Those who raise crows

Although only 1 person wrote a review there were a few who sent power stones so i still decided to release more chapter today.

If i see more support through out the week i'll try too take out some more space out of my days and put more effort to release more chapters.

20/25 chapters today.

Happy reading.

——-

The Daimyō?

Asuma's eyes widened in surprise.

Such an important mission—no wonder it required two jōnin.

But.

With the three of them…

Wouldn't they just hold them back?

Asuma hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Kyōichi, how should we divide the tasks?"

Minato asked as they ran, glancing over at him.

"You and Asuma will protect the Daimyō. I'll handle things on my own as needed. If you're tied up, the other three will follow Asuma's lead. Everyone listens to Asuma's commands."

Kyōichi didn't hesitate.

These three only had two and a half brains between them.

From the second exam, it was clear that Aoba couldn't command Obito, so Asuma had to take charge.

Obito wanted to argue.

But.

He had heard about Asuma's performance in the Chūnin Exams.

Brave and fierce!

If it weren't for saving his teammates, he wouldn't have been eliminated.

Compared to that, he himself seemed…

Sigh!

Obito sighed softly.

Neither Minato nor Kyōichi tried to comfort him.

This kid only remembered the good times and forgot the bad. If they tried to console him now, he'd probably forget the lessons from the Chūnin Exams soon enough.

However.

Asuma was quite excited.

Kyōichi's expression turned strange.

Kid, you're the Hokage's son. Why are you acting like meeting the Daimyō is like meeting your idol?

Isn't that embarrassing?

The key point was.

They hadn't even met him yet!

On the road from Konoha to the capital, the prosperity of the towns was evident.

"This road connects Konoha and the capital. The closer we get to wartime, the more bustling it becomes."

"I can see that."

Kyōichi nodded.

There were a lot of people!

Not just merchants, but also many wealthy individuals who had fled inland. 

Now that the war had subsided, they were traveling west in carriages and on horseback, carrying their wealth with them.

Some had even hired Konoha ninja as escorts.

Asuma couldn't take his eyes off them.

"If you like any of the girls, have your old man propose for you."

Kyōichi teased as he ran alongside him.

Asuma's face turned red, and he quickly defended himself, "No, I just feel sorry for them…"

"Sorry for them? They're not pitiful. These people have a lot of money. When war breaks out, they can hire people to protect them and escape. There are many more who can't even run away."

Kyōichi shook his head.

In this shinobi world, he wasn't even sure if he could survive himself. How could he spare the energy to care about these people?

Asuma was speechless.

It was true.

These people were wealthy, at least they could escape.

Along the way, he didn't say much more, but his gaze kept observing the passersby, gradually understanding the meaning behind Kyōichi's words.

Those who could make it this far were mostly the wealthy.

During wartime, bandits roamed everywhere. Without money to hire ninja, many would be killed on the road. These people were indeed luckier than most.

In comparison, many people's lives were not their own to control—including ninja.

With their speed, they soon reached the capital.

"Minato, you go meet the Daimyō. I'll stay outside in case of any unexpected situations."

"Alright."

Since Minato would be accompanying the Daimyō later, it made sense for him to go in and meet him first.

Kyōichi wasn't interested in stealing the spotlight.

He played with a kunai, observing the surroundings outside the mansion.

The capital wasn't particularly dangerous.

Generally, ninja wouldn't cause trouble within the city. Otherwise, ninja would be assassinating enemy Daimyō every day, and no nation could withstand that.

It was an unspoken rule.

However.

Once they left the capital, things were uncertain. Who knew if some "rogue ninja" might break the rules and cause trouble, especially now that the war had just ended and the situation was still chaotic.

But.

Kyōichi suspected that this might be the Hokage's way of setting a trap.

"Kyōichi-sensei, could you… um…"

Yamashiro Aoba stammered, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Clearly.

He wanted to ask Kyōichi for guidance.

During the Chūnin Exams, although he had voluntarily given up to cover for Might Guy, he still felt uneasy about it.

Not being able to keep up with Might Guy was one thing.

But losing to Obito? That was hard to accept.

At the academy, Obito's nickname had always been "dead last," largely due to his terrible academic performance dragging him down. Aoba had always looked down on him.

Yet.

He couldn't even match Obito.

During the exam, Obito and Might Guy had run wild, and he couldn't keep up, trailing behind like a fool. Thinking about it now, he still felt ashamed.

Today, on this mission, seeing Kyōichi reminded him of his academy days, and he couldn't help but ask for advice.

But…

He was afraid Kyōichi would scold him.

"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you. Sit."

Kyōichi patted the stone bench beside him.

Aoba sat down.

Asuma felt a bit envious. His sensei never spoke to him so gently. As for Obito…

He had no idea what it felt like to have a proper conversation with Kyōichi.

Especially after graduation.

Basically, every time he met Kyōichi, it was never pleasant, but he also knew that Kyōichi cared for him.

It was so contradictory!

"Your performance in the Chūnin Exams was actually quite good. If it weren't for your lack of strength, you might have had a chance this time…"

"Sensei, what about me? What about me?"

Obito perked up at the mention of the Chūnin Exams.

As soon as he spoke.

The other three looked at him, their expressions…

They didn't say anything, but the insult was clear.

"What do you mean by that!"

Obito was furious.

"Obito, if you had just listened to Aoba's commands, your team's strength wouldn't have led to elimination. You could say Aoba was dragged down by you."

"It's my fault for not being strong enough to keep up with them."

Aoba quickly explained.

"See? That's how you do it."

Kyōichi smiled.

Obito was furious but couldn't find a way to refute.

Asuma, seeing Aoba's expression, quickly said, "Sensei, you haven't finished talking about Aoba's issues yet."

"No rush, we'll have plenty of time to talk on the road. But since we have some time now, I'll say a few things."

Actually, Kyōichi had been trying to recall.

He couldn't quite remember Aoba's abilities.

Now he remembered some of it.

He raised crows!

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I remember your family raises crows, and you have your own secret techniques, right?"

"Yes."

Aoba nodded.

"Have you considered crow-based genjutsu?"

Kyōichi asked.

He vaguely remembered that Aoba's genjutsu wasn't weak. Even Kabuto's genjutsu hadn't been able to take him down, and he could directly read memories.

This showed that his mental strength was quite strong.

"Genjutsu?"

"Yes, your family's crows are quite impressive. Why not develop more techniques that work with them? Also, your taijutsu needs improvement. It's holding you back too much."

Aoba was a lot like Kyōichi.

He could do a bit of everything, but not particularly well.

However.

Thanks to the system and the books from the Senju clan and the Hokage, Kyōichi had gradually filled in many of his weaknesses. Aside from system rewards, he also trained daily to improve his taijutsu.

Aoba hadn't done the same.

He saw himself more as a support role—gathering intelligence, providing cover, and so on.

Very clear!

But his current taijutsu level was too poor, even worse than Obito's. It was downright embarrassing.

Besides.

If you're raising crows, why not play around with genjutsu and cosplay a bit?

"Think about it. As a ninja, the most dangerous thing is being satisfied with the status quo and stopping your progress."

Kyōichi patted his shoulder.

Then.

He stood up, facing the Daimyō's mansion.

Minato came out.

The Daimyō naturally didn't set off immediately after the meeting. He still needed to finalize the timing and discuss the travel plans.

However.

Since they had been notified in advance, the process was relatively quick.

In the afternoon, the Daimyō sent word—

They could depart.