Hokage Tower.
Naruto extended his hands and accepted the Jonin flak jacket and related documents from Tsunade. Three days ago, after nearly a month of effort from his hundred-plus shadow clones, he had finally completed the required mission volume for promotion to Jonin.
Becoming a Jonin, though seemingly complex, essentially boiled down to three things: meritorious service, strength, and connections. With his achievements meeting the standard, and by virtue of his strength, coupled with the recommendations from Nara Shikaku and others, his promotion from Chunin to Jonin was a matter of course.
"From now on, you are a Jonin of Konoha," Tsunade declared. Then, a mischievous glint in her eyes, she mused, "Speaking of which, now that the ceremony is over, should I take back the uniform? I have a feeling you won't be using it much. After all, the production cost is quite high."
Naruto coughed lightly and silently placed the uniform beside him. He had a strong feeling this woman wasn't joking. If he nodded, the uniform in his hands would probably be genuinely confiscated. Sometimes, he really felt Tsunade wasn't a Hokage, but a female bandit lord.
"When's the promotion banquet?" Tsunade asked, her well-rounded posterior resting against the desk, creating an alluring curve.
"The day after tomorrow. It happens to be the weekend." Naruto felt a bead of sweat. He quickly averted his gaze. Jiraiya, standing nearby, wasn't nearly as shy, his eyes wide as if trying to replace the desk with his stare.
"Hmm—" Tsunade lightly tapped her chin with a finger. "I happen to be free that day. Remember to prepare plenty of sake."
"No problem." Naruto nodded. He happened to have a lot of mission payment money from these past few days with nowhere to spend it.
"Alright then, that's all." Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.
Watching the young man's departing figure, she crossed her arms and fell into deep thought. It was a good thing that the village's next generation was full of brilliant talents, but it also came with its own set of headaches. How to treat the three of them—Sasuke, Kakashi, and now Naruto—fairly had become a problem she needed to consider. Differential treatment would lead to dissatisfaction; dissatisfaction would turn competition into confrontation; confrontation would cause internal strife...
"Sigh." Tsunade rubbed her temples. She was beginning to understand the predicament the Old Man had faced. Orochimaru? Namikaze Minato? It was like choosing between the palm and the back of her hand; choosing either was fine, yet choosing either was also problematic.
"Jiraiya, why don't you become the Sixth Hokage?" she suddenly blurted out in exasperation. Such a troublesome problem should be left for this old scoundrel to ponder.
Jiraiya was startled. "Huh?!" He quickly refused. Even a dog wouldn't want the Hokage position! Whoever wants it can have it!
On the border of the Land of Fire, there was a desolate, small country situated within a giant sinkhole. The surrounding area was all barren Gobi Desert, yet within the sinkhole, forests flourished, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. Since ancient times, it has been called the Sacred Ground, also known as the Great Crater. Legend had it that a secret treasure was hidden within the sinkhole. No one knew if it was true, but the natural scenery, so starkly different from its surroundings, drew people like moths to a flame. Everyone believed that the hidden treasure was responsible for this peculiar natural landscape.
The Great Crater country wasn't large, not even half the size of the Land of Rain, but it was divided into quite a few regions. The small village before them, called Tonika, was one of them.
As Naruto Shadow Clone #1 walked into the village, someone immediately came up to greet him.
"Leader, the last two 'Musical Notes' have been confirmed. They are in the care of Tonika Village's chief," a man reported in a low voice. "We tried to negotiate with him, but we were refused."
"Take me to him," Shadow Clone #1 replied. When assigning the mission, he had instructed the Dragon Heritage members to avoid using force as much as possible. Therefore, he had no complaints about the current outcome.
Hmm?
Shadow Clone #1 paused slightly, turning his head to look back. He saw three Konoha ninja—a young man and two young women—walking through the streets of Tonika Village.
The Great Crater, being a "renowned" tourist destination, it wasn't strange to see ninja. After all, ninja were people too, and people naturally pursued a better life. But the appearance of a formally organized ninja squad was unexpected. Especially since he recognized these three ninja...
"Sai, what are you looking at?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"I feel like someone is watching us," Sai replied uncertainly, his gaze sweeping over the bustling street.
"It's probably your imagination. With so many people around, it's inevitable that one or two will glance our way," Sakura reassured him. Sai was from Root; his upbringing was entirely different from theirs, and he was inevitably somewhat unaccustomed to daily life. Since Root had been disbanded, Sai had teamed up with her and Ino again. So, she was already used to his intermittent vigilance, and even felt a bit sorry for him. Growing up in such a distorted environment would inevitably affect one's mind and body.
"Right, Ino?" she asked, turning to her best friend beside her.
"Forehead-girl is right, Sai. You're just too tense," Ino chimed in. "This is just a completely normal mediation mission. There's no way a battle will break out. Just treat it as a vacation. The unique environment here is perfect for tourism."
"Village Chief, hello." Naruto shook hands with the white-haired old man before him. Although the old man's biceps were even more exaggerated than his own, judging from his life-energy fluctuations, he had indeed entered his twilight years.
"Hello." The Tonika Village Chief looked at the youth before him with some nervousness. The man standing respectfully behind this youth had, just two days ago when he came to negotiate, openly defeated the captain of their guard. The status and position of someone who could command such respect from such a strong individual were self-evident.
"I won't beat around the bush. The 'Musical Notes' passed down through your lineage, Village Chief, are the purpose of my visit," Shadow Clone #1 said directly.
Legend told that the Spear of Heaven, created by the ancient gods at the dawn of time, had its power stolen by a defiled person. This defiled person hated everything and attempted to use that power to destroy the world. A deceased soul chanced upon a fragment of this power. He transformed into a being wreathed in crimson flames and launched a revenge against the defiled one. After a bitter struggle through seven hells, he was finally victorious. Afterwards, to protect the power from being stolen by other defiled individuals, the man of flames broke the power down into seven Musical Notes.
What Naruto Shadow Clone #1 was searching for were these very notes. The members of the Dragon Heritage organization had already collected five of them; only the last two, kept by the Tonika Village Chief, remained unobtained.
"Lord Ninja, since you know of the Musical Notes' existence, you must also be aware of the evil of this power," the Tonika Village Chief quickly tried to dissuade him. "Its existence has already surpassed the scope of human comprehension. The power of the Spear of Heaven is simply not something humans can control! Attempting to master a forbidden power will only lead to a backlash from that power, harming oneself and others!"
"I can only say that my understanding of that power is far greater than yours," Shadow Clone #1 replied, shaking his head slightly. According to his and Kurama's deductions, the Spear of Heaven of the ancient creator gods was, in all likelihood, brought to this planet by the Otsutsuki who descended in ages past. For others, this power might be forbidden. But for him, who had fused with Otsutsuki Urashiki's tomoe Rinnegan and whose body structure was gradually transforming towards that of an Otsutsuki, there was no need to fear the power of the Spear of Heaven like others did.
"Twenty years of lifespan in exchange for the Musical Notes in your possession. What do you say?" Shadow Clone #1 proposed. He had always believed in the principle of getting what you pay for; if a deal couldn't be made, it was usually because the price wasn't right.