Unfortunately, there was no reward money.

  Not all missions e with moary pensation. For example, during the Konoha Crush arc, when Kakashi assigasks to the Konoha 11, those missions ted toward their total number of pleted missions but didn’t e with any pay.

  After all, w for the vilge is seen as a duty, and discussing money in such situations could be sidered iive. Thankfully, these missions still tribute to a shinobi's record, which is used to assess eligibility for promotion a’s be ho—a bit ing rights.

  Perhaps it’s a form of military merit reward?

  Link’s ret mission was simir. Assisting his jonin instructor irag a rade was essentially unpaid bor.

  But he had expected that. Money didn’t matter as long as the mission helped him climb the dder toromotion.

  In the days that followed, life got busier—very busy.

  With the in Exams underway, many genin qualified to perform k missions were now fully focused oour, leaving a surplus of missions that o be taken care of.

  To help Link hone his skills—and at his own request—Nara Ensui kept him occupied. For the month and a half, Link was either heading out for a mission or on his way back to the vilge.

  The Team Five left their mark in numerous towns around Konoha, pleting three k missions and two D-rank missions during the in Exams period. However, there were no B-rank missions, as Ensui couldn’t always take him along on high-level assigs, nor would it be appropriate to issue too many exceptions for such tasks.

  Liually realized that Ensui wasn’t their full-time babysitter. On the trary, he had his own missions. The squad’s assigs were often scheduled to cide with Ensui’s higher-level missions, essentially making the Team Five mere tagalongs.

  Thanks to a jonin’s speed, the time the team spent traveling or resting after missions was often enough for Ensui to plete his tasks.

  Despite pleting multiple missions, the squad rarely ventured far beyond Konoha’s viity during this period. Even the k missio mundane pared to their first trip to Tanzaku Town.

  One mission involved capturing wild animals he vilge to replenish the training grounds.

  In ahey cshed with a group of ronin hired by a pany. Link hardly o intervene, direg Iris and Ami to swiftly isote, kill, or disperse the oppos. He only stepped in when Iris was injured after overextending himself.

  Trained shinobi already hold a crushing advantage over ronin, and for someone as skilled as Link, defeating a ronin was no more difficult than hunting a wild animal.

  When the in Exams cluded, k missions became scard highly sought after. As a result, the Team Five’s hectic mission schedule came to an end.

  Time passed quickly in a cycle of training, missions, and more training. By te August, the squad returo the vilge for a break, and an ued piece of good news arrived.

  "I finally got it—Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Teique…"

  Link had initially thought he’d have to wait until being a in, then apply to access the jutsu archives to find this obscure, outdated Earth Release teique.

  To his surprise, someone happeo have it. After paying a siderable portion of his savings, he mao acquire the scroll.

  As he celebrated at Ichiraku Ramen, the scroll still warm in his hands, Nara Ensui approached him with another annou:

  “Yetting promoted to in.”

  …

  Hokage’s Office

  "Cck."

  The Third Hokage pressed his seal onto a dot and added it to the growing sta his desk. Looking up at the genin standing across from him, he realized he had to lean forward slightly to meet the boy’s gaze.

  "Perhaps I should ask the Anbu to repce this desk with a shorter one…" As a seasoned leader, the Third Hokage could multitask, pnning for the future while speaking warmly.

  “Genin Link, gratutions.”

  “On the reendation of Jonin Nara Ensui, and with unanimous approval from the vilge leadership, you have met all the qualifications to bee a in. As of today, you are officially a in of Konoha.”

  “Being a in isn’t just about bat ability. A in must possess skills in intelligehering, teamwork, battlefield analysis, and tactical application…”

  It’s all from the in Guidebook…

  Link stood at attention, listening as the Hokage spoke for a full ten minutes. By now, he was certain that the Konoha in Guidebook had been written by the man before him.

  He also uood why Ensui had smiled knowingly and excused himself to the restroom before sending him into the office alone.

  It was supposed to be a double celebration—finally obtaining the jutsu he’d been seeking and being promoted to ianding here, enduring a speech that felt more like a corporate meeting from his previous life, made it hard to feel genuinely happy.

  Still, it felt strangely familiar.

  He instinctively nodded in agreement at the right moments, his face serious, while his mind wao what he should do as a in.

  The Hokage, meanwhile, transitioned seamlessly from in qualifications to the vilge’s development and finally cluded with an inspiring note on the Will of Fire.

  Looking at the upright and posed young boy before him, the Hokage nodded in satisfa.

  "What a promising child," he thought, reminisg about his former students.

  Link snapped out of his thoughts. Years of zoning out durihy speeches in his past life had equipped him with the ability to respond appropriately on autopilot. Most of the Hokage’s words had gone in one ear and out the other.

  "Finally over. I go get my i now?" he wondered.

  “in Link,” the Hokage said, his tone more solemn. “Remember, a shinobi’s strength does not e from the individual but from the entire vilge.”

  “Yes, Lord Third,” Link replied, bowing slightly.

  The Hokage gnced out the window, his expression softening as he looked at the bustling vilge. Pushing the freshly stamped iification to the edge of the desk, he said, “Once again, gratutions.”

  Stepping forward to retrieve his certificate, Link gave a respectful bow. “Thank you, Lord Hokage. If there’s nothing else, I’ll excuse myself.”

  With that, he turned a.

  As the door closed, the Third Hokage tapped his desk and instructed the Anbu nearby, “Increase the prote level for in Link.”

  From observation to prote, this was the most he could do.

  A shadow crossed his face as he sidered the sacrifices made by past Hokage—those who bore immense burdens in darko safeguard the light of the vilge.

  “Perhaps I am the most naive and ie Hokage of them all,” he muttered, lighting his pipe.

  Patreon(.)/Bleam

  — Currently You Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!