Chapter 75 - Exchange - Life Force

"Teacher, we've supported a local wealthy merchant under the guise of rogue ninjas. We've secured our foothold and will soon be able to gradually control Wave Country."

Shiso gave a mission update but couldn't hide his confusion.

Just when they were about to secretly take over Wave Country, Danzo had recalled them at this critical moment.

"Teacher must have his reasons."

Sakumo said indifferently.

"One base is enough for now. This isn't the right time to directly control Wave Country."

Danzo coldly stated.

"Yes!"

Mission completion was every ninja's sacred duty.

They had their doubts, but swallowed them without a word.

"In some time comes the Chunin Exams. Prepare yourselves and participate as a team of three."

Danzo casually added.

"The Chunin Exams?"

Sakumo was momentarily surprised, then thought for a second. Looks like the time was actually coming up soon enough.

"Has Akaba returned too? That explains it. Then we'll head out then."

A flicker of joy flashed across Shiso's face before he buried it again. He bowed deeply as he spoke.

"Go."

Danzo waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

However,

As soon as Shiso and Sakumo left, he let out a cold snort, glaring toward the Hokage Tower.

"Had it not been for The Third, Wave Country would already be ours!"

"The Root organization must be established!"

Danzo's eyes gleamed with cold laughter.

In his view, The Third's policies were far too weak—passively waiting for enemies to attack.

Peace?

With the Five Great Nations split apart, how could there ever be peace!

"The latest chapter features Sakumo. Looks like Akaba's been enjoying himself all this time."

Shiso said somewhat enviously.

Wave Country was an island nation surrounded by sea. The two of them had spent days exposed to the ocean winds, their skin noticeably darker than before.

"Beat him and show him who's boss."

"That's right. His leisure really gets on my nerves."

"I just passed one thousand points after a good nap! Excellent, I can exchange for an ability now!"

Akaba yawned lazily after a refreshing nap.

The shadow clone beside him had already vanished, but several manuscripts lay scattered on the ground, proof that the comic sidekick had worked hard today.

Ninjutsu truly was a convenient technique!

After a sigh, Akaba opened the list and selected "Semi-Sage Body Constitution."

"With only one thousand points, I have to go for the most critical ability first. What I need most now isn't chakra or sensing—it's life force."

After a moment of contemplation, he made his decision.

Exchange for life force!

One thousand points vanished, and instantly he felt his body rapidly changing.

First, his physical strength jumped by 10 points, bringing his total Physical Strength to 40. More importantly, he felt completely revitalized—entirely different from his previous weak and feeble state.

"This really is an excellent constitution."

The Sakuma and Gekko clans lacked nothing more than physical constitution, and now Akaba had filled that gap.

All his hard work during this time hadn't been in vain after all.

Hmm?

Suddenly, he caught a faint sound from outside the window.

Someone climbing through the window again?

Akaba frowned, picked up a piece of paper, and drew a few quick strokes on it.

While performing the technique, suddenly the window flung open and a figure swiftly darted inside.

Instantly, his hair shot up in an instant.

A blade!

He quickly formed the hand seals and activated the Substitution Jutsu.

"Bang!"

After the crisp sound, that figure immediately vanished, leaving behind only a pile of chair fragments slashed apart by the sword.

"Uncle, someone has broken in again upstairs!" came the anxious voice of a little girl from downstairs.

"It must be Akaba's friend coming to look for him again. No need to worry." Sakuma Chiaki replied habitually.

"Yeah, his friends are really weird. They're always into climbing in through windows." Saiki softly laughed, clearly not bothered by the commotion upstairs.

"Is that true?" the little girl said doubtfully while curiously glancing at the second floor.

Second floor—Akaba's room.

"Hey, don't do such dangerous tests next time—you nearly got yourself killed just now," Akaba said, putting away his kunai and releasing the Genjutsu cast upon Shiso.

"I didn't expect your Taijutsu improved this much; I couldn't even react." Shiso held his throat painfully.

Even though he had already exited the illusion, the pain of having his throat pierced by the kunai still felt extremely real.

"Not just Taijutsu."

Sakumo looked at Akaba, then at the shattered remains of the chair on the ground.

Hand seal speed—too fast!

"Sakumo, we really have that much hatred? If it weren't for my substitution technique, you'd have actually killed me!" Akaba said with exasperation.

"No, I just felt like I wouldn't hit you anyway, so I attacked." Sakumo's response was straightforward.

"You two actually don't hate each other? Look at Kakashi—he passed out after using only a few Ninjutsu! That's too pathetic!" Shiso chimed in provocatively.

"Hmm."

A simple, direct answer as Sakumo sheathed his blade, shooting a cold glare.

"Erm… Let's skip these details." Clearing his throat, Akaba sat down on the bed, showing no intention whatsoever of offering them seats—who let them destroy his beloved chair anyway!

"Yeah, yeah, better ignore details altogether." Shiso nodded in agreement.

"Have you two been on missions recently?"

"Yeah, but we can't tell you what mission exactly." Shiso sat cross-legged on the floor, helping clean up the chair debris as he spoke.

Looks like it's Danzo's job.

All missions in Konoha were public and transparent, nothing worth hiding. Moreover, their personalities seemed somewhat different than before—it must've been some sort of very oppressive infiltration mission.

Akaba didn't press further, simply asking, "So, why did you ambush me then?"

"Heh, naturally to test your strength!"

"The Chunin Exams."

They answered one after another, providing a clear and straightforward explanation together.

Akaba paused, recalling only afterward that the Third had mentioned the Chunin Exams earlier that morning.

"Yeah. Since there're twice annually, where will this one be held?"

Shiso hesitated halfway through speaking, embarrassedly glancing at Sakumo.

"Land of Wind, Sunagakure." Sakumo shot him a sidelong glance before answering irritably.

Sunagakure?

Akaba grimaced inwardly.

Doesn't that mean we have to leave the village again, head overseas, and go all the way to the extremely arid Land of Wind?

"Forget it. Sensei said we must participate."

Shiso said lazily.

Sakumo hesitated for a moment—he knew clearly that Danzo hadn't actually said that.

Still, in any case, Akaba's unreasonable request would be impossible for either Danzo or The Third to accept.

"A Chunin Exam is more than just personal achievement."

"That's true," Akaba exhaled deeply.

The Chunin Exams were often just another battlefield where ninja villages showed off their strength. And to take the exam, one had to participate as a team. If he didn't go, it meant Sakumo and Shiso wouldn't be able to participate either.

He didn't care much about the Chunin title itself, but—

"Fine," Akaba said. "I'll treat it like a trip. I've never actually seen a desert before—even at my age."

Whether in his past life or this one, he'd never seen a real desert—only glimpses of one in photos.

Thinking about it this way, it didn't seem quite so bad after all.

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