I awoke with a foot in my face and a knee in my ribs.

The foot belonged to Rei, while the knee belonged to Shoto. I grumbled at both of them and dislodged myself to scramble to the toilet. Having small bodies lay on you invariably meant that someone had to be pressing on your bladder.

I felt like that was a law of the universe or something like Murphy's law.

Thou shalt not sleep in a puppy pile without needing to wake up with a full bladder!

Or something like that.

When I got back, Rei sat up and smiled gormlessly at me. Then she tilted her head. "Matsu?" she said.

"Yes?" I said.

She blinked. "Oh, right, I didn't just dream up yesterday, did I?" she said.

I nodded. She'd fallen into a sort of on-and-off-again mood yesterday once we'd woken up from our nap.

We had celebrated our achievement and my own advancement to Chunin with some snacks provided by the women of the Okiya. When the Madam checked in on us she had offered us all a taste of sake to honour the achievement.

All the while glowering at the girls that tittered and loudly whispered how I was a favourite of hers.

She'd banished most of the ladies, only for them to return five minutes later.

Throughout it all, Rei would be happy, only for a darker mood to suddenly overtake her. During those darker turns, she'd fall silent and reach into her shirt to run a hand down the scar on her chest.

Shoto and I hadn't said a word.

Yesterday, things were different.

Yesterday was what I'd been building towards for years. I'd done what I'd set out to do.

No deaths for the kids I called my own. It wasn't the idealistic hope that every child would make it out alive. It was a slightly more realistic goal. A slightly more greedy goal.

A goal I'd achieved.

Kitoma Kaguya would probably applaud me for pulling it off. I'd faced down the strongest in the Village and made my case. It had only cost one of his clansmen.

Gin Hozuki would respect and envy me for standing in front of the Head of his Clan and getting such a deal. That would be dangerous, as he'd try to work something out. A deal, an angle, a method of control.

We weren't limited to just the pressures of the Academy now. Now Gin could call in his Clan if needed to apply pressure. Before, it would have been a ludicrous idea to use so much force on a mere academy student. They'd have been laughed at. Perhaps they might have held off against a Genin as well.

But a newly promoted Chunin?

The youngest in Kirigakure's history since the founding of the Hidden Village? That would cause me problems. I'd flown high and as any of the giant flying fish of the seas could tell you, soaring high could be just as dangerous sometimes as not soaring at all.

Predators existed in both situations.

As for the other clan that made up the three great clans of Kirigakure?

Well, Hanahime Terumi might just hate me for forcing things to the point where she'd been forced to pick her cousin. Perhaps she could have gotten away with another choice for who to sacrifice. But at the end of the day, the facts were that thanks to my meddling, her cousin went from possible death to certain death.

It didn't make it better that I had saved her once before. In some eyes, that could be seen as a cold, clinical decision to earn a favour only to correct the balance later on.

Would she act, though?

If any of them acted, how would they do it?

What were my options if they did?

I ran a hand over the stubble on my head and grimaced at the feel of it. I should shave… no I shouldn't do that anymore.

Gengetsu, the Mizukage, had complimented me on my hair colour. That probably meant he wanted to see it.

Or he was just messing with me and making me second guess myself.

I chewed my lip. Did I currently have his favour? Would that grant anything?

I snorted. It was like lady luck, as some sailors liked to claim. She could love you, but the moment you tried to get by with just luck, she'd leave you in the lurch.

Gengetsu would be the same, only worse; he'd set you up and trick you in a whole host of ways. He was dangerous, and I didn't want to have anything to do with him.

Which left me with what?

I glanced at Shoto as he sat up, smacking his lips together.

A highly skilled Genin who was incredible at stealth and capture with how he'd taken out the ANBU hopefuls while distracted. Something that wasn't a small feat by any means.

My own rather handy tricks and skills, which I rather liked to think were well-rounded.

I could use the Water Bullet, a lightning zap jutsu that was short range and rather more of a jolt than anything that caused serious harm, the replacement jutsu, the rope escape jutsu, the transformation jutsu, a wind slash jutsu, basic taijutsu, bukijutsu for kunai, shuriken, and staves, and some minor genjutsu for throwing my voice.

I was highly skilled as a sensor for a set range of fifty metres. I knew the mystic palm and the scalpel jutsu, as well as a coma-inducing jutsu. I had a decent starting point for Tsunade's super strength technique as well as evasion and small unit tactics.

And finally, I could open the eight gates.

It wasn't enough for me. I'd been looking for water balloons for ages and had been trying to replicate the Rasengan training for a long time, but it was an extremely difficult jutsu to learn just the initial steps for.

It was also one of the only jutsu that was ever fully explained compared to the others in the Naruto series.

The other that came to mind was the Sage transformation.

Which… Yeah, no. I needed someone to watch over me with a stick that disrupted nature's energy until I had a perfect feel for it.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen for a long time. Even if I was lucky enough to learn the summoning jutsu hand seals, I would need to seek out a summon clan, at random, and then go from there.

Too risky... for now.

I chewed my lip. I didn't have anything that I could action right away.

Apart from one thing.

"Shoto… How many people do you think will come to the meeting point today?" I asked.

Shoto blinked and shifted. "Most of them should?"

"And how many of them will think me a traitor for stabbing Rei in the chest?" I asked.

Shoto grimaced. "A few of them…"

Rei stiffened. "But that's not right! You didn't do that! I can… Oh, right," she said as her reality set in.

I nodded and rubbed my eyes. "We'll work something out for you, alright? We'll find a way to smuggle you to the mainland to the east… or west I suppose and you can go from there… but yeah, I don't think you can reappear in front of the others."

Rei chewed her lip as she once again ran a hand across the scar under her shirt. "Yeah… right," she said flatly.

Shoto and I shared a look. Shoto waffled back and forth. "You won't have to wait long or stick around here, you know!"

Rei shook her head. "I think I'll stay here, just for a while," she said as Shoto and I shot her worried looks. "I won't do anything… you know… lewd," she said with a whisper that almost made me snort.

I almost asked her what she thought lewd acts were before stopping myself.

She wasn't that sheltered; she'd grown up in Kiri with me, after all. She wouldn't say something like handholding. That was the internet ruining the way my mind thought due to a past life.

"Alright, but we can work something out for you," I offered.

She nodded before tilting her head. "Or I can just do the Geisha thing of going on a journey to drum up interest with nobles, and then I can just not come back."

"The Geisha in Kirigakure are restricted to only touring around the Land of Water," I said carefully. "But that is an option. If one with a few potential snags of its own," I pointed out.

Shoto huffed. "Well, we'll find something, right, Matsu?"

I nodded and then stretched around a bit. "I think I need to go touch base with the other civie kids. See what their take on things is. We won't be able to talk to any of the younger classes anymore, but… well, we're shinobi now," I said, tapping on the hitae-ate that I now had wrapped around my head.

"We're Genin," Shoto pointed out. "You're a Chunin now; that means you can boss us around."

I snorted. "I'll be sure to remember that when a clan kid gets assigned to me."

That caused a look of distaste to flash across his face being before he grumbled. "Damn clan kids," he said.

I shrugged. "It's just another institute of power, one that is very well established within Kirigakure. If we'd benefited from it… more than we have already, we'd think they're pretty great."

Shoto mumbled his own disagreements but otherwise didn't reject what I'd said. I shook my head and waved for them to follow me to the area where the ladies and I all ate. The ladies were, as usual, a boisterous, rowdy bunch that traded gossip, scathing compliments, and small flecks of food. All of it was curated and controlled by the Madam sitting at the front of the hall with a studied air of indifference.

When she spoke, however, the hall fell silent, and the games and minor food fights stopped. Only for her to resume her slow, methodical eating and for the games to continue, albeit in a different format.

There was an unspoken rule that you couldn't maintain the same personality with each shift and pause. You could go from flicking food at one girl to being her best friend to sharing false rumours, about another girl to being a slob. All in moments, or minutes. At the end of the meal, the madam would call out the people who did well and those who did poorly.

It was one of the strangest versions of red light, green light I had ever encountered, but I couldn't deny that it made for wonderful training in acting.

Or creating extremely bipolar individuals.

Then again, when in Kiri… madness was a matter of course?

Shoto and Rei, who'd never witnessed this before, were stunned as I raged like a shogun about the texture of the rice, only to morph myself into a peasant scrapping the food as quickly as I could, only to break into quiet sobs as I pretended that something one of the ladies was saying was the most beautiful poetry I'd heard in my life.

It wasn't, but it helped me break her adopted persona and score me a point on a scoreboard that no one really cared about.

Just to rub it in, I ignored her for the next transition while being a haughty young master.

When the madam finished her meal, she set her chopsticks firmly down, and a clack sounded out that saw the hall fall silent. Shoto and Rei watched with wide eyed fascination as the madam surveyed the room.

"Matsu's two friends… well, I shouldn't really count you, but you were the worst. Ignorance is not an excuse for not being able to adapt to a new situation, after all," she said with a small shake of her head. "And you were shinobi? Tsk tsk," she said before calling out three more names for people who hadn't done well. All of them were invariably very young girls.

The madame gave some instructions on how to do better for the girls, Shoto and Rei before assessing the rest of us. "Asuna, Lei, and…" around the room, ladies leaned forward in anticipation. "Akane," the Madame said.

Those three ladies perked up and shot their neighbours' superior looks while the rest of us pretended to be despondent. The madam shot me a look. "Next time you bring amateurs, Matsu, try not to teach them the rules during the game, hmmmm?"

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head, accepting that I had sort of left them out to dry.

I pointed out the group that Rei would need to join for the rest of the day for the classes and lessons she'd need to learn to fit in while I led Shoto to the meeting point for the civie group.

Shoto stared at me for a good while, only to shake his head. "Suddenly a lot of… your… everything makes sense."

I chuckled. "Thanks; they're good at it, no? Honestly, I was expecting to see something like that in the academy."

"I think the academy was more focused on teaching us to kill people," Shoto snarked.

I nodded. "Hmmm yeah, shame that. There's a lot of skill in picking up the conversations going on under all the subtext that can be learnt from lessons like those," I said with a wave in the direction we'd come.

"Yeah… without experiencing it though… it sounds mad!"

"Yup!" I said honestly. When we alighted on the abandoned concrete building, there was a momentary pause as we took in our surroundings. They matched what I'd sensed. There were only five or six kids present. Six out of almost thirty of us.

Kizan wasn't here.

Somehow, I wasn't surprised by that. The kids that were here watched me like a civilian would a wolf suddenly appearing and walking down the street.

I sighed. "I'm… not happy that things played out how they did… with Rei…I'm going to keep her close though. My… her.." I made a wave and clutched at the air as though I found it awkward and didn't know what to say.

I sighed again. "She wouldn't have liked being a shinobi… not as shinobi currently are. With the war and how much fighting there is. I can't say I made the right choice, but with the Mizukage breathing down my neck… I made the best of a terrible list of choices."

The kids shared a look before some of them nodded. Sharkbait stepped forward. "What do you think, Shoto?"

Shoto, who'd been watching me, flicked his eyes to the other kids before looking back at me. "Matsu… is right. We got into a bit of a scuffle, but I think how things played out… it's the best it could have been," he said.

I gave him a wan smile. To the others, it must have looked like I appreciated his support. I did, but I was also tipping my hat. That was some good doublespeak.

Sharkbait shifted. "What happens now?" he asked.

I hummed. "How did things go for you yesterday? After… the graduation," I said.

"We went home and spoke with our parents. They were pretty chuffed. They get a handy tax break thanks to us being shinobi now. Apparently, all the kids that graduated or made it to the graduation ceremony got their parents a tax break as well."

I frowned. "How did you learn about that?"

Sharkbait shifted. "After everything went down… I thought it was best someone go and tell her parents…"

Sharkbait shook his head. "Was only her dad there… He was celebrating the tax break already and wasn't too shaken." Sharkbait shifted. "Seemed kind of glad that you were taking care of the body."

"Thanks for handling that shark… No. Do you want us to call you your actual name, Kenta?"

"Honestly?" he said with a grin. "I prefer Sharkbait these days. Might even see about getting my teeth to match!" he said causing a laugh to ripple through the group. "So? What're we doing?"

I hummed. "Well, I think all of us will be meeting up for assignments at the academy, was how things would run."

Sharkbait groaned. "Urgh! That means we're going to have to see Instructor Geta again! I hate that guy so much!"

Shoto and I shared a look. "Yeaaaaaaah," I said, drawing the word out. "He's dead."

The others blinked at me. "Huh?"

I shrugged. "He took issue with how we treated him. So he tried to fight me."

"Tried being the word," Shoto chimed in. "Matsu had him dead in a few seconds."

The others looked heartened by that, and I rolled my eyes at their enthusiasm for blood. Even if it was Geta's blood. ... Actually, that made a lot of sense; everyone in our class hated Geta.

"So to the academy?" Shoto prompted. I glanced around and tried to extend my chakra senses, but I couldn't sense anyone lingering in hiding or approaching us. I nodded, feeling an odd tightness at the idea that only these people had come… Or was it relief that they had a line they wouldn't accept me crossing?

I considered that as our small group made our way through the mist. A much less dense mist, I noted. A quick check of my headband confirmed what I'd been too distracted by to notice yesterday. The headbands that we'd been given gave off a mild resistance to the genjutsu that bolstered the poor visibility.

Interesting. Perhaps it was a method of control as well as a reward.

It wasn't a terrible solution if one ignored the ramifications of limiting a population's long-distance sight for long periods of time. Shortsightedness would become more prevalent if it continued, but otherwise, it was a wonderful method of security and control. I had to wonder if the shinobi in the upper ranks were aware of the long-term effects of their mist jutsu. I doubted they had any longitudinal studies running. I marked it as something to consider in the future. It was a security feature, but it came at a cost.

I felt around with my senses on the headband and noticed that a small marking was also present on the headband.

Perhaps a form of identification for the shinobi in the barrier corps? We'd been taught about a group of homeguard shinobi that were considered part of ANBU who saw to certain aspects of Kirigakure's home security. Perhaps this was one of their tricks?

We swept into the academy, and I could tell the building itself was deserted of the usual classes of kids. Most of them would be on their own expeditions and therefore unable to see or hear about the end result.

Perhaps they'd hear of it when they got back in a few days time?

I could only hope that the years below us could make the leap.

My cohort was all assembled in groups, with the usual clan groups formed up while the civilians were now a fragmented group. Kizan had the largest part of the group, while another girl, or rather, Kunoichi now, claimed another few.

I knew her, Sayuki. I was rather surprised to see her leading a detachment, but while she wasn't one of the louder voices compared to the others in our group, she had a core group of friends.

I rounded us out.

There was a stir upon my arrival. People shifted and watched me. More than a few eyes lingered on the chunin vest that I wore. Murmurs broke out as I walked to a spot between Kizan and Sayuki.

Kizan's and Sayuki's gazes flickered between myself, Shoto, and Sharkbait.

A few of the kids gaped and shifted uncomfortably. Eventually, Sayuki's groups closed ranks into a huddle to talk. Moments later, Sayuki emerged with a scowl and marched up to me.

She pulled up short and locked eyes with me. "Did you always plan for things to play out that way?" she said, her words carrying.

A silence gripped the assembled group. It was a silence that could only be caused by the vacuum from a host of ears straining to listen for my answer.

I wobbled my hand. "I… made a deduction on what the final test would be like a number of years ago… I realised that our group… We weren't going to come out very well. So I needed to flip the table," I said, staring into her eyes and conveying as much honesty as I could.

In a sense, I didn't truly know for certain that the graduation would go down like it had. But then again, absolutes weren't something I could deal with. I needed to take the facts into account and make the best decision.

"Rei... she wasn't going to handle being a shinobi well… I think if given the choice, she'd pick something else and thrive at it."

Shoto twitched, but when Sayuki looked at him, he gave a tight nod, like he'd been brought around to my way of thinking.

I looked up into the sky, I could now just make out the glimmers of the sun, pretending I didn't see their byplay. "I'm not happy with the end result… despite it being better than what it could have been."

She worked her jaw back and forth and then sighed before flicking her hand at her group. They scurried across to us like crabs rushing from the shelter of one rock to another, fearful of the watching predators.

I looked across and found Kizan looking back. Around him, the other kids in his group nervously shifted, but he shook his head. "You shouldn't have killed her… I expected better," he said, like he could have done better.

A twitch of his lips and his eyes almost flickering at the kids that surrounded him made me want to growl. He'd always wanted to be the leader. I thought I had satisfied his desires by giving him chances to be seen as the leader among the younger classes. It seemed that, given the chance, he'd try for more no matter the chances I'd given him.

I wish I could say I was surprised. I merely inclined my head. He was going to play a moral high card? Alright, he could do that and see how he handled swimming in the deep end. I made a show of looking at the other groups that were observing our now fractured civilian group.

Would he even realise that it wasn't going to be like the academy?

That the stakes were higher now and the odds against us had merely grown?

I doubted that.

I turned and looked at my own group in thought. I rubbed a hand over my mouth to keep my next conversation as quiet as possible. "Sayuki… you're going to have to keep leading this group and keep pooling resources to keep things together."

She stiffened and shot me a look. "What? Why?" she whispered back.

"I'm a Chunin, a newly promoted chunin. The group can and should be able to continue without me at the helm. Shoto isn't going to be as invested in this. You've stepped up. Keep the group strong and be careful. Things are going to be tougher now," I said as I hurriedly told her about how things had changed.

She blanched as she listened, and I eventually clapped her on the shoulder. "It's not all bad. We still have to see what assignments we're given as well as what we're allowed to share. Play it as smartly as you can. Alright?"

Sayuki nodded and shot Shoto a look. "Sure you can't step up and play leader?" she asked.

He smirked. "Ah, nope! I'm always better as a lone wolf scout," he said with a shrug. Sayuki shot him an annoyed look before rounding on her own group of friends to give them a scathing look.

Sayuki grabbed two of the kids, Sharkbait and her best friend Hiro, and dragged them into a huddle. I chuckled. Without me, it looked like things would run smoothly. She'd already grabbed two people to support her. I gave Shoto a pointed look and he joined in.

With that done, I stepped away from the group and stood alone.

I knew no one would be truly fooled by the show, but I knew I still needed to make it. To set things up so that the group wouldn't collapse. We had something good here, and it needed to continue.

With me being a Chunin, however, there was less chance of me being assigned to the same task, or be able to interact with them as much.

It would also depend on whether any other groups wanted to pull some strings. I gave the assembled group a slow look.

Kitoma nodded at me, his arms crossed over each other. Himeko stood behind him, eying me and the distance between myself, her, and my own group. Kitoma made no move to approach me. He did sign a handseal that represented 'challenge' to me.

I responded with 'Accepted, when?' which made him smirk. He didn't answer beyond another nod, seemingly pleased that I wasn't going to run from him.

I turned my attention to Gin and saw him pointedly not looking at me. Hmmm, not the worst response I could get.

I turned my attention to the Terumi group and found Hanahime staring at me.

She looked tired.

There was a redness to her eyes, and her hair wasn't as brushed out. They were only small things, but to a shinobi, they were giant neon signs proclaiming her grief. I had only seen her yesterday… and yet I thought she looked older, more world-weary. I couldn't say I was surprised.

Killing your cousin would take a toll.

She turned her gaze away, not acknowledging or condemning me.

Did she regret ever making that deal with me? Perhaps she did. I don't think I was game enough to ask her.

As though they'd been waiting for any more drama to play out, our instructors and another group of shinobi appeared with a shunshin in front of us.

The headmaster scowled at us but didn't do anything. That was perhaps due to the man wearing a Jonin vest standing next to him. I ran my senses over all of them. More than a few eyed me angrily. A good number did so warily.

Tempura smiled tiredly at me and nodded.

For some reason, I felt ashamed at his acknowledgement.

"Genin of Kirigakure!" the Headmaster bellowed. "Lord Mizukage congratulates you on your graduation and promotion from students to Genin!" More than a few eyes drifted my way but the Headmaster didn't seem to want to notice me, let alone adjust his speech.

More than a few people tensed up at the mention of the Mizukage. A few even glanced around. I was interested to note that a number of those looking around included the instructors.

The Jonin kept his gaze forward, bored by the proceedings before they'd even begun.

"You may have done so in an… unorthodox manner," the Headmaster bit out. "But you have been acknowledged. Today you are to earn your assignments to either work with certain shinobi as apprentices, work in small units and squads in preparation for your deployment to the war, be assigned to a chunin or jonin, or... other duties."

People shifted. The headmaster looked over everyone. "Not all of you will be earning apprenticeships due to how large a number have made it through this year." More than a few glanced at me. The Headmaster huffed. "In a few moments, you are to break into your class groups, where your class' instructors will hand out your assignments."

"Ahem," said the Jonin. The Headmaster stopped talking straight away. The Jonin rolled his shoulders. "I'm only here for one of you. Chunin Matsu, your assignment papers; present yourself!" he barked. I marched forward and bowed as he reached into his vest and pulled out a red letter.

Behind me, the clan kids hissed in surprise, and I nodded as I accepted the red letter.

We'd learnt about these.

The man eyed me. "You are to read the letter and follow the instructions within. You will be departing with a group. You are not to inform anyone as to your destination or method of travel."

I nodded, bowing again at the 'wisdom' that I had already been taught being repeated to me. "Yes sir," I said.

"Good, you have the rest of the day to secure your belongings." He eyed me. "Get yourself some spare footwear, and if what I've heard is true, get yourself gear suited to that environment."

I didn't question how he might know what I was about to encounter. He was a Jonin and therefore would be tapped into a host of different sources of information that I would have to learn about if I wanted to excel.

The man stepped back and drew out a cigarette. He had the air of someone who had completed their job and was now just standing around, doing nothing.

I suspected that wasn't the case. A Jonin wouldn't just stand around in the open like that. He was pointedly sticking around. Perhaps to make sure the instructors didn't try anything?

I decided not to test his or the instructor's patience. I instead turned and marched away.

When I made it back to the Okiya, I locked the room and opened the letter.

Chunin Matsu,

Due to your promotion and skills in the fields of iryoninjutsu, scouting, stealth, and small unit leadership. You are hereby commended and assigned to an active warfront.

Congratulations.

You will report to the vessel Swift Wind in the southern port tonight no later than sunset. Any delay will be recorded, and you may be deemed a deserter to Kirigakure and subsequently executed.

Your tour of duty is, at this stage, undefined. Serve well and return to Kirigakure with honour.

Signed,

Janku Yuki, Secretary to the Mizukage.

I tapped the paper. I was being assigned to a war front as part of the medical division? Or something else? I wasn't sure.

I had expected to be told which war front I was being deployed to, but this didn't tell me anything of the sort. If anything, it was exceedingly sparse in details.

Was that so that if I was intercepted, I couldn't inform them where I was going? Another layer of security, perhaps?

Or was I being led astray?

I had no way to be sure.

I wouldn't have any of the other kids with me to watch my back; I knew that much. I suddenly felt very alone and exposed. I… hadn't realised I'd come to take so much comfort with them around but now…

I shook the thoughts away and growled. No, I needed to be stronger than this. Yes, having the kids around would be nice, but it wouldn't stop me. I needed to find other support or be more resilient.

I inspected the message again.

The Swift Wind. I had a point of information to work off. They wouldn't just announce where they were going, as that would make things too easy. Did the Swift Wind have a known route of travel? Or was a special trip being planned?

I tapped the paper and decided to get moving. I packed all of my supplies like I was going on an expedition and then burned the red letter.

Before I departed, I stopped by the Madam. "Madam, I'm going to be away for some time," I said.

She eyed me and hummed. "I see. Before you depart, I have a few girls that will need a final look over. See to them before you go," she said with a dismissive sniff.

I nodded and moved off to find which girls needed me to tend to any wounds they might have picked up. They were mostly bruises from clients getting too rough, but they were small things that the girls didn't need to deal with, which they appreciated. They made a lot of noise about missing me while I was gone.

Before I left Rei coughed and handed me a letter which I opened to reveal a stack of ryo notes. I shot her a look and she giggled. "The madam gave it to me to give to you."

I smirked at her. "How much did you take off the top?"

She shot me an affronted look. "I would never!"

I snorted. "Oh, Rei, you'll learn," I said before reaching out and wrapping her in a hug. "Look after yourself… and Shoto when he checks in with you."

"I will, and you look after yourself," she said.

I broke out of the hug and made for the southern region of Kiri.

There I found the Swiftwind.

It had several shinobi lounging about it. Some were on guard, some were merely waiting, drinking booze. I watched as supplies were loaded, always the men working the ship made sure to not disrupt the shinobi in their presence.

So, it was a civilian ship? With the supplies being luxury goods, there was also less chance of this being an unplanned route. I made a quick note of the goods and then departed for the markets where I transformed into an older civilian.

I walked past various stalls and noted the various merchants and what was being sold cheaply and what wasn't. Slowly, a web of information formed in my mind as I started to link together possible destinations.

I made some inquiries about where certain goods were from and even shouted a trio of merchants to some drinks, all while pretending to get drunk myself.

With an idea in mind, I then dropped the transformation and moved into the shinobi district where more specialised and expensive shops were. I walked into a shinobi goods store.

"I need ten staves, a thousand kunai, ration packs, blood replenishment drinks, antivenins, antidotes, a hundred metres of bandages, three sets of sandals and a light brown poncho." I set down fifty thousand ryo on the table. "This is what I can offer you."

The clerk looked down at the money, looked up at me, noticed my age and gained a sly look in his eyes. I promptly collected my money and turned for the door.

"Hey! Woah! Kid you gotta hear my counteroffer!" he said hurriedly.

I kept walking. "It was going to be shit; I'm going to the next shop and offering them the same deal."

I proceeded to do just that, haggling and walking away from a number of deals. When I was satisfied that I had a good price, I walked away. Then I repeated the entire procedure, but this time I did it as an adult, specifically one that had no resemblance to myself while asking for a much cheaper price from the shinobi suppliers.

I noted that the better stores were able to spot that I was transformed. They tested my illusion in a manner with their chakra sense, but when the headband gave away that I was a shinobi, they didn't have any issues with it. I could only imagine there were plenty of reasons for a shinobi to be using a henge.

I wasn't surprised when I got what I needed and then some. I had enough time to send off a letter to the madam, Shoto, Sayuki, and Hanahime. The last took a good deal longer to write, but I felt like something needed to be said. Even if she didn't read it, I felt better knowing I'd made the attempt.

I then marched back to the Swift Wind.

I dropped the henge and walked up the gangplank. I felt the stares as I walked up to another chunin. "Who's in charge?"

The other chunin blinked at me. "Fuck me, Hanzo, are Genin getting that cocky? Imperson—"

His friend shook his head. "You need to stop drinking so much. That's the kid who led his class in capturing his entire year instead of butchering each other. The red devil."

I blinked in surprise. "I have an epithet?" I asked, unsure how to feel about it.

Hanzo nodded. "Yup, Lord Gengetsu himself commented on it. Said you're great at earning people's trust and then betraying them, like a devil. Though he said something about red hair as well."

My face shifted into a flat, unimpressed expression. "I… see," I said, swallowing. "Right… who do I see for reporting in?"

Hanzo and his friend blinked at me. "You got assigned to the front?"

"Fuck that's rich!" said his friend with a laugh as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a flask to take a swig. "You're in for a fun time, lad! We might end up in the thick of it against Kumo, or Iwa! You're fucked then!"

I hummed and glanced around. "I doubt that," I said.

Hanzo grunted, "Don't try and play it cool, kid, none of us know where we're ending up." He waved a hand towards a woman sitting on the other side of the ship. "You need to let Jonin Akiko know you're here."

I nodded and bowed. "Senpai," I said.

That seemed to mollify them somewhat. "Huh, good to see you know how things work around here!" said the drunkard. Hanzo made to nod only to frown and slap his friend on the shoulder. "Don't fall for it; remember, he's a tricky one!"

I gave an enigmatic smile that I hoped would help avoid any hazing rituals they might like to attempt. If they wanted to play dumb games, I'd make sure they won the right prizes.

I made my way to the kunoichi and bowed. "Chunin Matsu reporting for duty!"

The Kunoichi was by no means a traditional beauty. Then again, it was hard to tell with the burn mark across her face. When she turned to face me, I saw that a burn had splashed in a diagonal across her mouth and nose. She otherwise had very short hair, and her two forehead protectors sat low on her temples.

"I was wondering who'd get you… I guess it was time for me to draw the short straw once more with Gengetsu playing his games," she muttered as she looked me up and down. Her left hand rubbed at her scar thoughtfully.

"Hmmm, you bought extra water bottles?" she asked.

I nodded, and she eyed me. "Your red papers wouldn't have given you the destination… You're not a clan kid." Her eyes flicked around and she frowned in thought about whatever it was she saw.

"No ma'am," I said dutifully.

She sniffed. "You were around earlier… Did you work out where we're going?" she asked.

"Somewhere dry," I said conversationally.

She hummed, and her eyes flickered over me again. "Keep that to yourself, and if we get captured, do kill yourself so that intel doesn't get spread to our enemies, yeah?"

"I'll endeavour to not be captured," I said.

She snorted and shot me a look. "Right, list of fyour skills so I can talk to the commander about where to place you when we arrive."

I rattled off an abbreviated list of things I considered myself skilled at. I made sure to play up the Iryoninjutsu.

"You're going to need to learn poison extraction quickly with where we're going," she said. She waved a hand. "Get a bunk near Hanzo, Hito, and Dende's group. They won't gut you in your sleep." I bowed and stepped back.

"Word of advice?" she said before I left.

I perked up, and she looked back to the port. "Get strong quick while not letting anyone know, and before the second night, make a big song and dance about losing your money to someone and get yourself into debt for some harmless favours before someone tries for something more."

I considered that. I remembered how I'd read a book in my past life about a boy trying to lead an army without getting debt or strings attached, but in doing so, he had lost a lot of support. Jonin Akiko was telling me to make sure someone was invested in keeping me around.

I considered that for a moment, and then the woman before me.

"Has anyone ever offered to heal your face?" I said leadingly.

She turned slowly. "Don't try and claim you're that good a medic brat."

I shrugged. "I'm not right now," I said with an open hand. "But Iryoninjutsu is what I want to pursue. I think if I got better at the mystic palm, I could slowly fix up your scars, or if you wanted to wait a while, I could try to get good enough to do them in one sitting."

She eyed me for a while longer before turning her head. "Yeah, you'll do alright, and I'll think about it. Get that good first, and then we'll talk. Otherwise? If you mention my face again, I'll give you a scar to keep you mindful."

With what felt like a standard threat, I was allowed to depart.

I followed her advice, and by the second night, I had lost all of my money while playing cards against my bunkmates. I then traded them minor favours such as priority healing, or discrete healing, such as if a boil or a scar needed to be dealt with discretely.

I might have underestimated how popular that option was, as I suddenly had half the shinobi that were on the boat with us trying to beat me specifically in cards to get some discrete medical attention.

I was starting to suspect that being a medic, might just be the biggest advantage I could have ever gained. Perhaps it was due to it being the second Shinobi war? The standard for medics might be much higher.

It suddenly made the trips to the medical clinic, thanks to Instructor Tempura, much, much more meaningful.

A quick check of the fifty or so shinobi revealed that only one other shinobi was capable of iryoninjutsu. They weren't capable of mystic palm, but they were versed in poisons and toxins, which I found interesting.

Tempura really had been looking out for me.

When the ship set sail, almost fifty shinobi were on board. None of them sat around or formed lines to make it easy for any observers to see how many there were. I saw more than a few illusions drifting around. I was easily the youngest shinobi of the group, but not the lowest-ranked.

Genin made up at least half the platoon, and then two-thirds of the remaining shinobi were made up of Chunin. Only three Jonin joined us.

We sailed for two weeks, and thanks to some favourable winds, we had an excellent time sailing southwest. Nagi Island was sailed past in the first two days, and then we made our way around Tea. When we started to come up the Hanguri Gulf, the other shinobi started to speculate on who we were going to fight.

I made sure to not voice that I knew we were going to end up facing Sand Shinobi. Instead, I made a show of being humble and listening to my senpai.

Thanks to listening to my senpai, I proceeded to lose twenty kunai.

Alas, my lucky kunai were all stolen by my senpai.

If only I didn't have another nine-hundred and eighty ready to be used. Not that I told anyone about those.

I made sure to work on chakra control exercises discreetly, along with considering what I needed to work on in future. I felt like there was more I could do with my chakra, despite having cleaned up my coils and having the capability to open my gates.

I knew I'd grow stronger as an Uzumaki, but I did not want to rest on my laurels.

I made sure to pay a lot of attention through my chakra sense to anything Jonin Akiko or any of my Senpai did when training themselves. A lot of it seemed to focus on the physical aspects of being a shinobi, and I sweated alongside them through a host of exercises, but I knew that wasn't the method to true power. Chakra mastery was where Shinobi gained the most benefit.

Taijutsu on a ship or the waters around the ship was eye-opening with how the various other shinobi fought. I got beaten black and blue, but then I healed myself openly and gained a number of thoughtful looks.

Jonin Akiko used her privilege to proclaim that anyone caught slacking in training would not be healed after.

As we closed in on the coast of the Land of Wind, the older shinobi started to groan about sand and heat.

That night, Jonin Akiko ordered everyone over the side, and we sprinted across the waves for ten minutes before we hit the beach. On the beach, we kneeled as Akiko assigned a few teams to sweep the area for any Suna patrols.

When they came back stating that all was clear, we proceeded into the sand dunes and the desert proper.

We ran until the morning sun started to rise over the horizon, only for Akiko to send us north and into a rock wall, where we found a host of shinobi waiting for us.

"Waves smashing?" prompted the first shinobi. Akiko gave the counter sign, only for both of them to speak back and forth for a minute, trading handshake protocols until they were satisfied.

The man grunted. "Any stragglers or trouble?"

"None," Akiko said, handing over a set of scrolls to the man.

The man nodded and waved us in. "Welcome to Dagger base, where if everything goes well, you're going to sit on your ass for the next few months, years, or however long the Mizukage decides to keep you in reserve for."

A few people grumbled at that but otherwise kept their heads down.

We entered a cave system and were led around into a hidden tunnel that curled around on itself. The base was a huge, expanded tunnel that had to be the work of an earth jutsu to create the tunnels.

I got tapped on the shoulder. "Drop your shit in the bunkroom, then find the medical room!" Akiko said before moving off with the other Jonin.

One of the Jonin that were already on the base stared at me. "Is it just me, or are chunin getting younger these days?" I heard as they moved off.

I did as ordered and found myself in the medical bay with my fellow medic joining me. He shot me a scowl but straightened up when an older shinobi walked in. "Right, you're…" the man paused as he noticed me. "Fuck are you doing boy?" he snarled.

"I'm Chunin Matsu; I know the mystic palm, the scalpel jutsu, and have had experiences with other forms of triage!" I said.

The man crossed his arms. "Hmpf! So you say! You look like a smart ass! I don't like those in my medical bay!" He jutted his chin and eyed me. "Well? You gonna say something?"

"Not a smart ass, sir! I just knew I needed to learn those skills to have a chance!" I said firmly.

"Hmph!" he said. "Not a smart ass. You look like one! Your instructors ever break your nose? Used to be the method to teach proper respect!" he growled.

Well, if he was going to set me up like that I may as well lean into my epithet. "Instructor Geta once broke my nose, sir!"

"Good! Did you ever thank him for that lesson?"

"I may have at the time! But I don't think he liked how I repaid him last month when I graduated!" I said, openly locking eyes with the other man.

"What you do? Shit in his sandal?" he said with a knowing smirk as he flexed his fist.

"I ripped his heart into pieces, and killed him," I said.

The older man stopped smirking and suddenly looked much more wary.

I smiled. By my estimate, things were going well for my first day on a war front.

Now I just needed to keep my head down and grow stronger.