"Halt!"

  Izayo, leadihree squad members, gradually approached the Konoha front-line camp. They were intercepted by a Konoha hiddery at the outer perimeter.

  "We are Squad Z, who departed ten days ago to carry out a special mission. We have now pleted the mission and are returning."

  Izayo stopped obediently. As she spoke, she gestured for Nobuyoshi to hand over the "evidehey had brought back.

  "This is…"

  "Kumo Jonin, Raiton user, 'I' [Different]."

  The sentry was momentarily surprised. Then, he carefully examihe "evidence" and blew a whistle.

  "Follow me."

  Led by the sentry, Habara and the others returo the Konoha camp.

  Afterward, Izayo went to report the missioails to the higher and. Habara and the other two, after undergoing the necessary scrutiny, were sent directly to the Konoha front-line hospital.

  The designation "Squad Z" didn't sound very auspicious. Habara ter learhat besides the four of them, only two others from the squad had returned alive.

  A 75% casualty rate. From Habara and the others' perspective, this mission was a disaster. But from the perspective of Konoha's higher-ups, the situation was the opposite… This exge was incredibly worthwhile.

  After returning to the camp, Izayo still had a lot to do. Besides rep to the higher-ups, she also o firm the rewards and punishments after the mission… The external ninjas who had risked their lives had different ditions for their cooperation with Konoha, such as allowing their families to live in Konoha.

  Fail the mission, receive punishment; succeed in the mission, receive reward. This was the foundation upon which a ninja vilge was built, so what o be implemented would certainly be implemented.

  Those who survived would receive the mission's reward. The reward for an A-rank mission was generally between 150,000 and 1,000,000 ryo. sidering the strength of the enemy and the size of their own squad, the reward for this mission was the highest for its rank: 1,000,000 ryo.

  Divided equally, Habara would probably receive a little over 160,000 ryo. verting the currency (1 ryo = 10 yen = 6 ts USD), Habara would receive around 10,000 dolrs.

  Averaged over the mission duration, that was 1,000 dolrs per day. Was this a lot of money? sidering it was money earned by risking one's life, 10,000 dolrs really wasn't much.

  Because of the high casualty rate, Squad Z would likely return to Konoha to recuperate and await replenishment… after all, this squad required rather special personnel.

  Taking advantage of the time to return to Konoha, Habara had to think of some way to increase his bat power. However, during the return trip to Konoha, not everythi smoothly.

  Konoha Front-line Hospital.

  After a checkup, the hospital firmed that Habara was fine. Acc to the mediinja, he was in perfect health and had absolutely o be hospitalized.

  Habara thought to himself, I had a hole opened in my shoulder, how am I perfectly healthy? However, when he casually looked down, he found that only a thin scab remained on the wound.

  Now he had nothing to say.

  However, although Habara hysically fine, Nobuyoshi's situation seemed dire.

  After pleting his examination, Habara returo the tent that served as a ward. He reparing to pack his things and leave immediately… The doctors had ordered him, a perfectly healthy person, not to waste medical resources.

  But when he arrived at the tent, he found only Nobuyoshi there, and Nobuyoshi was staring at his injured arm, lost in thought.

  "How's your injury? How long will it take to recover?"

  Out of basi for his teammate, Habara asked.

  After experieng a life-or-death situation together, Nobuyoshi was at least no longer resistant to unig with Habara. However, he didn't answer Habara's question, instead saying, "Do you know what a ninja's lifeline is?"

  "Ninjutsu? Secret teiques?" Habara replied without thinking.

  Nobuyoshi shook his head. "No, it's 'seals'."

  As he spoke, he began to un the bandages on his right arm. As the bandages were uned, the bed wound was exposed to the air.

  "The enemy's on was coated with poison. I barely feel my right-hand fingers anymore."

  "Nerve damage?" Habara hadn't expected Nobuyoshi's injury to be so severe.

  "Yes."

  Nobuyoshi had almost lost the use of one of his dominant hands. From now on, he would no longer be able to form hand seals, meaning his ninja career was over.

  "Is there no possibility of healing?"

  "It's difficult."

  Nobuyoshi calmly re-bandaged his right arm. He had difficulty perf this a with only one hand.

  "Ohe problem with my right hand is firmed, I'll have to retire from the front lines. Even if it's just for the sake of other ninjas' opinions, the vilge won't let someone as useless as me go to the front lio die… I'll probably live as a civilian in Konoha."

  Hearing Nobuyoshi describe his future, Habara was suddenly stunned. A somewhat absurd thought surfaced in his mind.

  "Nobuyoshi, was the enemy's on really coated with poison?"

  That Kumo ninja was a Raiton and Ranton expert. With his attack style, was there ao use poison? Moreover, Nobuyoshi only showed symptoms of poisoning some time after being injured.

  This question made Nobuyoshi fall silent. After a while, he said, "Why do you ask?"

  "No reason, just that your emotions seemed a bit off when you were describing your future… It seemed like losing your status as a ninja wasn't something tret, but that civilian life was something you longed for," Habara said.

  Where did this poison e from?

  "You're very perceptive… Then what do you think about how I got injured?"

  "Me? I don't know, and I don't care." Habara didn't want to delve into how Nobuyoshi was injured. Anyway, with his status, he couldn't report anything to Konoha.

  As he opehe tent fp, preparing to leave, Habara suddenly paused. Finally, he said to Nobuyoshi:

  "In my first half of life, my only regret was why those low-level alien monkeys didn't end up with those trashy Earth women. My only hatred was for that Gary Stu Mammoth. The only thing I found amazing was a male cat providing air support for a Backfire bomber… But ter I learhat reality is always much strahan you imagine."

  Okay, Habara wasn't talking about the first half of this life, but the first half of his previous life.

  Later? Later, he was hospitalized due to illness, and then he came to this world.

  "Reality turn wrong choices intht ones, and it also turn right choices int ones. But no matter what, a person always has to take responsibility for their choices."

  After saying this, Habara stepped out a.

  Nobuyoshi: "…"

  Although he didn't uand what Habara was talking about, at this moment, he felt that this person had a kind of "life elder" vibe.

  He didn't uand, and he wasn't really impressed.

  …………

  Habara's words to Nobuyoshi were at most a spontaneous expression of his feelings. After saying them, he didn't pay them any mind.

  However, a jinx became a jinx because of their ability to iently speak prophecies ience.

  As retaliation for the "Yellow Fsh's" excessive activity retly, that night, Kumo dispatched several elite squads to raid the Konoha front-line camp.

  And facilities like the front-line hospital were always the enemy's highest priority targets.

  Its priority was even higher than that of the and post.