[Island of Steel, North Coast]
On the North Coast, the team of three shinobi had taken shelter in a cave spotted by Yukiko.
Takeshi stood guard, playing with his latest spoils of war while watching over any suspicious movement in the darkness of the night.
[Dark Iron Death Scythe - B-rank
A chained scythe belonging to a Kumogakure shinobi family whose hidden arts allow them to use chained scythes to hurt and bind their targets at the same time, using physical laws to enhance the strength of their blows. This particular heirloom has been forged by a master decades ago with a special ore that allows for efficient chakra diffusion.]
'On the market, this will fetch for hundreds of thousand of Ryô for sure...Maybe I will be able to get some high-rank jutsu on the black market...', Takeshi mused as the promise of wealth and power-up filled his head
Meanwhile, another combat was happening inside the cave.
Yukiko's face was uneasy, her chakra clearly depleted. Yet, her hands were steady, using the mystical palm jutsu, stabilizing Naya's condition.
After a while, she stopped and joined Takeshi to update him on the situation.
"How is she?", Takeshi asked
"She has a big fever...whether she survives the night is depending on her", she muttered
"I guess that's true", Takeshi nodded, "Sleep. I will stand guard during the night"
"But...", Yukiko protested, uneasy about Takeshi taking on the burden after fighting to death with a jonin. He had the least experience, yet had been showing examplary conduct all day long. Even for a genius, this was too much.
"No but. Sleep is the best way to recover chakra. Naya's depending on you", Takeshi said
It would be a shame if Naya were to die. Average talents with high loyalty were rare to find, especially in the platoon under Otuka's commands. Although it was not openly discussed, jonins and clans already held affiliations to specific powers. The coucil of Kirigakure, was, after all, nothing but a council of powerful men with masses supporting each of them.
Naya had the mindset to become strong.
And with him around to teach her, she would become stronger. Missions had already benefitted Biwa in the past, and as long as he completed missions around her, he was pretty sure she would benefit from his presence, even if she did not notice it.
Yukiko's latest development, too, showed potential. The more shinobi loyal to him, the easier it would be for him to seize power in Kirigakure and avoid the tremendous tragedies awaiting the village, and by transitivity, awaiting him.
Hours passed, and Takeshi looked at the brilliant stars in the sky.
It had been a long time since he had come accross this world. It was nothing like the show. Blood everywhere, war everywhere, the fear of dying omnipresent. Yet...despite feeling everything, seeing everything...
He was happier than ever.
Each skirmish ended up with the addictive sounds of his stats going up.
Each training session ended up with proficiency points going up.
Each mission with reputation gains and experience bar filling itself gradually.
It was a game.
A terrifying one, arguably, but an addictive one.
A game called 'life'.
"Thank you", a voice took him by surprise
"Naya! Glad you recovered-", Takeshi said but was cut in the middle by Naya who hugged him from behind.
"I will not forget this debt", Naya muttered.
Looking at his team leader, Takeshi smiled. She was already showing progress...
[Naya Tori - Level 42 Kirigakure Chunin
Relationship status: Excellent]
[Yukiko Anata - Level 24 Kirigakure Genin
Relationship status: Good]
Yukiko had leveled up twice since the beginning of the mission, visibly from the skirmish and operation. As for Naya, she had gained two whole levels, although her condition seemed precarious and her strength probably even lower than Yukiko due to her injuries.
As for Takeshi. He, too, had leveled up.
Looking at his logs, he smiled. There was truly no better place to be than the battlefield.
[Combat Log]
[Recent skirmish have trained your senses. You have earned the perk [Perceptive]]
[You have successfully killed enemies with Suiton No Jutsu: Azure Stream [D]. Your understanding of the jutsu has increased slightly. You have earned 8 points of proficiency]
[You have displayed extraordinary swordsmanship. The skill [Hidden Mist Kenjutsu [C]] increases by 6 points of proficiency]
[Recent battles have increased your strength by 1 point]
[Recent battles have increased your agility by 2 point]
[Recent battles have increased your vitality by 1 point]
[Recent battles have increased your chakra by 1 point]
He was becoming stronger...