"Asuma, have you been reading things you shouldn’t lately? Why would you even think our teacher has that kind of idea?!"
Kurenai Yuhi said indignantly.
Asuma gave a sheepish laugh and lowered his head.
"Ahem, probably read a bit too much about Danzō’s rise to power. Don’t worry about it—it’s definitely Danzō’s fault. So, what do you say? Are you interested?"
Kyoichi asked casually.
Asuma fell into thought. This wasn’t a mission that would last just a few months—it was a long-term assignnt. If he accepted, he might not return to Konoha for quite a while...
After a long pause, he scratched his head in frustration and said, "To be honest, sensei... I’m kind of interested in the Daimyō’s side of things. But if I go, will I be stuck there for a really long ti?"
"That’s a valid concern... but don’t worry, nothing’s finalized yet. We’ll go take a look. If you’re not up for it, that’s fine too. It’s not a big deal."
The plan wasn’t set in stone.
A lot depended on what the Daimyō had in mind. If he was full of grand, ridiculous sches, then even if Kyoichi wanted to help, it might not be feasible.
Shisui stayed silent on the side.
He knew very well that, as a Uchiha, this kind of position wasn’t suitable for him. Besides, right now, he was thriving within the Uchiha clan. There was no need to leave for the Daimyō’s court.
Fugaku’s recent string of moves had significantly damaged his own reputation.
Shisui was still too young to appear frequently in public, but Inahori was a different story—
He was a standout of the younger generation and had now joined the Anbu.
His decisions always seed level-headed and solid.
From every angle, Inahori looked like a better alternative than Fugaku. His reputation was steadily rising.
However—
The truth was, behind Inahori’s rise stood Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui had been advising Inahori all along, coaching him on how to stand out and build influence.
And, of course—
Shisui’s own ideas had been deeply influenced by Kyoichi.
So...
There was no way he was leaving the village. Fortunately, his teacher didn’t plan on making him.
As an Anbu captain, Kyoichi had a few privileges. For instance—
Leaving the village didn’t require official registration.
They could leave straight from the Forest of Death.
...
Outside the forest.
"Sensei... do you think the Daimyō is trying to break away from Konoha?"
Asuma couldn’t hold the question in.
He’d always had thoughts about the relationship between the Daimyō and Konoha. And with his long-standing resentnt toward the Third Hokage, he had originally been more sympathetic to the Daimyō’s side. It was only after being influenced by Kyoichi that his thinking had gradually shifted.
But the current situation made him question things again.
Otherwise...
Why was the Daimyō so eager to get Kyoichi involved?
"No way. The reason the Land of Fire and Konoha beca the foremost among the Five Great Nations and Five Great Villages is because they empower each other. The Daimyō understands full well what a nation looks like without a shinobi village."
Kyoichi shook his head.
Compared to the Land of Water, at least the Fire Daimyō had so sense.
The chaos in the Land of Water wasn’t just Madara’s doing—it was also caused by deep-rooted conflict between the village, the country, and the ruling clans.
anwhile, the Fire Daimyō and the shinobi of Konoha rarely clashed.
Credit went to both Konoha and the Daimyō.
That’s why Tsunade had quietly encouraged Kyoichi to et with the Daimyō, to avoid unnecessary friction.
Konoha wasn’t far from the capital.
Leaving directly from the Forest of Death made it even quicker—barely an hour or two.
On the way, Kyoichi chatted with the three of them.
In terms of natural energy training, Kurenai was making the fastest progress, followed by Asuma.
Shisui was the slowest.
"Sensei... I feel like I’m not cut out for this kind of power. I can sense it, but for so reason I’m just progressing really slowly."
"You’re too smart. Smart people usually struggle to quiet their minds. And you’re not the only one with that problem."
Kyoichi chuckled.
Even Minato hadn’t made a breakthrough yet. Otherwise, there would’ve been word.
Sotis, being clever is a disadvantage.
"So what should I do?"
"Nothing. If it doesn’t suit you, then just leave it. Understanding it is enough—you don’t have to force it. Besides, you have plenty of other options. Do you rember what you were most passionate about when you started?"
"Swordsmanship!"
Shisui answered without hesitation.
That had been his original choice. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu had all co later.
Hearing this...
Shisui thought it over again. His ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and genjutsu still had a lot of room to grow, and he hadn’t pushed the Sharingan anywhere near its limit.
If his natural energy progress was slow, he’d just put it on the back burner. No need to rush. No need to overthink.
Kurenai, in contrast, had a clearer focus. But that was because she had fewer options to begin with, while Shisui’s talent far surpassed both Asuma and Kurenai.
Sotis, having too many choices could be a headache.
After a little over an hour...
The four of them arrived at the capital, and Kyoichi quickly secured an audience with the Daimyō.
Upon seeing Kyoichi again, the Daimyō’s expression was sowhat complicated. He gestured for Kyoichi to sit and dismissed the others before saying with emotion, "Last ti we t, you were just a young jōnin."
"I owe it all to your generous support of Konoha,"
Kyoichi offered the customary flattery.
The Daimyō laughed heartily and shook his head. "There was a ti I regretted not inviting you back to my side... but later, I understood. A genius like you—once you’ve made a decision, there’s no turning back."
At first, he’d viewed Kyoichi as just a promising jōnin and had thought he might be able to win him over.
But the more he learned about Kyoichi’s feats, the clearer it beca: soone like that could never be swayed. If he were, it would an Konoha’s ideological training had completely failed.
"This ti, I didn’t call you here to recruit you for my guard. I want to form my own personal ninja unit to ensure my security. I’ve heard you’re a renowned teaching expert in the shinobi world, so I hoped you could lend a hand."
The Daimyō got straight to the point.
He knew Kyoichi was a busy man—between his strength and position, just getting him to the capital was already a big deal. No need for flowery words.
That was sothing Kyoichi appreciated about him.
Straightforward and efficient.
Not like so other nobles—full of pomp, tangled in ceremony and arrogance—
Even when they were clearly weaker than him.
But...
"Renowned teaching expert"?
Kyoichi almost cracked.
He paused for a few seconds before asking, "And what exactly do you want them to be capable of?"
"Well... they should be able to protect ."
"If that’s all, you can simply request a ninja squad from Konoha. We’d be more than willing to ensure your safety, rather than you having to train a new unit from scratch."
Kyoichi explained.
The Daimyō nodded in agreent.
That was the simplest route—but...
He couldn’t help but feel a bit possessive.
"I want my own personal shinobi team. Loyal to alone. Dedicated entirely to my protection."
"Well, that makes things easier. In that case, the key is to teach them defensive tactics and teamwork—just enough to get you out of danger. That’s the fastest and most efficient thod."
"If you also want them to have combat capabilities, it’s possible, but that takes much more ti and effort."
Kyoichi continued, "In Konoha, for example, students enter the Academy at five and graduate around twelve. But in truth, most start getting trained by their parents at three or four."
"What about recruiting outside ninja?"
"The most important trait for a guardian shinobi is loyalty. Ninja trained in Konoha may not be personally loyal to you, but they’ll certainly protect you. Outsiders... well, you’d have to be extrely cautious in selecting them. Personally, I think the monks from the Fire Temple are a good choice."
Kyoichi said.
Hearing this, the Daimyō’s expression relaxed, and he smiled. "As expected of Kyoichi."
"The Fire Temple’s shinobi monks have a deep-rooted history. They’d never act against you. Their techniques are both defensive and offensive. With so training, they’ll be more than enough to ensure your safety."
Kyoichi said.
"Indeed. I was already considering recruiting one or two from them."
The Daimyō made no effort to hide his intentions.
By this point, Kyoichi understood where this was all going.
So—
He quickly added, "You could train monks from the Fire Temple to be your close guards, while slowly cultivating new guardian ninja. anwhile, you could request one or two squads from Konoha on rotation."
"You seem to understand my thinking perfectly. Why didn’t you oppose it? Instead, you’re even offering a detailed plan?"
The Daimyō looked at Kyoichi with interest.
It wasn’t that the plan was unworkable—
It was too workable!
He hadn’t even thought to divide the roles into close-quarters guards and outer periter defense. He’d just assud one team would handle it all.
But Kyoichi’s frawork was logical and well-organized.
Close-range bodyguards needed to be the most trusted, while the others didn’t have to et the sa standard.
It made perfect sense!
But it was also curious—because from the Daimyō’s perspective, his plan seed sowhat at odds with Konoha’s interests.
"Konoha is essentially the military force of the Land of Fire. It’s primarily responsible for foreign conflicts and maintaining internal order, and it provides rcenary support. Guardian ninja, on the other hand, exist solely to protect the capital. The two don’t conflict."
"Divide the guardians into close-range and broader-support roles. Half of the latter can be trained, and the other half can be rotated in from Konoha. That way, you ensure both loyalty and strength."
It’s basically an imperial guard.
Nothing new...
The Daimyō’s original Twelve Guardian Ninja had been far too rough around the edges. Most of them didn’t even understand their roles properly, and in the end, the whole thing fell apart.
Clearly—
The Daimyō took it all in, then smiled and said, "Quite a few people advised against talking to you, but I’ve always had a good impression of you. Besides, the current Hokage is Tsunade... I’ve always had a good relationship with the Senju, so I don’t think you or she would object."
"How could those people possibly understand the nature of the relationship between Konoha and the Daimyō?"
"Exactly. Your trade caravans have made us a lot of money. I really appreciate this model—multi-party participation with transparent accounting. I trust both your and Tsunade’s capabilities."
The Daimyō gave a casual wave of his fan.
The fact that he could even afford to think this far ahead wasn’t just thanks to the prosperity of the Land of Fire—the revenue brought in by Kyoichi’s caravans played a major role too.
At this point, both sides were more or less on the sa page.
"As for the Konoha squad... pick a few younger ones. Let Asuma bring along the teammates from the last Chūnin Exams—I thought they showed a lot of promise."
Then the Daimyō paused briefly before adding, "There’s one more thing I’d like your help with. There’s a monk from the Fire Temple nad Chiriku—he’s got real talent and is about Asuma’s age. Could I trouble you to take him under your wing for a while?"
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