Grit 2.2

[Hidden Leaf Outpost #132, Wind-River Border]

[June 3, 2bnb]

Sans the shinobi patrolling the perimeter, the camp was devoid of any life when I woke up at 5 in the morning. My teammates and Sensei were still asleep in the barracks, so I decided to continue my morning routine of stretching and physical practice.

Draw, slash, parry and stab. As my training carried on, I began to think about my future. I know that I want to be the God of Shinobi. I had initially wanted to take the Hiruzen route, but now I was starting to reconsider. I needed to have the strength to stand against demons like Orochimaru, Danzo, Obito, Nagato, and the rest of the Akatsuki.

'What are the paths I can take to power,' I asked myself. Those who stood at the top of this world had something to set them apart. Wood-Style, Sage Mode, the 8 Inner Gates, Flying Thunder God, Creation Rebirth, Lightning Armor, powerful Dojutsu, and Particle Release. Sure, there were more, like tailed beasts and kekkei genkai, but for the most part, those who possessed at least one of these special abilities were also those who rose above the rest.

I would try to build up the requisite learn the 8 Inner Gates technique, Kakashi was known to open at least a few so I might be able to do the same. That would be my ace, reserved for when all hope was lost. Additionally, as someone who possesses an affinity for Lightning-Style, I might be able to reverse-engineer the Lightning Armor Jutsu over time.

Medical ninjutsu and the Sealing Arts are what would open the door for the Creation Rebirth and Flying Thunder God to me. Though, I would not bet on myself ever learning those techniques. I would have an easier time finding myself a summon clan and requesting to learn Sage mode when I was older and possessed a lot more chakra.

Of course, everything I'm thinking of now would be years in the future, at least a decade at minimum. If those goals were easy to attain, then everyone would do so. For now, I will just focus on refining the skills I currently possess, increasing my strength, adding lightning to my blade, and mastering the elemental Rasengan.

Once I have mastered the lightning change in chakra nature a Lightning-Style Rasengan, I could try my luck at the Lightning-Armor. Mu, the Second Tsuchikage also possessed a Water-Style technique that allowed him to completely mask his presence within any environment.

I already knew how it worked, utilizing water vapor to manipulate light around the user. It would require a great deal of chakra control and an expert application of Water-Style, but if I was able to master this and become the second non-person, I would be one step closer to my goal.

So, my current strength goals in order are: first, master the lightning change in chakra nature, second, create and master a lightning style Rasengan, 'I could recreate the Chidori and its variants as a precursor to this,' third, create and master Mu's undetectable jutsu, and fourth, build up the strength to open the first gate.

I then resume my training, now having a greater sense of direction than before. My strength training continued as normal before I moved on to testing Lightning-Style: Chakra Flow on my basic wakizashi. The results aren't what I expected.

Despite never trying this before, my blade comes alight with a few, albeit weak, sparks of blue lightning. It is not yet combat-ready, but it can only get better from here. My mastery of the C-Ranked Electromagnetic Murder technique must have helped a ton.

I then proceed to test a slash against the wooden post and notice that my blade leaves a deeper groove as well as the faintest burn marks around the edge of the groove. 'I can work with this,' I thought before I was interrupted from my training session.

"You've got some serious skill there, boy," the newcomer says. I immediately turned around to see who it was Commander Yuhi, I hadn't even detected his presence. "Good morning, Commander Yuhi," I say in response.

"At ease, young Ichiro. It's nice to see one so young taking their development so seriously. It's barely past 6 in the morning but here you are practicing a technique well beyond your years."

"Thank you, sir. I try my best," I respond, looking at the katana strapped to his back. "I hate to ask, but would you mind giving me some tips, I have only just started learning the art of Chakra-Flow."

"Surely, I could give you some tips then. Our blades are different, but my guidance should help you out. I will say though, with that quality of blade, it is impressive to see what you have managed. However, you seem to be wasting your chakra on the entire blade."

"How so," I ask.

"You see, a wakizashi has only one sharp edge, so you need only to channel your lightning around that edge, it will go a long way in reducing waste while simultaneously increasing potency. Think about it, you can now have the same amount of electricity contained within a smaller surface area, increasing its density."

I decide to give his method a shot and within a second, the edge of my blade comes alight with brighter sparks than before. I once again take a slash and this time, my blade carved through half of the wooden post.

Jonin Yuhi looks at me with a shocked expression before saying, "Such progress after a single tip. You truly are remarkable, Ichiro. Keep practicing until you can get the entire post in a single strike. Then you will have mastered the Chakra-Flow. If you can procure a blade of chakra metal, do so. It will double the potency of your technique while halving the chakra cost."

"Thank you, Commander Yuhi," I express, as the older man walks towards the command tent once more. I elect to spend the rest of the hour practicing the technique and by the end, can get a single slash three-quarters of the way through the wooden post.

I head back to the barracks to get somewhat cleaned up, only to find that my entire team is now awake. "Hey guys, I've been training," I say with a smile. They each turn to me before Sensei says, "I admire your dedication Ichiro but make sure to not overdo it, we have a long way back to Konoha and I aim to leave within an hour."

"Understood."

I then take a seat with my team, eating a ration bar while sipping from my canteen. We enjoyed the comfort of a team for a while, and at 8:30, we set off, heading northeast through the Land of Rivers.

[Mission Assignment Station, Konoha]

[June 6, 2bNb]

Three days pass without fanfare and we make it to the village safely. Not once did I pick up on enemy shinobi, but I can't shake what happened on the second day from my mind. It was just so weird, and we made sure to include it in our formal mission reports.

The Chunin manning the desk hands us each a mission receipt and finishes with a statement, "Here you go, take those slips to the cashier's office for payment." We collect our pay and once again reconvene outside the Mission Assignment Station.

Sensei speaks first, offering us a choice, "We can either take a week of downtime before we have to pick up another mission, or we can keep the momentum going and pick up another tomorrow. The choice is yours."

After the successful completion of our first mission, I decided to keep the momentum. "We'll take another, Sensei. Experience is important," I say, looking to my teammates for confirmation. They each give a nod.

"Great choice. You're all dismissed, meet me here tomorrow at 7."

With that, we take our leave. Kenji seems happy with the money, as he ought to be. His mother earned around 20,000 Ryo per month as a seamstress, and he just got paid 15,000 for a week of work. You see, different ranks came with different pay ranges. D-Ranks go up to 20,000 per team, C-Ranks up to 100,000, B-Ranks up to 300,000, and A-Ranks up to 800,000.

S-Rank missions typically pay above 800,000 Ryo per team. This pay scale is for mission shinobi only, as salaried positions within the different departments pay a fixed rate based on rank and experience. Either way, shinobi are well compensated and even the vast majority of Genin can live a humble life.

I didn't head home, deciding to instead head to Iruka's house to see him, Aunt Kohari, and Uncle Ikkaku. When I get there, both Anko and Yugao are present with Iruka, training in the backyard but his parents are nowhere to be seen.

"Guess who just got back from their first mission," I greeted.

Iruka is the first to respond, "Ichiro, I haven't seen you since you graduated, how are you?"

"I've been good, I had a courier mission to the Land of Rivers. You should have seen it Iruka, the place was majestic. Where are your parents though, I don't see them around."

"Mission," my cousin replies.

Anko then chimes in, "Well, I'll see it soon enough. I'm planning to graduate like you in November. I wonder who my Sensei will be."

I smile on the outside but inside I begin to think. 'What if I butterflied away the possibility of Orochimaru being Anko's Sensei?' That would be ideal, as it would be one less problem to worry about. Anko graduating at 10 seems to be consistent with the story but I wasn't sure.

"That'll be good, Anko. I guess we'll see," I respond.

I decided to enjoy their company for a bit, before heading home. My father might have returned from a mission and taken a new one, but who knows? My suspicions are confirmed when I return home to see a note on the kitchen counter.

I open the note and begin to read, instantly being filled with dread.

'My son, I have been called to serve our great nation on the western front under Lady Tsunade. Sunagakure recently lost one of their greatest fighters, Sasori of the Red Sands, to his defection, and a week later, their beloved Third Kazekage disappeared. The new Kazekage, a young man by the name of Rasa has since ramped up their aggressiveness and as such, reinforcements have been called in from the village.

My deployment will last 6 months but is subject to extension. I will serve our country as best as I can, and I can only ask you to look out for yourself and your teammates. I'll see you whenever I come back. I have great faith in you my little genius.

Love, Your Father,

Aoto Shishigami.'

My worry became amplified, why would he end it like a goodbye? I was confident my father would survive. He has to live. He has me, I can't lose another, not so soon. A million thoughts run through my mind as I continue stressing over my father's deployment.

Eventually, I elect to head outside, pouring my emotions into training. It's what I do best, after all. Come tomorrow, I will have a new mission and I need to be in a good place mentally.