By the time the group returned to the village, Minato and White Fang had become completely famous.
Ronglin had very unscrupulously slipped far away from the breeding farm, leading the two back to Konoha at an unhurried pace.
If Ronglin had not been there, White Fang and Minato would definitely have sneaked back into the village at once to wash up. But now, they could only dejectedly walk back step by step.
The moment they returned to Konoha, the thing they had feared happened.
The smell on them began spreading everywhere, making passersby hurriedly dodge away with looks of disgust. But once they recognized who the two were, everyone was stunned and could not help whispering among themselves. Some even secretly laughed.
Thus, the news that the esteemed Lord White Fang and Lord Minato had returned to the village reeking of chicken droppings swiftly spread throughout Konoha.
"Continue tomorrow. Remember to come earlier."
After tossing out those words, Ronglin immediately vanished, while White Fang and Minato wished they could dig a hole and bury themselves...
Shoveling chicken droppings at the breeding farm was followed by an equally wonderful task the next day. Just as White Fang had said, they cleaned toilets, then picked up trash and swept the streets. In short, there was no task they could not imagine, and no task Ronglin could not arrange.
Over the following month, White Fang and Minato got to experience virtually every D-rank mission that could be issued for novices to practice on. What made Ronglin want to laugh the most was the scene when the two went to clean out the women's restroom. It had been truly spectacular.
"If you still want to try it, you can keep going."
A month passed, and under Ōnoki's repeated urging, it was time for Ronglin