Chapter 49: Changes
The Hidden Cloud Village had grown more prosperous in recent years. Shops lined the streets, and because the village was built into the mountainside, many areas were shrouded in mist. The ninja, with their habit of leaping from rooftop to rooftop instead of walking, made the whole place feel like the headquarters of some immortal cultivation sect.
Dana and Hiroto were taking a leisurely stroll through the streets.
"So you're only going to be at the Academy for one year, right?" Hiroto asked. "I'm thinking of applying for early graduation too, so we can be on the same team."
Dana paused. "Actually," he said awkwardly, "I was the one who proposed a rule to the village that students shouldn't be allowed to graduate early."
Hiroto: "..."
"How is it that we're the same age, but I feel like we live in different worlds?" he grumbled. "But I'm really not learning anything new at the Academy. My progress has slowed to a crawl."
Dana patted him on the back. "I heard they're opening an advanced ninja school soon," he said. "It's a step up from the Academy, for the top students, and also for graduated ninja under the age of twenty. It's a three-year program, and they have a work-study option."
Hiroto's face turned pale. "I don't want to go to school for another three years," he said. "I want to start taking missions and help support my family."
"Don't worry," Dana said. "I heard the advanced school has a scholarship system. The top students can get a substantial reward, more than enough to cover tuition."
Hiroto swallowed. That was tempting.
It had been four years since they had come to the Hidden Cloud. Their living conditions had improved dramatically, but money was still tight. Only his father was working, and with two children, they still occasionally needed support from the village. Hiroto had always wanted to graduate early and start earning money. The news of a new school with a scholarship and a work-study program was an irresistible lure.
The recent reforms to the Academy system showed that the Cloud was still focused on peaceful development. The "Fire Thief Initiative" and the reparations from Konoha had given them a solid foundation to build upon for a while. In the original story, Konoha had a similar foundation, but they were always being ganged up on by the other villages at critical moments. But if the Cloud wanted to continue to develop in peace, they had to avoid being passively dragged into the upcoming wars. If they were to join, it had to be on their own terms, at a time of their own choosing.
In the past few years, the "Special Strategy Division," under Dana's command, had become increasingly busy and powerful. There had been some opposition, of course—Dana's age was a major factor—but with each successful prediction and each brilliant report, and with the full backing of the Yotsuki clan, his unofficial position as "advisor" had become more and more solid.
"Want to come over for dinner?" Hiroto asked.
"I haven't seen your mom in a while. I miss her cooking. Let me just tell my mother first."
He had nothing else to do today anyway. He couldn't just work all the time.
Dana formed a few hand seals and slammed his palm on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A small, emerald-green snake appeared in a puff of smoke.
Dana handed the snake a written note, which it wrapped around its tail. Then, he took an egg from his pocket and, to the snake's eager anticipation, cracked it open and poured the yolk and white into its mouth.
"Go on. Give this to my mother."
The little green snake smacked its lips in satisfaction and then disappeared in another puff of smoke.
Dana had set up summoning arrays in his home and at the Raikage's tower for easy communication.
That's right. He had signed the summoning contract with Ryuchi Cave.
Three years ago, after the conflict with Konoha, the summoning contracts of the three great sage regions had been on the list of reparations, and they had been valued highly. Shikkotsu Forest, being connected to the First Hokage, was out of the question. Konoha would never have agreed to that. And Jiraiya and Orochimaru had found their own way to sign their contracts.
During the subsequent negotiations, at Dana's direction, the Cloud had subtly influenced the Konoha representatives' judgment. Taking advantage of the fact that Orochimaru had only just signed the contract (he probably hadn't even met the White Snake Sage yet) and that Hiruzen didn't place a particularly high value on it, they had managed to secure a spot on the contract in the final phase of the reparations. The Konoha clans had also played a part. Many of them felt that since the trouble had been caused by the Hokage's faction, they should be the ones to pay the price. Using Orochimaru's or Jiraiya's summoning contract to offset some of the reparations and save the village (i.e., the clans) from further losses was, in their view, only logical.
Initially, Dana hadn't planned on signing it himself. At the time, he didn't even have any chakra and couldn't use the summoning jutsu. He had hoped that his father or Arashi would be able to sign it. But to his surprise, neither of them had been successful. In fact, everyone present had tried and failed. They had all just stood there, staring at the scroll.
Orochimaru, who had brought the scroll, had just shrugged and said there was nothing he could do. Ryuchi Cave had its own rules. If they failed, it meant Ryuchi Cave had rejected them. There was a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.
With no other choice, Dana had eaten two soldier pills and, using the temporary boost, had tried to sign the contract himself. And he had succeeded, his name appearing on the scroll. Once a name was written, not even Orochimaru could erase it.
After that, Orochimaru had returned to Konoha with the contract scroll and the last of the prisoners, Danzo Shimura, marking the official end of the conflict. All the reparations had been paid in full.
But Dana had only started using the summoning jutsu in the last month. Before, he had no chakra in his normal state, and he couldn't just live on soldier pills. He had tried to reverse summon himself to Ryuchi Cave several times, but had always failed. The little snakes had told him that "the time was not yet right." So, he had never been there. And because he had never been there, he couldn't sign a special contract with any of the larger, more powerful snakes. He could only summon the small ones, for delivering messages and running errands. But the little snakes, with the intelligence of a four or five-year-old human, were quite cute. He often carried eggs with him to reward them. It was like having pets. He could never bring himself to use them as sacrifices for his enemies.
At Hiroto's house, Dana greeted his mother. She was very welcoming. On a personal level, he was her son's best friend. On a political level, he was the son of the Raikage.
The two of them went into the kitchen to help. Hiroto had some cooking skills and could assist his mother. Dana couldn't cook, but with his superhuman physical control, he was a master at chopping vegetables, his movements precise and fast.
Dinner was almost ready. Hiroto's father worked late, so they were just waiting for Kayo.
When she finally came home, she was clearly surprised to see Dana. She stood in the doorway, bruised and disheveled, unsure whether to come in or run away.
"Kayo, what happened to you?" her mother asked, rushing over.
"I... I fell on the way home," she stammered. "Onii-chan Dana, what are you doing here? Big brother, why didn't you tell me? I'm not even dressed up today! And I'm late! I've wasted precious time with Onii-chan Dana!"
Hiroto looked at his sister with the eyes of a dead fish. "We're ninja, you know. Don't you think we can tell the difference between a fall and a fight? You've been beaten up."
"Haha... hahaha..." Kayo's face flushed with embarrassment.
"Don't tell me you were in another one of those duels—"
Before Hiroto could finish, Kayo tackled him, and the two of them started wrestling on the floor.
Dana watched them with a smile. He hoped that these peaceful days in the Hidden Cloud could last a little longer.
This was the reason he worked so hard.