Bored.
Lying on the tatami mat, Reiji stared blankly at the ceiling, looking completely lifeless.
The Land of Rain was in chaos, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it.
Meanwhile, he—nominally the Daimyō, but actually the man pulling the strings—was stuck chasing cats and dogs around with three little brats.
Unbelievable.
"No way! I need to find something to do!"
With a sudden kick, Reiji sat up and shouted toward the door.
"Meiko! Meiko-chan!"
A moment later, the sound of quick footsteps approached, and Meiko, wearing tabi socks, entered the room with a respectful gaze.
"Chairman, what is it?"
"It's something!" Reiji nodded seriously, eyes sparkling.
"Take some money to Konoha's mission assignment hall. As the Daimyō of the Land of Rain, post a C-rank mission to investigate the Land of Grass.
Then, assign Team Eleven to the mission. I'm seriously bored out of my mind!"
Seeing his frustrated expression, Meiko covered her mouth with a delicate hand, giggling as she nodded.
"Chairman, should I head out now?"
"Yeah, right now."
Meiko gave a cute nod and turned to leave the room.
...
By noon, Reiji was still sprawled on the tatami like a salted fish when he finally received the news he had been waiting for.
An ANBU arrived to inform him that the Hokage wanted him in the mission hall.
Reiji immediately sprang to his feet and followed the ANBU.
Soon, they arrived at the mission hall on the second floor of the Hokage Building.
It was a circular hall. The outer edge was lined with bright, clean windows, and inside, the tables formed a large ring.
Behind the tables sat mission requesters, all wearing fisherman's hats.
Among them was even a beautiful young woman in a kimono.
Directly across from the entrance, seated behind a table, was Hiruzen Sarutobi in his ceremonial robes and Hokage hat, staring grimly at a scroll laid out before him.
As Reiji entered the hall, he glanced at Meiko, who was quietly giggling with her head down, then put on an indifferent face and walked straight to Hiruzen's table.
"Old Man Hiruzen, you called for me?"
At those words, Hiruzen glanced up at Reiji. His face instantly fell as he jabbed at the scroll in front of him.
"What the hell is this?!
Mission Client: Daimyō Reiji Sakuhō of the Land of Rain;
Designated Mission Recipient: Konoha Team Eleven, led by Jōnin Reiji Sakuhō.
You really went all out, huh?
And what really pisses me off—this is a mission to investigate a country near a battlefield, and you filed it as a C-rank with a reward of just 100,000 ryo?!
What, you think this is a handout for beggars?!"
Seeing Hiruzen's nostrils flaring in anger, Reiji shrank his neck and meekly explained,
"It's just a casual outing... besides, it's all going from one pocket to another—no need to waste so much money."
Though he mumbled quietly, it was just loud enough for Hiruzen to hear.
Hearing that, the old man's face froze, then contorted into one of pure frustration.
This bastard Reiji... he'd make a great Fourth Hokage.
With how stingy he is, even the Shinigami would have to pay a toll to collect his soul!
Hiruzen took a few deep breaths, forcing down his urge to rant. He grumbled,
"You can keep the mission rank, but increase the reward. And those three kids—bring them all back in one piece!"
Reiji nodded earnestly, giving Hiruzen a hearty pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, old man!
You know me—I'm the most dependable guy in Konoha!"
That only made Hiruzen even more uneasy.
Off to the side, Meiko covered her mouth, giggling as she watched Hiruzen's face darken further.
After a few quick words, Reiji signed the scroll again and tucked it into his tool pouch.
He glanced around—aside from Meiko, no one seemed to be paying attention.
Seeing that, he leaned closer to Hiruzen and whispered,
"Old man, does Konoha have any ninjutsu that's good for kids?
You know how it is—besides Fugaku, the other two barely know any jutsu.
And all I've got are some half-baked moves—not much I can teach them!"
At that, Hiruzen promptly turned away, refusing to even look at him.
Flying Thunder God Technique + Eight Inner Gates + Lightning Release Chakra Mode + Magnet Release, and he calls that "half-baked"?!
And Rie, a prodigy who's already mastered Fire, Water, and Earth Release, he says has "no ninjutsu background"?
You've got to be kidding me.
This guy is Konoha's number one humblebrag master!
Reiji shivered under Hiruzen's silent judgment. Deep down, he knew the true master of humblebrags was Ippongi Katō!
Still, since Reiji's techniques weren't really suitable for teaching, Hiruzen gave a long-suffering sigh and called over an ANBU.
"Get Sakumo to take this bastard to the library. Let him copy whatever jutsu he wants. Just get him out of my sight!
And you—don't you dare mess with any Flying Thunder God arrays in there, and stay away from the Scroll of Seals!
If you want something, ask me. Stop sneaking around!"
Hearing that, the ANBU briefly looked surprised beneath his mask, then quickly nodded.
Reiji broke into a wide grin.
Now that's more like it!
Looks like he was finally considered one of Konoha's own!
What he didn't know was that not even Konoha's own had unrestricted access to the library.
The truth was, Hiruzen had fully recognized Reiji's potential—and decided to tie him to Konoha for good.
After all, just the Flying Thunder God Technique alone put Reiji's strength on the cusp of Kage level.
...
After saying goodbye to Hiruzen, Reiji followed Sakumo Hatake to the library on the other side of the Hokage Building.
Seeing the familiar doors, Reiji chuckled.
Last time he snuck in—this time he was walking in through the front.
That's what you call getting officially certified!
Sakumo pulled out a key and opened the door.
With a soft creak, the door swung open, and a wave of ink and parchment scent rushed out.
Sakumo rested a hand on Reiji's shoulder and said quietly,
"Looking for jutsu? I'll grab them for you."
Then he stepped inside and began to explain.
"Straight ahead is the Scroll of Seals compiled by the First and Second Hokage, full of forbidden jutsu.
This side has ninjutsu, over there is genjutsu, that little section is Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, and way in the back are the secret techniques.
What are you looking for?"
Reiji scratched his head and thought for a moment.
"Give me a bit of each of the five nature types, and some Taijutsu and Nintaijutsu too.
You know how it is, Dog Bro—I've got students now. Gotta be prepared."
Sakumo didn't even blink at being called "Dog Bro."
He had completely given up on correcting it.
After thinking a bit, Sakumo scratched his white hair and said,
"How about this—I'll pick out some jutsu that are good for teaching, copy them, and have someone deliver them to you."
Reiji nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken.
No way! That's amazing!
"Dog Bro, you're my best bro for life.
Don't worry—if anything ever happens to you, I'll take care of your wife!"
Hearing that, Sakumo couldn't hold it in anymore. A vein instantly popped on his forehead.