Red-Polished Toes on the Sofa, Mission Begins

It seems that Uzuki Yugao has run into some trouble, but it has nothing to do with him. The two are just ordinary colleagues and acquaintances who like each other's posts.

The secret to the old Toad's longevity is to mind his own business and, when trouble arises, find a troublemaker like Jiraiya. First, brainwash him, then have him run the errand for him.

Thinking of Jiraiya, I wonder if he ever found the Child of Prophecy. Just a few words from the old Toad, Jiraiya has been on a whim for decades—it's truly poignant.

That old man was a real scoundrel. Luckily, I didn't look like someone who would be easily fooled, or I would have been tricked into something sooner or later.

He couldn't stand that kind of life; it seemed like he could have girlfriends everywhere, but in reality, he was working indefinitely. In between gathering intelligence, he could only write about the time his uncle was squeezing out large blocks of paper; he was completely alone.

He went upstairs and quietly found the Shizune office. The door was ajar; he knocked and went in.

"Enter."

Shizune, engrossed in processing her documents, glanced up at Naruto, then instinctively lowered her head to continue working. But the moment her pen touched the paper, she abruptly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Shizune asked, frowning as she placed her temporary fatigue-relieving glasses on the table.

"Shizune- nee, aren't you going to welcome me?" Naruto found a chair and sat down, raising an eyebrow. "You're already planning to kick me out as soon as I arrived?"

"You're never coming to me for anything good."

"I was planning to take on a mission," he said, embarrassed. "But Lord Tsunade isn't here, so I had to come to you for help. Could you do me a favor? Maybe a mission within the Land of Fire."

"Taking on a mission? This is unbelievable!" Shizune said, gripping the pen in her hand. "When did you change your ways? Prove that you really are Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Last time you were drunk, you complained about Lord Tsunade likes to sleep."

"Stop! Hold on!" Shizune felt guilty instantly. If this huge secret were to be leaked, Tsunade would skin her alive.

No, a third person already knows. Looking at the fair-skinned, red-lipped boy before her, Shizune silently considered whether, for her own safety, she should just silence him.

"You need a mission, right? I'll ask around. Are you going to take on the mission yourself?" Shizune casually flipped through the file and asked without looking up.

"Let's find some idiot Jonin to lend his name," he said.

"An idiot Jonin?" Shizune felt offended. She was also a Jonin, and Tsunade often said she wasn't smart. "Who are you looking for?"

"Anko, she's been quite free lately."

"Oh, Anko." Shizune also remembered Anko. She often hugged her and forced her to eat sweet dumplings. The first time she met her, she thought Anko liked to make tofu with women.

"She's Jonin, and she partnered with you on a mission once. So, we can have her lead the team." Shizune said, then suddenly looked up and asked.

"By the way, when are you going to apply for the Jonin Exams?"

"Me? I'll go with Hinata."

"Hinata? Does Hinata also need to apply?" Shizune was a little surprised. "If that's the case, you should let her come directly to me if she's confident, which can save some of the tedious procedures."

"Okay," Naruto replied.

Then she stood aside and watched as Shizune stamped the mission sheet heavily. She handed it to Naruto and told him to go to the mission hall and choose a mission.

After saying goodbye to Shizune, Naruto went to the mission hall on the second floor and chose a suitable mission.

The people in the mission hall had no objections upon seeing the mission document. It was a document personally approved by the Lord Hokage, so it couldn't be more formal. Even though the regulations established by the Third Hokage were in place, they directly approved it.

That's the advantage of knowing people; they're all second-generation, so Naruto didn't even consider going through the proper channels. It would be best if Shizune could speak up, otherwise he would have let Shizune take over anyway.

It turns out, the rule is: drink without talking, talk without drinking. He can use this secret to his advantage for the rest of his Shizune without any consequences. Unless Tsunade finds out beforehand, then forget it.

No one gave him a hard time; Naruto's face was practically a passport in the Hokage Building. The old man sitting in the mission hall looked anxious and restless.

Fortunately, in the end, Naruto didn't cause any trouble and simply chose a mission in the Land of Rain before leaving.

Times have indeed changed; Konohagakure is now even receiving missions from the Land of Rain. Previously, the Land of Rain was Nagato, and they practically made Konohagakure do whatever they wanted.

But now, Konohagakure has actually received a mission request from the Land of Rain. This world is truly magical.

During his walk downstairs, he pulled open the mission scroll and glanced at it.

"Oh, A-rank Mission: deal with the intrusion of wandering ninjas of unknown origin."

Is Nagato really that weak now? Or was he crippled by Obito Uchiha? Now he can't even handle a small-time rogue ninja?

Speaking of Konan's six billion Explosive Tag, I really want to steal some.

After accepting the scroll, Naruto didn't meddle. He had his own things to do, and going to the Land of Rain was just a side trip. Nagato was still a formidable opponent, even if he was weakened; nothing unexpected would happen to him.

Holding the task sheet, he first went to the office in the corner of the third floor to look for Anko, only to find that Anko wasn't at her workstation either. When asked, she said she had gone to the restroom, taking paid time off.

After sitting there for half an hour, Naruto suddenly understood something, silently got up and walked towards Anko's house.

"What? You waited for me there for half an hour? Hahahaha!!" Anko rolled around on the sofa, laughing so hard that she almost drooled.

"Are you a pig?" Anko asked matter-of-factly, pulling out a popsicle and starting to lick it. She glanced at him and said, "It's almost time to get off work, so of course I'll find an excuse to leave first."

"Leave work two hours early?" Naruto almost spat out blood. He'd seen lazy bums before, but never a woman this lazy. She was practically a lazy bum turned into a spirit.

"More or less," Anko mumbled.

Winter is deep and spring is short; the past few days have already shown signs of getting hot, and early summer is just around the corner. Anko is dressed casually at home, loose and baggy, so loose that her cleavage is quite noticeable when she bends over.

Her toes were long and slender, painted with red nail polish, and she casually placed her feet on the sofa.

"You're really something. Where's the popsicle? Give me one too."

"Get yourself from the refrigerator."

So Naruto went to the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator for an ice pop. A normal person wouldn't have that many ice pops stored at this time of day; the moment he opened the freezer, it was full of them.

"Why are you hoarding so many popsicles?" he asked casually as he tore open the packaging.

"Eat." Anko said succinctly.

Naruto: "."

With a thud, he lay back down on the sofa, threw the mission scroll at Anko, and said.

"The mission has been assigned. Remember to go back to the Hokage Building to complete the formalities."

"Oh, what kind of mission?" Anko caught the scroll with her foot, then placed it aside and asked lazily.

"Aren't you dirty?!" Naruto said with a look of disgust.

"My feet are washed." Anko lifted her feet, her bright red toenails gleaming, and held them out to Naruto, saying, "Smell them, are they clean?"

"Boring." Naruto coughed. "Old woman, we're leaving tomorrow at noon. You can arrange your own time."

"So rushed?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"No, not really, I'm just taking tomorrow off," Anko said.

Naruto: "."

He took back what he'd said earlier; this old woman was not only an idiot but also incredibly clever. Now she even knows to take leave and avoid missions—truly...

"Then we'll go the day after tomorrow?"

"I'm taking a day off the day after tomorrow too." Anko sprawled on the sofa, looking like a lazy bum whose life was in chaos and who was just going to sleep.

"The day after tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm not taking a day off the day after tomorrow, but I'll probably take sick leave," Anko said.

"Then when do you suggest?" Naruto swallowed his frustration and asked.

"Tomorrow then. Since you've already decided, let's do it tomorrow, so as not to delay your plans," Anko said, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with an ice pop in her mouth.

"Okay, see you at the Hokage Building tomorrow at noon."

"See you there," she said.

"See you there."

The next day.

After waking up and washing up, Naruto got up and went to Konoha Hospital, leaving a note in Sakura's office. He then went straight to the Hokage Building; the mission would last about half a month.