Chapter 4

"The Hokage herself won't reward me for this, that's for sure. So, the only option left is to influence through the team mentor, who has full authority to control the difficulty of the tasks received or even focus solely on training the students."

"It won't work. Ishi is an orphan and needs a constant income, unlike the children from clans," the kunoichi shook her head, mentally cursing yet another set of problems that had fallen on her head in addition to the ones she already had.

"Then carry out D-rank missions in the village and rare C-rank missions near Konoha," ordered the commander, "outside the walls, you will be accompanied by at least one ANBU as a backup."

"What about training? I don't think I can teach Nara anything new, apart from a few ninjutsu, especially considering his suiton predisposition," Hyuga scratched her head, "polishing the basics of tactics and teamwork can be done in six months or a year, but then there will only be more difficult missions."

"Ryo-san will also continue working at the hospital, so you will have more time to train two other students while he's away," the acting Hokage rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "and then we can use his goal of becoming stronger than the Sarutobi team itself."

"What do you mean?"

"Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya are very versatile shinobi, each excelling in several disciplines. If we combine their abilities, our ambitious genin will need good teachers in ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, and everything else. So, if you can't provide them, you'll ask for a favor from some 'friends,' whose selection I'll take care of myself."

"And what's the point? Keeping Nara in the village for long won't work — all he needs to do is complain to his uncle or grandfather, and there will immediately be cries of infringement of rights at the council," the kunoichi sarcastically snorted, showing her attitude towards clan politics.

"Perhaps, but during his training, my students will be able to instill survival skills in Ryo's head and perhaps even make him realize the value of his hide for the village, as well as the need for tactical retreat in case of an unfavorable situation. After all, it's better to have a living medical-nin and fuinjutsu master than a mission completed at the cost of his death. For a year or two, we'll keep him from anything too serious and dangerous, and then the situation will calm down, and the Hokage will return, relieving me of this extra headache. So stick to the chosen line and don't expose the team to unnecessary risks, and report on our genius's progress every month. I won't keep you any longer."

"Understood."

Bowing, Hyuga hastily left the office, and only after closing the door behind her did she breathe a sigh of relief — the commander literally overwhelmed her with his personality and strength, and his casual tone made her quite nervous. She was more accustomed to receiving clear instructions from superiors than just chatting.

And if they condescended to her and even patiently explained things, then the situation with Ryo Nara was indeed serious, and it was better to stick to the planned training regimen, almost without being distracted by missions. It's not entirely clear how to carry out the order from Hokage-sama, but the increased attention of the ANBU to the goal doesn't bode well for her primarily.

However, it's best to start making plans only after the goal becomes somewhat familiar. She had no intention of hanging on someone's neck at the first opportunity and enticing with her charms, as some silly girls in the academy tried to do (and rumors even reached her).

Hyuga was not going to do that, and she was too proud of her accomplishments for such cheap tactics. It's better to act quietly, steadily, and reliably, gradually changing Ryo's status from a reliable teacher to a close friend, and then perhaps even to a lover, if not a wife. There's time to spare.

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