"So let me get this straight," Iwao said slowly, as if talking to a child. Which I heavily resented, having decades of mental development over him even if I was physically younger. "You think they," he jerked his head towards the chattering civilians who formed a great big circle, arms across each others shoulders and swaying back and forth. "Are dangerous."

"I don't know, maybe?" I hissed, annoyed with the patronizing tone. "There's more to them than their appearance."

I was in a pickle. Iwao was right; these loonies had to be the least threatening people I had ever laid eyes on. I couldn't exactly tell him about Hidan and what he was capable of (I don't think the future Akatsuki member is even alive yet). I've found no record of anyone possessing such a desirable ability, and I've looked into every Akatsuki kinjutsu. To even relay my warning at all, I had to straight up lie about stories I'd heard, which anyone rational would chalk up to pure gossip. I sounded insane to even myself right now, which is why I really couldn't fault Iwao for his reaction.

"You have to admit, this mission is fishy as fuck," I said. "I was willing to accept that they were just morons who saw an opportunity to get uneducated people to convert to their religion, but then this? No, they're up to some fuck shit. Definitely."

What exactly, I had no idea, which only served to make me seem crazier. I was really kicking myself at the moment; when I heard the name Jashin, I admit I went a little off the rails. I wasn't scared of bugs, heights, monsters or anything, really. The only things I was scared of in my past life were tight spaces and cults. In this life, I'd trained away the former, but the latter I'd had no exposure to.

I shouldn't have said a damn thing to Iwao, yet. I should have bided my time, collected evidence if possible, anything to substantiate my claims. But no, I had to make myself come across as a lunatic. Now, he really wouldn't believe me, even if I found anything incriminating.

"Look," he said with a sigh. "Conveniently, we have someone with us who can tell if they pose any danger. I saw you talking with Endo-san. What did she say?"

My lips pursed, annoyed that he noticed that. I had gone to the gorgeous woman first, asking if any of the clients had developed chakra networks. She answered with a resounding no.

"They're not shinobi, or monks," I said, reluctantly. "But that doesn't completely reassure me."

"Why not?" Iwao asked, truly confused.

Because I don't think Hidan's pain transfer ritual is a chakra technique, I wanted to say. There were several things in canon that didn't seem to follow the rules of this universe, but every fucking thing Hidan did came in at the top of that list. Yes, he was capable of chakra manipulation, like surface walking. He was a Yugakure shinobi prior to the village's dissolution (I presumed that would happen after the third war), so he probably knew traditional ninjutsu, even if he wasn't shown to use it in the anime.

But the triangle/circle thingie wasn't a seal. There weren't even any kanji on it. And true immortality? The likes of which Orochimaru could only dream of? Yeah, no. Something else was going on there. I just hope Jashin, or any other god that actually gives a shit about humanity, isn't actually real. If hands-on, true deities existed in this universe, I think I might have a crisis. The Ōtsutsuki were already more than enough, and they could theoretically be killed.

"Look, Iwao," I attempted. "You're right. They aren't chakra users. But that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. There are powers in this world that don't stem from something Endo-sensei can sense."

A glint of something worked its way into Iwao's eye. It was almost humor. I didn't like it one bit.

"Imai. You don't mean to tell me you're superstitious, right?"

I felt a brief flit of rage for a moment at the accusation, but showing as much would only make it seem true.

But then I thought about it for a moment. What was superstition? Assuming the incredible to be credible? A belief in ghosts, demons, curses and the like? Well, in this world, all of those things actually existed. I wasn't a nut nob making up data to fit my own delusions. I saw Kakashi speak to the ghost of his father. I'd seen Kato Dan separate his spirit from his body to escape the Edo Tensei technique. Hell, that jutsu itself is proof of an afterlife here!

There are also literal demons in the Elemental Nations, and I'm not talking about the Biju. That shrine keeper chick who was down bad for Naruto was involved in the sealing of some demon. Pretty sure there were others in the story too, though I don't really remember what is or isn't canon.

All in all, it's not really up for debate that there are powers beyond chakra in this world. To anyone who had my level of foreknowledge, at least.

"While I object to the connotation, I suppose I am," I realized. "I kinda have to be. The more I learn about chakra, the more I learn that defies explanation. I'm not a crazy old granny who thinks that burning onions brings good luck because her distant ancestor did it and won a bet. But I know there are powers completely disconnected from the chakra we use. For example."

I took my protesting teammate by the arm and dragged him over to Biwa-sensei, who was waiting for the Jashinists to finish their spiritual circle-jerk with a look of supreme irritation on his face. He knew that the later they stayed up, the later we'd leave in the morning. Given his position, he should be smart and well-informed enough to back me up here.

"Yo, sensei," I greeted, glibly. "Did you know there's this energy all around us that isn't chakra? It's everywhere, in the trees, the ground, the air. What's up with that?"

His eyes snapped to mine, posture, mood, entire disposition changing in the blink of an eye. A feeling stabbed through my intestines, and I questioned why I felt like I was in danger.

"What?" he asked, tone entirely flat and unlike anything I'd ever heard from him before.

"Uhh, you know what?" I stammered, not knowing why I suddenly broke into a cold sweat. "It's not important."

He was squatting before, but now he stood up. Kamizuru Biwa wasn't a tall man, and I was growing. He only had a little over half a foot on me, these days. But that gap seemed much, much wider now.

"No," he said coldly, shooting Iwao a look that froze him in place. "What did you say?"

Completely by reflex, I took a step back, and it was like a spring snapped. Quicker than I could perceive, the Tsuchikage's son roughly grabbed me by the front of my vest—essentially by the neck—and hoisted me clear off the ground. At that moment, I realized I shouldn't reveal important secrets about the universe so casually. And that I really shouldn't have let my yearning for a Kakashi figure eclipse reality.

This wasn't Konoha. Iwagakure Jonin weren't to be trifled with. Biwa-sensei wasn't soft; he entertained my antics because he judged them too troublesome to curb.

But he had a limit.

"Sensei, what the fuck—" I choked out, for the first time very afraid of Tsuchibokori no Biwa. He cut me off with a snarl.

"Don't you fucking dare!"

I was so stunned, I had no response. My feet dangled limply in the air.

"You hear?" he hissed, softly but full of danger. "Don't you even think about sage chakra. Don't even mention it to anyone else. Humans aren't meant to toy with such power. Do.

You. Understand?"

There was more emotion in his eyes than I'd ever seen. His mask was broken, and I could see. He was afraid.

"I…wasn't," I insisted, feeling lightheaded. Was that intent? Not killing—something else. "I wouldn't…I'm not suicidal. Just wanted…"

I trailed off, not wanting to say I was just proving a point. I never expected this kind of reaction.

Sense seemed to return to Biwa-sensei, and he dropped me. I barely landed on my feet.

"There are things that are risky, there are things that are truly dangerous, and then there's sage chakra," he grumbled, almost guiltily. "If you disturb it, you will die, and so will everyone around you."

What? Everyone around me? That's not what happened with Naruto.

…but I suppose, when he learned Sage Mode, the only people around him were ancient masters of the art.

"Its existence is an S-rank secret," he warned. "To avoid another Bakuhatsu situation, but on a much greater scale. We can't afford such idiocy on the eve of war."

He was referencing the Kinjutsu so many of the Bakuhatsu clan members tried to integrate into their bodies. They thought they were hot shit, thought they could take it and come out stronger. Instead, an entire generation of Explosion Release users lost the ability to not only use their bloodline, but all ninjutsu in general.

I got the strong sense that he was projecting, but I was too terrified to say a damn thing about it. He'd had some experience with senjutsu before, and it had scarred him terribly.

"Hai, sensei. Gomenasai."

That's all I could get out before scampering away, Iwao hot on my heels. His face was as pale as mine no doubt was.

"What the fuck was that?" he hissed once we were far out of earshot.

"I…I don't know," I said, experiencing the greatest sense of emotional whiplash I'd perhaps ever felt. "I didn't…I've never…I didn't know it was such a big deal!"

"Yeah, well I guess it is. And you just dumped an S-rank secret on me. Now we'll have to go through all the shit that comes with that when we get back home."

I wasn't sure what he was referring to. Were there intensive protocols around secrets like that? I supposed Iwao would be the one to know.

"Sorry," I whispered, too shaken to bluster. He sighed, seeming to feel a little bad for me.

"Don't say another damn thing to me about whatever you were talking about. But you made your point. There are things—powers—that I don't understand. Stuff that's scary enough to make Biwa-sensei…" He cleared his throat, not wanting to finish that thought. "Well, I highly doubt our clients have anything to do with them, but if you feel that strongly about it, I'll keep an eye out. In the meantime, our plan is still on."

He was probably just saying it to make me feel better, but I'd take it.

"Tell sensei I'll take the first watch?" I pleaded, and he sighed.

"Fine."

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

From that moment on, the Jashinists became the second scariest thing in our traveling party. Daigo noticed the odd tension between me and Biwa-sensei (though he never outright asked about it), and I was sure Endo-sensei did as well, though she was less conspicuous with her curiosity.

I did experience some distraction in the form of lessons with the tag-along jonin over the next several days. My canals had always been my security blanket, so the opportunity to sink into and manipulate them with a goal in mind was welcome. It didn't take long for me to reteach them to flow "normally," but it felt weird. Like using a fork to eat sushi. I didn't like it.

The issue was that any attempts to mold chakra in that state were prone to…well, not failure, exactly, but close. I was entirely used to having firm control over my chakra, so this was like trying to load bullets into a clip riding on a helicopter in turbulence. All the shaking, while intentional, made a lot of things more difficult, but none more so than chakra enhancement.

Chakra enhancement required precision. Perfect chakra enhancement required surgical precision, because that involved coaxing chakra evenly up into thousands of tributaries each an eighth of a hair's width in diameter at the same time. Doing that while everything was shaky? Yeah, I'd need some time to get to that stage.

It would be hard for me to run at my max speed (and by extension use the Keijūgan on myself) while disguising my network from sensors. Which was something that sounded like I'd only have to do in incredibly niche circumstances, but I bet I'd find myself in said circumstances more often than most.

There was nothing to it but practice. Hopefully, I'll get it to an acceptable level in time.

"Fooling a sensor is difficult," Endo-sensei explained. "How well they can perceive you depends on both their sensitivity index and their range. Both are important metrics, and those with high ratings in one have far different uses than those with high ratings in the other."

Daigo, who I convinced Endo-sensei to let join me since he had the innate ability like she did, nodded. We both knew this of course; sensors rated high in range were useful in patrols and as trackers, while people with higher sensitivities were more useful for combat. Both Daigo and Endo-sensei fell into the latter category.

"Sensitivity is the greatest determinant of whether or not you can pass their attention."

In other words, make them think someone else was you.

"If they have a low sensitivity, they cannot distinguish gaps between high concentrations of chakra, if said nodes are close enough. To someone like that, a person might register to their senses as a single, fuzzy blob of chakra, meaning they could even be fooled into thinking a clone was a true human, provided their line of sight was obscured at the time of its creation. However, those with higher sensitivities can sense the intricacies of a person's chakra network, and even guess the nature—elemental or behavior wise—of ninjutsu they are about to cast. Most sensors you encounter will fall somewhere in the middle of this range, even despite any attempts to hone their skills."

Sensing ability can be improved, but only to a point. Some people just weren't genetically capable of much.

"The key to surviving an encounter with a sensor is being able to identify where they lie on the spectrum, and use that knowledge to inform your actions," Endo-sensei implored.

I frowned at that assertion. That didn't make sense to me.

"Wouldn't that open you up to mistakes? The sensors could lead you into thinking they were less sensitive than they actually are, and that assumption could prove fatal, I should think. Wouldn't it be best to always behave under the expectation that your opponent is on the high end?"

"In some circumstances, yes," she agreed. "But if you overestimate the enemy's sensitivity, that can lead you to miss certain opportunities, or to fight in a more conservative manner that might exhaust you more quickly. What you need to understand is that a high sensitivity rating isn't exclusively a strength. It also opens up the user to certain vulnerabilities."

Oh? I liked vulnerabilities (on other people, at least). I don't know where Minato lay on the sensitivity spectrum, but my gut told me his was uncommonly high. What led me to believe that? Well, he was Namikaze fucking Minato.

"One's attention span is finite," Endo-sensei explained. "Even a veteran ninja can only focus on so many things at once. Additionally, all shinobi, but especially sensors, grow to rely heavily on their chakra sense, as it is harder to fool than others. Hear these two statements and tell me: how would you deal with a high index sensor?"

It wasn't particularly difficult to figure out.

"Overwhelm them with attacks," Daigo replied, a frown on his face. "Slip in a couple that aren't chakra reliant."

"That is the most common strategy," Endo-sensei affirmed. "In the last war, we lost fifty-two sensor's with an index rating of five and above."

A little morbid that she in particular knew that number by heart, and could rattle it off so matter-of-factly.

"Thirty-four were killed with bukijutsu. Three from traps, and the final fifteen in extended combat. In those instances, it was noted that either jutsu had altered the terrain dramatically, or comrades had gotten in the way."

I remembered a line from a movie.

"The slow knife cuts the deepest."

I could envision it. An earth jutsu at the beginning of the fight cracks the ground. An opponent is forced on the defensive. There are too many moving parts, too many bright lights catching their metaphorical eye. Blinding them to the crack they are forced towards. A foot slips in, and they fall. I ensure they never get back up.

Though I don't have the means to enact that vision exactly as I saw it. Not alone. Iwao is the terrain modifier of Team Tsuchibokori; my ninjutsu is aimed towards dealing a lot of damage quickly.

However, that didn't mean I was entirely without options. A potential strategy was forming.

"Endo-sensei," I began. "Can sensors sense their own chakra?"

The butch bombshell had a curious look in her eye.

"Some are born with that ability," she said in a detached tone. "They either die extremely young or are euthanized. I can only imagine how miserable an experience that must be."

Oof.

"So, no," I clarified.

"We can extrapolate, if we come across something that we do not visually recognize but is drenched in our chakra," she explained. "But no. For our own sake of mind, our chakra does not stand out to us."

"So, theoretically, I can trick you into activating Class One seals," I prodded.

She stared at me for a long moment.

"You're sharp," she acknowledged, and I allowed a toothy grin. "That was the case with those three I mentioned that fell to traps. However, they only make up a small percentage for a reason. Getting us to fall for such a trick is easier said than done, I assure you."

Purposefully, I molded several hand seals, and the red bandages around my arms uncoiled, running themselves under my vest and between the slits of my others. They emerged with different slips of paper chakra-stuck across their lengths. Each one bore a seal.

Ninpo: Seikatsu no Harigane no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Living Wire Technique). Yeah, picking this one up was the right choice.

"I have some ideas," I said, mildly.

She hummed. "Those bandages can only travel so far, especially unnoticed. How many of those tags can be used up close without killing you?"

"Eh, probably none," I admitted. "So I guess I better work on some new ones."

Seals that didn't go kaboom. I hadn't invented a single Class One seal since I…retired from the Explosion Corps. Didn't think I'd bother with simple stuff like that again. But I hadn't considered this usage of a neutralization matrix.

"I'll be curious to see what you come up with," she said. "In the meantime, there are other tactics to consider. First, there is the art of chakra bluffing. Giving the appearance of using one technique to either disguise another, or to act as a smokescreen for an entirely different action. Doing so convincingly takes a lot of practice, so it would be a good use of your time with me to drill…"

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

Gradually, days before we properly reached the border of Sōgen no Kuni, the landscape began to change. The Land of Swamps, which we had trekked through for days, was basically rural Florida. Muggy, filled with reptiles and bugs. And yes, fields of muck that stretched far into the distance.

There were roads, thank kami. Merchants had to get through somehow. But since no one sane actually wanted to venture into Sōgen, they fell into disrepair the closer we got to our destination. Erosion and storms compromised the roads, which were little more than mounds of dirt dumped into the swamps and pounded flat to begin with, and if not for Biwa-sensei and I, our clients probably would have lost a wagon or two to the muck.

Speaking of the Jashinists, I was nearly at my wits end. They were seriously creeping me out. It would be natural, under these conditions, to become aggravated, or at least emotionally muted. But no—they were just as happy and extroverted as ever. It was exhausting; especially since I was still trying to endear myself to them. Though that was more because I was investigating them for homicidal tendencies rather than because I wanted to save them anymore.

They were good actors; I'd give them that. I didn't catch a single one of them slipping. I'd be impressed, if the whole situation didn't put me so on edge.

I had no choice but to join them in their practices. Observing as an outsider was getting me nowhere, and as I thought, they were ecstatic to entertain my supposed interest. Most of what they did aligned with the religions I'd been exposed to on earth, but there were some, vaguely sinister differences.

"Much of the world reveres the Kami," Rika, a young woman who I found to be an especially easy mark, explained to me. "Who each preside over their own domains. However, the founder of our church, Kajiya Yosephu, asked a question. Why honor something that simply is? Water is water, the sun is the sun. We can be grateful that such things exist, but they weren't created for us. As the years passed, Kajiya-dono watched the world change around him, uncaring of the struggles his people faced. No matter how often they prayed, rain would not come when it was needed in the summer. Yet storms would flood the rivers in the spring, devastating his village without remorse."

The earnestness in her voice and the rhythm in which she spoke the words was unsettling. She had either told this story many times, or had heard it so many times that she'd memorized the words.

"Yet, he realized his home was not without miracles. Each year in the springtime, the Land of Rivers experiences a certain phenomena. A large school of fish swims from the ocean up our rivers, fighting against the tide itself to lay their eggs upstream. As they still do today, Kajiya-dono and his people rejoiced in the season and fished to their hearts' content. However, they were not the only ones to do so. All manner of creatures—bears, large cats, fishing birds alike—filled the banks and the skies above, catching the creatures as they leapt out of the water. In turn, they were sometimes hunted as well, by one another or by humans. What resulted was a fierce competition of life and death."

"The circle of life," I offered with false cheer, and she smiled blindingly.

"Yes, yes! Exactly! Kajiya-dono was enraptured by the sight. Life feeding—nurturing—life."

Then, she shook her head. "He noticed something that troubled him, however. Everything around him took and gave. Every plant and creature consumed one another and, once they died, they fed those that remained in turn. All except for his fellow villagers. Humans. In his culture, those that died were burned or buried, never to return what they'd taken. It was unjust. Kajiya-dono's wife had died from illness, and she had been burned. Tragedy once more struck our prophet, many years later. His son, only ten, fell from a height and broke his neck, and Kajiya-dono felt great loss. So when his fellows sought to release his son's spirit to the Kami through cremation, Kajiya-dono refused. He loved his child far too much to gift his soul to forces that did nothing to earn him. Instead, he took his son's body deep into the woods and left him there."

Wow. Never thought I'd hear the idea of dumping your kid's corpse in the woods for scavengers to feast on be romanticized.

"As he returned, broken and questioning, he was blinded by a pillar of light. It burned his eyes, and through the pain he saw visions of life and death. Of love and hate. Through it all, he finally felt purpose, and returned to share his teachings with his neighbors. Some weren't easy to convince, but through his conviction he was bestowed leadership. The old ways were abolished, humans' status as contributors to nature restored. And once he had done that, a messenger appeared before Kajiya-dono."

I feel like I've heard this one before.

"Jashin?" I guessed, and she smiled dreamily.

"A servant. One who gifted Kajiya-dono with the name Jashin, as a reward for his faith. He instructed Kajiya-dono to spread His word across the land, and Kajiya-dono was quick to do so, transcribing texts fed directly into his consciousness. The rest is, as they say, history."

It took a lot for me to emulate a fraction of the wonder I saw on her face.

"If Jashin is about protecting the circle of life, then why are you intervening in Sōgen?" I asked. "Wouldn't it be more in line with your religion for you to let their troubles play out?"

"Oh no, not at all!" She objected, as if that statement was altogether insane. "To love Jashin isn't to love misery. It is to celebrate life! Anyone unable to enjoy Jashin's wonders is worthy of our compassion. And the predicament of the Sōgens is especially disheartening to us. To live your life hungry, chasing rainclouds for blades of grass to feed to livestock—it sounds horrific for not only humans, but the wildlife as well."

Either she was lying utterly (and I highly doubt that level of emotion could be faked by a civilian), or Hidan really needed to be reeducated on the principles of his faith. Not loving misery? Celebrating life? Where did murdering and inflicting extreme amounts of pain fit into all that?

"Although I find many cities on the other end of the spectrum just as horrifying," she added. "Living in excess, drowning in distraction, utterly ignoring your purpose as a living creature, motivated only to stave off death. So many people fear the end of life—I used to be one of them. But through Jashin, I learned how foolish that is. To become one with the world, to give back all that I've been so fortunate to receive…I couldn't think of a higher honor. How beautiful death is!"

…never mind, I could totally see it.

She turned her gaze to me, and it scared me a little that I couldn't see the crazy in them. Passion was all that shone through.

"It must be so interesting to be a shinobi. I can't say I approve of meddling in the natural order by killing without need, but to live a life so entwined with death…it must make you really enjoy being alive, ne?"

A shiver crawled down the back of my neck.

"I never kill without need," I said, trying to reign in the harshness of my voice.

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend," she said hastily, waving her hands. "I just…our definition of need is different. When I say that, I'm referring to ending a life without consuming it. In the wild, animals rarely kill if they aren't hungry. Overhunting means there isn't much left for those who need it, right?"

I raised an eyebrow. "So you'd be fine with someone killing another human if they were hungry and ate them?"

She looked nervous at the question. Cannibalism was a universal taboo, and no one wanted to be associated with it.

"I wouldn't have a moral issue with it if they were desperately hungry, and there was no other option," she stammered. "But even if I were in that situation, I think I would just allow myself to die. Or sacrifice myself for the other."

And I put her on edge. That was counterproductive. Let's end this tangent.

"Our world is harsh," I murmured. "It won't let you get away with having morals sometimes."

"Of course, and I respect you and your fellows greatly for your commitment, and your willingness to sacrifice," she said, eyes flitting to the side. "I hear stories about shinobi willingly going on suicide missions. Given my beliefs, I shouldn't be scared of death, but I don't know that I'd have to resolve to do that. To put it all on the line for something bigger than myself."

"When you think about the reason, about what you have to protect, it gets easier," I told her. After a moment of hesitation, I added, "and I guess I get what you said earlier, too. After being around death for so long," and especially after actually dying once, "life does seem brighter."

That brought her smile back. "And that's the way of Jashin. If you honor that, all your worldly troubles will fall away. Trust me, Kasaiki-chan."

In retrospect, this conversation happened at an incredibly ironic time. Because, right as I opened my mouth, I felt an entirely unsubtle thread of chakra attach itself to my auditory cortex. Genjutsu. However, before I could shove it away, I heard Daigo's voice.

Endo-san senses enemies. Lower level. They want us to handle it.

Yes, Hirose senior had taught Daigo how to communicate stealthily using genjutsu. We couldn't hold a conversation; it was one way, and he could only pass messages to his targets. Still, it was incredibly useful.

They want us to handle it. That was probably a misstatement, since it would be more efficient for Biwa to sneakily erase their existence without even alerting our clients to the issue. They're letting us handle it, would be more apt, and that in itself was strange. Though we made it abundantly clear that we were looking to collect bounties, Biwa-sensei heavily disapproved of his father's new edict regarding Merits. It was more in line with his character to make sure we didn't end up with any heads to show for this mission at all on principle. If he was not only allowing but encouraging us to do this, I could only think of one possible explanation.

Wow. He really felt bad about blowing up at me the other day.

"Kasaiki-chan?" Rika asked, concern on her face. It must have looked like I was spacing out.

"Gomen," I said, swallowing. "It looks like it's time for me to go to work."

"Work?" she parroted, confused before the meaning hit her.

"Calm down. It will be fine," I promised, grinning in anticipation. "I might have to meddle in the natural order for a sec. Please don't be mad at me."

I pouted like the cute child she saw me as, not really listening to the reply she stammered.

I never kill without need, I'd said before almost immediately going off to kill someone. I could rationalize it in my head all I wanted—enlisted ninja are required to kill all missing-nin they come across if they are physically able. My superior officer is here, so I don't have a choice. Plus, they're doubtlessly going to attack us first. If they weren't, they'd get the hell out of our way. Besides, who knows how many innocent civilians they'd murdered on these roads?

Excuses. All that rang hollow, because the moment I'd heard there were enemies, I felt a thrill of excitement. Fight = heads = rewards. Kami, I'd fallen to the gamer's curse, and I didn't even have a system!

However, none of that changed what I had to do, so I shook the thoughts away, leaping onto the nearest wagon. Both Biwa-sensei and Endo-sensei had Henged into genin, and had dipped to the back of the line. Wow, we were given total independence, then. Scanning our surroundings, I saw there was too much swamp on all sides. Too much could go wrong if we walked our clients into a trap.

Best call it, then. I looked at Iwao, and nodded.

"Stop!" he called loudly, drawing the procession to a halt. Our clients looked up, confused as they pulled the reins of the oxen. "You, in the water. You're terrible at hiding. Get out here."

There was a brief pause, but when it became clear we were confident in our call out, the surface of the water a couple hundred meters out rippled. The Hiding in Water technique, made famous (to me at least) by the demon brothers, wasn't hard to pick out. Even if, unlike in the Wave mission, surrounding water was abundant. It essentially created a bubble of shimmering water around the user, which reflected its surroundings. However, the shades didn't perfectly match, since the bubble was more reflective than the water around it. Especially under direct sunlight, it was easy to spot the difference.

"Ouch," the middle in the trio brushed off the offense with a wry smirk. I bet he was actually big mad about it, though. "Big talk for little guppies."

There were three of them in total. I didn't recognize them, but the speaker wore Kusagakure attire. Chunin Kusagakure attire.

Perfect.

"I see five Iwa genin," he mused. "Smells like a genin corps team to me."

That's why our teachers used the transformation technique instead of completely making themselves scarce. Seeing three genin was scary; that almost guaranteed there were jonin or at least chunin lurking nearby. Five to seven? Almost definitely genin corps. If you were to forget that basic techniques existed, anyway. But why would a jonin team be on an escort mission in the Land of Swamps on the eve of war? This screamed easy money to bandits. Which in turn screamed easy Merits to me.

Ugh. I suck.

None of us were impressed by his bluster. Chunin weren't the nameless fodder I'd seen them as in the show—they were certainly skilled ninja, and some of them could even be quite terrifying. Any of them could run through a squad of five baseline genin, no issue. However, missing-nin kinda sucked. First off, they generally wouldn't leave their home village in the first place if they weren't nobodies. And second, they lacked the resources to grow in strength once they jumped ship. They couldn't learn new jutsu; in fact, since they were on the run, most of them couldn't even afford to train at all. Certainly not effectively, without someone with skill comparable or exceeding their own to push them. Who wouldn't stab them in the back at the first opportunity, as was so commonly the case.

These people probably hadn't been in a fight in months. Probably hadn't even seen people at all in half that time. They were rusted blades, and we were freshly honed.

"In accordance with proper shinobi operations, we will annihilate all missing-nin upon encounter," Iwao droned, dutifully. "If you do not resist, we will try to make it painless."

The two genin missing-nin shifted, eyeing their leader uncomfortably. They didn't at all like how fearless we were. Already, it was no doubt a far cry from their normal interactions.

"You sure talk big," the chunin sneered. "You village dogs all say the same thing. But what should I expect from Iwa? You're always too prideful, and it never gets you far. Not against me.

His grin was disgusting. Tooth care fell to the wayside out here, I guess.

"I haven't killed any of you since the war," he mused. "I don't have much patriotism anymore, but I guess I can do my old village a favor by getting rid of you brats ahead of schedule."

"Does he not even know that Iwa and Kusa are allies now?" I asked Daigo, not bothering to direct the question towards the man himself.

"I'd assume he has much more pressing things to worry about than major world events," my teammate with a sense of humor replied. "Like chasing squirrels for lunch, or finding ferns big enough to wipe with."

That pissed him off, I think. Kunai fell into his hands from a quick-release holster under his sleeves.

"They'd ally themselves with you rock fuckers even after you killed so many of our people?" he asked, rhetorically. "Thank god I left that shit hole behind."

"I suppose you'd be the expert on shit holes," I remarked, glancing back at Iwao. "Mind if I make the first move? I've been wanting live targets."

Brag about killing my comrades, huh? There went my self-conflict. I'm sure it will come back later.

"Go ahead," he allowed, and the chunin laughed mockingly as I molded a set of easily recognizable hand seals slowly, making no attempt to hide my intentions.

"A basic Stone Pistol?" the missing-nin mocked. "Typical genin. You don't even know when to properly use the jutsu they give you."

I brought my cupped hand to my mouth, seeing the swirling dust amalgamate around the core of Doton chakra and something else. A stone formed, growing in size until it was roughly the size and shape of an (American) football.

"Pathetic," he sneered. "I'll just dodge."

"Will you?" I asked, releasing my projectile. It sped towards him, but he was right. Such a straightforward attack wouldn't even hit an experienced genin, especially since it was so telegraphed. The missing-nin smoothly sidestepped.

"Easy," he sneered as the bullet passed cleanly by his side. "You better hope—"

BOOM!

The former Grass ninja was lifted clear off his feet as my projectile brutally exploded. His body was riddled with bits of stone, and the force took off an arm and caved his chest in. I didn't need to check his pulse; he was dead before he even landed in the muck.

"Doton:" I announced. "Roketto Suishin no Shuryudan no Jutsu."

Earth Style: Rocket Propelled Grenade Technique.

The remaining missing-nin, caught in the periphery and bleeding despite having made distance to circle us, were stunned at the casual dismantling of their leader. But only for a moment, before panic set in. Immediately, they turned tail to run, but I had already molded the next set of identical hand seals. This time I touched the tip of my tongue to a different tooth before pulsing my chakra.

Doton: Seiatsudan no Jutsu (Earth Style: Suppression Round Technique)

I urged these bullets grow to boulder size as they flew, closing in on the fleeing enemies' backs at a much greater speed than the first had traveled. Even if they had the wherewithal in that moment to dodge, they wouldn't be fast enough.

The stones made contact, but instead of breaking bones, they parted around the ninjas' bodies like clouds around an airplane. Until the missing-nin were entirely encapsulated. Then, the rigidity of the boulders once again locked, turning them back into solid rock. Their momentum took the fleeing men off their feet, dragging them forward until gravity won out. Even most chunin didn't have the chakra strength or control to water walk holding such a great weight. They sunk into the swamp quickly.

But I wasn't a monster. I wouldn't kill someone like that just for spite. I chased them down, reaching into the dirty water with a Moguragakure at my fingertips. Sliding my hands through the sinking earth to find purchase, I heaved with all my might, tossing the still bound shinobi onto the nearby road. They coughed and wretched up the amoeba-ridden water, but bacteria were the least of their issues.

"In case you wanted to question them, sensei," I offered, tentatively. I really didn't want to give him another reason to be mad at me. "They probably wouldn't know as much as the chunin, but I didn't think I should pull punches with him. And, uh, well. I didn't think he'd just die like that outright."

When I had asked to make the first move, I just hoped to get some damage off for my team to capitalize on. I didn't expect to straight up merc the dude. That vest of his made me overestimate him, I guess.

Transformation technique discarded, Biwa-sensei sighed, a bingo book already in his hand. "I suppose I might as well. Kami, Imai."

He crouched over the fallen missing-nin, who had been pulled out of the mud with a disgusting squelch. I mentally patted myself on the back. Yes, his face was heavily burnt on one side, but his features were still distinguishable. That meant we'd be able to collect the bounty.

"Yep. That was a chunin," he said, sounding altogether done with life. "You killed a chunin. By yourself. No ambush, no traps. Full frontal assault. One jutsu."

Well. I supposed I did do that.

"Sensei?" I asked with a frown. "Am…am I chunin level?"

He slapped a hand over his face with an aggravated groan.

"Yes, you dense child. You've been chunin level for months!"

I twitched at the revelation.

"Huh."

I hadn't even realized. I thought reaching chunin level would be some significant milestone, some special event that I'd notice. Like crossing the finish line in a race.

"Daigo, let's go," he said wearily, jerking his head towards the two despondent enemy nin. My teammate, amused, followed him over, and sensei raised a mud wall to spare our clients the visuals. Iwao joined me as I channeled chakra to a kunai and lopped off the chunin's head in one smooth motion, quickly sealing it in one of my scrolls.

"And here you go, as per our agreement," I said, passing the scroll off to my teammate, who accepted it with a nod.

Soon after we left, I had pulled my teammates aside with a proposal. The terms were this: any heads we collected would be split among the three of us. All of the C-ranks would go to Iwao and Daigo, and all of the B-ranks would go to me. Now, that seems heavily biased towards yours truly, but, realistically, we probably wouldn't even happen upon any B-rank bounties. Not any we'd get the heads of, anyway, since one of the two jonin with us would likely do the deed. I'd probably be getting nothing out of this entire trip, while Iwao and Daigo would come out super ahead.

Essentially, I was gambling. I didn't need C-rank Merits; yes, they could be converted, but the amount that would take was outrageous. It would be a terrible waste of resources. Besides, I'd probably be getting my own steady supply of C-ranks from my partnership with Date-shishou and R&D.

But if I could get even one B-rank bounty? That would make it all worth it. And it's not like I wasn't getting anything from each C-rank I passed off to my teammates. The more jutsu they learned, the bigger my move pool would inevitably become, due to my special talents, and the more I'd learn about chakra as a whole.

Plus, part of the agreement was that, if I got my hands on even a single B-rank head, and they didn't get four C-ranks a piece, I would owe them Merits. So in the event that I got lucky, I needed to do my damndest to pay my debts proactively.

"That was a clever trick," Endo-sensei remarked over my shoulder. "Disguising tags within ordinary stone bullets. Only a sensor could recognize that before it was too late. At least, until those abilities make their way into your bingo book entry."

I nodded in thanks for the praise. Those two new jutsu were incredibly punishing; they took advantage of both the Stone Pistol's recognizability and my tongue Inventory port's utility. I could summon a tag of my choosing, which would appear right at the center of the jutsu's formation. The bullet would not only disguise the tag inside, but also propel it forward at high speeds in a single motion. It would also entirely trick the average ninja's active chakra sense; bullet ninjutsu were already drenched in my chakra, so one with a tag hidden inside would be indistinguishable from any other.

"That first technique, while undeniably deadly, was simple," she noted. "The second one I found more impressive."

The tag inside softened the earth, a la Kazuhiro's Doro Nami O Tsukamu no Jutsu, but it had a sensory trigger component. When the tag passed close enough to a body possessing a foreign chakra signature, the earth would seize up, becoming solid once more. If my aim was perfect, the target would be perfectly contained, but even if it was off the added weight could trip someone up utterly in the thick of a fight.

"It's an application of my brother's signature technique," I explained with a shrug. "He raised me, so I try to honor him as best as I can."

She nodded, and we waited for Sensei and Daigo to finish. It didn't take long, and when the wall came down, the captured ninja were also dead. Though defeated and immobilized, they were still missing-nin. We couldn't just let them go, and we were unwilling to take them with us as prisoners. Their fates were sealed the moment they appeared before us.

"Their heads aren't worth the cost of the storage scrolls," Biwa-sensei declared. "I'll dispose of the bodies."

Before he could run through the hand seals for a fire jutsu, I glanced over my shoulder at the Jashinists. They were watching the proceedings with wide eyes. Many were in the midst of prayer.

"Wait," I said, intentionally projecting my voice, and he raised an eyebrow. I tried to keep it from wavering, and I hated that my heart skipped a beat when he looked at me.

Stupid. Biwa-sensei is still Biwa-sensei. I just killed a chunin that was actually trying to murder me, for Kami's sake! Why was I acting like such a lil' bitch?

"Why waste the chakra?" I continued, trying to project a sense of nonchalance that I didn't truly feel. "Just leave them here for the animals. I know cremating the bodies is proper procedure, but they're nobodies, and we're in the middle of the Land of Swamps."

Emboldened by my words, Nakagawa Makishi, the head priest of this group of Jashinists, stepped forward, an appreciative gleam in his eyes as he regarded me.

"Please, Kamizuru-sama. We understand shinobi operate under certain procedures, and will respect your wishes of course, but it would be in accordance with our faith to return them to the land."

Biwa-sensei, understanding that I was after brownie points even if he didn't know the reason, agreed. After all, what people often forgot was that being a ninja was about fifteen percent customer service. We had to abide by the wishes of our clients while on mission, unless it compromised their safety or ours.

We tossed the bodies away to the hungry gators wading through the waters, and moved on.

"Thank you, child," Makishi murmured to me. "The almighty Jashin smiles upon you."

Though I accepted his praise with a smile, I wasn't quite sure that was something I was entirely thrilled about.

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

AN: Welp, that was a longer break than I thought I would have to take. Doesn't help that this chapter was kinda hard to write—especially the section about the Jashinists beliefs. I'm still not really satisfied with the first section of the chapter; I just didn't want to delay it any further when I couldn't even decide what it needed.

Sorry about the delay. Lotta shit going on in my personal life. I really wish I could say it was all squared away and that I'd be able to guarantee weekly updates again, but I can't. I'm going to try though. I hope you'll accept this almost double-length chapter as a sacrifice.

I've planned out this arc in depth and it's going to be a banger. Especially the finale. There's a lot of potential in Sogen no Kuni, and it sucks that I can't just sit down and work on it.

Anyway, you should totally check out my other fic on archive. Across the Totem-Verse, (username Poncho_o). It's a Spider-Man, Across the Spider-Verse fic.

I don't have a Ptrn. If you've gotten just five bucks of enjoyment out of this story, please consider buying my original work on amazon (information in my bio). Between the two sites this fic is posted on, I have over 2900 readers. If even half of you choose to support me in this fashion, I would have considerable bargaining power when it comes to getting future books published. More publishing deals means I can quit my day job, which translates into more time for fanfiction. It's a one time thing, and you even get more of my writing out of it.

Thank you!