'Right, I got greedy. Some Eternal Mangekyō abilities are downright absurd—how could the system give me a buy-one-get-one-free?' Ryūjin shook his head at himself, a smirk curling on his lips, then moved on without dwelling.
Following the mental training methods from his predecessor's memories, he meditated for another two hours before finally sinking into a deep, restful sleep.
Early the next morning, Ryūjin's body woke automatically as sunlight spilled through the window. There was no concept of sleeping in for him.
'System, Sig…' he almost reflexively wanted to check in, but paused.
The system had said the more special the location, the better the reward. Naturally, Ryūjin wanted something worth his time.
What qualified as 'special' in Konoha?
The Hokage Building, Hokage Rock, the Ninja Academy, the Uchiha Compound, and the estates of the other great clans flashed through his mind.
'Forget it—today I'll test the Hokage Building first.'
A brief hesitation, then he decided. As a member of the Konoha Military Police Force, his patrol covered the entire Village; no one would question him going anywhere.
He wolfed down breakfast, bid his parents goodbye, and reported to duty before setting off. Today, he wore oversized sunglasses—purely precautionary. Should he need to use his Rinnegan, the shades would shield his eyes from prying gazes. Wartime precautions were never excessive.
Heart thudding, he passed the Hokage Building and spoke into the system: 'System, check in at the Hokage Building!'
Ding! Congratulations, host—check-in successful. Reward acquired: Flying Thunder God Technique!
Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God!
Ryūjin's body tingled with excitement. In the history of the Hokage, this was a cheat-level jutsu. With it, he could leave the Village in an instant; no one in the entire Ninja World could stop him—not even Kamui. Better yet, this S-rank technique required no hand seals, pure convenience.
'Haha, with Flying Thunder God, even if I'm only a Genin my safety is guaranteed. If I can't win, I can still run.'
His spirits soared as he continued his patrol.
'All Konoha Military Police personnel, return to HQ immediately for an emergency briefing!'
After a few circuits around the Village, Ryūjin received an urgent summon from headquarters.
'Could the war situation have changed?' he wondered, shrugging. 'I'm just a Genin; if the sky falls, the older ones will hold it up—no need to panic.'
Soon, every officer had assembled. Captain Uchiha Fugaku stood at the front with Body-Flicker Shisui and the top brass. The air was thick with tension.
'According to frontline intel, Iwagakure's main force is advancing through the Land of Grass toward Konoha, likely preparing for an all-out assault. The situation is critical. The Konoha Military Police Force must dispatch reinforcements. We cannot let them cross the Land of Grass.'
'Squads One through Seven will follow me to the front. Squad Eight remains to defend Konoha. Move out—now!' Fugaku ordered.
Ryūjin, in Squad Eight, inwardly rejoiced at being left behind. He could lie low while others went to the front.
Soon, Fugaku led the bulk of the force out, groups of shinobi moving under elite Jonin supervision. Even the Anbu had deployed personnel. Konoha now maintained only the bare minimum for daily defense. Iwagakure had gone all-out; the scale of their assault was daunting.
Ryūjin didn't care. His job was to patrol and stay low, blending in with the tense atmosphere.
Meanwhile, on the western edge of Konoha, inside a small grove—
Crack.
Crack.
The earth shifted like liquid as several heads emerged. Leading them were Tsuchikage Ōnoki, Kitsuchi, and Akatsuchi Fūga. Using a long-buried spy network, eliminating the Barrier Squad, and activating the Earth Dragon Concealment Technique, they had silently infiltrated the Village.
Once the coast was clear, they vaulted fully out of the ground, followed by more elite ninja.
'Excellent—we've infiltrated Konoha. Step one complete,' Fūga whispered, barely containing his excitement.
'Proceed as planned. You three create chaos and draw attention; I will hunt down Hiruzen Sarutobi,' Ōnoki commanded, flying above with his Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique.
'If anything goes wrong, evacuate immediately. When I leave, no one in Konoha can stop me.'
At his order, Kitsuchi and the others flickered away with Body Flicker Technique, scattering through the Village.
Konoha, however, had already entered emergency lockdown an hour prior. The streets were deserted, shops shuttered, doors barred. Seeing this, the Iwagakure ninja allowed themselves quiet satisfaction—the Village had mistaken their feint for the main attack.
'Let's hope this works,' Fūga thought, slipping carefully through the empty streets. 'The Hokage will surely be in the Hokage Building—best start there.'
Ōnoki soared toward the building but nearly collided with someone—a Konoha Military Police patrol. Relief washed over him when he realized it was only a kid.