Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already noon. On the streets, pedestrians were gossiping animatedly:
"Did you hear? Our village has a genius. He became a Jōnin at just 5 years old!"
"That's a lie! A Jōnin at 5?" One side character didn't believe it. "My husband didn't get promoted to Jōnin until he was 30!"
"Why would I lie to you? I'm telling you, there were lots of Jōnin and Chūnin watching at the time! There's no mistake, I swear!" the person insisted.
"Really?" another person asked.
The first speaker got anxious when he saw someone doubting him, and started exaggerating:
"Of course it's true! I even heard that a Chūnin didn't believe in that 5-year-old genius's strength and publicly declared in front of Lord Raikage that he'd challenge the kid. He even said that if he lost, he'd voluntarily demote himself!"
"So what happened? Did they fight?" the pedestrians asked eagerly.
"Of course they did."
"What was the result? Tell us!" they pressed.
The storyteller clutched his stomach and said, "Ugh, I'm feeling a little hungry… Mind if I grab a bite first?"
"Alright, let's go. We'll eat together," one of the pedestrians said.
A few minutes later, inside a restaurant, the crowd continued questioning, "So? Come on, tell us already! What happened?"
"What else could've happened? That elite Chūnin who challenged the genius Jōnin got knocked out in just a few moves while everyone watched. In the end, the Raikage really did demote him to Genin."
"That's hilarious. The kid got promoted, and the challenger got demoted. By the way, what's that Chūnin's—oh wait, that Genin's—name?"
With a "tsk," the storyteller said, "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Go see for yourself—his name is Drewasie."
"Bee, I didn't expect you to get famous in just half a day! As expected of my student. If I'd known, I would've gone to see it myself," Fukai said, smiling and munching as he listened to the chatter about Bee in the restaurant.
"Tch, if it weren't for Big Bro going overboard with his warm-up, things wouldn't have turned out this way. But hey, it worked out pretty well. Think about it! A Jōnin earns more than 10,000 per month—that's about 30,000 monthly! Over a year, that's at least 300,000! And that's not even counting mission rewards. In a year, I'll basically be a millionaire!" Bee was clearly lost in his fantasy.
Hearing Bee's words, Fukai couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't think you were such a money-grubber!"
Money-grubber? That's not how Killer Bee saw it: "When it comes to 'money,' the more the better. No matter what world you're in, the same logic applies—money is essential. It might not be everything, but without it, you're nothing."
Time passed quickly and without return. During this period, the three of them continued taking on various missions as a team—sometimes gathering intel on enemy borders, other times clearing unstable elements from their own borders, such as bandits, pirates, and rogue or foreign ninjas.
With all the battles Killer Bee went through, his combat experience underwent a qualitative leap. Wanting to grow even stronger, he started facing enemies in battle without relying on his mind-reading ability. Of course, in dozens of subsequent battles, he got beaten badly quite a few times.
But it's worth noting that even while getting beat up, his reflexes sharpened dramatically. Despite suffering many minor and major injuries, he adapted to sudden changes in combat through frequent encounters with diverse enemies—including opponents with Kekkei Genkai from other nations. Now, even without using his mind-reading technique, Bee's combat sense and reflexes were sharp enough to contend with most Jōnin. However, to catch up with his teacher and big brother, he'd probably have to wait until his body finished growing.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
At the borders of the Land of Fire, a middle-aged ninja wearing the Uchiha clan's emblem launched a fire-style technique, roaring as a massive fire dragon surged toward his target.
Facing the fire dragon was a white-haired youth wearing a Hidden Cloud forehead protector. Calmly gripping his sword's hilt, he stood atop a tree hundreds of meters tall, completely unfazed as though the fire dragon posed no threat.
BOOM! In an instant, the area where the boy had stood erupted in flames. But he had already dodged, now airborne. As he descended, he spotted his enemy gasping for breath—clearly exhausted.
Such a good opportunity! No way he'd let it go.
Raising his sword slightly, he shouted:
Ittō-ryū: Blade of Wind!
Just as the words fell, a faint slicing sound—shhh!—cut through the air. A slash thin as a cicada's wing sliced toward the enemy. The still-gasping ninja's eyes widened, stunned the boy had evaded his jutsu—and then he was cut in half.
POOF! A sudden puff—and strangely, the enemy ninja vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"Damn." The white-haired boy's pupils shrank as he saw the white mist. He hadn't hit the real enemy—it was a Shadow Clone.
"Perfect chance."
From the shadows, a figure gleamed with killing intent, drawing his sword in a flash. With a powerful step, he launched himself up—whoosh!—and slashed at the still-airborne youth before he could react.
Shhhk!
The blade cut through the boy—thud!—and the attacker landed firmly on the tree, glancing back at the stunned youth.
"A kid like you shouldn't be on the battlefield... such a pity."
POOF!
Suddenly, the white-haired youth also vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Nani?!" The Uchiha ninja's expression changed dramatically.
"Danger!" Almost at the same time, he sensed a sharp gust and the screech of air being torn from above.
CLANG!
A screeching clash of blades echoed as two swords met—zzzz!—sparks flying at the point of contact.
"No wonder you're from the Uchiha clan… You even blocked such a fast sneak attack." Killer Bee commented, then curiously stared into the man's blood-red eyes. "Is it those eyes? The Sharingan really is something else!"
To think he dared to look directly into an Uchiha's eyes—the middle-aged ninja was surprised but pleased. In the next instant, the calm three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, and he quickly distanced himself from Killer Bee.
"Nani?" Bee blinked, stunned by how fast the Uchiha ninja vanished—then returned to his usual calm expression.
"Genjutsu, huh?" he thought with a blank face.