Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 75 Mission

Good grief, this is a huge label they've put on me. It's like I'm a sinner if I don't become Hokage.

Elder Itachi demanded forcefully, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"You've said all the nice things..." Aokiji, still thinking about it, weakly asked, "That Kusanagi sword..."

Elder Itachi said calmly, "We'll see how you perform in the future..."

Aokiji's face lit up with joy. He had just asked casually, but he hadn't expected that the Uchiha clan would actually possess such a divine weapon. As expected of a powerful clan, they even had something like the Kusanagi sword.

"Um... Elder Itachi, let's continue training."

Elder Itachi narrowed his eyes: "You wish to continue dancing?"

Uh……

Aokiji thought to himself that this old guy was indeed the one who had guided Uchiha Madara in the past; even his way of speaking was exactly the same.

He continued, following the other person's words: "Every day you don't dance is a day you betray life."

"Hmph, that sounds quite plausible." Elder Itachi glanced at him and chuckled, "Let's begin."

Aokiji roared and charged forward, unleashing its full power.

He thought that with his improved skills over the years, he could easily defeat an old man buried up to his waist in the loess soil.

Later, he realized he had been naive.

Ok……

He has eight ounces of gold on the other side, while he is half a pound of scrap iron.

It was getting late, the sun was setting in the west, and the afterglow was like blood.

Elder Itachi said calmly, "That's all for today."

Despite being covered in injuries, Aokiji indicated he was fine and had been wanting to go home and lie in bed for a while. Just as he was about to take his leave, the other party didn't seem to want him to leave immediately. He simply took out two scrolls from his sleeve and said calmly:

"These are two A-rank ninjutsu related to Ice Release. Go back and study them carefully."

Upon hearing that it was an A-rank ninjutsu, Aokiji's eyes lit up. He was finally getting to know an A-rank ninjutsu, and he carefully acquired it as if it were a priceless treasure.

Before he could even feel happy, the other party quoted two astonishing figures, leaving Aokiji quite depressed. He couldn't even remember how much money he owed the other party.

But whatever, he had no intention of paying it back anyway.

After all, Elder Itachi was already so old; we wouldn't even know when he passed away.

Elder Itachi was all alone, and no one could inherit his property.

At worst, I can take better care of the Uchiha clan in the future, which will be a way of repaying him for nurturing me.

"Elder Itachi, shall we continue training tomorrow?"

"Aokiji asked."

Although he was beaten along the way, Aokiji gained a lot in the process, and had many new insights each time.

He possesses the strength of a Special Jonin at such a young age, thanks in no small part to Elder Itachi's constant beatings.

Elder Itachi shook his head and said softly, "From now on, I will reduce your training."

Why?

Aokiji was momentarily stunned.

Elder Itachi said calmly, "The master leads you through the door, but the cultivation is up to you."

Aokiji remained silent.

He thought to himself that figuring out how to cultivate was not as quick as having someone directly tell him the answer.

Seemingly seeing through Aokiji's little thoughts, Elder Itachi began to lecture him like bamboo shoots after a spring rain: "I know what you're thinking. You'll encounter many problems during your cultivation process. Seeking answers and accelerating your cultivation speed is not a problem in itself. But seeking answers also means that others are making choices for you."

Aokiji asked, "Is there a problem with that?"

Elder Itachi shook his head: "This means you've given up your choice."

"Give up your own choice?"

"Yes, if you seek answers to accelerate your cultivation, then your teacher's perspective will limit your vision. In order to avoid pitfalls in the cultivation process and seek answers, you may be repeating the correct choices made by your predecessors last time, but you will never be able to forge a new path."

Aokiji lowered his head, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly realized, "They will never be able to forge their own path."

Admittedly, under Elder Itachi's guidance, his strength improved by leaps and bounds, far surpassing his peers, but it also fostered a lack of critical thinking during his training.

Cultivation is a marathon. He is currently sprinting ahead, which will inevitably lead to a lack of stamina and a slowdown, or even a standstill.

Sometimes slowing down isn't a bad thing.

Seeing that he understood, Elder Itachi was very pleased. After watching Aokiji leave, a fleeting glint of cunning flashed in his scarlet eyes.

That statement was half true and half false.

He did indeed want to hone Aokiji's self-cultivation abilities, but more importantly, he wanted to suppress Aokiji's short-term growth in strength.

If he were to give Aokiji guidance without reservation, Aokiji's strength would be even greater than it is now, but that would easily lead to accidents and him getting out of control.

………………

It took Aokiji more than a month to barely master the two A-rank ninjutsu that Elder Itachi taught him, after figuring them out on his own.

That day, Aokiji carried out a D-rank mission as usual: capturing pets.

With his current strength, catching a lost pet was naturally a piece of cake. In no time, he captured a weasel and personally handed it over to a wealthy merchant.

The wealthy businessman was naturally all smiles upon seeing this.

Once the money is exchanged for the goods, the transaction is complete.

Aokiji happily counted the banknotes, smelled their aroma, and sighed, "It's so good to be rich."

"Uh, what are you still doing standing here?"

Seeing that the wealthy businessman was unwilling to leave, he frowned slightly. He didn't like having someone standing next to him and disturbing him when he was counting money; it felt like having someone standing next to him when he was urinating.

The wealthy merchant, with his protruding belly and bloated brain, chuckled and said, "Qingzhi, do you want to make more money? I have a task for you now."

Thanks to the pheasant's extremely efficient capture, he is now a well-known figure in the pet world, known to everyone.

Aokiji counted the banknotes absentmindedly and said, "Oh, you should hand over your mission to the mission department. I'll go to the area that posts D or C level notices and pick them up."

Ironically, he always thought that Konoha's release date was determined by someone going through all sorts of trouble to distribute the goods there. Later, he realized he was mistaken; some of the orders were no different from those of the salesmen in his previous life...

"No, that would incur an agency fee. I'd like to work directly with you."

Upon seeing the direct connection, Aokiji was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

The wealthy merchant whispered a few words in Aokiji's ear.

so so, so so...

Aokiji's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this trick. As expected of a businessman, his mind was quick and sharp.

The guy in front of me is planning to use my D-rank status to carry out a C-rank mission. This way, he can save on the middleman fee for Konoha, and Aokiji can also make a profit from it.

A world where both sides benefit, but only Konoha loses, has been achieved.

Aokiji tactfully replied, "That's not a good idea..."

This is, after all, a C-level mission, which carries a slight risk.

The wealthy businessman stroked his mustache: "I can add money."

Aokiji replied without hesitation, "No problem."

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a dangerous mission. It was simply about capturing a large pet somewhere and then escorting it to a wealthy merchant.

The wealthy businessman smiled broadly, knowing that the money would be deducted from his Konoha commission anyway.

"I don't quite understand, aren't you quite wealthy, boss?"

"Save money where you can. I only told you this because I think you're a talented person."

"Haha, boss, you really have a keen eye for talent."

The two hit it off immediately, went through the whole process, and reported their departure. Aokiji slung his backpack over his shoulder, swaggered out of Konoha, and then took off his ninja headband and put it in his backpack.

When I'm out and about, I wear a ninja headband with the Konoha symbol carved on it, as if I'm afraid people won't know I'm a ninja, right?

If you're a ninja, then come and cut me down!

Isn't that just asking for trouble?

Of course, this depends on the situation and requires specific analysis for each specific problem.

Not long after Aokiji left the wood industry, a blonde girl with a pretty face also set off. Besides her, there were several other people standing beside her, who were her teammates and the person she was escorting.

(End of this chapter)