"It's different. With the Puppet Force, you're on the roster but not actively serving, so you only get half your salary. The Elite Combat Unit, however, doesn't consider you a temporary worker, so you get a full salary. Plus, Chunin get a monthly allowance of 10,000 ryo, which they keep for life, even after retirement, until death."
Jianye explained to Qingshui.
"That works too."
The Puppet Force and the Elite Combat Unit are on the same hierarchical level. Unless one holds a position like captain or vice-captain, the salaries are identical.
This meant Qingshui had effectively gotten a 50% raise, plus a 10,000 ryo monthly Chunin allowance.
A promotion and a raise are naturally good things.
That evening, Jianye treated all the members of the Sixth Division's Third Squad to a gathering.
While it wasn't as extravagant as Chiyo's last treat, it was still quite enjoyable.
The next day, Qingshui organized his ninja tools and attire. He first went to the Kazekage's office building to find Ebizo, and only after getting the documents stamped and signed was his promotion to Chunin officially complete.
Gaining status within the Sand Village, a top power in the Ninja World, brought far more good fortune than taking over a small gang or claiming a street as an avatar in Gotham.
The progress bar for good fortune instantly leaped from 20.9% to 45.3% and continued to slowly advance.
Next, he picked up his Chunin vest from the warehouse and headed to Training Ground Two.
He was to meet his new teammates there.
...
...
When Qingshui arrived at the designated spot at Training Ground Two, someone was already waiting.
It was a slender, tall young woman wearing a backless top. She had a pretty face and appeared slightly older than Qingshui.
"Hello, I'm Pakura, twelve years old. I was promoted to Chunin last year and specialize in Wind Release and Fire Release. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the new recruit assigned to Team Nine, right?"
Pakura extended her hand to Qingshui openly.
"Hello, I'm Qingshui, a Chunin, temporarily reassigned from the Puppet Force."
Qingshui smiled and shook Pakura's hand.
After all, they would be comrades-in-arms, entrusted with each other's lives during future missions, so it was important to build a good relationship.
Moreover, in Qingshui's memory, Pakura was not an unknown figure; she was certainly exceptional.
The two chatted for a while, and the remaining two members of the team also arrived in turn.
"Baki, Chunin, proficient in Wind Release, Earth Release, and Swordplay, eleven years old."
Another "familiar face."
In the future, he would become the Jonin instructor for Rasa's three children. Baki at that time held a position in the Sand Village comparable to Kakashi in Konoha, undoubtedly one of the top elite Jonin in the Sand Village back then.
It seemed his own squad was quite extraordinary.
The team composition was also very reasonable: Pakura was a typical Ninjutsu-type ninja, Baki excelled at Nintaijutsu, one long-range and one close-range. Qingshui, as a Puppet Master, possessed both, and should be responsible for the third position, the support role, in combat.
Thinking this, Qingshui looked at the last person in the team.
This was a young Jonin. Like Baki, he wore a white cloth on his head, but he was rather handsome. The long sword on his back indicated he was skilled with a blade.
"Everyone's introduced themselves, right? Then it's my turn, your superior."
The Jonin coughed twice and began:
"My name is Fukami Senran, a Jonin, twenty-nine years old. I specialize in Wind Release, Fire Release, and Lightning Release, and my Swordplay is decent. From now on, I'll be your captain for Team Nine. For the next week, I'll take you on some simple missions to help you build team synergy."
As Fukami Senran introduced himself, he sized up his three new subordinates.
Before he arrived, Chiyo and Ebizo had naturally briefed him.
Qingshui was of paramount importance, a candidate chosen by Chiyo and Ebizo to be the next leader of the Puppet Force.
Pakura's talent in Ninjutsu was the highest among the new generation in the Sand Village in recent years. Baki was slightly less talented than Pakura but still held significant potential for development.
This team would be challenging to lead, mainly because he had to develop the potential of these three subordinates as much as possible while ensuring they didn't perish prematurely.
Once trained, they would at least be three elite Jonin, and there was even a chance that one of them could become a Kage.
The reason an elite Jonin like him was chosen to lead these three was, on one hand, his proficiency in Ninjutsu and Swordplay could provide them with some guidance. On the other hand, it was to act as a bodyguard for these three highly promising Chunin, while also completing missions suited to the team's abilities to give them experience.
"I believe in something the Second Kazekage once said: actions speak louder than words. On my way here, I already accepted a B-rank mission for you."
Qingshui, Pakura, and Baki exchanged glances.
They all felt that starting with a B-rank mission right away might be a bit too intense.
From graduating from the ninja academy to being promoted to Chunin, Qingshui had only completed three B-rank missions, excluding the one accidental A-rank that turned S-rank mission. The last B-rank mission had directly led to him returning to the village for recovery due to injury.
Although his strength had significantly increased now, shouldn't they start with some simpler missions during the initial bonding period?
But since they had an elite Jonin as their fallback, it didn't really matter.
...
...
Ever since joining this squad, Qingshui had never done low-level missions.
Or rather, after becoming a Chunin, D-rank missions from his Genin days were completely out of the picture for him. Unless he became a guiding Jonin for a new class of Genin in the future, he probably wouldn't have the chance to take a D-rank mission again in this lifetime.
His current squad primarily focused on B-rank missions. If there weren't suitable ones, they could choose some simpler C-rank missions to practice, or they could rest or train.
When it came to guiding their training, Fukami Senran was quite knowledgeable. Whether it was Wind Release, Fire Release, or Lightning Release, he clearly had a deep mastery of them, and he even knew some basic Medical Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu.
However, Fukami Senran couldn't offer Qingshui much guidance in Puppetry, but that didn't mean Qingshui had no one to teach him.
He was still part of the Puppet Force, so he could usually go to the hospital to consult Ishido, who was still recovering, and occasionally he'd continue sparring with Sasori, then mooch off his family's books.
It's worth noting that both Chiyo and Ebizo had promised Qingshui that he could consult them when they were free.
It was from that moment on that Qingshui truly confirmed the change in his status within the Sand Village.
Displaying talent, gaining the attention of high-ranking officials, joining a faction, and receiving a tilted allocation of resources to enhance one's strength—these were the ways to quickly rise in status, regardless of the organization. Furthermore, it was the method with the fewest negative repercussions and the most stable foundation.
Undoubtedly, Qingshui was now receiving focused training from both Chiyo and Ebizo.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------