"Why bother fixing up the house if we're not expecting any guests?" Minato mused to himself. "I'll deal with it after my jonin exam. Right now, there are just too many things that need money."
Since joining Takuya's squad, Minato had racked up a decent amount of contribution points and merits. With the Flying Thunder God Technique and some sealing jutsu under his belt, he didn't need to learn any new ninjutsu for a while. He could exchange his points and merits for cash instead.
Learning sealing techniques wasn't cheap. A single scroll could cost tens of thousands of ryo. One wrong move and the scroll was ruined, becoming a worthless piece of paper. Minato had already spent a fortune just to learn sealing techniques.
After quickly freshening up, Minato stepped out of the bathroom, looking a little out of it.
"My jonin exam's done, and the Hokage has already assigned me an important mission," Takuya announced with a sly grin.
"Already? That was fast," Minato perked up at the mention of a mission.
Grinning, Takuya rested his chin on his hand, looking at Minato with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Of course, it's..."
Minato leaned in, eager to hear the details. With Takuya now a jonin, their squad would naturally become a jonin-level team. That meant the missions would be much tougher, something Minato had been looking forward to.
Seeing that Minato was on the edge of his seat, Takuya finally finished his sentence:
"...a solo mission."
"Huh?!" Minato's eyes went wide, stunned.
"Did I hear that right? A solo mission?" Minato thought, rubbing his face as if to wake himself up. "Wait, wait... Are you saying this mission is just for you? No me, no Nawaki, no team?"
Minato and Nawaki had been guessing what kind of mission their squad would take on after Takuya became a jonin. But none of them expected that Takuya's first mission as a jonin wouldn't involve them at all.
"Well, that's why it's called a solo mission," Takuya said, lounging back on the couch. "If it wasn't directly from the Hokage's office, I wouldn't bother leaving the village so soon. It's not like I enjoy running around all over the place doing missions."
Takuya was far from a mission addict who couldn't sit still. He much preferred taking it easy in the village, training when he felt like it, and cooking up a good meal to reward himself afterward.
"When do you leave?" Minato asked, snapping into focus.
"Do you need me to say goodbye to Nawaki and the others?"
"What's with the drama?" Takuya waved him off. "It's not like it's a life-or-death parting. Just tell them I'll be gone for a while. I'm not sure how long this mission will take, but I don't expect it'll be too long. Konoha is still at war with the Sand Village, after all. You guys should be ready to head to the Land of Rivers at any moment."
"I'll pass on the message," Minato said seriously, giving a firm nod. When it came to important matters, Minato was never one to mess around. Since Takuya had asked him, he'd make sure to handle it first thing.
As Takuya walked off into the distance, Minato sighed. "I need to step up my game, fast. If I don't get stronger, I won't be able to keep up with him."
Clenching his fist, he made a mental note to push himself harder.
"Everything's in order, Lord Takuya," the gate guard said, handing back his ID with a respectful nod.
Ninjas leaving the village for missions, unless it was a secret assignment, had to register at the village gate. Otherwise, there was a risk of being mistaken for a rogue ninja.
The guard, although respectful, couldn't help but look at Takuya with a mixture of awe and disbelief. He still remembered when Takuya had just become a genin, back when he used to take on D-rank missions with Uchiha Mikoto.
Now, barely two years later, here he was—a full-fledged jonin. The speed of his rise was nothing short of incredible.
Takuya was likely the youngest jonin in Konoha's history. Maybe even the youngest across the entire ninja world. At only ten years old, anyone would've suspected favoritism or cheating if not for Takuya's clear merits and strength.
But no one could deny that Takuya earned his rank through his own hard work. Even though Tsunade might have helped speed things up, Takuya's abilities were unquestionable. Without Tsunade's push, it might have taken him another two years to attempt the jonin exam. The Third Hokage wouldn't have approved it so early under normal circumstances.
"Hey, think we're getting old?" one of the guards joked to his colleague as they watched Takuya leave.
"I still remember when he was fresh out of the Academy, just a regular genin," the first guard continued, shaking his head. "Now he's a jonin. In only two years!"
"We're only in our twenties!" the other guard groaned. "Besides, this is the kid the Third Kazekage said could rival the First Hokage himself. Becoming a jonin at ten doesn't seem so crazy when you think about that."
"Yeah... I guess you're right."
A ten-year-old jonin would normally shock people. But when you heard he was compared to the 'God of Shinobi,' Hashirama Senju, it suddenly made a lot more sense.
Meanwhile, in the Rain Village, Tsunade had just received the latest reports from Konoha. Her eyes narrowed as she read through the details.
She had been hoping her little stunt would force the Hokage to send someone else for the negotiations with Hanzo. But to her surprise, the Third Hokage had gone ahead with her plan. Not only had Takuya passed the jonin exam, but he had already left the village with his mission scroll. He'd arrive at the camp in two days.
"That old man..." Tsunade muttered, slamming the scroll down on the table. She let out a frustrated laugh, her anger rising.
After a few moments, she managed to calm herself down enough to avoid cursing out the Hokage. Sighing, she grabbed the scroll and went to find Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
She tossed the scroll to Orochimaru.
"The old man wants you both back in the village. They need manpower on the Land of Rivers front. Looks like your plans for a break are out the window," she said with a smirk.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight, mocking smile. He casually handed the scroll over to Jiraiya. Taking orders? That wasn't really his thing. He'd take a break whenever he felt like it. If he didn't want to move, even someone holding a knife to his throat wouldn't change that. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was the Hokage's loyal lapdog.
The thought of the "Legendary Sannin" title made Orochimaru's temper flare again.
"I'm not going anywhere," he declared, rising from his seat. "I've recently made a breakthrough in my research, and I need time to focus. I'll return to the village when I'm good and ready."
With that, Orochimaru strolled out of the tent without another word.
***********
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