Chapter 196: Youth Challenge

Watching the Iwa-nin lying motionless on the ground, Hiruzen swallowed hard. Enma's tail instinctively wrapped around his legs, protecting him, while Mandrill and the others remained silent.

Mandrill never imagined that the Iwa-nin Jonin, whom he believed Tatsuma couldn't defeat, would be effortlessly dealt with by Tatsuma. No, it just looked effortless.

Tatsuma's Enhanced Strength disrupted the ground, disturbing the Iwa-nin's balance, followed by agile evasion teetering on the edge of the limit, showcasing a high level of Taijutsu.

Then came the Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, thoroughly breaking the Iwa-nin's defense. Afterward, a knee strike broke through his defenses completely. Finally, using a No Seal Ninjutsu technique that even he couldn't understand, Tatsuma thoroughly defeated his opponent.

Don't even mention an already injured Jonin whose strength has been greatly reduced; even a healthy Jonin, if they were subjected to Tatsuma's combination of attacks, probably wouldn't be able to stand up, right?

Of course, if it were a healthy Jonin, they might not lose their balance, and therefore wouldn't fall victim to subsequent combos. After all, just losing an arm would have a significant impact on that Iwa-nin's strength, speed, stamina, and overall control of their body.

However, looking at Tatsuma's choice of fighting tactics, it can be said to be textbook-level countermeasures. With such abilities, even facing a healthy Jonin, Tatsuma could probably quickly devise another set of tactical choices.

Mandrill completely retracted any slight disdain he might have had towards Tatsuma. He understood why the Iwa-nin lost so quickly—it was because he had underestimated Tatsuma too much.

Seeing Tatsuma not forming hand seals, the Iwa-nin didn't excessively guard against Tatsuma's close-range attacks, and at the same time, he underestimated Tatsuma's strength and timing.

"Ding~ [Strength+5], [Stamina+5], [Ninjutsu+5]. Would you like to claim?"

"Pick up."

Tatsuma paid no attention to the changing gazes of those around him and quickly gave orders. When Mandrill saw Tatsuma issuing orders, he also quickly responded, and the group swiftly cleared away the traces around them.

After erasing the traces, Mandrill led his team to hide once again. Tatsuma then approached Hiruzen. Before he could speak, Enma spoke up:

"Whose disciple are you? Orochimaru's? Or Danzo's?"

Hiruzen shook his head and answered for Tatsuma, "He was under Jiraiya for a while before. Now, he's a disciple of Tsunade. His Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and Sealing Jutsu are all excellent."

"Really? A descendant of the Shikkotsu Forest? Doesn't seem like it."

Enma eyed Tatsuma, somewhat incredulous. Hiruzen, now back to his elder's smile, said to Tatsuma, "This is my partner, Monkey King Enma. Let him take a good look at you."

Tatsuma nodded at the words, then lifted his mask, revealing his face. Looking at Tatsuma's appearance, Enma instinctively asked, "Are you from the Senju Clan?"

Tatsuma was about to deny it when Hiruzen interjected, "Who knows?"

Seeing Hiruzen speak like that, Tatsuma pursed his lips and stopped explaining. Enma, looking at Tatsuma's familiar demeanor when he pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment before saying, "What a pity. You're already a descendant of the Shikkotsu Forest."

Although neither Hiruzen nor Tatsuma had mentioned it, the fact that neither of them refuted Enma's statement just now proved it. Enma glanced at Tatsuma with some reluctance before continuing, "Unfortunately, I have no direct descendants. Otherwise, even if it's the Shikkotsu Forest, I would make the trip. Well, Hiruzen, I'll head back now."

"Thank you for your hard work, Enma."

Seeing Enma's favorable view of Tatsuma and hearing his regrets, Hiruzen's smile brightened even more. The more people acknowledged Tatsuma, the more it proved that his judgment was correct, didn't it? After all, Hiruzen had valued Tatsuma since he first entered the academy five years ago. Now, Tatsuma had fulfilled his potential, proving that Hiruzen's attention to him had not been misplaced.

Soon, Enma turned into a cloud of smoke and disappeared. Seeing this, Tatsuma also put on his mask and asked, "Hokage-sama, shall we depart immediately?"

"Yes, we've lost some time, and it's time to catch up. Are you okay?"

Hiruzen nodded, and Tatsuma shook his head. Then, he stood up again and resumed the journey. The rest of the journey remained calm.

Before the reorganization of Konoha ninja squads, there might have been some unrest within the Land of Fire. However, with the end of the war in the Land of Rain, as the major conflicts came to an end, there was no longer a need to deploy a large number of ninjas for war. This naturally allowed for the allocation of time and manpower to quell internal disturbances.

Perhaps those two squads of Iwa ninjas had managed to evade some of Konoha's reconnaissance teams, or even ambushed some of Konoha's ninja squads. However, continuing to stay in Konoha would eventually lead to their discovery.

...

As they traveled into the late night, the group was already close to the Daimyo's mansion. Tatsuma decided to stop, and Hiruzen didn't object, allowing Tatsuma to make the arrangements.

Near the Daimyo's mansion, there were also many small villages and towns around, so there was no need to spend the night outdoors. Tatsuma booked a room in a hot spring inn, but the expenses here were quite high. Tatsuma spent five thousand ryo all at once. With the money he borrowed from Orochimaru, Tatsuma was left with just over three thousand ryo. However, these expenses were reimbursable, so Tatsuma wasn't particularly worried.

But in the private hot spring of the inn, Hiruzen couldn't help but express his dissatisfaction first. Soaking in the hot spring water, Hiruzen said discontentedly, "Artificial hot springs, inadequate heat, and yet they are so expensive."

With that, he lifted his hand from the water to his mouth, lightly licked it, and then said disdainfully, "Insipid, no flavor at all. They must have just boiled river water directly. Hmph! When we return to the village, I'll take you to experience what a good hot spring is like! Speaking of which, has Jiraiya ever taken you guys to one? He's got my notes on evaluations of various hot springs."

Tatsuma shook his head and said, "Jiraiya sensei mentioned it, but I didn't go. I was afraid of getting hit."

"Hahaha~" Hiruzen laughed heartily and said, "He's still too immature. If it were... well, never mind."

Tatsuma didn't agree, as such topics required him to play dumb regardless of his status or age, even if he understood. 

Now deep into autumn, the weather was still a bit cold. After soaking in the inadequately heated artificial hot spring for twenty minutes, the two got up and left, considering it just a bath.

Tatsuma had originally planned to buy some specialty items after arriving at the Daimyo's mansion, but this expensive spending level dashed his hopes. He couldn't afford it. Tatsuma didn't know how Mandrill and the others spent their night, but he felt a bit down. After all, he couldn't even sleep for a minute in the room he paid five thousand ryo for!

Fortunately, there were only three hours left until dawn, and Hiruzen only slept for three hours before getting up. Neither of them had the hotel's complimentary breakfast; they just set off directly.

As the sky brightened completely, Hiruzen and Tatsuma entered the Daimyo's mansion.

It was Tatsuma's first time at the Daimyo's mansion, and he observed with great curiosity along the way. The prosperity here was different from that of Konoha, and the business model seemed quite different too. In Konoha, the main commercial focus was on physical stores, with a dense concentration of industries related to clothing, food, shelter, transportation, and various ninja-related sectors. Most villagers worked in these stores.

However, at the Daimyo's mansion, buildings belonging to various companies could be seen everywhere. Many people, like the salarymen in Tatsuma's previous life, worked in these companies. There were also vendors and shops, but not spread out as extensively as in Konoha; instead, they were concentrated on a few streets.

Moving towards the heart of the Daimyo's mansion, the surroundings became quieter. Tatsuma had seen the map of the Daimyo's mansion before coming and knew that this area was the residential district of various Land of Fire officials, with the Daimyo's mansion, where the staff worked, at the center.

There were heavily armed guards in front of the mansion, and there were quite a few samurai and ninja patrolling. When Hiruzen arrived, the welcome ceremony was already prepared. Listening to the music and watching the performances, Hiruzen couldn't contain his smile.

The Daimyo's attitude made him very happy. Hiruzen looked at the several Land of Fire officials walking towards them and said to Tatsuma, "Yaksha, you can take a day off today. Even I cannot bring anyone or weapons into the Daimyo's mansion."

Tatsuma nodded, unloading the large scroll from his back, and said, "Hokage-sama, this scroll contains all the sealed documents."

"Alright, you can take this money. You can remove your disguise and enjoy yourself normally. Just make sure not to reveal your ANBU identity to anyone."

Seeing the money handed over by Hiruzen, Tatsuma did not refuse. When leaders give money to subordinates, it's usually for two reasons. If it's given before doing something or meeting someone, it means the leader doesn't want to be disturbed, like now. If it's given after helping the leader with something, it means the leader doesn't want the subordinate's work to turn into a favor. Either way, take the money.

At this moment, several officials from the Land of Fire approached with smiles on their faces. Tatsuma accepted the money, nodded, and left.

After leaving, Tatsuma changed clothes in a secluded place, then went to the commercial street outside the Daimyo's mansion to stroll around.

He wandered a lot but bought little. Snacks were the only thing Tatsuma spent money on. He also found many ninja tool shops, but the prices were outrageous. A single shuriken, even if sold at retail in Konoha, would cost only sixty or seventy ryo, but here they dared to sell it for three hundred ryo.

The prices for other items like kunai and ninjato were similarly high. Tatsuma didn't see things like explosive tags, and when he picked up a kunai, a clerk even warned him not to get cut.

Speechless, Tatsuma touched the blade and found it... unsharpened.

It was more accurate to say that these were ninja-related shops rather than just ninja tool shops. Despite that, the shops had a considerable flow of customers, and during Tatsuma's brief visit, more than a dozen young people had placed orders.

If he had more time and was familiar with the stall setup process, Tatsuma even thought about selling the ninja tools he carried. It would have been easy money.

Leaving the ninja tool shop, Tatsuma continued to stroll around and came across a commercial street filled with children's amusement projects. Just as he was about to leave in a hurry, he noticed a stall.

"Youth Ninja Great Challenge!"

Tatsuma approached and observed. He found a game involving Ninja Tool Throwing. There was a five-meter target, and participants had to use ninja tools to pop balloons. If they hit three balloons, they'd win a small prize, with prizes getting more valuable as they progressed.

If someone managed to hit a hundred balloons in a row, they could even win a golden kunai. However, each throw cost ten ryo, and players had to buy at least ten chances per round. In other words, the minimum expenditure was a hundred ryo, which was exorbitant.

Looking at the three normal-sized kunai hanging at the stall, made of pure gold, Tatsuma's face lit up with the smile of a farmer during harvest season. He took out his three thousand ryo and said:

"Boss! I want to play three rounds, with a hundred shuriken each round!"

---- 

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