Bored...
Lying flat on the tatami mat, Rinjin stared blankly at the ceiling, his face devoid of any will to live.
The Land of Rain was embroiled in chaos and conflict, a storm of excitement;
And yet here he was, the so-called Daimyō, the actual mastermind behind it all, stuck chasing cats and catching dogs with three little brats.
Haaah... what a joke.
"I can't take this anymore! I need to find something to do!"
With a quick kip-up, Rinjin sat upright and shouted toward the door.
"Maya, Maya-chan!"
Moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. Wearing traditional tabi socks, Maya quickly entered the room, bowing respectfully as she looked at Rinjin.
"President, is there something you need?"
"Of course!" Rinjin nodded heavily, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Maya.
"Take some money and head to Konoha's mission assignment hall. As the Daimyō of the Land of Rain, issue a C-rank mission to investigate the Land of Grass.
Then, make sure Team Eleven is assigned to this mission. I'm so bored I could die!"
Seeing Rinjin's distressed expression, Maya covered her mouth with her delicate hand, stifling a giggle as she nodded.
"President, shall I go now?"
"Yes, right now."
Maya tilted her head slightly in acknowledgment, then turned and left the room.
By noon, Rinjin, who was sprawled out on the tatami mat like a salted fish, finally received some good news.
An ANBU operative informed him that the Hokage had summoned him to the mission assignment hall.
Upon hearing this, Rinjin quickly got up and followed the ANBU operative.
Before long, they arrived at the mission assignment hall on the second floor of the Hokage building.
The mission assignment hall was a circular room. Along the outer edge, clean and bright windows lined the walls. Inside, tables were arranged in a massive circle.
Behind these tables sat various mission commissioners, some wearing fisherman's hats.
Among them was a beautiful woman in a kimono.
Directly across the hall, behind a desk, sat Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his ceremonial Hokage robes and hat, his face dark as he stared at a scroll on the table.
Entering the hall, Rinjin glanced at Maya, who had her head lowered, stifling a laugh. He immediately pretended not to know her and walked up to Hiruzen's desk.
"Uncle Hiruzen, you called for me?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen looked up at Rinjin. His already long face seemed to stretch even further as he pointed indignantly at the scroll spread out on the desk.
"What the hell is this supposed to mean?!
Mission Commissioner: Rinjin Sakata, Daimyō of the Land of Rain.
Designated Mission Recipients: Team Eleven, led by Jonin Rinjin Sakata.
You really went all out, huh?!
And what pisses me off the most is that this mission—to investigate a country near the battlefield—is classified as a C-rank mission with a reward of only 100,000 ryō!
What the hell?! Are you trying to insult beggars?!"
Seeing Hiruzen so furious that smoke was practically coming out of his nostrils, Rinjin shrank back slightly and meekly explained:
"Well, it's just a casual outing, right? Besides, it's just a matter of moving money from one pocket to another. Why spend so much?"
His muttering was soft but just loud enough for Hiruzen to hear.
At this, the middle-aged man's expression froze, and then he donned a mask of utter despair.
This bastard Rinjin is absolutely prime material for the Fourth Hokage! With his level of stinginess, even the Grim Reaper would have to pay a toll to collect his soul!
Taking a few deep breaths, Hiruzen barely managed to suppress the urge to rant. In a gruff voice, he said:
"The mission rank can stay the same, but the reward must be increased. And make sure those three kids come back in one piece!"
Hearing this, Rinjin nodded earnestly, enthusiastically patting Hiruzen on the shoulder as he said with heartfelt conviction:
"Don't worry, Uncle! You know me—I'm the most reliable person in Konoha!"
At these words, Hiruzen was left speechless, his anxiety only growing.
Meanwhile, Maya, watching Hiruzen's darkened expression, covered her mouth and giggled mischievously.
After a brief exchange, Rinjin signed his name on the mission scroll for the second time and tucked it into his ninja tool pouch.
Looking around, he quickly scanned the area. Aside from Maya, no one seemed to be paying attention.
Seeing this, Rinjin leaned in close to Hiruzen and whispered:
"Uncle Hiruzen, does Konoha have any ninjutsu suitable for teaching kids?
You know, my team of three—aside from Fugaku—barely has any foundation in ninjutsu.
And honestly, all I know are some basic tricks, so I don't have much to teach them!"
Hearing this, Hiruzen decisively turned his head away, refusing to look at Rinjin.
*Basic tricks? Flying Thunder God Technique + Eight Gates + Lightning Release Chakra Mode + Magnet Release, and you call that basic?!
And Ri Yi, who's already proficient in Fire, Water, and Earth Release, is a "kid with no foundation"?!
You, Rinjin, are the undisputed master of humblebragging in Konoha!*
For his part, Rinjin shivered slightly, thinking to himself that the true master of humblebragging was Ippongi Katō.
Still, considering that Rinjin's techniques weren't exactly suitable for teaching, Hiruzen sighed, his face dark as he summoned an ANBU operative.
"Have Sakumo take this idiot to the archives and let him copy some ninjutsu. Just get him out of my sight!
Oh, and you—don't mess around with Flying Thunder God seals in the archives, and don't sneak a peek at the Scroll of Seals!
If you want to see something, submit a request to me. Stop sneaking around all the time!"
Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed the ANBU operative's face beneath their mask, but they quickly nodded.
Seeing this, Rinjin's face lit up with joy.
This is amazing! I've finally become one of Konoha's "insiders"!
What Rinjin didn't know was that even among Konoha's insiders, very few had unrestricted access to the archives.
It was clear that Hiruzen had fully recognized Rinjin's potential and was determined to bind him to Konoha.
After all, with just the Flying Thunder God Technique, Rinjin's strength was already approaching Kage-level.
Bidding farewell to Hiruzen, Rinjin followed the newly arrived Sakumo Hatake to the archives on the other side of the Hokage building.
Looking at the familiar doors, Rinjin chuckled to himself.
Last time, I snuck in. This time, I'm walking in openly. This is what it means to be "officially certified"!
With a key in hand, Sakumo unlocked the archive doors.
With a soft creak, the doors opened, and the scent of ink and paper wafted out.
Placing a hand on Rinjin's shoulder, Sakumo spoke softly.
"Tell me which ninjutsu you're looking for, and I'll get it for you."
He stepped inside first, gesturing as he introduced the layout.
"In the center is the Scroll of Seals, containing forbidden techniques recorded by the First and Second Hokage.
Over here are various ninjutsu, over there are genjutsu, and that small section is taijutsu and kenjutsu. The innermost shelves hold secret techniques.
What do you need?"
Scratching his head, Rinjin thought for a moment before replying.
"Give me a bit of everything—ninjutsu for all five chakra natures, plus some taijutsu and ninja-taijutsu techniques.
You know, I've got students now, so it's better to be prepared."
Hearing Rinjin casually call him "Dog Bro," Sakumo didn't even flinch. He had long since resigned himself to his fate.
Scratching his white hair, Sakumo pondered for a moment before suggesting:
"How about this? I'll pick out some suitable teaching materials, copy them, and have someone deliver them to you."
Hearing this, Rinjin nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at grain.
What a sweet deal!
"Dog Bro, you're my best buddy for life!
Don't worry—if anything ever happens to you, I'll take care of your wife and kids!"
At these words, a vein popped on Sakumo's forehead as he struggled to keep his composure.
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