"Finally back." Obito sighed as he looked at the tall wooden walls of Konoha.
Every time he went on a mission, he realized just how comfortable it was to have a soft bed to sleep on.
Obito felt like he had discovered the essence of humanity: when cultivating in Konoha, he longed to go on missions; when on a mission, he couldn't wait to finish and return. Perhaps that's just how people are.
"I can't wait to start cultivating!" Might Guy exclaimed, his face beaming with excitement.
After the chaos of the battlefield, his combat skills had grown stronger, and he had gained some insights from sparring with Dekai. Might Guy couldn't wait to continue honing himself through training.
Kakashi, who had planned to take a day off, was stirred by Might Guy's words.
Resting would be like stopping midway in a race while Might Guy kept running.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, will you be going to the Southern Border Forest later?" Kakashi asked.
If Mokgetsu were going, Kakashi would train there; if not, he'd cultivate at home till midnight.
"Yes, I will be. If you want to cultivate, you can come over; I'll mentor you as usual," Mokgetsu smiled and nodded.
"Of course, if you wish to rest, you can take a day off and resume regular training tomorrow."
After such a significant incident, they should've had a couple more days off, but Mokgetsu had already reduced their training volume at the camp, considering the location, so in essence, they had rested for a few days.
"Thank you, Teacher Mokgetsu." Confirming that Mokgetsu would go to the Southern Border Forest, Kakashi prepared to head there for training.
Watching the two head straight to intense training as soon as they returned, all Obito wanted was to get his photos developed and tell Nohara Rin about the mission; he felt out of place.
In the end, as Obito expected, Might Guy and Kakashi headed straight to the Southern Border Forest.
Obito sighed, created a Shadow Clone to develop the photos in the Main Konoha District, while his true self also went to the Southern Border Forest to train.
To come back together and not go training would make him seem the laziest.
...
After separating from his disciples, Mokgetsu went directly to the Hokage Building to report the mission to Sarutobi Hiruzen in the Hokage Office.
Although Jiraiya should have already transmitted all the intelligence, Mokgetsu still had to report due to his responsibility.
Knock knock!
Mokgetsu knocked on the wooden door of the Hokage Office.
"Come in," Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice came from inside the office.
After getting Hiruzen's approval, Mokgetsu opened the door and entered the Hokage Office.
Seeing Mokgetsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled, removed his pipe, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said:
"Mokgetsu, here to report on the mission?"
"Yes, Lord Third, we encountered unexpected circumstances on this mission. Upon reaching the camp, we faced a massive assault from the Hidden Rock Ninja Squad, and then..." Mokgetsu started to explain the mission's details.
"Mokgetsu, I don't know what to say about your team. Every time I assign you a C-Class Mission, there's an unexpected event, giving me a surprise," Sarutobi Hiruzen joked.
Four consecutive C-Class Missions faced unexpected events; the fourth coinciding directly with a battle outbreak was unprecedented.
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought that if not for Mokgetsu's solid abilities, a team led by an ordinary Jonin might have suffered heavy casualties.
"Maybe I'm just unlucky," Mokgetsu self-deprecated.
He hadn't expected the fourth mission to turn out the way it did; he was ready to earnestly complete a C-Class Mission, yet it morphed into something much bigger.
"Maybe it's Konoha's good fortune to have you combat in this conflict," Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled.
"Defeating Hidden Rock's Demolition Squad's Gari and using Water Release to fend off the Four-tailed Jinchuriki's attack during your battle with the Jinchuriki. No wonder Danzo was upset when I took you away; he wanted his elite,"
When Jiraiya's report came back, Sarutobi Hiruzen was very surprised. He knew Mokgetsu was stronger than an average Jonin since Mokgetsu had killed two Jonin in missions before, but Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't realized he was that much stronger.
With the ongoing battles against Hidden Rock, Explosion Release Ninja Gari was quite prominent, often defeating Konoha's small squads during skirmishes. Ordinary Jonin were no match for him, and his performance remained outstanding as the war intensified, utilizing his skilled Taijutsu, Explosion Release, and Hardening Jutsu invincibly.
Although Minato and Jiraiya could handle him, they needed to deal with a more troublesome Jinchuriki. Sarutobi Hiruzen initially intended to dispatch an elite squad to resolve this issue, but instead, he encountered Mokgetsu on the battlefield, where they were caught in a life-and-death struggle.
Even though it was just a textual description, Sarutobi Hiruzen could see the excellence Mokgetsu displayed in this war, which was further proven by a letter Jiraiya sent him personally.
It was rare for Sarutobi Hiruzen to see Jiraiya place such importance on an individual and even send a letter to emphasize Mokgetsu's strength and potential.
"I owe much of my current strength to Lord Danzo," Mokgetsu nodded in acknowledgment, appearing as if he were an elite from Root.
He didn't like Danzo, but using Danzo as a scapegoat worked quite well.
"You defeated Gari and killed many Hidden Rock Ninjas, saving many comrades in the village. Your influence on the battlefield is sufficient to upgrade this task to an S-rank mission," Sarutobi Hiruzen recited Mokgetsu's achievements in this mission one by one.
This situation was a bit different from before. In the past, it was merely a matter of encountering enemy ninjas during wartime missions and then engaging in combat. This time, playing a major role on the battlefield directly upgraded it to the highest-level mission.
"Additionally, the battle where you repelled the Jinchuriki with Jiraiya's squad counts as another S-rank mission," Sarutobi Hiruzen continued.
This was requested by Jiraiya, who felt that Mokgetsu's significant achievement warranted an additional S-rank mission because of his performance during the Jinchuriki battle.
After reviewing the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen also found no issue with this, though this S-rank mission was credited to Mokgetsu personally, not to the entire squad. Only the upgrade from C-class to S-rank was for the squad.
"For the grain transport mission, the original reward was a million ryo. The village adds an additional eleven and a half million ryo, totaling twelve and a half million ryo. The reward for repelling the Jinchuriki S-rank mission is twelve million ryo," Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the rewards for Mokgetsu's mission.
"Thank you, Lord Third," Mokgetsu smiled and thanked him, as S-rank mission fees are always over a million ryo.
However, this is the pre-tax amount, and in Konoha, the more you earn, the higher the tax. If it is for a squad, the amount each member receives in the end wouldn't be too extravagant.
"In addition to the mission fee, you can select any ten ninjutsu from the Ninja Dojo," Sarutobi Hiruzen continued.
The Ninja Dojo is where Konoha stores D-level to A-level ninjutsu, containing most of Konoha's ninjutsu, although A-level ninjutsu are relatively few, with most being B-level and C-level.
This reward was specially given by Sarutobi Hiruzen, considering Jiraiya mentioned Mokgetsu's strong foundation in ninjutsu.
If Mokgetsu can quickly convert these rewards into power, there might be more nurturing in the future.
"Moreover, I will personally teach you two more ninjutsu: Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile, stroking his small beard as if to show approval.
Mokgetsu's expression was quite complex, seemingly surprised at the abundant rewards Sarutobi Hiruzen offered at once, followed by a deep sense of gratitude.
"Your great kindness, Lord Third, I will never forget," Mokgetsu said with sincere gratitude.
Though mostly an act, one must admit, Sarutobi Hiruzen was indeed generous this time, with ten selectable ninjutsu and two additional A-level ninjutsu, one of which he developed himself.
Mokgetsu felt that if it were a native Konoha ninja, their heart would likely be full of loyalty.
"As Hokage, seeing you younger generations grow is the greatest reward for me," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a kind smile.
Hearing these familiar words, for a moment, he wondered if Sarutobi Hiruzen had a Konoha prosperity system, where the more strong people there are in the village, the more rewards he receives.
However, he immediately dismissed this idea; if it were true, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have dealt with Danzo long ago and sought to reconcile with the Uchiha.
Danzo's claim of acting for Konoha while causing internal strife without enhancing overall strength made him a veritable tumor.
Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Mokgetsu didn't dwell on them further, continuing to agree with whatever Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
Mokgetsu didn't particularly care about Konoha's might; his concern was never about Konoha, but rather about his disciples, the students he taught, and the friends who supported him.
As someone who considered himself a transmigrator with a relatively correct worldview, he really didn't hold much affection for Konoha as a military base; his impression of this world was quite dreadful.
Clearly, productivity had developed, yet feudal lords and landlords still flauntingly strutted above the populace, which was utterly absurd.
He couldn't change much by himself right now, but he believed that once his power grew, once his disciples learned more knowledge and became stronger, they could make this terrible world a bit better.
"If there are no unexpected situations, I am generally at home after seven in the evening. If you want to ask any questions, you can find me between seven and eight," Sarutobi Hiruzen said after handing over the ninjutsu scroll to Mokgetsu.
Since he talked about personally teaching, it naturally didn't mean just giving the practice method but teaching in person.
"As for the Ninja Dojo, I will handle the paperwork for you. You can just take the proof and select the ninjutsu,"
"I will train diligently and will not disappoint your expectations," Mokgetsu said earnestly.
He had encountered the Shuriken Shadow Clone once before; he needed to practice the Great Waterfall Jutsu himself.