Konoha's Invitation

The next day, Yue went to see Ryuga's father.

The latter did not press Yue about what had happened in the Land of Rain. He merely explained that Grass Flower and Grass Seed had previously reached a consensus: the reason they wanted Yue eliminated was out of concern for the village's safety.

Although Ryuga's Father held no low position in Grass Flower, he was not the one in charge. The only thing he could do was secretly assist Yue and buy him time.

There were some matters that even he could not decide.

Now, the faction of Grass Seed acting on its own could no longer make a move against Yue. His father, Fuma Ryoma, had already joined Grass Flower, and he had earned the greatest merit in this border campaign, receiving widespread praise throughout the village.

Besides, so much time had passed. Kusagakure's higher-ups had been on edge, yet Amegakure seemed to have long forgotten the child abducted by Akatsuki and did not take it seriously at all.

Grass Seed naturally no longer had any grounds to act.

Ryuga's Father told him the truth because, in his eyes, Yue was different from ordinary children.

There were some things Yue had likely figured out himself.

Besides, there had actually been something suspicious about Fuma Ryoma receiving credit this time.

For example, the Special Jonin the higher-ups had sent to die at the border.

How exactly had Fuma Ryoma killed him?

Ryuga's Father did not believe Fuma Ryoma could have done it alone.

He had sounded Takahashi out beforehand and learned that the ones carrying out the mission had been Ryoma and Yue, father and son.

Then... the only variable lay with Yue.

However, Ryuga's Father wisely chose not to ask any further questions and turned a blind eye to it.

Now that Fuma Ryoma had joined Grass Flower through his connection, he was one of their own.

"Although your father earned considerable merit this time and won quite a bit of public support, his strength is ultimately limited. So even if we want to arrange a good position for him, we cannot go too far if we want to convince everyone," Ryuga's Father said with a smile.

"The Intelligence Department is one of the village's core institutions and one of the foundations Kusagakure relies on to survive. Its internal situation is rather complicated, so it is not suitable for your father. The Barrier Department would be decent... but it is relatively idle. He would only hold an empty title there, without any real authority. As for the Anbu, it would not be easy for him to get in with his strength... so after discussing it with the elders, we can only choose from the Education Department, Interrogation Department, Administration Department, or Police Department."

"Which do you think suits him best?"

"Any of them."

Yue answered calmly.

Ryuga's Father had not asked his father. He had asked Yue instead.

Yue knew very well that the man was testing him.

At the same time, it showed that Ryuga's Father had noticed the side of him he had been "hiding."

He might not have discovered it outright, but he had at least seen through part of it.

It was probably somewhat related to Ryuga.

This man was no slouch in either scheming or perception.

"Hahahaha... fine, then I'll decide for myself."

Ryuga's Father smiled faintly.

"Mm."

Yue nodded.

A moment later, without exchanging much more small talk, Yue politely rose to take his leave.

But after getting up, just before leaving... he suddenly turned back to look at Ryuga's Father and abruptly asked, "Elder Ito is getting on in years. Grass Flower's leader will be replaced soon, won't he?"

"..."

At those words, Ryuga's Father's smile stiffened for an instant, but he quickly returned to normal. "Hehehe... you're still young. These are not things you need to worry about or consider."

"True enough."

Yue agreed with a nod and said nothing more.

At the entrance, he put on his shoes and left.

As he watched the boy bow and walk away, the smile on Ryuga's Father's face gradually vanished. His eyes flickered as he pondered something.

And after leaving Ryuga's home, Yue's lips curled into a faint smile.

No matter how gentle a person was, once they were drawn into the vortex of power, ambition was bound to grow within them.

There were too few people who could truly remain detached.

Recalling the subtle change in Ryuga's Father's expression just now, Yue already had his answer.

A few days later, Fuma Ryoma received the village's transfer order and was assigned to the Police Department.

He became a squad captain in the Police Department.

Not a Captain-General.

The Police Department was one of the village's institutions that wielded real power, and its positions and responsibilities were important. To become a Captain-General, one had to possess strength among the village's very best.

For Fuma Ryoma to be directly assigned to the Police Department and exceptionally promoted to squad captain was already quite good.

As for whether he could establish himself in the Police Department, that would depend on Fuma Ryoma's own abilities.

But with Yue advising his father from behind the scenes, it would not be much of a problem.

What Yue needed to do now was find a way to improve his father's strength.

In the past, Fuma Ryoma had trained him. Now, whenever they had free time, Yue guided his father's cultivation.

Fuma Ryoma gladly accepted this as well.

As for Yue himself, after a string of twists and turns, his life finally returned to peace.

For the next stretch of time, he followed Teacher Shishiro and continued taking on low-difficulty missions with Ryuga and Yoshitaka.

Fortunately, none of the missions afterward were especially unusual, nor did any sudden changes occur.

Overall, the process was very "normal."

This was also the sort of life most students who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy experienced.

Grinding mission counts was still very necessary for newcomers.

It was the most direct way to build experience.

However, Yue and the others still heard some terrible news.

Several students from their class had died on missions.

It was unknown whether they had died at the hands of Grass Flower or Grass Seed.

Just like what their team had encountered at the beginning, only the conspiracy had been different.

The village had tampered with the mission details and danger ratings, sending Genin who had graduated only a few months ago but had already gained some foundation on missions that seemed harmless but were actually fraught with danger. For instance, stealing intelligence or investigating clues sounded easy enough. The requirements for those accepting such missions were not high, and they did not involve direct confrontations. But in the current ninja world, as long as one left the Land of Grass—or even remained within it—danger lurked whenever any forces were involved.

Even if the fatal factor had nothing to do with the mission and they simply ran into bad people, that was perfectly normal.

One only had to look at the Land of Rain. Although its national circumstances were rather special, it was also a microcosm of the current turmoil in the ninja world.

Intelligence... was one of the things that had allowed Kusagakure to muddle through safely until now!

It could be sold in exchange for high prices and other benefits for the village, and it also allowed Kusagakure to respond promptly to every shift in the outside world.

Kusagakure was treating these newly graduated children entirely as livestock that could make money.

The foreboding Yue had felt near graduation was beginning to play out.

The three of them had not escaped harm either, but they had endured it. The reason they could now grow normally and safely was also because of Grass Flower's protection.

Others were not so fortunate.

"Yue... since when did you start liking to read?"

One day, while carrying out a mission in the wilderness.

During a break, Ryuga saw Yue skillfully pull out another book from his backpack and lean against a tree to read it carefully. He could not help asking in surprise.

Whenever they were on missions together these days, Ryuga and Yoshitaka would find Yue studying with a book whenever he had free time.

His diligent, hardworking appearance was truly eye-opening for the two of them.

Ryuga could no longer suppress his curiosity and spoke up.

"Life itself is a process of constant learning."

Yue looked at Ryuga and Yoshitaka and lectured them in the tone of an adult.

"Give me a break. Don't I know you? If it had anything to do with ninjutsu or training, you'd definitely practice like crazy... books? I don't believe you can even read them properly!" Ryuga curled his lip.

"..."

Yue fell silent.

Indeed, he had been reading these books related to Medical Ninjutsu for a long time.

To be honest, even now... he still did not really understand them. He only vaguely grasped a few concepts.

The main issue was that they covered far too much knowledge.

The pages were packed with tiny writing, along with extremely complex diagrams of the human body's structures and so on.

They made him want to throw up.

He had to admit that even if he wanted to learn, he was not omnipotent.

Heaven might open one window for him, but it could not open every window.

More importantly, he had nothing to do in his spare time, so... he was just reading to pass the time, even if... he could not really understand it.

"Go away. Don't interrupt my studies."

Yue put on a cold face and stubbornly kept up the act.

"Hahahaha, fine, fine... come on, Yoshitaka. Let's lie down and rest for a while, and let our great genius immerse himself in the ocean of knowledge." Ryuga spoke in a mockingly sarcastic tone.

Yue pretended not to hear him.

Just as the two finished bickering, Teacher Shishiro, who had gone to scout the surrounding area, suddenly returned. He flashed over nearby with a letter in hand.

"The mission is ending early. The village sent word that we need to return immediately."

Shishiro said with a smile.

"Huh?"

The three were startled, and Yue set down the book in his hand.

"Did something major happen?"

"They're even abandoning the mission?"

Under normal circumstances, the village would never send someone specifically to contact a team like theirs.

"Don't be nervous."

Shishiro waved a hand.

"You three should be congratulated."

"Congratulated?"

"The village received an invitation from Konoha. They hope we can send several newcomers to Konoha for an exchange study program... and they specifically named you, Yue."

Ryuga and Yoshitaka turned to look at Yue as well.

Yue, meanwhile, frowned.

Minato Namikaze's face immediately appeared in his mind.

"The village intends to send the three of you together. Consider it a direct order from the village as well... Konoha in the Land of Fire is filled with talented people. You three had better not disgrace our village." Shishiro's tone carried a trace of emotion.

Studying abroad in Konoha... Konoha had taken the initiative to send the invitation.

What kind of treatment was this?

Their Kusagakure had never enjoyed such prestige before.

As for Yue, whom Konoha had specifically requested... Shishiro's gaze was extremely complicated.

Yue was a genius at the Ninja Academy.

But only at the Ninja Academy. He had a little reputation in the village... but now, could it be that his title as a genius had even spread to Konoha?

How had it spread?

"..."

Yue pondered for a moment and had already guessed what was going on.

"Don't look at me... I don't know them."

Yue was expressionless.