Chapter 103: Time to Charge Extra!

On the first day of the new year, as soon as Shūichi opened his eyes, he received a big gift.

Focusing his attention on the Tag Tree, he saw that the [Big Eater] tag was now ready to be activated.

Clearly, after him, no one else had surpassed his record.

"Activate!"

With just a thought, the leaf on the Tag Tree was enveloped in a blue glow, and the tag's effects were activated.

Physique boosted by 100%, recovery ability boosted by 100%, digestion ability boosted by 100%.

A wave of tingling spread through his body, and his internal organs started to heat up.

It felt amazing!

Shūichi almost cried out in excitement.

This was the first time he had experienced such a pure boost in his physical abilities.

Whether it was recovery or digestion, these were essentially components of his overall physique.

As the enhancement finished, Shūichi immediately felt a significant increase in the chakra flowing into his Yin Seal.

"Based on previous calculations, the current amount of chakra I have... The director should have about 1.5 times more than me, but now, it seems like we're evenly matched."

Not even ten years old, and his chakra reserves were already on par with Yakushi Nono's peak at over twenty. That was no small feat.

And compared to someone like Kakashi at the same age...

"Previously, I estimated that I'd be at 12 units of chakra, but it should be even more than that now. The exact amount depends on Kakashi's latest improvements."

Shūichi smiled. "Plus, I can still continue to unlock more potential. With training, I can increase my strength even further."

This New Year's gift was pretty awesome!

He got up, washed up, and dragged Asuka out of her warm and comfy bed, pushing her into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, the two of them left for training, and as expected, they ran into the ever-energetic Might Guy.

Thus, their youthful and fiery spirit ignited a competitive training session.

Watching the two, who showed no signs of fatigue and were brimming with passion, Asuka wiped the sweat from her forehead and couldn't help but smile brightly.

Living days like this felt wonderful!

At 8 AM, Shūichi and Asuka returned home.

Back at the house, Yakushi Nono had already prepared a hearty breakfast.

Shūichi quickly wolfed down his meal but still felt like he could eat more.

Watching him, Yakushi Nono chuckled, "It looks like your appetite has grown quite a bit, Shūichi!"

Shūichi grinned, "Well, I'm a year older now!"

Asuka nodded in agreement, then added, "Shūichi seems to have gotten a bit taller too. He should be about 140 cm now. In two more years, he might catch up to you, Nono!"

Yakushi Nono wasn't very tall, standing at only 155 cm, unlike Asuka, who was a solid 164 cm.

"Boys are supposed to grow taller."

Yakushi Nono smiled softly. "Looks like I'll need to cook more from now on."

After a delightful breakfast, the three of them packed up the pre-purchased gifts into a sealing scroll and headed to the orphanage.

They stayed there for three days.

Those three days were probably the most relaxed Shūichi had been since arriving in this world. Aside from his basic training, he didn't focus on any other rigorous practices.

After the third day, Shūichi began visiting people for the New Year.

Technically, the village of Konoha didn't have this tradition, but it was a custom Shūichi had kept.

On January 6th, in the 43rd year of Konoha, Shūichi officially resumed his duties.

His first task was to escort the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, to the Daimyo's mansion.

It wasn't just Sarutobi's squad; the entire division under Sarutobi Shinnosuke's command was involved.

In addition, there were three other four-man squads joining the mission.

Even so, before leaving the village, Shūichi still sent out six shadow clones for training.

...

After the team left the village, Shūichi, Shinnosuke, and Chihiro followed behind Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two advisors, while the other three squads spread out within the dense forest flanking the road.

Unlike the missions that Shūichi and his team had previously undertaken, the Hokage's pace was not as rapid. Even though they were walking, their speed was comparable to that of a carriage.

That night, the group rested in Tanzaku Town, and at 9 a.m. the next morning, they resumed their journey.

"Captain! There's an ambush ahead!"

Shūichi, hidden beneath his mask, frowned slightly.

An ambush on the Hokage? Were they really bold enough to believe Hiruzen was just a feeble old man?

With two sharp whistles, the Anbu stationed on both sides of the road immediately surged forward at high speed.

Soon, the sound of explosions and rising smoke filled the air. The battle was intense.

"They're coming!" Shūichi whispered sharply.

Someone had managed to break through the Anbu's defense—clearly no ordinary foes.

Swish, swish, swish!

Shūichi and his two comrades swiftly appeared in front of Hiruzen and his advisors, just as five enemies emerged. Two approached from the sides, while three stood in the middle of the road, having already completed their hand seals. Immediately, a terrifying storm roared towards Shūichi and his team.

Shūichi stepped forward, clapping his hands together with a sharp "snap," then blew through his mask. The deafening roar of an even more destructive blaze echoed through the air. A ferocious firestorm erupted from his position, colliding with the enemy's windstorm, producing an even more intense explosion.

The enemy's storm quickly fell apart, torn apart by Shūichi's fiery tempest, engulfing the three attackers in flames.

Screams of agony echoed briefly before falling silent.

Witnessing this, Mitokado Homura exclaimed in astonishment, "Hiruzen, is that the child called Shūichi Hoshita?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's him."

Utatane Koharu added, "An impressive combination of Fire and Wind Release. At such a young age, this is truly remarkable."

At that moment, Chihiro completed her own jutsu.

"Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!"

The two enemies approaching from the sides were instantly robbed of their vision. Shūichi and Shinnosuke vanished from sight, followed by the sound of quick but lethal movements.

Moments later, their opponents' screams rang out and quickly died down.

Shūichi had eliminated his target, while Shinnosuke had captured his alive.

Chihiro used genjutsu to interrogate the prisoner, and before long, they had results.

"Hokage-sama, they're remnants of the Sky Ninja," Shinnosuke reported.

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura snorted. "These fools should've been completely wiped out long ago."

Utatane Koharu responded, "They've hidden themselves well. It's not that simple to eliminate them all in one sweep."

Shūichi silently agreed.

Last time, they had captured a leader of one of the Sky Ninja remnants, but had failed to extract any information about other bases from his mind. These remnants were incredibly cautious—none of them knew the exact locations of other hideouts.

Unless they could capture the central leader—the current head of the Sky Ninja—it would be nearly impossible to root them out completely.

But that leader was well hidden. Shūichi knew the Anbu had been searching for him for a long time last year without success.

He suspected the Sky Ninja leader was the man known as Shinnō(Sky Emperor), but had no idea where to find him.

Shūichi had also suggested to Shinnosuke that they check the ruins of the Sky Ninja's base, but the Anbu had come up empty-handed.

Despite this, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unperturbed by the Sky Ninja's attack. He simply nodded to Shinnosuke. "Understood. Let's continue."

With that, they resumed their journey, quickly returning to their original formation.

Not a single person from Konoha was injured, and the Sky Ninja remnants were completely wiped out.

This was merely a minor episode.

The rest of the journey passed without incident, and on the third day, the team arrived at the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire.

This time, Hiruzen and his advisors were here to attend the annual conference.

Technically, Konoha was under the Daimyo's rule.

The Daimyo provided the funds, and Konoha fought the wars.

Now it was time to determine how much funding the Land of Fire would allocate to Konoha for the coming year.

However, while observing the meeting from the sidelines, Shūichi quickly realized that this really was just a routine affair.

It seemed the amount of money had already been decided.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

Small meetings decided big matters, while big meetings decided small ones.

But just as Shūichi thought the meeting was about to end, the Daimyo suddenly made a request.

Sarutobi Asuma!

Shūichi's heart skipped a beat.

No way... could it be?

Had Sarutobi Asuma, who was going through a rebellious phase, really been persuaded by the Daimyo to switch sides?

Shūichi secretly glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, but could only catch a partial view of his face.

Hiruzen's response was calm, "Of course, Daimyo-sama, but this matter will still require Asuma's own consent."

The Daimyo smiled warmly. "That's only natural."

That smile, that tone—it was clear he was confident.

While he had failed to recruit Kakashi, the son of the famous White Fang, Sarutobi Asuma had been an even more delightful surprise.

It was all thanks to that boy, Shūichi Hoshita!

Ten million a year? Totally worth it!

This year, we need to charge more!

...

After the meeting concluded, Shūichi thought that this year, the Daimyo should definitely pay more.

To the Daimyo, a single Sarutobi Asuma was truly priceless.

Back at their resting quarters, Shūichi quickly removed his mask and eagerly asked, "Captain, about Asuma…"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke sighed with a wry smile and shook his head, "That kid is really worrying."

Shūichi felt a bit awkward—Asuma certainly had a different way of thinking.

Previously, he had discussed with Kakashi and Asuma the relationship between Konoha Village and the Land of Fire, and about the roles of the Hokage and the Daimyo… Clearly, Shūichi's persuasion skills weren't quite enough; Sarutobi Asuma had his own ideas.

But this was great!

Thank you, Asuma, for helping me earn more money!

Noticing Shūichi's awkwardness, Shinnosuke quickly reassured him, "Shūichi, this isn't your fault."

"Besides, letting Asuma gain some real-world experience might actually be a good thing."

Shūichi compared his previous impression of Asuma with the young man's current attitude and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

The next day, Shūichi and the others set off back to Konoha.

When he got home, Shūichi found that his reward had increased by an extra 20 million ryo.

He didn't even have to ask—the Daimyo had automatically raised the price.

In the Hokage's office:

Shūichi reported the increase in the Daimyo's payment as it was.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Continue as usual."

"Don't worry too much about it, Shūichi."

Shūichi nodded. "Understood!"

...

After Shūichi left, Hiruzen pondered whether he should send another person to the Daimyo's court.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Konoha was currently short on manpower, and the Daimyo's interest was in geniuses.

Besides, sending an ordinary young ninja might not make much of a difference.

With a sigh, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe and decided to just let things be.

...

After leaving the Hokage building, Shūichi headed towards Orochimaru's lab.

During the next two days of vacation, besides his basic training, he spent his days immersed in the lab, and at night, he continued practicing the Fire Release Chakra Mode in his home's courtyard.

Although he had already mastered it, he was still a bit short of using it in actual combat.

Back then, he had achieved it only by focusing intensely with the help of a sudden flash of insight.

Now, he was determined to perfect the ability step by step, until he could activate it with ease in any situation.

Shūichi held himself to the highest standards!

(End of Chapter)

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