchi Seisuke was also unsure about the situation. "Someone might provoke us tomorrow. Just teach them a lesson if you see an opportunity, as long as no one gets killed."
"Alright, everyone go back and get some rest!"
The next morning, after packing their belongings, the group arrived at Daming Prefecture as agreed, only to be told that Daming was still having lunch and they would have to wait a while.
Left with no other choice, everyone followed the eunuch to the rest room to wait.
But an hour passed, and everyone realized that this was clearly Daiming's way of warning them. No wonder Xiaochun said yesterday when it was time to make her move; she was right after all.
Taiyi glanced at the advisor sitting in front of him, who was currently resting with his eyes closed, showing no sign of anxiety. Taiyi couldn't help but re-evaluate this advisor from Konoha; indeed, no matter who it was, everyone had their own purpose in being there.
Another hour passed before a palace attendant finally arrived and led everyone to the council hall.
Inside the council chamber.
Only Koharu, the dormitory supervisor, sat in the first seat on the left, while Captain Yamaguchi and Taichi could only stand behind the advisor.
At this moment, the dormitory advisor was arguing with a finance minister from the Land of Fire, and the two sides could not reach an agreement on the amount of this extra funding.
The advisor for the transfer of the imperial bedchamber asked for 10 billion taels of silver, while the finance minister was only willing to offer 2 million taels. The two sides argued fiercely, but in the end, neither was willing to give in between 6 million taels and 4 million taels.
Taiichi knew that Konoha's bottom line was 4 million ryo, but who would complain about having too much money?
Koharu's performance once again surprised Taiichi. Despite her many suggestions in Konoha, her behavior in Daimyo Prefecture showed she was far more competent as a diplomat than an advisor. Truly, appearances can be deceiving.
At this moment, the chubby man who had been sitting at the top, covering his mouth and nose with a small fan, had finally had enough of the show and spoke up.
"Elder Xiaochun, it seems neither of you can convince the other. How about this?" After a moment's thought, the daimyo continued, "Recently, a very powerful warrior has come to join me. Could you help me verify his worth?"
"Of course we can't let the Jonin, the assistant Jonin, participate, otherwise people will think Konoha is bullying us!"
"My lord, what if we win?" Koharu Utatane asked.
"Then let's set the budget at 6 million taels," the daimyo said without hesitation. "But if you lose, the budget will only be 4 million taels."
"Okay, it's a deal!"
"That's right!" the daimyo affirmed, then waved to the attendant beside him.
Before long, a samurai with a sword at his waist arrived at the council hall, led by a servant. The samurai had an arrogant look on his face, and a scar cut diagonally across his brow bone, making his already unfriendly face even more ferocious.
Upon closer inspection, Taiichi realized that this was one of the samurai he had seen while shopping yesterday. He had paid special attention to this person because of the scar on his face, and he never expected to see him again in this kind of situation today.
"Elder Koharu, this is the samurai who previously sought refuge with me—Nagano Katsu. Don't underestimate him just because he's a samurai. Don't blame me if he loses," the daimyo said with considerable pride.
This was clearly a trap. The Daimyo had known about Konoha's team beforehand. Apart from one Jonin, the rest were Genin who had graduated not long ago, and the strongest among them was probably that Uchiha ninja.
Therefore, the Daimyo was full of confidence this time. Not only could he save money, but he also saved face for Konoha and laid the foundation for consolidating power in the future.
"My lord, these are just three brats who haven't even grown their hair yet? You can easily take care of them with a wave of your hand!" An arrogant voice rang out, and the samurai named Nagano Katsu made a death wish right from the start.
"Don't be rude!" the daimyo scolded, but made no other move. Clearly, the samurai's arrogant words were at the daimyo's behest.
At this moment, Koharu, who was sitting in the front dormitory, turned around and looked at the Yamaguchi squad: "So, who's going?"
Immediately, everyone's attention turned to Taiichi. Indeed, since the strongest captain couldn't play, Taiichi was the only one left to ensure victory.
Taiyi himself showed no fear, and calmly stepped forward in the face of everyone's gaze, saying, "I'll go."
As I walked past Xiaochun, who was turning around in the dormitory, I heard her fierce instructions: "As long as she doesn't die, hit her as hard as you can."
Taiyi paused briefly, nodded slightly to confirm, and then continued walking into the arena.
Led by the waiters, the group arrived outside the council hall. By then, all the extra items had been cleared away, making room for the competition.
Nagano Masaru looked at the kid standing opposite him, who was clearly the youngest of the three, and felt a wave of humiliation.
He pointed at Yangping, who was watching the spectacle from the sidelines, and said, "Why didn't they send that Uchiha brat up there? Instead, they sent this bean sprout to his death! Are all Uchiha people cowards who are afraid of dying?"
Yang Ping never expected that he would be affected just by watching the show. After hearing what the samurai said, he was even more furious. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to go on stage to fight him. How dare he humiliate the Uchiha? He was simply asking for death.
Before he could rush out, Captain Yamaguchi grabbed him and said, "Let's see Taiichi teach him a lesson. Can't you see the look on Taiichi's face right now?"
Indeed, Taiyi was also filled with anger at this moment. How could this samurai have such a foul mouth? Bean sprout, your whole family are bean sprouts, I'm just young.
"Alright, Nagano-kun, it's not your business who Konoha sends out. Just give it your all and finish this match." The daimyo on the sidelines spoke up, his voice turning somewhat somber: "Make sure you give it your all, and whatever you do, don't lose!"
At this moment, the Daimyo was also feeling uneasy. Konoha had not sent that Uchiha ninja to fight, but instead sent a younger ninja, which was clearly unexpected.
This uncertainty indicated that their intelligence was flawed; the youngest ninja was actually the strongest among them, which made him deeply suspicious of the outcome of the competition.