I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

A Daimyō?

Asuma’s eyes widened in shock.

A mission this important—no wonder they assigned two Jōnin.

But…

Would they really work well together?

Asuma hesitated, unsure whether to voice his concerns.

“Kyoichi, should we divide the tasks?” Minato asked while running, glancing over at him.

“You and Asuma will protect the Daimyō. I’ll assess the situation myself. If you get held up, the other three will follow Asuma’s lead. He’ll be in charge.”

Kyoichi didn’t hesitate.

The three of them together barely made up two and a half brains.

Back in the second round of the Chūnin Exams, it was clear that Aoba couldn’t control Obito—only Asuma could.

Obito wanted to argue.

But…

He had heard about Asuma’s performance in the Chūnin Exams afterward.

Brave. Fierce.

If he hadn’t sacrificed himself to save his teammates, there was no way he would’ve been eliminated.@@novelbin@@

Compared to that, his own performance seemed…

Sigh.

Obito let out a quiet sigh.

Minato and Kyoichi didn’t bother comforting him.

This kid never learned from his mistakes. If they consoled him now, he’d probably forget the lesson from the Chūnin Exams in no time.

Still…

Asuma seemed unusually excited.

Kyoichi gave him a strange look.

Come on, you’re the Third Hokage’s son. Why are you acting like you’re meeting a celebrity?

And it wasn’t like they had even met the Daimyō yet!

---

On the road from Konoha to the capital, the prosperity of the towns along the way was evident at a glance.

“This road connects Konoha and the capital. The more turbulent the times, the busier it gets.”

“I can tell.” Kyoichi nodded.

The streets were packed!

Not just with merchants, but also with many wealthy refugees who had fled inland. Now that the war was settling down, they were traveling west with their possessions—some even hiring Konoha shinobi as escorts.

Asuma couldn’t stop staring.

“See a girl you like? Should I ask your old man to arrange a marriage?” Kyoichi teased.

Asuma’s face turned bright red as he stammered, “No, I just… I just think they’re pitiful…”

“Pitiful? These people? They had enough money to hire escorts and escape when the war broke out. You know who’s really pitiful? The ones who couldn’t even run.”

Kyoichi shook his head.

This was the shinobi world. Even he wasn’t sure how long he’d survive—who had time to worry about strangers?

Asuma was at a loss for words.

He fell silent but continued observing the people around him. Slowly, he started to understand what Kyoichi meant.

Those who made it this far were mostly the wealthy.

In times of war, bandits roamed freely. If you couldn’t afford to hire shinobi, you’d likely never even reach this point. Compared to those who perished, these people were the lucky ones.

Many had no say in their own fate—including shinobi.

With their speed, the group reached the capital in no time.

“Minato, you’ll meet with the Daimyō. I’ll stay outside in case anything happens.”

“Alright.”

Since Minato would be escorting the Daimyō later, it made sense for him to handle the formalities.

Kyoichi leaned against a post, twirling a kunai in his hand while surveying the area.

The capital itself was relatively safe.

No shinobi would dare cause trouble in the heart of a nation—if they did, assassinations would become an everyday occurrence. Every country had an unspoken rule: you didn’t target a Daimyō within their own domain.

However…

Once they left the capital, things could change.

Some “missing-nin” had a tendency to ignore the rules—especially with the war barely over and chaos still lingering.

Then again…

Kyoichi suspected this might be a trap set by the Third Hokage.

“Kyoichi-sensei, um… could you…”

Yamashiro Aoba hesitated, his face flushing slightly.

It was obvious—he wanted to ask for guidance.

During the Chūnin Exams, he had voluntarily stayed behind to cover for Might Guy. But in his heart, he wasn’t satisfied.

He had already come to terms with being slower than Might Guy.

But losing to Obito? That was harder to accept.

At the Academy, Obito had always been called the “dead last.” Sure, most of that was due to his terrible academic scores, but Aoba had never really considered him a rival.

Yet in the Chūnin Exams…

Obito and Guy had taken off like lightning, leaving him behind like a fool.

Even now, the memory stung.

Seeing Kyoichi again reminded him of their Academy days. He couldn’t resist coming forward to ask for advice.

But…

He was also afraid of getting scolded.

“What are you so scared of? I don’t bite. Sit.” Kyoichi patted the stone ledge beside him.

Aoba sat down.

Asuma looked on enviously—Kyoichi had never spoken to him so gently.

As for Obito…

He had no idea what a normal conversation with Kyoichi felt like.

Ever since graduation, every time they met, he got scolded. And yet, deep down, he knew Kyoichi looked out for him.

It was confusing.

“Your performance in the Chūnin Exams was actually pretty good. If your skills were just a bit stronger, you would’ve had a real shot.”

“Sensei, what about me?”

The moment Obito heard “Chūnin Exams,” his sleepiness vanished.

As soon as he spoke…

The other three turned to look at him.

Their expressions said it all.

They didn’t need to say anything—their gazes alone were insult enough.

“Hey! What’s with those looks?!” Obito shouted, frustrated.

“Obito, if you had just followed Aoba’s instructions, your team wouldn’t have been eliminated. To be honest, Aoba was dragged down by you.”

“I wasn’t strong enough to keep up with them,” Aoba quickly defended.

“See? That’s how you take responsibility.” Kyoichi chuckled.

Obito fumed but couldn’t argue back.

Seeing Aoba’s earnest attitude, Asuma asked, “Sensei, what exactly was Aoba’s problem?”

“No rush. We’ve got plenty of time on the road, but since we’re free now, I’ll say a few words.”

In truth, Kyoichi had been trying to recall something.

Aoba’s abilities…

He couldn’t quite remember the details.

Then it hit him.

He raised crows.

After a moment’s thought, Kyoichi asked, “Your clan raises crows, right? And you have your own secret techniques?”

“Yes…” Aoba nodded.

“Have you ever considered using genjutsu with your crows?”

Aoba hesitated. “Genjutsu?”

“Yeah. Your clan’s crows are impressive. Why not develop techniques that incorporate them? Also, you really need to improve your taijutsu—you’re lagging way too far behind.”

Aoba was a lot like Kyoichi.

He dabbled in everything but wasn’t particularly strong in any one area.

However…

Kyoichi had the system, plus access to the Senju and Third Hokage’s teachings, which helped him cover his weaknesses. He also trained his taijutsu daily.

Aoba hadn’t done the same.

He saw himself primarily as a scout and support specialist.

Which was fine…

But his current taijutsu level was embarrassing—even Obito was better.

And really…

A crow keeper who doesn’t use genjutsu? What a waste!

“As a shinobi, the worst thing you can do is become complacent. Always keep improving.”

Kyoichi patted Aoba’s shoulder.

Then…

He turned to face the Daimyō’s estate.

Minato had emerged.

The Daimyō wouldn’t be leaving immediately—he still had to finalize the details of his journey.

But since they had received prior notice…

The process moved quickly.

By the afternoon, a messenger arrived with the expected news—

The Daimyō was ready to depart.