Minato was wearing the standard flak jacket of a chunin.
In contrast, Seisui, Uchiha Haru, and Uzumaki Kushina had at least some sense of style — all three wore sleek, black combat uniforms.
Seisui's sharp voice caused the nearby Genin to back away instinctively.
A few jonin stood nearby, each with their own team of students waiting to depart. When they heard Seisui speak, they turned to look in curiosity.
Unlike the average Genin and chunin, most jonin already knew who Seisui was — after all, he was Jiraiya's disciple. The impression he left during the last chunin Exams was… unforgettable.
"Oh, it's them," one jonin murmured, scratching his head.
"Sensei, who are they?"
"They're so arrogant!"
One of the students frowned, unimpressed, but another tugged on his sleeve and whispered nervously, "Don't say that — that's the Red-Hot Habanero!"
"Uh…"
The complainer instantly deflated.
They had just graduated this year, but Kushina was the infamous senior from the previous class the short-tempered redhead whose fists spoke louder than words. Ever since they'd entered the Academy, they'd grown up hearing the legend of Uzumaki Kushina, the Red-Hot Habanero of Konoha.
Seeing their reactions, the leading jonin chuckled softly.
"You kids better take them as your example. You might not recognize them, but you've definitely heard of them."
"Entered the Academy at six, graduated at six, became chunin at seven — the Little Sannin of Konoha."
He nodded toward Seisui's group.
"That's them."
"You're joking, right?" one of the students gasped, eyes widening as they stared at Seisui, Minato, and Uchiha Haru.
"This is no joke," the jonin replied, shaking his head.
"With their talent… three years later, I might not even be able to beat them."
He sighed quietly. Finally made jonin, and yet I've already been surpassed by a bunch of kids…
Glancing at his students, he smiled.
"Alright, that's enough gossip. As long as you work hard, you can get close to their level someday!"
"My father mentioned them," said a girl with the Gunbai Uchiwa on her back. She glanced at Seisui before focusing on Haru, her eyes shining with admiration.
"Especially Miss Haru. Her strength is said to rival the strongest of the previous generation. The jonin in our clan can't even last a single move against her."
She clenched her fists, her eyes sparkling.
"I'd be happy just to follow behind her."
Her expression was almost fanatical — like one of those brainless celebrity fans.
Uchiha Haru was the granddaughter of Uchiha Setsuna, the clan's Great Elder. Naturally, that made her the Uchiha clan's young lady of the main line.
Unlike the Hyuga, the Uchiha were divided into several factions and branches.
Setsuna led one of those branches, giving Haru a status nearly equal to Fugaku's — the only difference being that Fugaku held the title of Clan Head, while the Great Elder's faction was outside his authority.
It was a structure that had gradually formed after Madara Uchiha's departure.
Noticing the young girl's gaze, Haru turned her head. Seeing the familiar fan symbol on the girl's back, she blinked in surprise, then gave a polite nod.
"Ah!"
"Miss Haru looked at me!"
"She's so kind!"
The girl clasped her face, squealing in delight.
Her teammates and teacher exchanged helpless looks.
"What's up, Haru?" Seisui noticed her movement and glanced over.
Seeing the group watching them, he nodded politely in greeting.
"Nothing," Haru said softly. "Just a girl from my clan."
Seisui nodded, satisfied.
At that moment, a samurai approached, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"We're the caravan heading to the Land of Hot Water. My master is waiting over there."
He pointed toward the corner, where a merchant caravan rested.
"Got it, let's go," Seisui replied, not bothering to question why a samurai was here. Merchants often hired them as guards to fend off bandits — it was common enough.
Following him to the caravan, Seisui spotted a plump man dressed in expensive silks.
"You're Yamashita Tetsu?" he asked, unrolling the mission scroll and comparing the name.
"That's you, right?"
"Yes, yes, that's me," the fat merchant nodded, then frowned slightly.
"There's no jonin leading your team?"
Seisui chuckled coldly.
"A jonin? For a C-rank mission like this?"
"If we weren't heading to the Land of Hot Water anyway, do you really think we'd bother escorting you?"
Tetsu's words had already told Seisui enough — the man was new to hiring ninja.
Anyone with experience knew that jonin led the elite, the future pillars of the village. Most escort missions were led by chunin, with Genin or recent graduates under supervision.
"But last time we had a jonin and three Genin!" Tetsu protested.
"If there's no jonin, I want to change teams!"
"Are you sure about that?" Seisui's eyes narrowed slightly.
Behind him, Haru silently gripped her war fan, and Minato idly tossed a tri-pronged kunai into the air — playing with it, yet radiating quiet danger.
Even Kushina, usually cheerful, crossed her arms and pretended to be angry.
The air grew heavy
Seisui's aura began to spill out, pressing down on everyone around him.
Tetsu's face broke into a cold sweat. His samurai guards drew their swords — but their trembling hands betrayed their fear.
"Th-this pressure…!"
"So this is the power of ninja?!"
"They're monsters!"
"They must be elite from the Leaf!"
All around, onlookers whispered and backed away.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed as he watched the scene through his crystal ball.
"Honestly… what a fool."
He was about to send someone to explain the situation when he saw Tetsu's expression change completely.
"M-Misunderstanding! Total misunderstanding!" the merchant stammered.
"I completely trust your strength, truly!"
Hearing that, Seisui smiled again, the oppressive air vanishing in an instant. Haru and the others also relaxed as if nothing had happened.
Tetsu wiped the sweat off his face, exhaling in relief. Ninja really are unreasonable…
If not for the long journey ahead — and his doubts about whether mere samurai could protect him — he never would've hired them in the first place!
But when he caught Seisui's faint, knowing smile, his stomach dropped.
Seisui wasn't using his Mind's Eye of the Kagura all the time, but for situations like this, he kept it open — combining it with Kurama's sense of good and evil. It allowed him to perceive not only emotions, but intent.
If he'd felt even a flicker of malice from the man, he would've killed him on the spot.
But Tetsu, at worst, was just arrogant — not malicious.
Seisui could read him clearly: thinks ninjas are disposable tools, swears never to hire them again. Typical.
He looked at Haru, Minato, and Kushina, and sighed inwardly.
The shinobi world is so absurd…
They had computers, but still used oil lamps for light.
They had guns, but still clung to samurai.
Even during the Fourth War, when the world was ending, the feudal lords were still somewhere playing mahjong.
Completely ridiculous.
Despite their strength, most ninja — even the powerful ones — were treated as mere tools by the rich and noble.
Worse yet, many ninja themselves accepted that fate.
In a proper world, with real power, no one would ever dare stand above me, Seisui thought with a faint grin.
He turned back to the merchant and smiled.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, let's move."
"O-of course!" Tetsu replied quickly, wiping more sweat. He wasn't stupid — even if these ninja were short-tempered, they were definitely powerful. With them as escorts, his goods would be safe.
The caravan was large but orderly. Within minutes, they were ready to depart.
Once outside the village, Seisui hopped up onto a carriage roof and sat down casually. Haru followed, landing beside him.
Below them were tightly packed crates covered with cloth — sturdy enough to sit on.
Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance, then leapt onto another wagon.
Who'd walk when you can ride?
Seeing this, Tetsu didn't complain. Everything was packed safely, and if the ninja sat up high, they could watch the surroundings — that only made the escort more secure.
Satisfied, he climbed into his own carriage while his samurai took the reins.
As the caravan rolled on, Haru turned toward Seisui curiously.
"Doesn't this kind of travel lose money? They have to pay guards, feed their men, hire ninja, and still go sell their goods themselves."
Haru had never needed to think about money — whenever she needed any, her grandfather provided it. So she asked honestly, trusting Seisui would know.
Seisui chuckled softly.
"If they weren't making a profit, they wouldn't be doing it."
He tapped one of the crates beneath him.
"The goods in these boxes will earn them plenty."
He paused, then added a simple example.
"Tell me, Haru — do you think goods cost the same in the Land of Wind and the Land of Water?"
Haru thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Maybe… about the same?"
"Low buy, high sell," Seisui said, smiling. "The Land of Wind is one of the Five Great Nations, but most of it is desert. Water there is scarce — and expensive. The Land of Water, as the name implies, has it in abundance."
"If water costs one ryō per bottle in the Land of Water, then it might cost a hundred ryō in the Land of Wind."
"Sell one or two bottles, sure, it's nothing. But sell hundreds or thousands — and they'll make a fortune."
"The profit margin is far greater than you'd imagine."
Haru nodded thoughtfully.
"So they're earning from the price difference?"
"Exactly," Seisui replied. "It's all trade and flow of goods."
He looked off toward the horizon, his tone turning wry.
"Of course, that's all fine — as long as it stays balanced. But if one country lets merchants and financiers control everything… that's when it becomes terrifying."
The caravan moved slowly — painfully slowly.
If it were just Seisui and his team, they could reach the Land of Hot Water in three or four days.
With the merchant caravan, it took over a week — and they still weren't there yet.
Still, Seisui and the others weren't in a hurry.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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