"You certainly had quite the adventure these last few days…" Kensei said as he looked at his grandson training in the backyard.
"Yeah. I still can't believe it. But I doubt I'd get a mission like that any time soon." Daichi replied as he did another handstand push-up. There were several shadow clones meditating and directing chakra to the seal on the other side as the real one completed the physical training.
"True. Mission like that is a rarity. And a Genin getting such a mission. It's unheard of… How long does your break last?"
"Kakashi sensei gave me 5 days. He said that I should be prepared just in case. Whatever that means…" Daichi replied as he pushed his body up. He had increased the weight on his training clothes to 600kg and was completing his strength and speed training.
Kensei looked at his grandson and his mind came up with a possible answer. 'The Chunin exams are taking place in the Stone village in less than 6 Days. Would Kakashi nominate him? Moreover, will he have two teammates to go along with him?'
Kensei wasn't silent and told Daichi his assumption.
Daichi looked at his grandpa and digested what the old man just told him. 'The Chunin exams huh… I'm strong enough to take anything coming my way but that's if I go alone. Based on Kakashi's personality he might recommend me for it but will the Hokage agree? The exam is in the Stone village so that might be a problem. I don't know how hostile they would be to ninjas from our nation. If the Hokage does decide to send me, then he will have to send me in a team. I'm not sure how I feel about that…'
"I'll make a decision if I'm allowed to attend the exam. Right now I'm just gonna relax and enjoy myself." Daichi replied as he got closer and closer to completing his set.
[+1 Strength]
Daichi looked at the pop up box and frowned. He did 4 more bringing his set to 500 and stopped. He jumped and landed on his feet and went to the nearby tree to meditate. Daichi looked at the increase in stat point and frowned.
'Before starting my training I created shadow clones and had them store their chakra into the Hundred strength seal. And I made sure to use up my remaining chakra to make my physical exercise more demanding. And it paid off. I got an additional 4 in strength, 2 in vitality, 2 in dexterity and 3 in agility. But I only got 1 point increase in the chakra stat.'
Daichi had a theory for a while regarding his stat increase and the training he did for a few days were confirming it. 'It's taking longer and longer to get points in my chakra stat. But it's above 400… But this also means there is a possibility that soon I won't be able to increase my stats at all with training when I reach a certain threshold. After that point I'll only be able to increase my stat with Level up and saved points.'
The boy opened his status page and looked at the saved points. '591 points huh. I've been careful with how I spend them… Hoarding them like a dragon with his gold… But now that I'm a ninja, not using the points could affect me adversely…'
The young Gamer thought on the matter for a little longer and made a decision. 'If I'm indeed selected for the upcoming Chunin exam then I'll add some points to the Chakra stat. I'll need to test my theory and I'll be able to increase my chakra points as well, allowing me to finish the first tier of the seal.'
As Daichi was making plans for his future so was his sensei and the Hokage.
Hokage Tower.
Kakashi and his fellow Jonins with Genin teams were having a meeting with the Hokage. Hiruzen had returned a few days ago from the capital and things were starting to get back to normal.
"Have all of you made a decision regarding your teams?"
"We have Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen nodded. "Those of you who want to nominate your teams please step forward."
A few of the Jonins made a move and then at the last second Kakashi also stepped forward. The silver haired ninja stepping forward indicated that he was nominating Daichi for the exam.
"Oi oi Kakashi, what are you doing? Are you really going to let Daichi participate in the exam at the Stone village?" A Jonin asked with shock.
"Kakashi, don't you think you're moving a bit too fast?" It was Guy who asked this question.
"No. He's ready." The silver haired ninja's confident reply stopped any protest from his fellow ninjas.
Hiruzen didn't speak a word as he looked at the Jonin in front of him. A few seconds later he spoke. "Kakashi, stay. The rest of you are dismissed. Those of you nominated your teams, I'll take them into consideration." The kage said looking at the few sensei who want their Genins to participate in the exams
All the Jonins left the room and soon it was just the copy cat ninja and the Hokage.
Hiruzen took a few moments to gather his thoughts and then addressed the issue. "You are right, Kakashi. Daichi is strong and intelligent enough that he'll most likely pass the exam. But I will have to reject his nomination for this exam."
Kakashi was confused. "If I may ask, why Lord Hokage? If he becomes a Chunin then he'll have more freedom and mobility. It would be difficult for Danzo or Orochimaru to get to him."
"True. But you're forgetting what happened last week."
At that moment the Jonin realized what the Hokage was talking about. "I know that solving that case was a big deal but did it really garner him that much attention."
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes. Now everyone knows that he's not just your student but also Tsunade's apprentice and a talented medic ninja. If we send him into the Chunin exam at the Stone village there will be a lot of eyes on him. And that's not mentioning the lack of team members to participate in the exam. Daichi will most definitely become a target."
"You know he can take care of himself."
"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean something out of his control couldn't happen. Our intelligence have reported that the other villages are gathering information about Daichi. Now whether they just want to know more about their enemy or if they are planning to do something, we can't tell… So I'm rejecting your nomination. And for the moment let him train and improve himself. I'm sure he already has some plans figured out." Hiruzen said.
Kakashi took a breath and nodded. "Yes sir."
The Jonin left the Kage to his thoughts. Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and took his pipe. 'This mission brought Daichi a lot of fame but whether its good or bad… Only time will tell…'
Hiruzen looked through the documents and saw three names among the list submitted for the exam. There were only a few Genin teams participating in the Chunin exam at the Stone village. 'Kabuto Yakushi and his two teammates. They are participating in this exam as well… Since they've been a Genin team for a while, they don't have a Jonin to supervise them. Giving them much more freedom… Hmm. This exam in the Stone village… He must be there to collect intel.'
The kage looked at the request put forth by the Jonins and approved it. He then went through the other documents and frowned as he looked at the location where the next exam was held. 'The next Chunin exam is in that village…' The information written on that village didn't make the Hokage happy.
—-
"Come on…" Daichi concentrated on the bowl a meter in front of him. It was filled to the brim with leaves and Daichi was trying to extract water from it. He had been doing it for hours. Several drops of water were extracted from the leaves, condensed and formed into a small sphere suspended in the air above the bowl with his chakra.
[Skill Water Extraction technique's level has risen by one.]
"Yes. Finally got it to Level 06."
Daichi carefully took the bowl and examined all the leaves. 'No damage. Good.'
Daichi got up and went near the lake in training ground three. He looked at the flowing water and let out a small breath. "Soon…"
As he stood there enjoying the calm atmosphere his senses alerted him to his teacher's presence.
"You're only an hour late. That's a surprise…" Daichi said with a smile as he looked at Kakashi.
"Well, I couldn't keep my cute Genin waiting too long." The Jonin said with a shrug.
Daichi was silent for a while and then decided to ask his question. "Will I be participating in the coming Chunin exam?"
Kakashi looked at his student and then sighed. 'Of course he'd ask that.'
"Unfortunately no. There wasn't a team with an open spot available and given the mission we just completed it was decided that it would be best for you to just lay low for a while."
Daichi nodded at that. "Next time then…"
"Are you disappointed?"
"Why? I'm not exactly in a hurry. And this gives me time to train and get stronger."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. "Most people who take early graduation try to take the earliest Chunin exam available…"
"You forget sensei, I could have graduated a lot sooner or I could have skipped a grade in the academy but I didn't do it because I wanted to be ready and as strong as possible. And now that I'm Genin there's a lot I need to do. So missing one or two exams doesn't really bother me, because it doesn't stop me from improving myself. And I will also have more mission experience under the guidance of a capable leader like you."
The Jonin sensei nodded with that sentiment. "Well then what do you say we get some missions."
"Sure thing sensei."
—-
"You know, when you said we had some missions this isn't exactly what I had in mind." Daichi said with a twitch in his eye as he held several dog leashes.
Daichi and his teacher were taking the pets to the Inuzuka compound. A D Rank mission Pet delivery mission. They were tasked with collecting the dogs and getting them to the compound.
"This is the perfect time to relax Daichi. You need to take some rest and do simple things…" Kakashi then looked at his student and asked. "Did you really have to place them in a Genjutsu?"
Daichi looked at his sensei with some annoyance. "They tried to bite me. And besides it's just a harmless Genjutsu. And this way they behave till they reach the place and I get to improve my illusion skills. A win-win for everyone."
The Jonin shrugged and soon they reached their destination. They handed over the pets and got the mission completion slip.
That's how it went for Daichi. He would train his body and improve his chakra stat. Daichi would also spend time working on improving the third step of Nature transformation training. And every two or three days Kakashi would take Daichi to complete a D Rank mission.
—-
Somewhere in Fire country.
It was the middle of the night. In a small inn somewhere in Fire Nation a meeting was taking place between two people. They looked ordinary in appearance and nothing about them stood out.
One handed a small pouch to the other and collected a scroll in exchange.
"So this will work?" The man asked his companion as he took the pouch.
"Yes. Definitely. This is custom made. Just as you wanted. It will work and it won't be traced." The other man replied.
The first man nodded and spoke. "Payment is all there. I'll take my leave then."
The second man opened the scroll and verified the contents and soon left the place. He traveled through the forest and soon reached his house near the capital.
As he entered his home a voice came from the shadows.
"Is it done?"
The unnamed man nodded. "Yes. The item is delivered on schedule and payment has been received." The man handed the scroll to the appendage that appeared out of the shadows.
"Good. I'll activate you when I need you again."
The man suddenly fell unconscious and a few minutes later opened his eyes again. He slowly got up and checked himself. "Oh man. I must have blacked out. I have got to stop drinking so much."
He went about his business as if nothing had happened.
Nearby the man's home a blond was waiting for his partner. He was wearing a black cloak with red clouds. He soon saw the one he was waiting for headed his way.
"Yo Sasori. What took you so long my man? I was getting bored."
"Calm down Deidara. I told you I went to meet with one of my spies. And I'm not late just as I said." The man identified as Sasori spoke.
"Yeah yeah. So is it done?" Deidara asked his partner.
"Yes. Business is done. And we have the payment." Sasori extended his tail and handed the scroll to his partner.
"Well then let's get this to Kakuzu. He's the one who handles the money after all…" Deidara said.
With a grunt, Sasori agreed and both of them moved through the forest. Sasori and Deidara. Two S Rank missing ninjas. And members of the Akatsuki organization.