Minato arrived at the Hokage's Office.
Seeing Minato, Hiruzen's face lit up with a warm smile.
"Lord Hokage, did you need to see me?"
"Ah, I know you dislike being bothered, but a pile of matters has accumulated that require your input," Hiruzen chuckled. "First, regarding your battlefield achievements: your performance on the front lines was truly outstanding. You repeatedly devastated enemy vanguard forces and defeated two Kage-level experts in succession. By my calculations, that's easily equivalent to a dozen S-rank missions."
"Normally, you could exchange these merits for ninjutsu from the Forbidden Scroll. But I imagine you've learned quite a lot from Orochimaru these past few years."
Minato chuckled awkwardly, though he wasn't truly embarrassed.
"Well— I'm certainly pleased to see you converting your talent into combat power so swiftly," Hiruzen continued, packing his pipe with tobacco and lighting it. He exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "But now I'm at a loss for what else to reward you with. It seems we'll have to settle for converting these merits into salary."
"It's alright, this is perfect," Minato said, shaking his head with no concern. "I happen to need some money lately."
"Hmm? Is something urgent?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, slightly taken aback. "You're a hero of the village now. Just let me know if you need anything."
Minato waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing urgent—just that I've started dating someone, my appetite's growing, and I'm planning to get married someday, so I want to save up ahead of time."
"Hahaha, so that's it?" Hiruzen chuckled, feeling relieved. "Is it that girl, Kushina?"
"Yeah, and Mikoto too."
"Huh?"
"Uchiha Mikoto."
"Ah—"
Hiruzen's smile froze, then his lips twitched. "Two?"
"Two!" Minato gave a thumbs-up.
This kind of thing was awkward to talk about with women, but with men, there was a certain pride involved.
"When it comes to these things—" Hiruzen removed his pipe, his expression turning serious. "Do you have any secrets? Ahem, Shinnosuke is a bit clumsy when it comes to these matters, and as his father, I can't help but worry."
Minato gave him a look that said everything, and Hiruzen quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, these things are best discussed among young people. Let's move on to the second matter."
His expression turned serious, shedding the earlier casual demeanor.
"Namikaze Minato, I hereby appoint you as a Jonin of Konoha, in the name of the Third Hokage!"
"Huh?"
Minato was surprised. "I'm being promoted straight to Jonin?"
"Yes. This is the unanimous decision reached after consultation with the advisory elders," Hiruzen explained. "Your strength far surpasses that of ordinary ninja. The Chūnin Exams hold no challenge for you. As for the experience required for Jonin rank, no one in Konoha has a more impressive record than yours."
"Though you may lack some practical experience, given your combat style, it would be difficult for any opponent to survive long enough to exploit that weakness."
Hiruzen chuckled at his own words.
Minato couldn't help but laugh along. The suppressive power of the Glint-Glimmer Fruit was truly unmatched.
At least among those beneath the Six Paths, no one could match him.
Even if someone found a way to bypass the Glint-Glimmer Fruit, they'd struggle to keep up with his speed.
"If there are no objections, let's finalize this. As for your Jonin uniform, you can pick it up from the Logistics Department later."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, then produced a thick stack of documents and placed them on the table.
"Let's discuss the last matter. These... are all mission requests that have piled up since you returned to the village yesterday, specifically requesting you to handle them."
Minato glanced at the thick stack of documents, his eyelid twitching. "All of these?"
"All of them!" Hiruzen nodded firmly. "The Yellow Flash's reputation has spread throughout the Shinobi World, naturally attracting many eager clients. But your age and achievements are so legendary that it's sparked a frenzy."
Minato shook his head. "I won't do them."
"Hiss..."
Hiruzen sucked in a sharp breath at Minato's immediate rejection, feeling his temples throb. Just as expected. A problem student taught by a problem teacher is bound to have some issues himself!
"Um... Minato..." Hiruzen forced a dry laugh. "A Jonin's duties are comprehensive. You can't just excel in direct combat. Your promotion was exceptional from the start—"
Minato shook his head repeatedly. "Then I won't get promoted."
This guy is a real living legend—
Sarutobi Hiruzen silently removed his pipe and vigorously rubbed his face with both hands.
If anyone else tried to so bluntly refuse a mission, even someone with Tsunade's fiery temper, he'd inevitably give them a stern lecture.
But with Minato, he didn't dare utter a harsh word!
He was certain that if he dared to try constraining Minato with talk of ninja duties, the young man might immediately resign on the spot!
Pushed far enough, he might even pull out a kunai and slash his forehead protector—
We finally got this peerless genius, only for him to lack any sense of ninja duty?
With this thought, he sighed softly.
"If you're worried about the trouble, don't be. You don't have to personally accept these designated missions. Most of them are requests like 'accompany a noble lady for afternoon tea'—the kind you'd never want to take anyway."
"Bodyguard Mission 1..."
Hiruzen glanced at Minato's expression. "—that probably isn't in your consideration either. Having someone with your mobility waste time escorting a merchant caravan would indeed be a painful ordeal."
At this, Minato's expression grew troubled.
"But Minato, even if you consider the Forbidden Scroll, you have to take on at least a few missions, right? Besides, I'm Tsunade's teacher—"
"Fine, then."
Minato nodded. He had indeed used his privileges extensively, whether it was for the Forbidden Scroll or Root matters. Now that Hiruzen had put it this way, he couldn't just wash his hands of everything.
Excellent! This kid responds better to coaxing than force!
Sarutobi Hiruzen rejoiced inwardly and quickly pulled out a document, handing it to Minato. "As it happens, we have a suitable mission here—one that actually has some connection to you."
Minato took the document and skimmed it. "Whirlpool Village? Kushina's hometown?"
"Exactly," Hiruzen nodded. "You already know why Kushina came to Konoha, right?"
"Jinchūriki..." Minato nodded slightly.
Hiruzen continued gravely, "During our recent conflict with Sunagakure, both Kumogakure and Kirigakure launched several attacks on Whirlpool Village. Their objective, I suspect, was not only the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques, but also the clan's influence over the Tailed Beasts."
"They likely intend to—annihilate the Uzumaki Clan!"
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