· Reading the distinct, ominous glint in Tsunade’s eyes, Hideki Sato had already accurately deduced what tomorrow’s scenario would look like.
However, he had long since adjusted his psychological baseline.
In this world, if you didn’t harbor the absolute resolve to slaughter your enemies, you would eventually find yourself buried by them.
Before long, morning arrived.
Under the eager, restless gazes of Kushina and Mikoto, Tsunade officially accepted an assignment to eliminate a local band of bandits.
With their paperwork cleared, the cell marched in a neat vanguard formation out past the primary gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Because the target perimeter was located a considerable distance from the core territories, the transit timeline was projected to take roughly two days.
After all, no bandit faction possessed the suicidal stupidity required to operate in close proximity to the Leaf.
Any rogue elements who tried were instantly cleared out as baseline experience points by patrolling squads.
The moment they left the village proper, Kushina and Mikoto began scanning the perimeter with intense novelty.
Even though the geography outside was visually identical to the forest within the village, the two girls couldn’t help but experience a strange thrill.
It was the typical behavioral pattern of Genin stepping past the border for the first time—an volatile mix of deep anxiety and soaring excitement upon exiting their comfort zone.
Hideki’s posture, however, was entirely distinct.
Beyond his physical guard tightening a fraction and his senses tracking the tree lines, his outward expression remained completely unbothered.
Watching his stoic advance, Tsunade couldn’t resist bringing a light hand down on his head, ruffling his hair.
“This is your very first deployment outside the walls, right, kiddo?
How are you this devoid of excitement?
You look exactly like that insufferable Orochimaru.” Hideki glanced up at Tsunade, his tone perfectly flat.
“There’s nothing to be excited about, Sensei.
This isn’t a leisure stroll.
The moment we step outside the village’s barrier network, it means lethal danger can materialize from any quadrant at any second.” “Tch, precocious brats are honestly so unlikable,” Tsunade drawled, though a faint smirk played on her lips.
“Relax.
As long as I’m standing here, no actual danger will touch you.” Despite her verbal dismissal, Tsunade was profoundly satisfied with Hideki’s mental discipline.
For a shinobi, the absolute most critical trait was maintaining a deep reverence for the battlefield.
A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit; those who allowed themselves to become bloated with arrogance usually ended up with graves covered in weeds higher than their heads.
Slowly, the sun dipped toward the horizon, yielding the sky to the early rise of the moon.
Tsunade glanced up at the rapidly fading light and called a halt to their march.
“Alright, that’s enough ground covered for today.
Let’s establish a perimeter and pitch the tents.” Within a few minutes, the squad located a clear stream bordering a wide, flat clearing.
While the girls began setting up the canvas structures, Hideki quietly gestured toward the water, locking eyes with Charmander.
Understanding the unspoken command, Charmander offered a sharp nod.
It stepped to the edge of the bank, sparks of pure electrical energy suddenly dancing across its claws, and slammed a heavy fist directly into the water.
Zap-crackle!
Accompanied by a sharp surge of blue currents, the fish that had been swimming peacefully in the stream instantly turned over, their white bellies floating to the surface.
Clearly, the Pokémon’s mastery over Thunder Punch was exceptionally potent.
Had it been stranded in its native world, Charmander would have comfortably possessed the baseline talent metrics of a Champion-tier asset.
The sudden electrical discharge immediately drew the attention of Tsunade and the girls from the campsite.
“Your summoning beast can utilize Lightning Style?” Tsunade asked, her eyes widening in genuine curiosity as she approached the bank.
“It’s an innate, biological capability unique to its species,” Hideki explained, pulling a few fish from the current.
“Rather than a learned ninjutsu, its energy output functions more like a unique Kekkei Genkai.” In truth, Hideki had previously calculated the feasibility of teaching Charmander standard ninjutsu.
The conceptual image of a Charizard deploying the Flying Raijin Jutsu while hand-weaving a Rasengan was incredibly awesome.
Unfortunately, Charmander’s internal network operated entirely without chakra, making the mastery of standard jutsu biologically impossible.
“I see.
That creature harbors incredible potential,” Tsunade mused, crossing her arms.
“It’s still in its infancy, right?
Once it matures into its prime, it might become a truly terrifying asset.” Hideki nodded, reaching down to trace his fingers over Charmander’s warm head scales.
Under his touch, the creature closed its large eyes, leaning into his palm with a comfortable purr.
Given that its baseline form already comfortably matched the combat metrics of a standard Chunin, its evolution into Charmeleon would likely push its destructive output into the Jonin tier—to say nothing of its ultimate form as a Charizard, or the potential heights of Mega Evolution.
If everything aligned perfectly, Hideki could comfortably dominate the entire shinobi world relying solely on his partner’s natural growth.
That reality was infinitely more practical than his ridiculous Love Charm trait.
Even though a full month had elapsed since the draw, Hideki still harbored a distinct grudge regarding that specific payout.
It was supposed to be a legendary golden reward, yet the wheel had spat out a thoroughly useless, situational charm metric.
Every time his thoughts drifted back to that draw, he felt a violent urge to slap his thigh in pure frustration.
Fortunately, the cosmic wheel was scheduled to reset tonight.
He could only pray the next cycle would deliver a functionally practical asset.
Once the fish were gathered, Hideki immediately set to work preparing a proper hot dinner.
When the alternative was chewing on cold, brick-like iron rations, no sane person would willingly pass up a fresh meal.
He filleted a portion of the catch for skewered grilled fish, using the remainder to start a rich broth over the fire.
On the transit route here, his observational skills had caught a dense population of edible wild mushrooms scattered along the forest floor.
Though mixing wild mushrooms into a fresh fish broth was an experimental recipe for him, he was confident the flavor profiling would deliver.
Following a highly satisfactory dinner, Tsunade outlined the watch rotation for the night.
Although the current geopolitical climate was relatively quiet, the wilderness at night was always a breeding ground for unforeseen variables.
Maintaining a continuous guard line was mandatory.
The first watch was assigned to Hideki and Mikoto, while Tsunade and Kushina would claim the late-night shift.
With the logistics settled, Tsunade let out a massive yawn and retreated into her tent.
Kushina, however, marched straight over to Hideki, brandishing a tiny, aggressively balled fist as she offered an ominous warning.
“Hideki, you better maintain absolute etiquette with Mikoto tonight.
If I find out you behaved like a creep, I will personally thrash you into the dirt.” “Have you ever known my character to lack discipline?” Hideki sighed, giving her a long-suffering look.
“Go get some rest.
We’re relying on your senses for the second shift.” “Hmph!
It’s precisely because I know exactly what kind of guy you are that I’m issuing a formal warning!” Kushina pouted, crossing her arms.
“Honestly, what was Tsunade-sensei thinking?
Why didn’t she just pair the two of us together for the watch?” Sensing that the redhead’s internal monologue was about to spin into an endless loop, Hideki offered a silent glance of apology to Mikoto, grabbed Kushina by her shoulders, and firmly guided her toward her designated tent.
Before long, absolute quiet reclaimed the camp, save for the rhythmic crackle-pop of the burning firewood.
Charmander curled up tightly against Hideki’s leg, its breathing slowing as it drifted off.
Although it possessed substantial raw power, its growing body still demanded a massive amount of cellular rest.
Hideki had initially intended to dismiss it back to its pocket dimension for the night, but the stubborn creature had fiercely refused, maintaining a territorial guard right beside its partner.
Recalling the absolute loyalty it had displayed since its hatching, Hideki’s gaze softened significantly as he watched the steady glow of its tail flame dancing in the dark.
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