Minato arrived at the Hokage Office.
Seeing Minato's arrival, a hint of a smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's Face.
"Hokage-sama, did you need something from me?"
"Ah, although I know you don't like trouble, quite a few things have indeed piled up that I need to discuss with you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, "First is the matter of war merits. You shone brilliantly on the front lines this time, heavily damaging the enemy's vanguard multiple times and defeating two Kage-level experts. Converted, the S-rank mission evaluations alone are no less than $5$."
"Generally, war merits can be used to exchange for Ninjutsu from the scroll of seals, but I imagine you've learned quite a bit from Orochimaru these past few years."
"Haha—"
Minato smiled sheepishly, but he wasn't actually embarrassed. Inside, he felt a cold indifference toward the old man's praise. These rewards were merely tools to fuel his progression. His polite exterior remained a perfect mask, hiding the predator beneath.
"Well—being able to convert your talent into combat power as quickly as possible is something I'm certainly happy to see."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pinched some tobacco into his pipe, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke. "However, in that case, I don't know what else to reward you with. It seems I can only convert these war merits into salary."
"It's fine, this is quite good."
Minato shook his head, not minding at all. "It just so happens that I've been needing money lately."
"Hmm? Is there some emergency?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was slightly taken aback. "After all, you are now the Village's hero. If you have any needs, just mention them to me."
Minato waved his hand slightly. "Not really—it's just that I've started dating, and my appetite is getting bigger. Thinking about getting married in the future, I plan to save some money in advance."
"Hahaha, so that's how it is?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt relieved. "Is it that child, Kushina?"
"Yes, and Mikoto."
"Huh?"
"Uchiha Mikoto."
"Ah—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile froze on his Face, and then the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched. "Two?"
"Two!"
Minato made a peace sign. He watched the old man's confusion with internal amusement. Maintaining the image of a successful, slightly boastful young man was part of the play. It kept the authorities from looking too closely at the darkness in his soul.
Talking about this to girls was slightly awkward, but talking to men, there was somewhat an element of pride in it.
"This kind of thing—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his pipe, his expression gradually becoming serious.
"Is there any secret? Cough, asking for Shinnosuke. That boy is a bit dull; as a father, I can't help but worry."
Seeing Minato looking at him with an indescribable expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly changed the subject.
"But that's for you young people to discuss among yourselves. Next, let's talk about the second matter."
As he spoke, his expression turned serious, losing his previous undignified air.
"Minato Namikaze, in the name of the Third Hokage, I appoint you as a Jonin of Konoha Village!"
"Hmm?"
Minato was somewhat surprised. "Promoted directly to Jonin?"
"Yes, this is the unanimous opinion after I discussed it with the Advisor Elders."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Your strength has already exceeded the scope of a conventional Ninja. The Chunin Exams no longer have any meaning for you. As for the seniority required for a Jonin, no one in Konoha today has a more brilliant resume than yours."
"Although you might be lacking in experience, given your fighting style, it's not easy for an opponent to last long enough for you to need experience to defeat them."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he couldn't help but laugh first.
Minato couldn't help but chuckle as well; the suppressive power of the Glint-Glint Fruit was truly beyond words. He knew his power was absolute. With a synchronization rate nearing $100\%$, he was a god among men. The wooden office seemed small compared to the light he could unleash.
At least below the Six Paths level, no one would be his match.
Even if there were ways to attack the Glint-Glint Fruit, it would be very difficult to keep up with his speed.
"If there are no objections, it's settled. As for the Jonin flak jacket, you can pick it up at the Logistics Department later."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he took out a thick stack of documents and placed them on the table.
"Next, let's talk about the final matter. These—all of them have accumulated since you returned to the Village yesterday—are commissioned missions specifically requesting you to complete them."
Minato looked at the thick stack of documents, his eyelid twitching. "All of these?"
"All of these!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded heavily. "The name of the Yellow Flash has already resounded through the Ninja World, naturally attracting many clients who come for your reputation. It's just that your age and battle record are too legendary, which has sparked a wave of enthusiasm."
Minato shook his head. "I'm not doing them."
"Hiss—"
Seeing Minato refuse the missions without hesitation, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a sharp breath, feeling his temples throbbing.
Sure enough, he knew it; a student taught by a problem child was bound to have some problems themselves!
"Um—Minato."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a dry laugh. "The requirements for a Jonin are comprehensive; you can't just be good at direct combat. Your promotion was already an exceptional advancement—"
Minato shook his head repeatedly. "Then I won't get promoted."
This is really a f*cking living ancestor—
Hiruzen Sarutobi silently took off his pipe and rubbed his Face hard with both hands. He felt the weight of his office. Dealing with a genius who possessed the power of a nuclear strike but the motivation of a casual observer was exhausting his patience.
If it were anyone else refusing missions so bluntly, even someone with a temper like Tsunade, he wouldn't be able to help but scold them a few times.
But with Minato, he didn't dare say a single harsh word!
He was certain that if he dared to use words like Ninja duties to constrain Minato, this kid might just perform a live retirement on the spot!
If pushed too hard, he might even pull out a Kunai and slash a line across his forehead protector—
Finally, such a peerless Genius appeared, yet he has no awareness of being a Ninja at all?
Thinking of this, he sighed slightly.
"If you're worried about trouble, there's no need to worry. Designated missions don't necessarily have to be accepted by the person themselves. Most of these are applications like having afternoon tea with noble young misses, which aren't within the scope of acceptance."
"Escort missions—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Minato's expression. "—shouldn't be within your consideration either. It really is painful to have someone with extremely high mobility waste time following a merchant caravan."
At this point, his Face couldn't help but look a bit distressed.
"But Minato, even for the sake of the scroll of seals, you have to take at least a few missions, right? And besides, I am Tsunade's teacher—"
"Then—alright."
Minato nodded. Whether it was the scroll of seals or the matter with Root, he had indeed exercised quite a few privileges. Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi put it that way, it was indeed not right to just walk away and ignore everything. He needed access to the village's deepest secrets, and that required cooperation.
Great!
This kid responds to persuasion but not to coercion!
Hiruzen Sarutobi was delighted and quickly pulled out a document to give to Minato. "It just so happens there's a suitable mission here. Speaking of which, it has some connection to you."
Minato took the document and scanned it. "Uzushiogakure? Kushina's hometown?"
"Exactly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "You should already know the purpose of Kushina coming to Konoha, right?"
"Jinchuriki—" Minato nodded slightly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "Some time ago, just as we started the war with Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Hidden Mist launched several invasions against Uzushiogakure. As for their purpose—I think besides the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques, there's also the threat this clan poses to Tailed Beasts."
"They likely want to—exterminate the Uzumaki Clan!"
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