The Capital (2)

As we made our way further into the city towards Yoshiro's residence, I was stunned at the environment within. I felt as though I was transported to Edo-era Japan, with its corresponding architecture and clothing. Though the occasional display of technology out of that era broke that immersion and reminded me that I was in a world that had a confusing level of technology.

Though the streets were lined with ornate and rustic townhouses, where the first floor functioned as the store while the second storey were the storekeeper's residence, there was also television sets displayed in the window. While the passerbys wore elaborate period-appropriate yukatas or kimonos, they also spoke on public payphones.

The streets were bustling with activity, with traders hawking their goods and pedestrians out and about patronizing these establishments.

Yoshiro took on the role as a tour guide, introducing the eastern part of the city as the most 'touristy' because Konoha was located to the east of the Capital - which explained all the street food stalls and shops that sold souvenirs. Whereas the northern quarter was the city's business district, while the southern end functioned mainly as commercial areas.

He further explained that the Capital was separated into three rungs – the outer city, the inner city and the Imperial court.

The Capital was laid out away from the Daimyo's castle, which was positioned near the western end of the city. The area in the immediate proximity of the castle consisted of the Kizoku residences, as well as some of the wealthiest merchants. The location of each aristocrat residence was carefully attributed depending on their position in the noble hierarchy.

The outer city constituted roughly 70 percent of the city, housing the commoners, craftsmen, retailers, temples and shrines. It was densely populated but still of a relatively high standard of living given they were located in the one of the most prosperous city in the world. The commoners mainly lived in semi-collective housings, organized in enclosed communities according to their level of wealth.

Yoshiro himself owned his own residence, near the border that demarcated between the outer and inner city. Not quite wealthy enough to stay in the inner city but far from being considered one of the peasant, working class. He had his own shop as well, but that was staffed with trusted employees, so he didn't necessarily need to be there all the time.

Entry into the inner city was even more heavily regulated than entry into the city – outsiders had to have an invitation or be accompanied by the higher class to be able to enter. There wasn't anything like a proof of residence that had to be shown to the guards. Since there was only such a small number of people living in the inner city, the guards could identify those who belonged and those who didn't just from a glance.

There was a visual difference in the affluence of the people as we made our way further in to the city. On the outer limits, people wore simple but practical clothing, but the deeper in we went, the more luxurious their attire. The quality and prices of the products being displayed also steadily rose, as though meticulously designed by the city planner.

Shino and Hinata didn't look as awed as I, who was looking around like a country bumpkin ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the new environment.

Asuma saw my naïve look and chuckled, but put on a stern face afterwards, "Shinji, since this is your first time in the Capital, I need to warn you that any and all chakra usage is heavily frowned upon unless absolutely necessary. Which means, you're not allowed to run on roof tops, no walking on walls and absolutely no ninjutsu of any kind. The Peacekeeping Force have zero tolerance for shinobi trying to throw around their chakra."

"I understand, Asuma-sensei."

He lifted an eyebrow, "No I don't think you do. Don't think that just cause you're a shinobi and are trained to be stealthy that you won't be detected when you use chakra. You will get caught, no ifs, ands or buts."

I frowned, more out curiosity than any sort of vexation, "Seriously? What, do they hire Hyuuga as sentries or something?"

Hinata turned to me and answered earnestly, "I don't think so, but I can ask around if you want me to."

Ah no, that was a joke. Please don't take me too seriously, Hinata.

Before I responded however, Asuma cut in, "Nope. It's not Hyuuga. It's that guy over there," He pointed towards the castle, "You see him?"

I squinted my eyes, looking into the distance, "Who are you talking about, I don't see- wait, you mean that guy standing on the roof of the castle?"

Asuma looked impressed, "You can actually see him? You have good eyes."

You would be surprised how scarily accurate that statement is, sensei. My [Heightened Senses] and DEX both vastly improved my visual acuity. As such, I could barely see a vague human like dot far away in the distance, standing at the tip of the castle's roof.

"Who is that guy?" I asked.

The jounin smirked, "God's Eye Kurono. He's one of the few S-rank individuals under the Daimyo's direct command."

My jaw widened, "There are Kage-level shinobi in the Capital?"

"Not shinobi and not Kage-level," Asuma corrected, "at least not all of them are. You didn't think that Konoha was the only military force in this country did you? Hahaha, the world is a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons – there are full of talented or extraordinary people who prefer to remain hidden and undiscovered."

"S-rank denotes a level of strength above Elite Jounin. There is a fundamental difference between A-rank level fighters and S-ranks, and it is a difference not easily overcome no matter how much effort one puts in. And at the peak of power are Kage-level individuals, referencing their ability to function as a one-man deterrent that protects their village."

"After generations of accumulation, the Land of Fire has also become capable of training up their own troops that can use chakra. Though their techniques aren't as advanced as ours, the Land of Fire can still produce S-rank fighters just with how many talented people they can recruit and attract with their immense wealth. Kage-level individuals, however, are rare and far between, limited to just a handful in the entire world."

"That guy, for example, is an S-rank retainer the Daimyo raised since he was young to be the strongest and most loyal protector of the imperial dynasty - God's Eye Kurono." Asuma sighed in admiration.

"Why do they call him God's Eye, sensei?" Shino asked.

Yoshiro was the one who explained this time with a smug grin, "Heh, they say that his eyes can see as far as the horizon, and everything within the city is his to survey. No one can escape those eyes of his, just like they can't escape his arrows."

Asuma shook his head, "That's just a shallow, civilian understanding of the man's true capabilities. He is someone even I cannot accurately fathom, and I have personally sparred with him once before. It is true that his eyes see everything within the Capital, though it is not anything like the Hyuuga's Byakuugan. He just has an abnormally far range of sight and inhuman dynamic vision. Rather than a Bloodline ability, it's just something he was born with. What's terrifying, however, is his chakra sensory abilities."

"A skilled sensor can sense chakra within a radius of several dozen kilometres, however that is just their maximum effective range. Accurately detecting, differentiating and identifying chakra signatures more than few kilometres away is questionable even for the best sensors. However, Kurono can precisely identify every single chakra signature within the Capital, a city with more than half a million people living within. And not just shinobi, but even regular civilians with next to no chakra to speak of. That's what makes him so scary and a being unique in this world."

"Even in a close combat fight, Kurono can sense the tiniest fluctuation in his opponent's chakra and so he can predict what the enemy will do even before they have decided on their next action. His ability is like the combination of the Hyuuga clan's Byakuugan and the Uchiha's Sharingan put together, but on a deeper level of comprehension no one but he can grasp."

"Furthermore, his skills with a bow and arrow are also monstrous to the point where his other nickname is 'Sun Spear' – he is the Spear of the Sun that can hit anyone anywhere within the Land of Fire as long as they were under the skies of the nation. Criminals all over the world avoid the Land of Fire's Capital city out of sheer fear and respect for Kurono's arrows. He is the true reason crime in the Capital is almost non-existent, because before anyone can escape they would be shot down by God's Eye Kurono."

"If he wasn't forced to remain in the Capital city to protect the Daimyo, no enemy of the state would rest easy knowing that they could be killed with a single arrow from a dozen kilometres away while they were sleeping."

At that moment, I heard a sharp whistle in the air before Asuma's suddenly arm blurred forward. In his hand was an arrow.

"That bastard is still the same as always, talking with an arrow instead of his mouth." The jounin chuckled before unravelling a slip of paper that was wrapped around the shaft of the arrow.

My mind unconsciously made some mental calculations. Taking into account the distance from the roof of the castle to where we were, add to that the weight imbalance that slip of paper was sure to have added onto the arrow, the archer still managed to accurately it with just enough speed and power he knew Asuma would be able to catch it without issue. The names God's Eye and Sun Spear was truly fitting.

Asuma glanced through the message he received before smirking to himself and putting a thumbs up in to the air.

"What did the message say, sensei?" Hinata asked curiously.

The Sarutobi smiled to himself and showed us the slip of paper, on it were two words: 'Welcome back'.

"Putting aside the strange way of communicating, this Kurono-san is unexpectedly friendly for someone who watches over the city like a hawk." I commented.

Asuma raised an eyebrow, "He can hear you, y'know?"

I blanched, "Eh seriously!?"

"I was joking… but he can read lips though." He laughed teasingly and continued, "Well not all of the people under the Daimyo's direct command are as friendly as Kurono. Most of them won't be as welcoming since they, for one reason or another, dislike Konoha shinobi. You guys should watch out, some of them might approach you and start some trouble looking for a reason to prove themselves stronger or something."

Hinata and Shino acknowledged Asuma's advice with a 'hai sensei', but I was deep in thought about the Daimyo's forces, wondering how strong they were compared to Konoha shinobi – especially how strong they were when compared to me.

"But if the Daimyo has such capable subordinates under his command, why would he need the Twelve Guardian Shinobi?" I asked, curious.

Asuma smiled bitterly, "The Twelve are more of a symbolic force than a true bodyguard retinue. We are recruited from all over the Land of Fire, not just Konoha, as a symbol of the Daimyo's lordship over these lands. The amount of times I had to fight an actual enemy throughout the years I was one of the Twelve can be counted on two hands. Most real threats are dealt with by his S-rank retinue before we can even do anything."

"That's not to say that we are completely useless," He continued, sounding slightly defensive, "It's not like the Daimyo tasks his S-rank level warriors to do everything. Sometimes their sheer strength is not needed. And besides, there's a reason there are twelve of us. Theoretically, when the twelve of us combine forces, we are able to defeat a single Kage-level enemy combatant. Thankfully though, I've never had the occasion to test out that theory in a real life or death battle."

"Heh…" I muttered in understanding.