Chapter 475: Individual Progress
Nagasawa explained the entire sequence of events he had secretly witnessed to Itachi.
Of course, he left out a few unnecessary details.
In short, the incident wasn’t complicated, it was Black Zetsu pulling strings from the shadows.
Although Nagasawa’s shadow clone never saw Black Zetsu show up in person, the presence of White Zetsu made it obvious. Who else could it be? Nagato?
If it were Nagato, he wouldn’t use such elaborate schemes, he’d just send in the Deva Path to snatch someone.
"Why would he target me?"
Itachi asked, puzzled.
He was just an eight-year-old kid. His only notable identity was being the Uchiha clan heir and Nagasawa’s student.
Nagasawa thought about it and decided there was no harm in telling the truth. He answered bluntly,
"Because you’re an Uchiha. They’re trying to capture members of your clan, and you’re the only one out on your own recently."
Itachi fell silent.
The shinobi world was more dangerous than he’d imagined, even with no animosity, people would come after you for profit.
"So? Starting to get a taste of reality outside the village?"
Nagasawa smiled.
It was a good lesson for Itachi.
Back in Konoha, he had access to the best resources and knowledge. Nagasawa had even passed down knowledge from his previous life.
But learning alone wasn’t enough to understand how society truly functioned, it was complicated, and so were people.
"Thinking of returning to Konoha?"
Nagasawa asked.
Instead of answering, Itachi posed a question of his own.
"Nagasawa-sensei, are you a shadow clone right now?"
He couldn’t sense whether it was a clone or not, but knowing the real Nagasawa was too busy to follow him around, he assumed it was.
The clone nodded.
"Will you continue protecting me like this?"
Itachi asked.
"I haven’t been protecting you, just happened to be passing by."
Nagasawa replied with a straight face.
Itachi didn’t press the issue, but rephrased,
"Then... will you appear again like this if something critical happens?"
"Well, if I happen to be nearby and you’re in life-threatening danger, then sure, I’ll step in."
The clone said with a grin.
"In that case, I’ll continue my journey."
Itachi finally responded to the earlier question.
After all, even if it was just a shadow clone, it was Nagasawa’s. That alone meant he was safe from any uncontrollable threats.
"I’ll only intervene if your life’s in danger."
The clone reminded him.
Itachi nodded. He understood, Nagasawa wasn’t going to bail him out of minor troubles.
With someone who had watched everything unfold, resolving the situation was easy.
They just needed to tell the truth, display White Zetsu as proof, and have Linchuan offer an apology and compensation.
Linchuan was merely a pawn used by Black Zetsu, he’d been falsely vilified, and the only person he physically attacked had been a paid provocateur.
Of course, when he hit Kaori, he was already under mind control, so that didn’t count against him.
Still, Nagasawa figured these two siblings wouldn’t be patching things up anytime soon, Kaori was currently beating the crap out of Linchuan, and he didn’t dare fight back.
"Since everything’s settled, I’ll be going."
Nagasawa told Itachi.
Itachi nodded, knowing full well Nagasawa was about to vanish somewhere beyond his perception.
He tried using his newly awakened Sharingan to follow Nagasawa’s movements, only to see him vanish instantly.
"Nagasawa-sensei..."
Itachi muttered, feeling a mix of awe and frustration.
The stronger he grew, the more he realized how powerful Nagasawa really was.
Meanwhile, Kaori had exhausted her rage.
With Nagasawa explaining things and confirming her brother had been controlled, she knew Linchuan hadn’t acted of his own will.
Of course, her arms were just too tired now.
Once she recovered, she fully intended to beat him up again.
"Itachi, did your teacher already leave? I didn’t get to thank him. Without him, who knows what would’ve happened to me, or even the Shijou family..."
Kaori approached to express her gratitude.
"He’s part of Konoha’s upper echelon. He’s very busy."
Itachi replied briefly.
Kaori tried to invite Itachi to the Shijou estate for a proper thank-you, but he declined.
"This matter wasn’t really my achievement. I’ve also stayed here long enough, it’s time to head to the capital."
He wanted to reflect deeply on everything that had happened.
"You’re leaving, huh..."
Kaori’s cheerful smile froze slightly.
"Makes sense. You’re a ninja, you can’t stay in one place."
"By the way... you’re an Uchiha, right? Your full name is Uchiha Itachi?"
Until now, Itachi had only introduced himself as "Itachi." But the Sharingan was too recognizable, Kaori had figured it out.
"Yes. I’m Uchiha Itachi."
He nodded, no point hiding it now.
Kaori dug around and handed him a large sum of money, after also looting Linchuan for more.
"You helped the Shijou family, of course we should pay you. Otherwise, people would think we’re stingy nobles who don’t compensate for work."
"Also, the capital’s expensive. This might come in handy if something unexpected happens."
Kaori added.
Itachi initially didn’t want to accept, it wasn’t his work, it was Nagasawa’s.
But Kaori gave him a face like "if you don’t take this, I’ll cry right here", so he reluctantly accepted to avoid further trouble.
A rough count showed it was several hundred thousand ryō, comparable to the reward for a high-difficulty A-rank mission, typically split among a team.
Finally, Itachi packed his things and left the inn, with Kaori waving him off.
"Sis, just saying... you really shouldn’t get your hopes up. We nobles and ninjas don’t mix."
Linchuan warned.
Ninjas were people who worked with their lives on the line.
Any day could be their last.
Nobles, on the other hand, could live lavishly even by doing nothing.
Kaori glared at him and raised her fist, Linchuan shut up immediately.
"Mind your own business! I can like whoever I want!"
Kaori declared, punching the air.
She had already decided, she’d send missions to Konoha, specifically requesting Itachi. That way, they could meet again.
To do that, she needed to save more money, so she could issue multiple requests.
She glanced at Linchuan again.
No, she needed to become the clan head. Then all of Shijou’s funds would be under her control.
---
The bi-daily testing continued for two months, and Nagasawa had mostly confirmed it,
Unlocking Shinigami talents was a net benefit to people in the ninja world.
Even without considering Zanpakutō or Kido, the boost in spiritual energy alone raised a ninja’s potential.
As for downsides?
Nagasawa hadn’t found any yet.
If anything, it was just tiring.
You had to train chakra, spiritual power, and physical strength, juggling all three wasn’t easy.
This wasn’t like cultivation novels where training was somehow "pleasant."
Ninja training was boring and exhausting.
Especially the self-torture style of Might Guy, Nagasawa figured only future Lee would enjoy training like that.
Still, now that he had proof the Shinigami talent synergized well with ninja systems, Nagasawa expanded the program.
He assigned the Shinigami trait to Shisui, Orochimaru, the elite trainers of the Special Forces, and some promising recruits.
Each talent cost 8,000 points, far more than Haki’s cost. Ten people meant 80,000 points.
Luckily, Nagasawa had reserved 700,000 points back when he strengthened his template, and the village’s prosperity now earned him over 30,000 points a week.
He mostly saved points to exchange for Zanpakutō, each one cost 20,000. If he wanted to unlock several top-tier blades, that would cost plenty.
Now that more people had the talent, he wouldn’t test them every two days, once a week would suffice.
If things stayed stable for six months, he’d perform a mass rollout.
He hadn’t given the trait to Minato yet, two months was too short to see long-term effects.
In six months, he’d know for sure.
Unlike teaching ninjutsu, granting a talent boosted a person’s foundation directly.
Mass distribution in Konoha would significantly raise the village’s overall strength.
It worked for elites and new genin alike, though growth would be slow without Nagasawa’s template-based power-up.
Still, Nagasawa was confident in Konoha’s future.
Give it 10–20 years of growth, and even without him, they could easily handle a few Otsutsuki.
Unfortunately, time was short.
Forget decades, in just a few years, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki would appear.
Nagasawa didn’t know if Isshiki was already hiding on Earth or still drifting through space.
For the sake of Konoha, and himself, he couldn’t slack off.
He continued studying how to fuse spiritual energy and chakra, hoping to replicate the Rasengan fusion in other jutsu and develop new chakra modes.
Although Light Shinobi Village had been attacked by Obito, Nagato didn’t change its location.
He continued building according to plan.
He established a Ninjutsu and Secret Technique Library, filled with powerful jutsu.
The requirements were simple,
Be a Light Shinobi Village ninja, and pay a high fee, you could then borrow techniques for a few days.
This news spread fast across Tanokuni, drawing a surge of shinobi eager to fork over cash.
Even foreign ninjas couldn’t resist and joined the village.
Soon, Light Shinobi Village’s ninja count reached 2,000.
Sure, the quality varied, but two thousand ninja were two thousand ninja. Even slaughtering that many pigs would be exhausting.
Nagato was pleased.
The jutsu were useless to Akatsuki, whose members had gone their own paths.
So exchanging those scrolls for soldiers and funds was a great deal.
The techniques also empowered the shinobi, win-win.
With Konan, Sasori, and Hiruko’s help, and experience managing the Rain Village, Light Shinobi Village now looked like a proper shinobi village.
The Daimyō of Tanokuni even supported them, sending missions their way.
Encouraged by this success, Nagato was ready to go further.
He wanted to unite shinobi in nations without hidden villages, and now, also take over minor villages, strengthening them for future wars against the great powers.
His next target,
Yugakure of Yugakuni, Tanokuni’s neighbor.
Yugakure technically existed, but budget cuts had gutted it. It was barely functioning.
Nagato sent Musashi, Jūzō Biwa, and Kakuzu to handle this.
Jūzō, formerly from Kirigakure, had some experience in village management.
Kakuzu was an old hand, he’d wandered the shinobi world for decades and knew the ropes.
Musashi? He was there to punch things.
Nagato thought this setup was well-balanced.
If they succeeded, Konan and the others could leave Light Shinobi Village and start operations elsewhere.
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