Until Becoming a Chunin

Chapter 36: Until Becoming a Chunin

Unfortunately, there was no reward.

Not every mission paid money. For example, the missions Kakashi assigned to Konoha's rookies during the Konoha Crush Plan were counted toward their total mission records, but there was actually no monetary reward.

After all, when you were doing things for the village, talking about money could hurt feelings. Fortunately, they still counted toward total mission records, used to measure whether someone qualified for promotion and... showing off.

A different kind of military merit reward? Lin Ke's mission this time was the same: assisting a Guidance Jonin in meeting up with comrades. It was unpaid labor.

He had expected it beforehand anyway. It did not matter if there was no money, as long as it could serve as a stepping stone for promotion.

His life became a little busier after that—or rather, very busy.

With the Chunin Exams underway, quite a number of genin qualified to carry out C-Rank Missions threw themselves wholeheartedly into the exhibition matches. Naturally, someone had to take care of the extra missions that created.

Nara Yan Shui wanted to train him, and Lin Ke had asked for it himself as well. Thus, for some time afterward, he was either on the road carrying out missions or on the road back to the village.

Fifth Squad left its marks across several towns surrounding Konoha. During the month and a half of the Chunin Exams, they completed a total of three C-Rank Missions and two D-Rank Missions. They never saw another B-Rank Mission, though. Nara Yan Shui could not possibly take Lin Ke along on every mission, much less regularly issue missions beyond their rank.

That was right—Lin Ke discovered that his own Guidance Jonin was not their full-time babysitter. On the contrary, Nara Yan Shui had missions of his own. Fifth Squad's subsequent missions were usually picked up along the way to accommodate the higher-ranked missions Nara Yan Shui had accepted.

The three members of Fifth Squad were nothing more than accessories.

With a ninja's mobility, the time they spent traveling to a mission or resting after completing one was enough for Nara Yan Shui to go deal with his own mission.

Although they completed quite a few missions, including three C-Rank Missions that took them out of the village over the span of a month and a half, Fifth Squad basically just wandered around Konoha's outskirts. They never went as far as Tanzaku Street, where they had gone on their first trip out of the village.

One of those missions even involved capturing wild beasts right beside the village to fill the Training Grounds.

The other two C-Rank Missions involved conflicts with a group of Ronin hired by some company. Lin Ke barely had to act. He simply directed Yuan Wei and Xia to swiftly split apart, kill, and drive off their opponents. He only stepped in at the end because Yuan Wei was injured after pushing too aggressively, forcing him to clean up the mess.

Ninjas trained by the Ninja Academy already held an overwhelming advantage against Ronin. For a cheater like him, killing a Ronin was no harder than killing a wild beast.

Once the Chunin Exams ended, C-Rank Missions became less plentiful and more sought-after again, bringing Fifth Squad's frenzy of mission-taking to an end.

Time rapidly passed in a cycle of training—missions—training, until the end of August, when Fifth Squad temporarily returned to the village to rest and regroup. Then, a sudden piece of good news arrived.

"Finally got it—the Earth Dragon Concealment Technique..."

Lin Ke had thought he would need to become a chunin first, then apply to the village and search the ninjutsu-related libraries for this obsolete, low-level Earth Release technique. He had not expected someone to possess the rather obscure Earth Dragon Concealment Technique. After spending a portion of his savings, he successfully acquired the ninjutsu.

Before he had even had time to warm the Ninjutsu Scroll in his hands, Nara Yan Shui found him celebrating at Ichiraku Ramen and informed him:

You're being promoted to chunin.—Hokage Office.

"Click."

The Third Hokage stamped the document, casually placed it atop the pile of files beside him, and looked up at the genin standing across the desk.

Well, he still had to lean forward a little to look directly into the other's eyes.

Should I have the Anbu replace this desk with one a meter high in the future...? As a mature Hokage, the Third Hokage considered plans for the future while saying kindly, "Genin Lin Ke, congratulations."

"Recommended by Jonin Nara Yan Shui and unanimously recognized by the village's higher-ups, you possess all the qualifications required to become a chunin. From today onward, you are a chunin of Konoha."

"To become a chunin, one must not only possess a certain degree of combat ability. Intelligence-gathering ability, teamwork, battlefield analysis, and the application of tactics are all essential qualities for a chunin..."

This was all from the Konoha Chunin Guidance Manual...

Lin Ke stood there and listened as the Third Hokage droned on for ten whole minutes. He finally understood who had compiled that "Konoha Chunin Guidance Manual," and why Nara Yan Shui had smiled as he watched him enter the Hokage Office before saying he needed to use the restroom.

It should have been a double celebration. Not only had he gotten the ninjutsu he wanted, but he had also successfully been promoted to chunin. Yet for some reason, standing in the Hokage Office made him feel as if he were attending a meeting held by a boss in his previous life.

He just could not feel happy.

But it felt familiar.

So he quickly got into character, listening with a serious expression and nodding from time to time in agreement, while his mind was entirely occupied with what he should do after becoming a chunin.

The Third Hokage went from the qualities required of a chunin to the village's development, finally wrapping up successfully with the Will of Fire. He looked at the young boy standing straight-backed and unflinching, then nodded in satisfaction.

What a fine child, he sighed inwardly.

Lin Ke came back to himself. Having listened to leaders speak so often in his previous life, he had naturally developed the ability to mentally wander while semi-automatically responding in agreement. Most of those words had gone in one ear and out the other.

It's finally over. Can I go collect my Chunin Vest now?

"Chunin Lin Ke." The Third Hokage gazed at the nine-year-old genius of the new generation. Perhaps because he was getting older, whenever he saw such a young child displaying such unusual talent, he was always reminded of the disciple he had once favored most.

"Remember this well: a ninja's power does not come from the individual alone, but from the village as a whole."

"Yes." Lin Ke lowered his head slightly.

The Third Hokage turned to look outside at prosperous Konoha. A faint smile appeared on his stern face as he pushed the freshly stamped chunin certification to the edge of the desk and said, "Then, congratulations once again."

Lin Ke stepped forward, took his proof of promotion to chunin, and bowed deeply. "Third Hokage, please excuse me."

With that, he turned and left.

"Tap, tap." The Third Hokage knocked on the desk, picked up his pipe, and said, "Raise Chunin Lin Ke's protection level."

Changing from attention to protection was all he could do.

Whether it was the First Hokage, who had ruthlessly struck down his own friend and was willing to erase anyone who stood against the village; the Second Hokage, who had stayed behind alone and sacrificed himself; or the Fourth Hokage, who had given his life for the village—they had all done well enough as Hokage, and borne even more.

The world could not function through open and upright means alone. Ninja was a dark profession, and what a Hokage carried and bore was bound to be an even deeper darkness.

And since he had failed to bear that darkness, perhaps he was the most naive and incompetent of them all.