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The Inoshishi house had barely any money. To put it dramatically, even if Tōji dug three feet into the ground, he'd find less than a hundred ryō.

By Konoha prices, that was just enough for six baby chicks…

"Sigh—bartering, I guess?" Tōji looked at the paltry sum in his hand and felt a twinge of regret. He'd thought this was a spy mission and hadn't brought anything "suspicious."

All he had was a little dry rations and a survival knife—one that looked old and worn, with a chipped tip.

Next time he went on a spy mission, he definitely wouldn't be this "honest" again!

But Tōji didn't dwell on what was already done. He planned to catch more live fish in the afternoon to trade for other supplies.

Early that morning, Tōji first headed to "Mother Island"—the largest island in the Land of Seas, where the only market was.

To be honest, this so-called small country was truly tiny. Its islands combined weren't even as big as Konoha. Only when you included its surrounding waters did it become slightly larger than the village.

The entire market of the Land of Seas was just a few hundred meters of street. There were fewer than fifty shops in total, and many of them had signs reading "Store for Rent."

It had less foot traffic than some remote towns in the Land of Fire…

"One fruit shop… two vegetable shops… one seafood shop… eight seafood stalls…" Tōji walked along this "commercial street," muttering as he counted what was available.

There was no pet store…

Tōji didn't need a pet back home. But here in "seclusion," not knowing how long he'd stay, he figured he should get a dog first.

A dog was better than a cat—it could guard the house and even go fishing with him. Cats were afraid of water…

Unfortunately, he couldn't buy either. Not just now—it seemed this "commercial street" had never sold pets.

Tōji found a stall selling baby chicks and spent his entire "fortune" to buy six.

The vendor was only going to give him five, but Tōji bargained on the spot—learning as he went. The sixth chick was practically a half-giveaway.

After familiarizing himself with Mother Island's main street, Tōji headed home with his chicks.

That morning, he gathered some branches and made a temporary chicken pen, covering it with a large wooden plank to protect against "unexpected weather." It was good enough for now.

He skipped his nap that day and spent the time repairing the little boat, so it would be easier to handle during his fisherman days—without worrying about it "springing a leak" with every big move…

Since he set out earlier than usual, not only did he catch plenty of fish, but he also had time to scout for suitable places to secretly train—

There were some spots, but their concealment was still questionable.

Tōji planned to observe for another month before deciding whether to continue training in the Land of Seas…

If he went too long without training, he might still end up dying in the Fourth Great Ninja War eighteen years from now…

That was the war with the highest mortality rate!

Even though it only lasted a few days, the Allied Shinobi Forces' command reported losses of either a few thousand or ten to twenty thousand every few hours…

Out of the eighty thousand Allied shinobi, forty thousand were lost on the very first day (including deaths, severe injuries, and missing-in-action)!

Tōji had never forgotten—if he could survive another eighteen years, he'd need to be among the "luckiest" ten percent of the Allied forces at the age of twenty-nine.

Tōji didn't want to die younger than he had in his previous life—back then, he'd at least lived past thirty.

So, with this spy mission potentially lasting anywhere from a few months to ten or twenty years, Tōji absolutely had to find opportunities to train in secret.

And there was no telling whether Konoha would later ask him to infiltrate the Land of Water…

His cover as a fisherman gave him the perfect excuse to stay away from people.