Chapter 8 — I Want the Flying Thunder God
Konoha, Hokage Tower.
"Huh? Are you saying… my mission rating has been changed to S-rank?"
"Yes," the clerk replied respectfully. "You'll need to receive the reward directly from the Hokage."
In truth, aside from those ninja perpetually bathed in "protagonist aura," most Konoha shinobi handled mission handovers and payment on the first floor Mission Assignment Hall of the Hokage Tower.
Being summoned to the Hokage's office was the exception rather than the rule—usually reserved for truly high-level missions personally issued by the Hokage.
Namikaze Yami felt a brief sense of unreality.
An S-rank mission suddenly appearing on a genin's record was absurd by any standard.
He had expected recognition—but he hadn't imagined Sarutobi Hiruzen would go this far.
Arriving once again at the Hokage's office, before he could even knock, raised voices drifted out from inside.
It sounded like… those two.
"Hiruzen—!"
"You'll regret this—!"
The next moment, Shimura Danzō, clad in battle gear, stormed out of the office. Compared to yesterday, his expression was even darker.
Spotting Yami waiting outside, Danzō's gloomy, downturned triangular eyes raked him viciously. Without a word, he strode off.
Yami was left utterly baffled.
I'm the victim here. How did I end up being hated by this old fossil?
"Come in," Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice sounded from inside.
Yami entered the office. Hiruzen rubbed his temples and explained,
"Don't mind it. Danzō is simply unhappy about being reassigned to the front lines."
The explanation was arguably unnecessary. Still, Hiruzen worried that Yami might misunderstand—and that in a few days the village might start circulating bizarre rumors like 'Danzō and the Hokage have fallen out' or 'the Elder Council is planning an armed coup.'
"Oh."
Yami nodded, saying nothing more—treating it as one of those special hobbies between Hiruzen and Danzō.
"The village has already verified the intelligence you brought back," Hiruzen continued.
"It's accurate. And that scroll contains a rare S-rank sealing technique."
Yami knew this perfectly well.
He'd already checked it on the way back—it recorded the forbidden technique Reaper Death Seal.
If the system accepted duplicate jutsu, he'd have pawned it long ago. Why bother bringing it back for Hiruzen to play riddles with?
"The mission reward will be issued according to S-rank standards," Hiruzen said.
"Additionally, since your squad completed a task far beyond its assigned capacity, you may choose several ninjutsu as an extra reward."
Yami had expected compensation—and not a small amount either.
But even so, such generosity made his brain stall for a moment.
"Then I want… the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
"That jutsu carries considerable risk," Hiruzen replied calmly.
"I suggest you choose another."
"Then I want the Flying Thunder God."
"..."
Hiruzen fell silent for a moment, then wordlessly took a scroll down from the bookshelf.
"This is the learning scroll for the Shadow Clone Technique. Keep it safe."
"…Alright."
Yami agreed outwardly, while inwardly cursing Hiruzen for being such a poor sport.
As for the monetary reward, he chose to exchange it for several ninjutsu scrolls of different elemental natures, keeping little cash on hand. Opportunities like this were rare—money alone usually couldn't buy such things.
Under the somewhat peculiar gaze of the Hokage Tower archive clerk, Yami calmly gathered all the multi-element ninjutsu scrolls that now belonged to him.
He didn't dare linger.
Honestly speaking, the moment he stepped into the archive room, the sheer number of ninjutsu and forbidden technique scrolls had nearly dazzled him blind.
He was genuinely afraid that on impulse he might start grabbing things—and get his head cracked open on the spot by Sarutobi next door.
That experience, however, planted a different thought in Yami's mind.
As far as he knew, aside from the Hokage Tower, there was another place that also held a massive private collection.
"Not a bad haul."
He weighed the scrolls in his hands. Instead of studying them immediately, he patted his now well-filled money pouch and decided that proper consumption came first.
Without realizing it, he looked up—
He was already standing at the entrance of the Ninja Academy.
Judging the time, school was about to let out. Yami decided to wait here for his good little brother.
It didn't take long.
As the academy gates opened, students poured out in groups.
With just one glance, Yami spotted that "little sun" caught in the crowd. With looks like that and such a pleasant personality, the kid stood out wherever he went.
"Hey—Minato! Over here!"
Minato turned at the call and saw Yami lounging lazily on a bench. He very much wanted to detour away—but good manners wouldn't allow it.
Yami strode over in one step and naturally hooked an arm around Minato's neck.
"Not bad, kid. You've grown taller—and you're almost catching up to me in looks."
"Yami-nii…" Minato laughed helplessly, resigned to his fate.
Perhaps because they were both orphans of the Namikaze clan, Namikaze Minato felt a natural affinity toward this rather strange clan-brother.
That said, Yami's way of thinking often left Minato completely unable to keep up.
Sure enough, the very next sentence threw him straight into panic.
"So—have you caught up to that little chili-head yet?"
"Ah—eh?! Yami-nii, don't mess with me!"
Minato rarely lost his composure like this. He hurriedly glanced around in all directions.
Only after confirming that the flash of bright red hair hadn't noticed them did he finally let out a breath of relief.
"I'm just saying," Yami continued lazily,
"why are you acting so timid? You're a grown man already. No wonder she thinks you're unreliable—and kind of soft."
"Yami-nii, stop talking nonsense," Minato said quickly.
"Kushina's been in a bad mood all day. I don't know what happened."
Hearing this, Yami released him and patted Minato on the shoulder, his tone unusually serious.
"Mm… that actually involves something sensitive. I can't say much."
"But I can tell you this—be a little nicer to her these days. This might be the hardest period of her life."
Then, just as suddenly, he slipped back into his usual laid-back demeanor.
"Come on. I'll treat you to ramen. Call your little friends along too."
Before Minato could respond, Yami was already dragging him forward, catching up to Uzumaki Kushina, who was walking home alone.
"Want to grab some ramen together?" Yami asked with a smile.
Kushina looked at the two blondes in front of her—one big, one small.
Under normal circumstances, she would've refused without a second thought.
But something about Yami—the faint, inexplicable sense of familiarity he gave off—made her nod before she even realized it.
Ichiraku Ramen wasn't far from the Ninja Academy. The three of them arrived in no time.
"One extra-large miso chashu ramen," Yami said smoothly as they sat down, already placing the order with Teuchi.
He then nudged Minato into the seat between them and smiled at the slightly awkward pair.
"Don't be shy. Order whatever you want—my treat today."
Minato had regained his composure by now. Seeing Kushina hesitate, he gently suggested,
"The miso chashu ramen here is really good."
Kushina nodded softly, accepting the recommendation.
The ramen was served quickly.
No one spoke much after that—only the rhythmic slurp of noodles filled the air.
The two kids ate with full focus, completely absorbed.
Yami, meanwhile, let his gaze drift. He occasionally glanced out the window, looking thoughtful.
No one noticed that, beneath his calm exterior, a bold and dangerous plan was already taking shape in his mind.