Chapter 34: SSR Shikigami!
"The Path of the Ninja"
Katsuragi read the mission description, feeling somewhat amused yet exasperated. He had just been complaining about the difficulty of the Bounty Seals, and now, he wouldn't have to worry about that problem for a while.
This series of missions required six years to complete, meaning he could only revisit the Bounty Seals after six years.
"Mission 1: Graduate from Ninja Academy Year 1 - Not completed! (No skipping grades, no repeats)"
"Completion Reward: 500,000 gold coins!"
"Mission 2: Graduate from Ninja Academy Year 2 - Not completed! (No skipping grades, no repeats)"
"Completion Reward: 500,000 gold coins!"
...
It continued all the way until the final graduation, totaling 3 million gold coins. If it were just that, Katsuragi wouldn't be particularly excited; after all, with diligent work, he could make a similar amount from the Bounty Seals over six years.
What truly thrilled him was the reward for the task that appeared last, the one for becoming a Genin.
"Task: Become a Ninja - Not completed! (Must complete Task 6)"
"Reward: Random SSR Shikigami summon!"
Not an R card, nor an SR, but an SSR, a symbol of prestige and lineage. Seeing the reward, Katsuragi almost wanted to rush to the Third Hokage to apply to become a Genin, but sanity prevailed.
Even if he became a Genin now, it would be useless; the task required him to complete Task 6 first, meaning he had to graduate from school to complete this ultimate mission.
Besides, even if Katsuragi applied to become a Genin now, he might not pass since the graduation process involved practical and written exams, and he was clueless about the latter.
"Phew! Looks like I won't have to work so hard in the future!" Understanding the mission, Katsuragi breathed a sigh of relief. The Bounty Seals hadn't been a real challenge or useful for power improvement for a while now.
Instead, the time spent searching for mission targets felt wasted. Now, he wouldn't have to worry about that, which might actually be a good thing.
"But I can't completely relax either!" Katsuragi sighed. Although he no longer had to blindly seek out Bounty Seal targets, he still needed to train in the forest because defeating wild beasts would drop gold coins.
Though not much, every little bit helped, and over the years, it could add up.
Moreover, the 3 million gold coins from the mission would only suffice to upgrade an SSR to six stars. The awakening of the Three-Tailed Fox and the five-star upgrade and awakening of the Snow Woman also required a lot of gold.
As he pondered, Katsuragi suddenly felt a gentle shake of his body and heard Hinata's soft, sweet voice:
"Katsuragi, wake up! The teacher is here!"
With a thought, Katsuragi left the courtyard and instantly returned to his body. He sat up and reassured Hinata with a gesture that he was alright, then turned his attention to the teacher appearing on the podium, thinking to himself: As expected, nothing has changed.
"Everyone quiet down!" The ninja at the podium clapped his hands, and seeing that he had the attention of the class, he smiled warmly and began, "Hello, everyone! I'm your teacher from now on!"
"Let's start with introductions! My name is Iruka Umino! You can call me Teacher Iruka!"
"Next, I'd like you all to introduce yourselves as well! It'd be great to hear about your hobbies and dreams too! Who wants to go first?"
Katsuragi looked at the affable Iruka on the podium, thinking about the upcoming years they'd spend together, when he was suddenly startled by a voice beside him.
"I'll go first!"
Katsuragi looked incredulously at Naruto, who was excitedly jumping out of his seat. When had he managed to sit next to him?
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! My favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen, I hate being alone! My dream is to become the greatest Hokage, so everyone will acknowledge me!"
As Naruto shouted his dream from the podium, Katsuragi felt a twinge of emotion, knowing that no one could imagine at this point that this statement would one day become true.
Thinking of Naruto as Hokage in the original story, Katsuragi couldn't help but chuckle softly, causing Hinata beside him to look at him in puzzlement.
But Katsuragi's chuckle was one of goodwill, unlike the other bratty children in the class. The title of Hokage, a symbol of honor and prestige in the village and even the ninja world, was something he was taught about early on, even in the orphanage.
Hearing Naruto's declaration, some of the kids in the class started to scoff:
"Stop joking! You'll never be Hokage in your life!"
"He's the monster my mom warned me not to go near!"
"How can a monster become Hokage!"
"Just get down from there!"
Listening to the taunts and insults around him, Naruto looked bewildered. He had merely expressed his dream, hoping for acceptance, yet was met with such treatment.
Iruka, who was watching by the side, had a flash of hidden resentment in his eyes. Although not everyone in the village knew of Naruto's Jinchuriki status, it was an open secret to those who inquired.
Thinking of his parents who died at the hands of the Nine-Tails, Iruka clenched his fists. Under normal circumstances, he would have intervened if any student were being bullied like this, but he found it hard to sympathize with Naruto, given his identity.
Seeing Iruka struggling to contain himself on the podium and Naruto looking dejected, Katsuragi sighed. This man, who was the first to acknowledge Naruto in the original story, clearly hadn't yet overcome his own demons.
"Enough!"
Katsuragi slammed the desk and stood up. Having spent so much time with Naruto, he considered him a friend, despite knowing it might attract negative attention to himself as well. But as long as Hinata didn't despise him, he didn't care about others' opinions.
"Let them be, those who only serve as extras in the background, they won't be of much use in the future," Katsuragi thought, noting that other prominent characters from the original story, known as the 'Twelve Ninja Guardians,' were silent.
After quieting the classroom with his gesture, Katsuragi turned to Naruto and said, "Believe in yourself, Naruto! No Hokage ever needed the support of fools to become one!"
"Katsuragi..."
Naruto felt a rush of gratitude, wiping his eyes before pointing at everyone in the classroom and loudly proclaiming, "Just wait and see, I'll prove it to all of you one day!"
Ignoring the stares, he sat back down next to Katsuragi and whispered, "Thanks, Katsuragi."
"It's nothing," Katsuragi shook his head lightly, standing up and walking to the podium, his presence quieting the noisy classroom once more.
"This guy... is so strong!" Sasuke, watching Katsuragi's commanding presence, felt a chill. He was somewhat surprised by the intensity of the gaze that seemed to bear down like a beast's.
Of course, Sasuke was unaware that Katsuragi was deliberately controlling his aura; if he wanted, he could have scared these kids witless just with his presence, but that would expose too much and be counterproductive.
"My name is Katsuragi Kotori! I just want to advise anyone thinking of troubling me in the future—make sure you can afford the medical bills first!"
End of chapter 34