Seeing the mixture of disdain and surprise on the Third Raikage's face, Rinjin immediately knew that this guy had misunderstood him.
Clearing his throat, Rinjin began to explain:
"Here's the thing—I'm heading out on a secret mission. Yutabi coming along with me would make it too easy for sensory ninjas to detect us.
So, I thought I'd let Yutabi go back to her... um, home—well, to Fūrai Temple for a while.
But let me make this clear upfront!
You're not allowed to use the Fūrai Chains to restrain Yutabi. Just let her stay at Fūrai Temple.
If she wants to go out and play, you're not allowed to stop her either.
I'll leave a shadow clone to accompany her 24/7!"
Hearing this lengthy explanation, the Third Raikage was left utterly speechless.
So, you're really sending Yutabi back home, huh? No restraints, no control, and a 24/7 babysitter?
Look at this—does any other tailed beast get this kind of treatment? If they did, they'd wake up laughing from their dreams!
You sure know how to spoil her!
But then, thinking about the eight hundred million ryō Rinjin had spent earlier, the Third Raikage suddenly felt much more balanced.
After mulling it over for a while—and just as Rinjin was starting to get impatient—the Third Raikage slowly and firmly nodded.
"But don't celebrate too soon! The rent is fifty million ryō per year!"
Seeing the Third Raikage standing there with arms crossed and a tough look on his face, Rinjin sighed and nodded in exasperation.
You never fail to impress me. Truly worthy of the title King of Bandits, Third Raikage!
Plucking feathers from passing geese, skinning beasts that wander by—if someone accidentally dropped dung while passing through, you'd probably snatch it up and lick it!
Seeing Rinjin agree so readily, the Raikage's eyes suddenly lit up. He leaned in slyly and asked:
"Rinjin, your secret mission isn't targeting Kumogakure, is it?!
I'm warning you! If you dare mess with me again, I'll fight you to the death!"
Hearing this, Rinjin shook his head in exasperation, subtly pointing westward with his finger.
Upon seeing this, the Raikage's eyes brightened further. Lowering his voice in excitement, he asked, "The Land of Earth? Iwagakure?"
"Can't say, can't say!"
After bidding farewell to the Third Raikage, Rinjin left Kumogakure and arrived at the underground chamber of Fūrai Temple.
Reaching out, he pressed his hand against his stomach, forcibly pulling out the cat that had been stubbornly staying inside his body.
In an instant, the cat appeared in the sealed chamber beneath Fūrai Temple, its form returning to its original massive size.
The moment she emerged, Yutabi flopped onto the ground, visibly unhappy. Her adorable feline face clearly showed her displeasure.
Seeing this, Rinjin quickly stepped forward, gently stroking Yutabi's nose as he spoke softly:
"Kitty, just think of this as a vacation—a long vacation."
As he spoke, he clasped his hands together, and with a puff of white smoke, a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"I'll make sure a shadow clone accompanies you every day. Don't worry—it won't be long before I come back to get you!"
"Really?" Yutabi asked, her voice filled with grievance.
"Really!" Rinjin nodded firmly.
Soon, Rinjin bid farewell to the reluctant Yutabi and hurried back to Konohagakure, heading straight for the Hokage Building.
After all, as a jōnin of Konoha, he still needed to formally request leave.
Moreover, he planned to use this opportunity to visit the archives and check out some forbidden techniques.
Knocking on the door, Rinjin entered the familiar office after receiving permission.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi was intently reading a report.
However, the report seemed to be upside down, and the Third Hokage's face bore a faint blush.
Ah! He must be using the Telescope Technique to spy on the women's bathhouse again!
So envious!
Pretending not to notice, Rinjin walked up to Sarutobi's desk and cleared his throat.
"Hokage-sama, I'm here to request leave."
"Oh?" Sarutobi paused, thinking to himself that this must be a joke.
You're actually requesting leave? Don't you already take leave every day? I can't recall you ever seriously completing a mission!
Unaware of Sarutobi's inner thoughts, Rinjin continued:
"Hokage-sama, I plan to take a long trip to the Land of Water. It might take quite a while."
Hearing this, Sarutobi pondered for a moment before asking, "How long?"
"Anywhere from three to nine years."
Sarutobi's brows furrowed deeply at this.
Three to nine years?
What kind of concept is that? How many three-year periods does a ninja have? How many nine-year periods? And you're taking leave for that long?
Thinking this over, Sarutobi instinctively shook his head.
"Rinjin, it's not that I won't approve—it's just that your leave request is far too long."
As he spoke, he took a puff from his pipe and continued:
"You need to tell me exactly what you intend to do so I can decide whether to approve your leave."
Hearing this, Rinjin calmly nodded and presented the explanation he had prepared in advance.
"The Land of Water may be small, but it has a high population density. I plan to use the Land of Waves as a stepping stone to expand the iron trade into the Land of Water.
At the same time, Kirigakure has always been a closed-off village, and I intend to investigate it.
If possible, I'd like to establish trade relations with Kirigakure.
Of course, I also need to handle some minor matters in Amegakure."
As his words settled, the Hokage's office fell into silence.
Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, weighing the pros and cons of Rinjin leaving the village.
In terms of drawbacks, there weren't really any.
But when it came to benefits, there were plenty.
First, Rinjin's venture into Kirigakure would naturally help the village gather intelligence.
Second, it was now the 28th year of Konoha, and Sarutobi himself was in his late thirties—not as spry as he once was. The matter of selecting a Fourth Hokage needed to be addressed.
To be honest, Sarutobi admired Rinjin's strength and intellect, but when considering the Will of Fire, he found Rinjin somewhat unreliable.
It was fortunate that Rinjin was now requesting leave, as it would prevent him from competing with Orochimaru and Jiraiya for the position.
At the same time, Sarutobi felt a subtle anxiety.
If Rinjin were to rise to power, could he suppress him the way he had suppressed Orochimaru and Jiraiya?
The answer was unlikely.
This brought to mind the words of his late teacher, Tobirama Senju:
"Rinjin Sokuhō must never enter Konoha's leadership!"
Now, as Sarutobi aged, he began to understand his teacher's wisdom.
It wasn't that the village's children weren't talented—it was that Rinjin was completely unlike a ninja.
His methods of handling matters stemmed from a mindset entirely different from the children raised in the village.
The village's children were accustomed to using chakra, ninjutsu, and combat to solve problems.
Rinjin, on the other hand, preferred to gauge human nature, leveraging small advantages, and employing words to make others do his bidding.
After much deliberation, Sarutobi finally nodded and added:
"Rinjin, you are still a member of this village—a ninja of Konoha. Certain critical information must be reported back to the village promptly."
Hearing this, Rinjin smiled and nodded, casually asking:
"Uncle Hiruzen, I'd like to visit the archives. Could you have Sakumo take me there?"
At this, Sarutobi waved his hand impatiently and replied:
"Go yourself, go yourself. Sakumo is out on a mission.
By the way, since you're heading to Kirigakure, you should pick up some Water Release techniques to study.
Also, there's a technique in the Scroll of Seals called Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Don't mess with it—it's not something young people should be learning."
"Got it~" Rinjin replied cheerfully, waving as he left the Hokage's office.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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