For Yubi, staying in the Village for so long was about using the Village's resources to enrich himself.
It wasn't just for the sake of carrying out his plan.
By using the accumulation from the early stages of the system, he gained the reputation of a genius, allowing him to obtain assistance he couldn't get while at the Ninja Academy.
This included guidance from an Elite Jōnin like Arai, as well as the ninjutsu scrolls he was currently studying.
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Although he had the system's help, Yubi believed he still needed to lay a solid foundation.
This could be considered a stage of his 'Foundation Establishment'.
"Hand Seals... require a certain level of proficiency to be simplified. Especially the connection and flow with Chakra; once that feeling becomes instinctual... you can reduce the number of seals when performing certain Ninjutsu. With just a simpler initial stance, you can mobilize Chakra... the key lies in the 'response' between the two."
One day, at home.
Yubi put down the ninjutsu scrolls in his hand, lost in thought.
He had gained new insights... through these Ninjutsu, he at least understood the 'connection' between Hand Seals and Chakra better.
During this period, he felt like he was preparing for an exam in his previous life, hardly stepping out the door as he painstakingly studied these ninjutsu scrolls... Fortunately, the Ninjutsu the Village gave him weren't difficult and were relatively basic, which he could attempt and understand at his current level.
"The more I understand the Ninjutsu system, the more I realize the difficulty of this power and its methods... As expected, it's not that simple."
Yubi rubbed his temples and said softly.
"Yubi..."
Just then, a Sunagakure ninja appeared outside the window and called out.
"Sasori... is back."
Seeing him look over, the other person made a gesture.
"Finally back."
Yubi broke into a smile.
Fearing that Sasori would immediately take another mission and leave again after returning to the Village, he had specifically asked the Sunagakure ninja guarding the Village gate to keep an eye out.
"It's also time to leave the Village and continue my growth."
Yubi packed away the pile of ninjutsu scrolls; although he hadn't completely 'analyzed' these Ninjutsu, studying them up to this point was enough.
At the very least, it gave him a clearer understanding of the 'logic' behind Ninjutsu in his mind.
After leaving his house and returning the scrolls to the relevant personnel, Yubi headed straight to the Village's mission distribution point.
He was well-prepared; with the funds obtained from previous missions, he had bought quite a few things at the Village's ninja tool shop.
Especially his custom-made scalpels.
They required special forging... it was quite a lot of work.
Fortunately, he had stayed in the Village long enough this time.
Just as Yubi arrived, he saw Sasori had already taken a mission and was preparing to leave.
"Yo."
Yubi, wearing his Sunagakure combat uniform, raised a hand and called out with a smile.
Sasori saw him too.
"That's not very nice... planning to sneak off alone again? Didn't we say we'd go together before...?" Yubi laughed.
Compared to the last time he met Sasori.
In just a few months, Yubi found that Sasori's entire aura had changed again.
When the two were doing missions at the border, although Sasori was solitary and cold, there was still a sense of youthfulness in his eyes... but now, there was a faint touch of gloom and ruthlessness between his brows.
Standing there, he gave off a tangibly dangerous feeling.
"Uncontainable killing intent..."
Yubi's heart stirred.
He knew that Sasori's gaze wasn't directed at him.
Rather, it was a transformation of anger and negative emotions.
He wanted to kill... to vent his anger.
"What mission did you take?" Yubi asked, stepping forward and ignoring Sasori's coldness.
"Konoha."
Sasori hesitated for a moment before uttering two words.
Sunagakure had already ceased large-scale hostilities with Konoha... in this Ninja World War, the conflict between the two Villages, at least, had ended.
But just as Arai had said, small frictions... still existed.
At a time when the trend was already very clear, Sasori taking a mission related to Konoha was clearly a deliberate choice.
"Details."
Yubi asked.
"Heading to the Land of Grass... Konoha people are fighting Iwagakure over there. We received intelligence about one of Konoha's supply routes... we need to find a way to intercept and kill their support squad," Sasori said coldly.
"Let's go... count me in."
Yubi nodded.
"It requires three people."
Sasori said.
"Yeah... let's wait a bit. They should be here soon," Yubi smiled.
A few minutes later, a familiar figure appeared.
It was Arai.
Upon learning that Yubi was leaving the Village for a mission, Arai immediately set off.
The Village couldn't let two geniuses like Sasori and Yubi go out alone... some form of protection was necessary.
Now that Sunagakure and Konoha had ceased fire, logically, the two kids didn't need to take risks... but training in the Village could never compare to the improvement brought by actual combat.
Looking at the famous figures in the Ninja World, which one of them didn't fight their way up through the tempering of blood and fire?
Therefore... the Third Kazekage and the higher-ups tacitly approved of Yubi going out for experience.
But the prerequisite was ensuring a certain level of safety.
Seeing Yubi and Sasori together, Arai's eyes flickered.
Yubi wanting to go out at this time was indeed because of Sasori... Yubi had already expected Arai's appearance.
Sasori, on the other hand, no longer had that 'familiarity' in his eyes when he saw Arai; instead, it was replaced by an unconcealed indifference.
Clearly, Sasori had issues with the Village's 'ceasefire'.
"Let's talk on the way."
Arai also noticed Sasori's unfamiliarity and distance toward him, and his tone became somewhat stiff.
"Mhm."
Without further questions or small talk, the three of them accepted teaming up again.
Soon, the group of three left the Village.
Taking the route they used to go to the Land of Rain, they headed straight for the Land of Grass.
A day later, the three of them rested at a desert plateau.
As the captain, Arai formed a battle plan after understanding the mission.
"The Konoha route mentioned in the intelligence only has an approximate location. We aren't very familiar with the environment of that battlefield yet, so we must be careful... Before we strike the Konoha people, it's best to be prepared, as we're not yet sure of their numbers or strength."
"Currently, the conflict between our Village and Iwagakure has seen both sides' front lines shrink, and Iwagakure's main force is also dealing with Konoha... but Iwagakure still has some defenses against us. It's unlikely we can enter the Land of Grass through the Land of Earth."
"Therefore, we can only pass through the Land of Rain... to get to the Land of Grass. This mission will likely take a long time."
"Additionally, although our squad has the ability to enter the Land of Rain... the journey through it is also dangerous, so be careful."
"After entering the Land of Rain, find a way to get permits from a merchant caravan, then... disguise ourselves as merchants. It'll be more convenient... or just disguise ourselves as black-market traders. Given the current situation within their borders, inspections shouldn't be too strict."
"The Land of Rain is currently in a state of passive defense; their deployment at the border shouldn't be very strong anymore..."
Yubi looked at Arai and remarked.
"Yes... but their country is currently in chaos. The present Land of Rain was formed almost entirely through expansion, and with the continuous war over the past few years, they've had very little time to develop... So, in a sense, while the Land of Rain appears unified on the surface due to Hanzou's powerful ability and methods, local bosses still exist in various regions. These local forces are in a mess, and some have even spawned many rebel factions..." Arai nodded.
"Their internal conflicts are also very intense... so, you must be careful."
"Understood."
Yubi smiled.