A Windfall

"Hokage-sama, you sent for me?"

Minato Namikaze walked in from outside.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window, looking down over the entire ninja village as he puffed on his pipe. He nodded. "We just received word that the intelligence on the Land of Earth rogue ninja who infiltrated Demon Forest was inaccurate."

Minato was startled. "Wasn't the intelligence provided by Iwagakure? How could it..."

Before he could finish, his expression changed.

Since the intelligence had come from Iwagakure, it meant they had deliberately provided false information. There was clearly an ulterior motive.

"Gekko Hayate reported this matter yesterday, but there hadn't been time to verify it. I never expected someone to bring back more detailed intelligence today."

"According to the Genin who brought back the news, Rin Nohara from your team is currently in danger. Go to Demon Forest immediately. I hope it isn't too late."

Minato's expression changed, and he turned to rush out.

But at that same moment, someone else rushed in from outside.

"Hokage-sama, Rin Nohara and Long Ye have returned from Demon Forest."

"What?!"

The two voices rang out in unison.

Minato abruptly stopped, while Hiruzen Sarutobi sharply turned around.

"Both of them returned?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in disbelief.

"That is correct. Not only that, they captured Iwagakure's rogue ninja, Tao Gui, alive. They said this man may be concealing a conspiracy and wished to personally hand him over to Hokage-sama."

"Captured alive?"

The Hokage and Minato looked at each other.

"According to the intelligence just brought back, that Tao Gui possesses strength comparable to a Jonin. Those two children captured a Jonin alive? Could this new intelligence be wrong as well?"

The Third Hokage muttered to himself.

"Bring them in."

The Hokage's guard accepted the order. Before long, he brought Long Ye and Rin to the door. Besides them, he was also carrying a "corpse" whose head had been separated from its body.

Seeing Long Ye and Rin about to salute, the Hokage raised a hand to stop them.

"This is the Tao Gui you captured alive?"

Rin was visibly excited upon seeing the Third Hokage. She recounted how she had caught Tao Gui using a messenger bird to send information to Iwagakure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened with a slight frown, clearly sensing that something was amiss.

Long Ye removed the stone from Tao Gui's mouth.

"If you want to learn anything from me, don't waste your efforts. I won't say anything, and I don't know anything..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "Every prisoner says the same thing. Take him away and hand him over to the Interrogation Department. They will know what to do."

"Wait a moment!" Long Ye suddenly spoke.

"Before taking him away, I need to reattach his head. The only reason he is still alive is because he has remained inside my barrier. Once he leaves my barrier, he will die."

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood immediately. He walked over to Tao Gui's body and performed a sealing technique.

After being hit by the sealing technique, Tao Gui would be unable to use chakra even after his head was restored.

Long Ye reattached his head.

The Hokage's guard escorted Tao Gui away. Tao Gui had clearly accepted reality and did not resist at all. He no longer even had the ability to kill himself.

"Regarding this man, the intelligence brought back by the village Genin said he was a Jonin?"

The Hokage looked at the two of them, his gaze finally settling on Long Ye.

Long Ye answered, "We don't know whether he is a Jonin, but he is indeed very strong. Without resorting to tricks, the two of us could never have defeated him."

Minato smiled. "From the sound of it, the story of how you defeated him must be quite something."

Rin had long been unable to hold herself back. Hearing her teacher ask, she quickly and vividly described how the two of them had fought Tao Gui in a desperate battle.

Rin was a gifted storyteller. She made the process sound thrilling and harrowing, while her own subjective embellishments turned Long Ye into a perfect ninja who possessed both wisdom and courage.

Long Ye felt rather awkward listening to this, but he could not bring himself to expose her exaggeration. He could only sit there restlessly.

"Good, very good!"

After hearing everything, Hiruzen Sarutobi held the armrest of his chair and laughed heartily.

"There are many powerful ninja, but few know how to rely on wisdom rather than brute force. Long Ye, you already possess one of the most important abilities a ninja can have."

Long Ye smiled awkwardly. "Hokage-sama, you praise me too highly. Rin's help was a major reason we were able to capture Tao Gui this time."

"That is a ninja's second precious quality: cooperation. A ninja who does not know how to cooperate with teammates is not a qualified ninja."

Long Ye hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but held it back.

"Child, if you have something to say, speak freely."

The Hokage noticed the change in his expression.

"Hokage-sama, this mission counts as completed, right? As for the one thousand ryo reward..."

The Hokage burst into laughter.

Long Ye was truly helpless. He had been impoverished for quite some time, and one thousand ryo was no small sum. Naturally, he had to ask clearly.

"The intelligence for this mission was incorrect. It should be classified as an A-rank mission, with a minimum reward of sixty thousand ryo. I will send someone to notify the Military Police Force. You may go collect the reward that belongs to you shortly."

Long Ye and Rin exchanged glances, both with shock in their eyes.

They had originally thought they would be lucky to receive the one thousand ryo reward. They had never expected to receive sixty times that amount. The sudden windfall caught them completely off guard.

After the two left, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Minato. "This Long Ye, setting aside the Kekkei Genkai he possesses, is worth cultivating based on his temperament alone. It should not be a problem to add one more person to the team you lead, should it?"

"Hokage-sama, do you mean for me to take him as my disciple?" Minato Namikaze asked.

"That is not necessary. When you teach the other three, bring him along as well. I am also curious what sort of accomplishments this Long Ye will achieve in the future."

Minato Namikaze nodded. "I understand what you mean, Hokage-sama. I know what to do."

After Long Ye and Rin left, they went straight to the Military Police Force.

After explaining their purpose, they successfully received sixty thousand ryo.

A ryo in the Shinobi World was roughly equivalent to a dollar from his previous life. There were six hundred bills in total, each with a denomination of one hundred, forming a thick stack.

Long Ye casually separated ninety percent of it without even counting, then stuffed it into Rin's hands.

"Ah! Why are you giving me so much?"

Rin was startled and hurriedly tried to refuse.

Long Ye stopped her hand and smiled. "This isn't free. You have to complete an arduous task I'm assigning you first."

"A task?" Rin was stunned.

"That's right. The task is to treat me to a meal. Not ramen this time, but... a Seafood Feast!!"

Seafood Feast was a high-end restaurant in Konoha. Its setting, atmosphere, and food were all superb. For ordinary ninja, it was usually the sort of extravagant place they would visit only for an important occasion, such as a first date between a man and a woman.