C-Class Mission?

The sunlight in Konoha was always just right—perfect for sleeping in, though perhaps not quite as ideal for sweeping the streets.

The scorching sun beat down on their faces as the members of the Jiraiya Squad stood scattered across the street, brooms in hand.

"So boring. Why does it have to be so hot today!"

Kushina swept the ground listlessly, complaining with a lack of energy.

Beside her, Minato Namikaze and Mikoto remained silent, sweeping the ground quietly without a single complaint.

What was most infuriating was Jiraiya, who was resting nearby, excitedly reading a book tucked inside a cover.

The man's eyes were glued to the pages, and he would occasionally break into a lecherous grin, which made Kushina absolutely livid.

Kushina shot a glance at Jiraiya, her small fists clenching tight, before she finally forced herself to turn away and stop looking at him.

If she didn't look, she wouldn't be quite so angry.

Wait a minute.

Kushina suddenly remembered something and turned her gaze toward Yueshu, who was also quietly sweeping the ground nearby.

This left Kushina stunned.

One had to understand that Yueshu was a genuine slacker; if he could lie down, he wouldn't sit, yet here he was, sweeping the ground so obediently. By all logic, Yueshu should have already disappeared to slack off somewhere.

"Yueshu, do you have a fever?"

"Huh?"

Faced with Kushina's sudden question, Yueshu wore a look of utter confusion.

"You're actually working so honestly?"

Having spent so much time together, Kushina was already well-acquainted with Yueshu's personality.

"Sigh—"

Yueshu let out a sigh.

"I didn't want to either, but why does that guy get to do nothing while I have to do the work? Do shadow clones not have human rights?"

Yueshu began to complain.

Kushina didn't pay attention to the latter half of his sentence, assuming he was talking about Jiraiya, and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Forget it, forget it. Let's just finish early."

Yueshu sighed again and went back to working honestly.

Kushina looked at Yueshu, sighed along with him, and then pouted as she continued to sweep.

The streets of Konoha weren't dirty, but for three people to sweep such a large area was still quite a massive undertaking.

The sunlight in Konoha was warm, which was incredibly comfortable for someone on the other side.

In a small grove in Konoha, not far from the street the Jiraiya Squad was sweeping, one would be stunned into silence if Kushina and the others were to see what was happening here.

Indeed, lying under one of the trees was Yueshu, fast asleep.

The Yueshu who was clearly still sweeping the street was now appearing here; any experienced ninja would know exactly what had happened.

Using the Shadow Clone Technique to handle missions so one could slack off—it was something many people had done.

Since it was all themselves, what difference did it make if it was the original or not?

It had to be said that heaven was helping Yueshu. Yueshu himself wondered if his luck had finally turned around; to have drawn the Shadow Clone Technique right at such a moment was simply too coincidental.

Regardless, for the days that followed, Yueshu continued to use shadow clones to handle things as usual, while he himself hid at home, too lazy to even get out of bed.

Kushina and the others, however, found it strange, because Yueshu always arrived early for every mission and worked quite honestly, even if he wore a displeased expression and looked as if he felt very aggrieved.

And Jiraiya? He continued to rest on the sidelines as always. As one of the Sannin, he wasn't exactly lacking in savings; there was no need to do these D-rank missions, as they were meant for training new genin.

For a ninja, the most important thing was the word "endurance." Psychological fortitude and patience were essential requirements; only a ninja who could embody the spirit of endurance could be considered a qualified ninja.

The Jiraiya Squad was currently undergoing this test, though it was a bit difficult for Minato Namikaze, who had to accompany Yueshu and the others in doing D-rank missions for a while longer—though Minato Namikaze's temperament was such that he didn't mind.

Time passed slowly, and Yueshu had been using shadow clones to get by for two weeks.

This time, the memories transmitted back by Yueshu's shadow clone contained something interesting.

Kushina finally couldn't stand such boring missions anymore and ran straight over to complain to Jiraiya, eventually even making a scene before the Third Hokage.

As the little princess of the Uzumaki clan, with Mito Uzumaki backing her, Kushina naturally had the power to do so.

Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to cater to this little princess, so they agreed to give the Jiraiya Squad a C-rank mission.

It had to be said, the Red Hot Habanero was still the Red Hot Habanero.

"A C-rank mission?"

Yueshu muttered to himself, recalling Naruto's first C-rank mission from the original story.

That had been an A-rank mission wearing a C-rank skin.

"This is decades ago, though; how could that happen?"

Yueshu thought for a moment and smiled. The original story was the original story, but this was decades before those events—how could such a thing possibly happen?

"Shizune, what's for dinner tonight?"

Yueshu didn't dwell on those thoughts and shouted toward the room.

That's right, it was Shizune's turn to cook tonight. As for Tsunade, that woman was as gluttonous as ever.

Yueshu couldn't fathom how she stayed so thin despite only ever eating, and she was just as much of a couch potato as he was.

Perhaps that's just how old women are.

"Are you thinking about something rude?"

The aroma of food had already drifted out, and Tsunade, who was lounging on the sofa in the living room, looked over at Yueshu as he waited for dinner.

"How could that be? Am I that kind of person?"

Yueshu replied with righteous indignation, looking like a perfectly serious man.

Telling lies with a straight face was one of Yueshu's greatest skills.

"Hmph."

Tsunade snorted at Yueshu's display; after all, she couldn't hear his inner thoughts.

"Come to think of it, you've been staying home a lot lately. Don't you have missions to do?"

"I have Shadow Clones."

"You crafty brat."

"I'm alright, I guess."

"I wasn't complimenting you. By the way, when did you learn the Shadow Clone Technique?"

"I just suddenly learned it."

"You really are something."

Tsunade gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"What kind of explanation is that?"

"Dinner is ready."

Shizune's voice drifted from the kitchen, and Yueshu stood up to help carry the dishes.

Tsunade watched Yueshu walk away, then took a gentle sip of tea as she usually did.

The tea was still hot, steam rising and drifting upward.

Before she knew it, the Senju household had gone from one person to three, and it had become so lively.

It felt almost like a dream.

"Be careful."

"Don't worry."

Tsunade watched Shizune and Yueshu bringing over the dishes, a faint, subtle smile appearing on her face.

"Himegami?"

"Yes."

"If that's true, then our plan can be simplified."

Deep underground, the elderly, white-haired Madara Uchiha looked at Black Zetsu before him, a wicked smile spreading across his aged face.

"Keep an eye on him for now. Let us see."

"Whether this Himegami, hailed as having the direct bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, truly possesses anything special."

"As you command."

Night fell, and the wind followed, chilling the world in an instant.

Meanwhile, Yueshu was tucked away under his covers, sleeping soundly.