Chapter 364: The World Hunter Association
"Local television reports: An important directive was issued during the Five Kage Summit by the Fourth War hero of the Shinobi Alliance, the 'Black Flash,' the ceiling of Genjutsu-type ninjas, Konoha's former Acting Hokage, and the peak of aesthetic perfection—Tonbo Tobitake.
Regarding the survival of ninjas as the world enters a state of peace, he has provided forward-looking, constructive, and feasible suggestions.
Breaking through the traditional professional constraints of ninja survival, he proposed the following:
Ninjas should no longer be defined solely as representatives of assassination, intelligence gathering, and warfare. Instead, he has creatively pioneered new concepts:
Gourmet Hunters: Ninjas with the philosophy of collecting delicacies from around the world. Utilizing specialized ninjutsu, they can discover or develop food products for major food corporations, thereby breaking away from the scope of hired assassination missions...
Jewel Hunters: Ninjas dedicated to collecting the world's most beautiful gemstones, making a living through collection or trade...
Contract Beast Hunters...
Financial Report Hunters...
Music Hunters...
Various other professional philosophies have been proposed as vital guidance for the direction of world peace.
The high-ranking officials of the Shinobi Alliance expressed unanimous approval of Mr. Tonbo Tobitake's concepts. Consequently, the World Hunter Association has been established. This association has implemented a formal ranking system for different types of ninjas based on their contributions.
The ranks are divided into: Unranked, Single-Star (Lv.1), Double-Star (Lv.2), and Triple-Star (Lv.3).
Currently, localized trials have begun using the Five Great Hidden Villages as base points...
Reporting for the official Shinobi Alliance Channel."
Four months had passed since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, and the shinobi world had returned to its usual rhythm—though with significantly fewer conflicts.
In front of television screens across the land, many ninjas watched the Shinobi Alliance news, listening to the report with intense curiosity. Particularly because the man proposing these concepts was one of the heroes who saved the world: Tonbo Tobitake.
"Eh? I thought Tonbo Tobitake was retiring?"
"He's just retiring, he's not dead. Besides, since he hasn't officially stepped down yet, it's normal for him to give advice."
"True. And he's just giving suggestions; he doesn't have to do the work himself. How relaxing—doesn't interfere with retirement at all."
Because Tonbo was so famous, certain pieces of information inevitably leaked out. Aside from being the undisputed ceiling of Genjutsu, his most famous trait was his personality: Lazy.
Aside from things he personally enjoyed, he was lazy enough to refuse the position of Hokage. Now, he was famous again for proposing such an interesting concept.
"Teacher is incredible!" Togetake Tetusen lay in a hot spring, watching the distant television broadcast.
Mibu Shinobu bubbled up from under the water, staring at the screen. "As expected of the teacher I am most proud of. Too amazing!"
"It's been a long time since I've seen him. I didn't expect him to pull off something this big again. Simply staggering!" Iruka Umino was also there. Listening to the news, his voice was full of emotion.
Back when he was under Tonbo-sensei's wing, he never imagined the man would become this famous. Back then, he just thought his strength was impressive. Now, hearing the new ninja concepts as an educator himself, he felt it was fantastic.
Gulp!
Togetake Tetusen added, "Indeed. This new concept is brilliant. Now that the war is over, the Torture and Interrogation Force is bored to tears. I think I should test for the Gourmet Hunter license. Maybe I can use gourmet food to seduce a few girls into dating me. There are too few women in our department, and most of them are already taken. Sigh!"
He stared at the news report as if he had seen the light. All three were now twenty-nine years old. Only Mibu was married, and his child had just been born last month—making Iruka and Togetake incredibly envious.
However, Iruka had deeper ideals; he wanted to conduct profound research into the cause of education. Meanwhile, Togetake felt his traditional ninja path had hit a wall. Seeing his teacher's new concept, his heart was moved.
Mibu said, "I'll definitely participate in teacher's new concept. Actually, I've had a dream since I was a kid: once the war was over, I wanted to explore the unknown parts of the world. A ninja who discovers and investigates unconfirmed lifeforms—a UMA Hunter. I think that suits me perfectly."
Iruka gave him a dangerous look. "Careful, or Sister-in-law Anko will beat you senseless. That's a job that requires traveling all over the place."
"I'm not afraid! Anko is a mother now; she's much gentler than before. Anyway, Iruka, you'll definitely want to be a Head Hunter, right? An expert in discovering and nurturing talent into greatness. Haha!"
Mibu laughed out loud at the mention of Anko. Iruka just smiled; that was exactly what he was thinking. He just wondered what the World Hunter Association's examination would be like and if he could become a ranked ninja.
Konoha Bookstore.
"Found it. This is the one."
Konohamaru picked up a magazine and looked at the title: "New Ninja Concepts".
Author: Stupid White.
"Yo, aren't you the kid who used to sneak in to look at the 18+ books? Did you see the news too? This book is a masterpiece by Lord Tonbo Tobitake. It's bound to be a bestseller. Buying it now is a wise choice," the owner said, immediately recognizing the boy who, like Naruto, once enjoyed peeking at "adult" literature.
"It says Stupid White' is the author. How do you know it's Tonbo-sensei's work?" Konohamaru asked, confused.
"Fool! Who else could write such a clear breakdown of the concepts that just appeared on the news, other than the person who proposed them?" The owner looked at Konohamaru with disdain. For a ninja, the kid seemed a bit dim.
"Why didn't he use his real name?" Konohamaru didn't mind the insult.
"What author doesn't have a pen name? The author of the most popular book series on the market, the Icha Icha series, used to have several!" The owner couldn't even be bothered to criticize his lack of brains anymore.
"Authors are weird. Anyway, I'll take it. Goodbye, boss!" Konohamaru paid and walked out.
The owner counted the money and pulled another copy from under the counter. "This kid... isn't suited to be a Bounty Hunter, nor a Head Hunter... sigh. With no brains, he probably can't be any kind of Hunter. He'll be lucky to stay Unranked!"
Naruto's Exclusive Academy.
Several teachers were diligently tutoring him on subjects he didn't understand. They were extremely responsible, which made Naruto feel miserable. Looking at the piles of books, his head felt like it was going to explode.
"Naruto! Big news!"
Shikamaru's voice drifted in from the distance. A moment later, Shikamaru appeared.
"Shikamaru, don't disturb Naruto's studies," the tutors tried to stop him.
Naruto, however, looked as if he'd been granted a divine reprieve. "Wait! Shikamaru is in such a rush, it must be important. Did we find another troublesome enemy? I, Uzumaki Naruto, will not shrink from my duty!"
He stood up with exaggerated gravity. Right now, he would rather fight Kaguya again than stay in this room.
"The Shinobi Alliance has established a new department, the World Hunter Association," Shikamaru said excitedly. "You have been designated by the Association as a Triple-Star Honorary Hunter!"
He seemed happier than if he had received an award himself. Naruto, however, was completely blank. "Triple-Star Honorary Hunter? What on earth is that?"
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