Chapter 122: Rumors Of The Assessment System
Koizumi Chisa raised her hand wanting to say something more, but Miqu’s figure was already nowhere to be seen.
She hated it so much. Why was she so weak? Every night she was exhausted early and fell asleep, never discovering Miqu’s true appearance.
She should have guessed it earlier. Miqu was not some rogue ninja.
How could a rogue ninja master such obscure knowledge as hydroelectric power?
But was Miqu really a Rain Ninja Anbu?
Was the name Miqu even real?
A large group of samurai and Koizumi Chisa’s maid caught up.
The maid saw that Miss Koizumi Chisa was unhurt and breathed a sigh of relief: “Miss, hurry back to Kyoto. Kyoto has Konoha Guardian Ninja. Konoha is at war with Hidden Sand Village, and everywhere outside Kyoto is too dangerous.”
“Good, let’s go back and continue the foundation ceremony.”
“Ah? The foundation ceremony still needs to proceed?”
“Proceed! The hydroelectric power station is an important facility in Kyoto, Land of Rivers. It must be completed!” Koizumi Chisa rubbed her reddened eyes and said with firm resolve:
“Even in wartime, the Land of Rivers Daimyo family must maintain basic decorum.
Kyoto, Land of Rivers cannot fall into darkness or return to the Warring States Period of lighting candles.
Request a Konoha Guardian Ninja to come to the dam and ensure the dam’s construction.”
Seeing Miss Chisa so determined, the maid had no choice but to send samurai to deliver the message.
Several hours later, the dam foundation ceremony resumed.
Koizumi Chisa stood on the presidium, looking at the craftsmen reduced by half, lowering her head to examine the blueprint personally drawn by Miqu, and spoke again:
“Ladies and gentlemen nobles, ladies and gentlemen craftsmen, the Kyoto Hydroelectric Power Station foundation ceremony officially begins.
The hydroelectric power station is the project most valued by Lord Daimyo, which will solve the power shortage caused by insufficient coal burning···”
—
Yoru and Aries Squad circled around the Border of the Land of Rivers, skirting along the border southward, returning to the Front Line Camp.
Yoru first checked on Purple Cat Squad and Flower Deer Squad. Fortunately, in the half month since he left, neither squad had any deaths.
The missions assigned to their two squads were all surveillance missions within the camp.
The Leaf Ninja were also pitiful. Hokage did not trust them and monitored them at all times.
Yoru entered the Kiiroinu Captain’s tent and reported to the captain:
“Captain, the target nobles Great General of the Left Imperial Guard and Minister of the Palace have anticipated the risk of me defecting to Hidden Sand Village.
One stays in Tenshu Castle, the other in the Grand Council, secluded and not going out.
I had to spend some time luring them out of Kyoto, disguising as Rain Ninja Anbu, and successfully assassinated the two without causing much property damage or casualties in the Land of Rivers.
The Land of Rivers Daimyo has no pretext to make trouble.”
Kiiroinu Captain nodded, took the mission scroll and quickly scanned it, saying, “You did well, Fox.”
He set down the scroll, picked up another, and said: “Here’s a new mission, even more tricky. You’ll handle it.”
Yoru thought to himself, this was the rhythm of the battlefield—no chance to even catch a breath, one mission after another.
It might also be that he had delayed too much time in Kyoto, Land of Rivers, causing a backlog of missions in Kiiroinu Battalion.
Taking the scroll, Yoru saw the mission was to rescue a Shimura Clan chunin during the prisoner exchange ceremony.
Prisoners were rare in ninja village wars. In the half month since the war started, Konoha side had 5 captured, Sand Ninja side had 4 captured.
Sand Ninja proposed exchanging prisoners.
But the problem was, after Konoha captured Sand Ninja, they were directly sent to the Land of Earth for Root’s Agent A, that is Orochimaru, to conduct experiments.
Orochimaru was extremely short on test subjects.
Orochimaru liked to use at least fifty test subjects at a time for control groups in his experiments.
He was too brutal; it wasn’t experimenting, it was a survival game.
Konoha side had no prisoners in hand, so prisoner exchange couldn’t be completed, thus Anbu had to go to the prisoner exchange ceremony to snatch the target.
Yoru asked: “Captain, the mission scroll says to rescue the Shimura Clan chunin. What about the other four prisoners?”
“Rescue them if possible.”
Yoru said: “Oh, understood. That means rescue if possible, but not mandatory.”
Kiiroinu Captain nodded. Fox’s comprehension was still very strong. Kiiroinu said:
“This Shimura Clan chunin advanced recklessly to complete a mission and was captured by Sand Ninja. He must be rescued.”
Yoru asked: “Why did he advance recklessly?”
Shimura Clan ninja were practically half-celestials now; no need to be so desperate.
Kiiroinu said:
“This Shimura Clan chunin has a clansman elder brother serving as strategist in headquarters.
During a chat with him, that clansman elder brother let slip that Deputy Commander Sakumo Hatake and Commander-in-Chief Kakuno Clan Head had a disagreement over one matter, with no resolution in the end.
Sakumo Hatake said they should take advantage of this Land of Rivers war to trial an examination system for ninja positions on the front line.
A chunin squad leader who leads the team to execute 2 A-rank missions and 20 B-rank missions will be recommended by headquarters to become special jonin.
A special jonin squad leader who leads the team to execute 2 S-rank missions and 20 A-rank missions will be recommended by headquarters to become jonin.
After hearing this rumor, this Shimura Clan chunin wanted to rush ahead and complete an extremely difficult A-rank mission, so he advanced recklessly and was captured.”
Such clear promotion conditions—not just ordinary ninja, even Yoru himself was tempted.
After becoming Anbu Squad Leader, Yoru had completed 1 S-rank mission, 3 A-rank missions, and numerous B-rank missions.
The death of Kato Dan was internally rated by Anbu as an S-rank mission.
Assassinating the Land of Rivers Great General of the Left Imperial Guard and Minister of the Palace was an A-rank mission.
During the Nine-Tails transfer seal, following Kiiroinu Captain under the Nine-Tails to protect Whirlpool Princess, it was rated an A-rank mission.
The investigation in the Land of Rain of Hidden Sand Village’s intelligence at Ji Gang Mountain Range was rated an A-rank mission.
In the early days as a team member, missions like the Land of Whirlpools mission and the Battle of Ushi-ga Mountain had smaller contributions from him, rated B-rank.
According to the examination system Sakumo Hatake mentioned, he wasn’t qualified to become jonin yet, but the goal was clear.
As long as he kept completing missions, one day he would become jonin, qualify to attend jonin meetings, and enter the village’s elite stratum.
“Captain, the rumor about the examination system hasn’t spread widely, right?”
“No, it was just one disagreement in the headquarters tent. That Shimura chunin deserved it for prying into headquarters secrets and ending up suffering.”
After leaving Kiiroinu Captain’s tent, Yoru went to learn about the battlefield situation.
The situation in the Land of Rivers war was very unclear.
Hidden Sand Village had dispatched over 3500 Sand Ninja, while the Konoha Land of Rivers Front Line Camp had only 2000 ninja.
Puppet masters could control multiple puppets, with combat power equivalent to two or three people.
Konoha was simultaneously maintaining wars in the Land of Earth and Land of Rivers, while also guarding against the restless Hidden Mist Village.
After Third Mizukage died in Hidden Whirlpool Village, they had been unable to select a Fourth Mizukage acceptable to all sides, with fierce internal conflict; Hidden Mist Village was temporarily governed by Elder Yuan Shi.
Anbu intelligence showed that Hidden Mist Village planned to use a war against Konoha to divert internal conflict.
If things went wrong, Konoha would have to fight on three fronts.
