Chapter 16

The first and most reliable method — a kunai in the back during a mission from a teammate or simply the lack of assistance at a critical moment, leading to another loss of a promising talent. The second method — setting up an ambush during a solo mission and then disappearing without a trace. And the third — just framing and ruining the reputation.

Attempting to poison an experienced Iryo-nin would be something only a complete idiot would try, and removing a Uzumaki Iryo-nin with more chakra reserves than a kage would be no easier than dealing with a biju.

And while our old-timers in the council and the Hokage may be straightforward soldiers who prefer to eliminate potential problems along with their source, suffering from a lack of global thinking and considering their decisions as the ultimate truth, the four old men are by no means idiots and know more ways to kill a person than I have read books in this life.

So, specific methods can only be speculated about, but I know for sure that using the first and third methods is much easier when the victim is a chunin. Unlike jonin, who have more freedom in choosing missions than those lower in the rank hierarchy. According to village laws, each jonin should decide for themselves when they will undertake missions, but they should accumulate at least a dozen C-rank missions or higher per year. It's to avoid putting too much pressure on people while not losing their qualification.

But this is just a formality — if a shinobi wants to eat well, drink well, and sleep sweetly, not to mention other pleasures, they have to work hard and almost snatch the best missions from under others' noses. Chunin can easily be gathered under a jonin's command, and they can't even refuse without a valid reason.

Of course, a busy Iryo-nin won't be bothered, otherwise, you might run into the one-eyed Hyuga and then spend a month eating through a straw and going to the bathroom on a hospital bed, but such a possibility is quite stressful. As for the second method — try catching up with someone with greater stamina, huge chakra reserves, and the ability to sense the source of chakra (not that anyone knows this except Saya) long before their presence is visible and who can move without lingering to cover the team.

So in the next couple of years, I'll have to keep my eyes wide open and watch out for any suspicious activities. If you feel like you're being watched, it doesn't mean you're just paranoid — it might be true! So to speak, it's a professional hazard, without which it's hard to survive in the world of hired assassins.

Of course, one option is to try retiring and fully dedicating yourself to the clan, the hospital, and the shop, but given the upcoming events, it's easier to slit my own throat than wait for the inevitable disaster to visit.

And retiring with less than ten years of service is only for cripples or those who have severely damaged their keirakukei; after all, a shinobi who reaches twenty-five is already considered a veteran and almost an old man, no matter how strange that sounds. If I don't get my rightful tokubetsu jonin vest upon returning from Suna, I'll have to call on Shinesu and allies, who won't be so easy to dismiss.

Sighing, I turned off the water, wrung out my heavy mane of hair, and with a burst of chakra from all my tenketsu, I dispelled the water film from the surface of my body, simultaneously training my control, preparing for future use of Kaiten, and developing all my tenketsu, not to mention instant drying.

Chakra allows for not only miracles but also significantly simplifies the daily life of an inquisitive user. After thoroughly drying my hair with a towel, I put on clean clothes and threw on a robe before heading to the living room. After all the heavy thoughts, I didn't immediately notice that Saya hadn't responded to any of my remarks, which was quite strange.

— Ka-chan, I'm as hungry as a wolf! What's for dinner? — I asked as I entered the living room and immediately stopped in confusion.

Saya was still sitting on the couch sipping tea, paying no attention to me with a completely calm expression on her face. But looking at the seemingly peaceful scene, I could almost feel the impending trouble, and my instincts were screaming danger, without any use of KI.

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