The Konoha Gree!

  Get?

  Link eagerly tore opeic bag and slipped on the iic gree. Despite its vibrant green color, it symbolized his promotion to in—a badge of honor.

  (Fun fact: this vest isn’t exclusive to in. After graduating as genin, students are measured for it, and during wartime, it was standard gear for even genin otlefield. However, iime, it’s typically handed out only after promotion to in—a tradition of sorts.)

  "Should I wash this new outfit before wearing it…"

  The thought briefly crossed Link’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. I’m a in now! Time to show it off.

  “gratutions!” Nara Ensui appeared out of nowhere, raising a hand iing. With a grin, he said, “From now on, I’ll be ting on you, in Link.”

  Yes, even after a member of the team bees a in, the squad usually tis missions together, unless all members are promoted, leading to the team’s formal dissolution. For example, after Kakashi became a in, he tinued w alongside Obito, Rin, and the Fourth Hokage.

  The difference is that a jonin instructor no longer has “mentor” or “babysitter” duties and instead funs purely as a senior squadmate. This shift also allows for more flexibility in missioion, as the squad no longer has to stick to lower-raasks.

  “Ah, Ensui-sensei!” Link couldn’t hide his grin. While he was typically calm and posed, his promotion to in had e soohan expected, and there was o keep his excitement in check around familiar faces. “How about we celebrate with some barbecue? My treat!”

  “Oh? You’re feeling generous today?” Ensui ughed and nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Liated for a moment, internally wing at the thought of his dwindling wallet, but today ecial day. “Let’s meet at Yakiniku Q for lunch!”

  Ensui gave him a thumbs-up and vanished with a burst of Body Flicker Teique.

  "Jonin really have an endless supply of chakra…"

  Link sighed, thinking about how his instructor always arrived aed using Body Flicker, while he could only afford to use it sparingly in battle.

  With his gree proudly on dispy, Link took a detour to Ichiraku Ramen and bought a bottle of co—despite it being more expehan the vending mae version.

  “Link-, did you get promoted to in?” Ichiraku’s owner looked genuinely surprised. After all, it was rare to see such a young in iime.

  Not knowing if an Anbu might be tailing him, Link stuck to polite formalities. “Yes, thanks to Lord Third and Ensui-sensei’s guidance.”

  “In that case…” Ichiraku waved his hand. “How about a celebratory bowl of ramen on the house?”

  “How could I possibly accept that…” Link said, even as he promptly sat down.

  Yakiniku Q would easily cost at least 200 ryō per person for shinobi with their rge appetites—not cheap at all. Ninja may earn high wages, but their expenses are equally steep. Exploding tags, smoke bombs, kunai, and shurike exactly affordable. Even food costs are higher, given their calorieeds.

  So when Ichiraku offered a free meal, Link shamelessly accepted.

  “What would I do if peace truly came, and shinobi were no longer needed?”

  While waiting for his ramen, Link’s thoughts wandered. He didn’t want to be a ninja forever. Evee jonin like Sakura Haruno iure would face financial struggles, like fainting from stress over unpaid home loans. The ine just wasn’t stable enough.

  "Maybe I’d travel the world," he mused, for the first time letting himself dream.

  Not to grow stronger age in deadly schemes, but to explore the unknown, experiehe beauty of this world, and immerse himself in its culture. That, to him, would be a life well-lived.

  "But for now, I’ll keep pushing toward my goals."

  “Link-, your ramen is ready!”

  g his hands together, Link said cheerfully, “Time to dig in!”

  …

  Training Ground Seven

  “Why is the boss so te today?” Iris sat on a rock, gng at the sun. Their usual training time had passed over an ho.

  Ami, hanging upside down on a fragile tree branch to practice chakra trol, goward the horizon. “Maybe he’s—wait, what?!”

  She flipped to the ground, her eyes widening as she spotted Link strolling toward them, wearing a gree.

  “Whaaaat?!”

  “Boss made in!” Iris jumped up and shouted, “gratutions, boss!”

  “Not a big deal,” Link replied with mock modesty, brushing ent dust off his vest. “Sorry for being te. I went to the Hokage’s office with Ensui-sensei. And, well…”

  “I’m a in now.”

  Delivered in the calmest tone possible, the bragging hit perfectly.

  It felt great.

  “Does this mean we take on tougher missions now?!” Iris’s excitement alpable.

  As someone who dreamed of being a strong ninja, k missions had begun to feel monotonous. Konoha’s reputation ehat most missions didn’t involve real danger; often, simply wearing a headband was enough to dissuade troublemakers.

  Ami, however, looked uneasy. Fighting wasn’t her forte, and while she couldn’t avoid it as a ninja, she wasly eager fher-ranked missions.

  Link thought for a moment before replying. “We won’t be tag B-rank missions just yet.”

  Ami sighed in relief, while Iris’s enthusiasm visibly dimmed.

  “B-rank missions often involve bat with other ninja,” Link expined. “I’ll train you both for a month before sidering any B-rank tasks.”

  There was no rush. The vilge didn’t pce immediate demands on newly promoted in, so he decided to use the time to prepare his teammates for the challenges ahead.

  “Alright, enough talk—let’s start today’s training! Lunch is o Yakiniku Q!”

  Bleam