A Slightly Dangerous Job

When Jonin Mikawa walked out of the Hokage's office, he was still somewhat dazed.

He never would have imagined that such a disrespectful act of his would be so easily forgiven by the Fourth Hokage, who had even lowered his own stance and repeatedly sought his advice.

To be honest, although he was no longer a child who acted on impulse and loyalty, he was still won over by the Fourth Hokage's conduct and broad-mindedness.

"With a Lord Hokage like this, Konoha is truly fortunate!"

When Mikawa left the Hokage Building, he subconsciously glanced upward. Before he knew it, Minato had gained another staunch supporter!

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen, who had witnessed everything from beginning to end, could not help but sigh with emotion. Choosing Minato as Hokage was probably one of the wisest decisions he had made in his entire life.

"Teacher Hiruzen, shall we begin?"

"No. There is nothing more I can teach you, because you will be a more outstanding Hokage than I ever was, Lord Fourth."

Hiruzen shook his head with a gratified smile, then walked out without another glance back.

This left Minato standing there with a hopeless expression, still unable to make heads or tails of things, bitterly smiling...

Over the next few days, everything remained as calm as ever.

No enemy ninja dared cause trouble in Konoha—or rather, the civilians living in Konoha had little chance of coming into contact with information of that sort.

Mikawa also failed to bring him along to apologize as promised. He had not even shown his face, leaving Aoba puzzled and wondering whether the man was having an affair.

Likewise, the anticipated occasion when Itachi would invite him to eat three-colored dango never came. Aoba did not know whether Itachi had forgotten about it or was unable to come for some other reason.

Still, Aoba did not waste these days. He spent most of his savings on equipment needed for physical training.

He had to admit that, compared with food, these kinds of items were even more expensive.

If not for his smooth tongue, and the fact that the story of some brat challenging the Fourth Hokage and wanting to become Hokage had spread through every street and alley over the past few days, turning him into a "celebrity" discussed over tea, he would have received some "discounts." Otherwise, he really would have had to eat dirt for the rest of the month!

As for the undisguised mockery mixed into certain people's gazes whenever they looked at him, he paid it no mind whatsoever.

True strongmen had no time to look down on others. Anyone who mocked people over something like this could only be losers and weaklings who would never have the courage to shout those words themselves.

People like that were not worth mentioning at all!

On this day, Aoba once again followed the [Navy Body Tempering Method - Foundation] and gradually strengthened his body, just as he had been doing these past few days.

To be honest, he had always felt that Might Guy and Rock Lee's extreme training methods were far too inhuman.

If an ordinary person trained that way, their body probably would have collapsed long ago!

Even if they managed to persevere, they would probably be covered in hidden injuries.

Forget about displaying Might Guy's overwhelming strength. If their body did not become crippled while fighting someone, they should already be thanking their lucky stars.

On Earth, hardly any of those martial-arts movie stars had enjoyed a good ending. Many of them had even needed wheelchairs to get around.

Although many things in the Hokage World could not be explained by science or common sense, Aoba still felt that using more scientific, reasonable, and standardized methods to develop the body's vast potential was undoubtedly safer.

Perhaps this training method was slower to show results than one that pushed the body to its limits, but it also caused far less damage to the body.

After he finished the day's training drenched in sweat, he still had some energy left for more exercise. However, he did not do so. Instead, he took a bath, drank some water, and relaxed his body.

The [Navy Body Tempering Method - Foundation] stated that its effects would be even better if medicinal baths and massages were used at this stage.

But he had neither the money to buy the medicinal ingredients listed in it nor the money to hire someone to massage him, so he could only make do for now.

Furthermore, after he began training this way, his already considerable appetite had been fully developed, to the point that he could not eat his fill every day.

Therefore, after finishing his training these past few days, he had spent the rest of his time looking for work.

Although this world had no concept of "child labor"—after all, Kakashi had become a Jonin at twelve, and had begun "working" immediately after graduating from the Ninja Academy—if there had been a child-protection law, the Hokage would have been the first person dragged out and shot!

However, there were simply too few jobs a five-year-old could do. On top of that, he was the famous "Fifth Hokage," and quite a few people enjoyed using him for jokes and entertainment. How could they "dare" give him work?

Still, Heaven rewarded persistence. After running into walls for several days, he finally managed to find a temporary job.

So next, he was going to work and earn money!

The usually deserted Hokage Rock had become busy again recently because Lord Fourth Minato had taken office.

Large numbers of craftsmen had been summoned to carve the Fourth Hokage's likeness beside the statues of the First, Second, and Third.

Naturally, Aoba did not have the ability to participate in that work, but there were always some odd jobs that needed to be done.

For example, clearing the fallen rocks beneath Hokage Rock...

This counted as a relatively dangerous job, but the danger was limited. Aoba's work consisted of waiting until the craftsmen finished for the day, then clearing away all the fragments that had fallen to the ground.

It was tiring, but it did not interfere with his daytime training. As for the occasional falling rocks, they happened to be useful for training his reaction speed.

Even if he could not dodge, he still had [Inferior Self-Healing Body] and [Hardening] to keep him alive. Minor injuries healed quickly anyway.

Therefore, after a one-day trial period, his performance successfully convinced the person in charge, who agreed to let him work there.

As for his pay, it was settled daily: two hundred ryo a day, with no food or lodging included.

Converted, that was roughly the equivalent of one hundred and twenty yuan a day. For a five-year-old child, it was already quite a lot.

If not for the job being somewhat dangerous, and for it not being worthwhile to issue a mission and hire ninja to handle it, he would never have received that much money.

"Two hundred ryo a day means six thousand ryo a month! It would be great if I could keep doing this job."

Pushing a small cart and constantly hauling stones, Aoba could not help thinking this.

After all, as the soul of an adult, he found receiving relief money rather embarrassing. Being self-reliant was naturally the best option.

But clearly, this job would not last long. At most, the craftsmen would probably finish in about a month.

By then, perhaps he would be able to find a job that was easier and paid more.

Overthinking things and looking too far ahead was not his style. He would just take things one step at a time.

P.S. Shamelessly begging for recommendation votes, collections, reading-list additions, and investment! If you don't give me any, I... I... I will beg every day, until you give in!