Saratobi Hiruzen nodded and summoned a yellow-haired ninja. He talked with him a little about daily life, using a friendly tone to create a sense of familiarity.
The jonin was deeply moved, not expecting that the Third Hokage cared so much about him. Could it be that a major mission would soon be entrusted to him?
While pondering this, the conversation suddenly shifted as Saratobi mentioned the recent loss of one of the jonin's team members.
At the mention of this, the yellow-haired jonin immediately felt sorrow.
Saratobi consoled him with a few words, saying, "I plan to assign a new member to your team to replace the one you lost."
The jonin felt grateful that, despite the Hokage's busy schedule, he hadn't forgotten about him. He glanced appreciatively toward him.
Saratobi smiled and handed him a file.
The yellow-haired jonin received the file with both hands and quickly skimmed through it.
"What do you think of Tōshirō?"
"He's a genius."
The jonin had only two words to describe Tōshirō.
"Alright then, I plan to assign him to your team. What do you think?"
The jonin's face froze for a moment before he gently declined, saying, "Sorry, Lord Hokage, but I might not have the skills necessary to manage a genius like him. Perhaps it would be better to assign him to a team more suited to his abilities."
The jonin was well aware of Tōshirō's bad reputation.
The jonin circle is small, and they often talk among themselves.
It was said that Tōshirō had a very odd personality. Despite his remarkable talents, he was extremely afraid of death and often avoided missions harder than a C-rank. When involved in such missions, he would adopt a highly negative attitude.
Once, a special jonin tried to discipline Tōshirō with a beating to teach him a lesson, but it backfired, as he was almost beaten up by a lower-ranking ninja.
Though that special jonin wasn't particularly skilled in combat, he still carried the title of "jonin."
At only twelve years old, Tōshirō possessed such power. In a year or two, he might reach the standard jonin level. If a future conflict arose between him and the jonin and the jonin couldn't beat him, it would be embarrassing and disgraceful.
Hiruzen didn't press him and allowed him to back out. Then, he tried speaking to several other jonin to see if any would accept Tōshirō into their teams.
Though their responses varied, the overall message was the same: "I'm not fit for this mission, Lord Hokage. It's best you ask someone else."
In truth, the problem with Tōshirō wasn't just his lack of discipline; he also disrupted team dynamics. He often mocked his teammates, telling them they weren't fit to be ninjas and should return to raising pigs. Due to such comparisons with Tōshirō's genius, some became disheartened and began contemplating quitting their careers as ninjas.
This situation forced all the jonin in Konoha to take the matter seriously.
Saratobi was aware of some of Tōshirō's troublesome behaviors and had asked Tsunade, one of his friends, about his condition.
According to what he knew, Tōshirō, due to his tragic past, had become extremely afraid of death. He also feared losing those around him, which made him avoid connecting with others and keep his distance.
However, he wasn't entirely isolated; he could still form friendships, but only with those of great strength and skill, like his three disciples.
Strong people don't die easily, which meant he didn't have to worry too much about accidents troubling him.
But that didn't mean Tōshirō would connect with just any talented individual. He made it clear that despite their skills, the more people around him, the higher the chance of accidents, so he strictly controlled the number of friends he had.
Children who undergo major personality changes due to a painful childhood aren't rare, and Tōshirō is just a unique case.
While Saratobi was pondering how to handle Tōshirō, a young girl entered the room.
She was in the spring of her youth, with golden hair tied in a prominent ponytail, a strand falling on her forehead, large eyes shining like almonds, a soft and beautiful oval face, and smooth white skin, all enveloped in youthful grace.
She wore the Konoha forehead protector, her body wrapped in bandages from her upper body to her thighs, dressed in a light green sleeveless outfit with white sleeves on her hands and a light green skirt revealing her long legs.
(Note: Reference Ino's appearance as a ninja-in-training, with changes in facial features, clothing color, and forehead protector position.)
The girl was Tsunade, who had grown significantly over the years, except for her chest.
"Huh? Tsunade? How did you come back?" asked Saratobi in surprise, expecting her to be on a mission at this time.
Tsunade entered the Hokage's office as if it were her own home, familiar with the place. She searched for a cup, confidently filled it with tea, and said without hesitation, "The mission was successful, so I finished early and came back. I thought, why not visit the old man?"
Hiruzen objected, "Wait, I'm still young, aren't I?"
Tsunade held the tea cup with both hands, sipping it slowly before complaining, "Who told you to grow a beard? You look older than Grandpa Hashirama."
Her words made sense, leaving Hiruzen to smile bitterly.
Recently, he felt himself aging rapidly, possibly due to the burden of daily tasks as Hokage. He was often teased by Biwako, who said he looked like he was in his forties.
Tsunade asked casually, "Anyway, let's drop that for now. You looked tense earlier, what's on your mind?"
Hiruzen sighed, "It's your friend Tōshirō."
Tsunade was surprised, "What about him?"
Hiruzen chuckled, pulling a stack of transfer requests related to Tōshirō from his desk drawer.
Tsunade set her tea aside, took some papers to read, and commented sarcastically, "Tōshirō is always causing trouble."
She wasn't surprised, knowing well that Tōshirō would do anything to protect himself.
Saratobi said, "But Tōshirō has great talent to become a ninja. Do you have any idea how to guide him on the right path?"
Tsunade quickly raised her hands, "Don't ask me. I have no idea how to deal with that weirdo."
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
Tsunade then said, "But..."
Saratobi interrupted eagerly, "But what?"
Tsunade replied, "Actually, convincing Tōshirō to be a good ninja isn't hard."
Hiruzen: "???"
Tsunade: "Just give him a reason he can't refuse."
Saratobi: "What do you mean?"
Tsunade: "Tōshirō loves money. If you pay him well, he'll change his attitude quickly."
Hiruzen: "..."
After a moment of thought, Hiruzen said with a bitter smile, "But I can't pay him directly. That would be a bribe, wouldn't it?"
Tsunade laughed, "I didn't say pay him directly, you just need to think differently."
Saratobi: "Think differently?"
Tsunade: "It's simple. You can assign him missions solo."
Saratobi: "Assign him missions alone?"
Tsunade: "Yes, give him missions that are usually carried out by a team of four and let him do them alone. That way, he'll earn the pay for the entire team."
She added, "As long as he's alone, there'll be no one to rely on, so he won't be able to shirk the work. In return, he'll be more focused, knowing all the money goes to him. Of course, the missions should be easy, not complicated."
Hiruzen pondered her suggestion for a moment.
Tsunade continued, "I've given you the solution. It's up to you if you want to use it."
Finding the office boring, Tsunade left to return home, where a new family member awaited her.
After Tsunade left, Saratobi stood by the window, gazing outside, murmuring, "Solo missions... It might just work."
Indeed, after following Tsunade's advice, Tōshirō's behavior changed dramatically. He became active and serious about completing missions, especially those of C and D ranks, like finding lost pets. While most ninjas rejected such tasks as too simple, Tōshirō relished them, as they represented easy money to him.
In the past, when working with a team, he wasn't very motivated because the money was split among everyone. But now, with all the money going to him, he enjoyed working much more.
As for missions above C rank, he continued to avoid them, claiming he wasn't foolish enough to take them on.
This simple life continued for a while, until one day, a senior clan advisor, Uchiha Itachi, visited him with two orders that shocked him completely.
Itachi said, "Tōshirō, I have two high-level S-rank missions for you. Listen carefully."
Tōshirō: "???"
Two high-level S-rank missions?
What kind of joke is this!
(End of Chapter)
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