Being Called Senior by Minato Namikaze

In a village at a moderate distance from Konoha.

Minamoto Takuya, who had left the Experiment Base, was currently wearing a mask. Several figures knelt on one knee before him.

They were all subordinates he had trained. None of them were ninja; they were merely relatively strong ordinary people.

After all, although the Original Work made it seem as though there were many ninja, that was only because its focus had been on ninja villages.

In reality, ninja were indeed scarce. Using ninja would make them much more likely to be discovered, and this was not the time for him to show himself.

"My lord, this is the report on your latest assignment. Everything has been handled. These are the recent earnings as well. Please inspect them," the leader said respectfully.

"Mm."

Minamoto Takuya accepted the ledger handed over by the man. Seeing the income recorded within, satisfaction appeared in his eyes, and he unreservedly took a large portion for himself.

"Distribute the rest among yourselves," Minamoto Takuya said, glancing at the man in a voice that was neither male nor female.

"Thank you, my lord!" A hint of delight appeared on the leader's face. Even after Minamoto Takuya had taken most of it, what remained was still a considerable sum to them.

More importantly, they knew exactly how this money had been earned. Without Minamoto Takuya's support behind the scenes, they would not even have been able to obtain this much.

Of course, people were greedy. No one would refuse the chance to earn more.

But the problem was that they did not dare. If it were merely his strength, they could have taken a fortune and fled, but...

The moment he recalled that soul-piercing agony, cold sweat broke out all over his body. They would truly rather die than experience that feeling again.

Minamoto Takuya nodded. After instructing them to continue their business, he left.

He did not have the time to win these people over. The method he used was simply borrowed from the means Tianshan Tonglao used to control others in Jin Yong's novels: the Life-Death Talisman.

However, he had not achieved this through martial arts, but through Sealing Jutsu.

Even so, it was not entirely foolproof.

So, they probably did not know that a Crow was always watching them, to prevent them from attempting to break the Sealing Jutsu.

Minamoto Takuya was very confident. Not just anyone could break his Sealing Jutsu. Among those he knew, only Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze could certainly do so.

But who could guarantee that there were no other Sealing Jutsu masters in this world?

It was necessary to keep something in reserve.

Konoha, Hokage Office.

"Oh, this mission was completed perfectly." The Third Hokage looked over the mission scroll, a smile appearing on his face.

"I was fortunate," Minamoto Takuya said modestly as he stood before the desk.

Not every ninja had to have their completed missions personally confirmed by the Hokage, but as a Special Jonin, Minamoto Takuya naturally had that privilege.

The Jonin of a village could all be considered top-tier combat power. Although Special Jonin were merely elite cannon fodder on the battlefield, they were still exceptionally talented individuals within the village.

"Mm. Now that this mission is finished, are you going to hole up in your home and study Sealing Jutsu again?" the Third Hokage asked with a chuckle.

"Yes." Minamoto Takuya nodded. This was the persona he had established in Konoha: an exceptionally solitary fanatic obsessed with researching Sealing Jutsu.

The Third Hokage wore an expression of expected understanding. Nearly everyone in the village who knew Minamoto Takuya knew that his life consisted of only two things.

First, when he lacked research funds, he took missions. Second, after obtaining research funds, he shut himself in his house to study Sealing Jutsu.

The Third Hokage was merely chatting with Minamoto Takuya. Completing missions counted as contributing to the village's development, and Minamoto Takuya was the sort of mission fanatic who deserved a little extra encouragement.

At that moment, the Third Hokage picked up the Hokage seal and pressed it onto Minamoto Takuya's mission scroll, signifying the conclusion of the mission.

Just as Minamoto Takuya was preparing to leave, a figure walked in.

The newcomer wore the green vest that represented a Jonin, with blond hair and blue eyes.

It was none other than the future Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze!

"Hokage Lord, what did you need me for?" Minato Namikaze walked over to stand beside Minamoto Takuya. As he asked, he gave Minamoto Takuya a gentle nod.

Minamoto Takuya returned the nod. He had not expected to encounter Minato Namikaze here.

"Oh, Minato. I nearly forgot to call you over." The Third Hokage exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke and chuckled, then suddenly seemed to think of something.

"Takuya, Minato is also a master of Sealing Jutsu. Don't always shut yourself away and reinvent the wheel. Come out and interact with others more often—perhaps your progress will be faster."

"Yes." Minamoto Takuya nodded without much expression.

Minato Namikaze also looked at Minamoto Takuya curiously. He had naturally heard of him before—a strange man obsessed with Sealing Jutsu.

"Are you Senior Minamoto Takuya? If there is an opportunity, I hope we can exchange insights on Sealing Jutsu," Minato Namikaze said with a gentle smile.

"Mm... all right. And I don't deserve the title of senior." Hearing Minato Namikaze's form of address, Minamoto Takuya could not help looking at him. That brilliant smile truly was... impossible to dislike.

In truth, he was only a few years older than Minato. In terms of rank, Minato had long since become a Jonin. In terms of combat ability...

Even after fusing with the Uzumaki Bloodline, he could not possibly be Minato Namikaze's match.

Yet despite that, Minato was still willing to call him senior. It could only be said that Minato Namikaze's popularity and reputation were well deserved.

"Well, I actually heard about your deeds a long time ago, Senior. A Sealing Jutsu fanatic—I had wanted to visit you for a while, but unfortunately, I never had the chance." Minato Namikaze did not mind. He called Minamoto Takuya senior simply because Minamoto Takuya was indeed older and more experienced.

"Mm. If there is an opportunity, we can study Sealing Jutsu together." Naturally, Minamoto Takuya could not refuse him here. Since Minato was willing to call him senior, then he could keep calling him that.

Mm, Minamoto Takuya actually felt rather pleased inside. Being called senior by the male idol in so many viewers' hearts felt quite nice.

Who would dislike being flattered?

"Hehe, we can discuss exchanging insights when the opportunity arises." As he spoke, the Third Hokage tossed a scroll to Minato Namikaze. "Minato, I called you here because I need you to complete a mission. It is S-Rank, and at present, you are the only one suited for it."

Minato Namikaze nodded. This was not his first S-Rank mission.

Minamoto Takuya, on the other hand, froze for a moment before secretly shaking his head. As expected, he could not compare. At most, he could complete A-Rank missions. He had yet to complete an S-Rank mission alone.

"Hokage Lord, Jonin Minato, I'll be leaving first."

With their consent, Minamoto Takuya left. The Third Hokage would likely discuss the details of the S-Rank mission with Minato Namikaze afterward, and it would not be appropriate for him to remain.