CH_132

Tōji was certain that he could escape the major calamity of the Nine-Tails Incident…

But he still had to worry about his family—and about Genta, whom Kenji had entrusted to him.

His own safety wasn't too much of a concern—as long as there were no other Konoha shinobi around, he could desert without any guilt.

The catch was that there were usually other Konoha shinobi around…

But most of the time, spies like them only knew a few contact codes—and often didn't even know who their fellow operatives were.

He had no idea how many years this mission would take…

『Should I ask Neru to look after Genta?』 Tōji could figure out how to keep his own family safe, but Genta's situation a year and a half from now was harder to plan for.

『If I ask Neru to watch Genta without telling her about the Nine-Tails Incident, she probably won't be able to help when disaster strikes.』 Tōji was torn. 『But if I reveal something that important and Neru slips up—I'm done for too.』

Natchi was even less reliable… Tōji didn't even consider him.

Unable to come up with a solution for Genta right away, Tōji decided to first figure out how to keep his own family safe from the Nine-Tails Incident.

Over breakfast with his family…

"Mom, Dad—I've been assigned a long-term mission by the Hokage." Tōji spoke up.

"A long-term mission! That must be very important! You should give it your all and not let the Hokage down, Tōji!" His father was genuinely excited.

"Yes, little Tōji—do your best, and make sure to stay safe too." His mother's smile showed how pleased she was.

His parents were basically repeating the same things they always said. But part of their joy came from the fact that Tōji's attitude showed he was no longer fixated on getting a job at Konoha Hospital.

Tōji had already prepared his next words. "I'm not sure how long this mission will be. If I'm not back by early October next year, I'd like you to do something for me."

His parents' smiles faded. They exchanged a glance, then looked back at Tōji.

"This scroll is sealed with a simple sealing technique. When it unseals naturally and you can open it easily, just follow what it says." Tōji placed a scroll on the table. The sealing jutsu was basic, but as long as his parents didn't mess with it, it would suffice.

"The timing should be around early October next year—make sure you check the scroll's contents then." Tōji emphasized.

This was the best he could do, since he hadn't come up with a good excuse to get his parents to leave the village before the Nine-Tails Incident.

By putting a time-release seal on the scroll, he avoided having to make up a story right now.

And he couldn't reveal the exact date too early—who knew if his parents might let something slip to the wrong person, leading to trouble later on.

"Alright—we'll remember." His father looked at the scroll bound by sealing symbols on the table.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly, Tōji said no more. He knew that "loose lips sink ships."

With the most critical matter settled, Tōji planned to spend a day with Kamizuki Izumo, discussing the development of the "Mizuame" technique.

After that, he'd use the remaining two days to get a basic grasp of the jutsu he hadn't even learned yet.

He couldn't take the scrolls to the Land of Seas—they were too conspicuous.

Once he got there, he'd train if the opportunity arose—and skip it if not. Safety came first.

Tōji didn't know much about the Land of Seas, and he had no espionage experience. So he had to plan for every situation—how to get in, and how to get out.

No—first, how to get out, then how to get in.

And so, over those three days, Tōji immersed himself in learning jutsu…