Chapter 27: The Ninja Pouch

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In a spacious courtyard located at the heart of the village.

This was once the territory of the Senju Clan, but now it is the home of Mito Uzumaki, which also makes it Tsunade's home.

At this moment, Tsunade, with her high ponytail, angrily pushed open the wooden door and stormed into the house.

In the large courtyard, a mature woman with a red bun hairstyle and a purple diamond-shaped mark on her forehead gently put down the watering can in her hand. She smiled warmly and opened her arms to Tsunade.

Seeing her grandmother, Tsunade immediately dropped her angry expression and threw herself into Mito Uzumaki's embrace like a swallow returning to its nest.

"Grandma, why are you watering the flowers~?" Tsunade asked in a sweet and coquettish tone.

"Last week, I went to Asakusa Temple, and the head monk gave me a Five-Treasure Azalea. I thought I'd plant it."

Mito Uzumaki, who was nearing fifty but showed no signs of aging, gently stroked Tsunade's smooth hair, her large eyes narrowing into slits.

"Enough about Grandma. What happened to my little Tsuna today? Grandma feels like you're quite upset."

Tsunade pouted.

If it were anyone else, even Second Uncle Tobirama, Tsunade wouldn't have shared what happened today.

But Mito Uzumaki was different. To Tsunade, her grandmother was the gentlest and most understanding person.

"Grandma, I met two super annoying guys at school today..."

With that, Tsunade recounted the events of the afternoon at school to Mito Uzumaki.

In her story, Rinjin and Jiraiya were described as the ultimate annoying, despicable jerks in the entire universe.

Mito Uzumaki listened quietly, then chuckled mischievously.

"So, my little Tsuna is growing up and even has boys chasing after her now.

Is that boy named Jiraiya handsome?"

Seeing her grandmother teasing her, Tsunade immediately protested and wriggled in her arms like a spoiled child.

"Grandma~ you're bullying me! Jiraiya isn't handsome at all. He's always last in class and has the most annoying personality!"

Hearing this, Mito Uzumaki pinched Tsunade's cheek affectionately.

"You shouldn't say that. Your grandfather was quite mischievous when he was young too~ He turned out fine when he grew up!"

"Hmph! I don't believe it!" Tsunade pouted again.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Tobirama Senju was staring expressionlessly at the scroll on his desk.

In front of him, a man wearing a dog mask was kneeling on one knee.

The scroll detailed every aspect of Rinjin's recent activities.

Not only did it include his daily routines, but even the exact times and durations of his bathroom breaks were meticulously recorded.

When Tobirama saw the part about Ōzora Chūryū switching Ryōta Uchiha and Tsunade's seats, his eye twitched imperceptibly.

He had always been very satisfied with Rinjin's performance.

As a discovered spy, Rinjin had consistently acted harmlessly, especially during his time at the Ninja Academy over the past week.

Apart from befriending his deskmate, a civilian orphan named Jiraiya, he had minimal interaction with other children.

This was exactly what Tobirama wanted to see.

After all, in the entire village, only he truly understood the destructive potential of Rinjin.

Setting aside Hanzō of the Salamander, Rinjin's ability to plan and manipulate people alone made Tobirama deeply wary.

To put it bluntly, even if Rinjin's taijutsu was already on par with a jōnin, Tobirama could easily subdue him in an instant.

But beyond one-on-one combat, Rinjin's strategies could have a much greater impact on the battlefield.

If not for the Flying Raijin Jutsu mark Tobirama had left on Rinjin, he wouldn't have dared to let this dangerous individual roam freely in Konoha.

And now, this dangerous individual had been seated next to his elder brother's granddaughter Tsunade, thanks to that idiot Ōzora Chūryū.

Damn it!

"Dog, summon the Monkey."

"Yes!" The masked ninja bowed his head before disappearing with a Body Flicker Technique.

After a while, the door to the Hokage's office was knocked on. A young Hiruzen Sarutobi entered.

"Sensei, you called for me."

Tobirama nodded, setting aside the scroll that was giving him a headache.

"Monkey, do you think we should inform Rinjin about Mizuguma's death?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart leapt with joy. His sensei's question indicated that he was placing increasing trust in him. But the mention of Mizuguma's death brought a wave of concern.

He had thought about this issue for a long time but still hadn't come up with a good solution.

Firstly, if Rinjin were to learn of Mizuguma's death, he would undoubtedly leave Konoha to seek revenge, given his personality.

But Rinjin couldn't be allowed to leave. Both his identity and his abilities were invaluable assets to Konoha.

As long as Rinjin hadn't fully aligned himself with Konoha, this dangerous individual couldn't be given freedom.

Hiruzen had also considered using Rie to restrain Rinjin, but that idea remained just that—a thought.

Firstly, keeping Rie might create a rift between Rinjin and Konoha, which was an uncertain outcome.

Secondly, if Rinjin left the village to investigate Mizuguma's death, the variables would be too great.

In the ninja world, death was the main theme. While Rinjin was highly intelligent, in life-and-death situations, extreme intelligence was no match for a kunai in hand.

Ultimately, Hiruzen Sarutobi held Rinjin in high regard.

He firmly believed that through the Will of Fire, Rinjin would become a significant asset to Konoha's future.

With this in mind, Hiruzen mustered his courage.

"Sensei, my suggestion is not to tell him. Let him find out on his own."

"Hmm..." Tobirama pondered for a moment before deliberately asking, "What if he blames Konoha for hiding the truth?"

It was clear that Tobirama already knew the answer; he was merely testing Hiruzen.

"He won't!" Hiruzen replied confidently.

If Rinjin were an immature, unreasonable child, he might blame Konoha's leadership for such matters.

But Rinjin wasn't. Hiruzen was certain that his maturity far exceeded that of most adults in the village.

Truly mature individuals understood that helping was a kindness, but not helping was one's prerogative.

Seeing Hiruzen's resolute expression, Tobirama sighed softly.

This monkey really does resemble my elder brother!

...

On Konoha's bustling commercial street, the liveliest place in the village.

After school, Rinjin and Jiraiya stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a grill, drooling as they stared at the sizzling skewers.

Octopus balls—three per skewer, sprinkled with bonito flakes—were so tempting that even the kids next door were crying with envy.

"Here, enjoy!"

The lady making the octopus balls handed two skewers to Rinjin and Jiraiya.

The two quickly grabbed the skewers and stuffed them into their mouths in unison.

"Mmm, this stuff is really good!"

Rinjin, his mouth stuffed to the brim, commented with satisfaction.

Beside him, Jiraiya, his cheeks puffed out, nodded repeatedly.

Soon, the two skewers were devoured, leaving Rinjin and Jiraiya staring longingly at the sizzling balls on the grill, drooling.

Damn, these things are delicious.

As a salty-food lover, Rinjin had no interest in sweets like taiyaki or candied apples. Instead, the savory flavor of octopus balls was right up his alley.

Jiraiya, it seemed, shared his preference.

Having eaten their fill, Rinjin didn't ask for more, even though he was still craving.

Jiraiya only had 200 ryō in his pocket, and spending 20 ryō on octopus balls for Rinjin was already a big gesture.

"Here, a gift in return!"

In front of the stall, Rinjin pulled out a small green pouch from his pocket.

The moment Jiraiya saw the pouch, his eyes widened.

"This! This is a ninja pouch? Damn it, Rinjin, where did you steal this from?!"

Jiraiya's first reaction was that Rinjin had stolen it. After all, Rinjin was an orphan, and orphans often lived in poverty.

Hearing Jiraiya's accusation, Rinjin was immediately annoyed.

"What do you mean, 'steal'? I took it openly from Uncle Ippongi's shop. It's not stealing if it's ninja business!"

He then launched into a long explanation that Jiraiya didn't understand.

"Do you want it or not? If not, I'll just throw it away."

"I want it, I want it!" Jiraiya hurriedly grabbed the ninja pouch. It felt heavy, and upon opening it, he found neatly arranged shuriken and kunai.

Of course, there were no senbon needles.

Rinjin believed that Jiraiya's white hair alone was more dangerous than any senbon.

Holding the ninja pouch in his hands and looking at Rinjin's nonchalant expression, Jiraiya's tears began to flow.

"Damn it, Rinjin, you... you bastard..."

Rinjin nonchalantly picked his nose and waved at Jiraiya as he turned to leave.

"I noticed you didn't have any ninja tools during the throwing class last time, so I prepared this for you. Consider it a return gift for the octopus balls!

Save your gratitude for later, or if you'd like to be my underling, I might reluctantly agree!

Bye, I have to go to work now."

Watching Rinjin walk away, Jiraiya felt a warmth in his heart.

Ever since his parents passed away, no one had cared for him like this.

"Damn it... You think I'll be your underling? Just wait until I, Jiraiya-sama, become stronger than anyone else and protect you instead!"

After parting with Jiraiya, Rinjin went to help out at Katō's Ninja Tools Shop for a while. With his weighted gear on, he could feel his physical strength improving with every step, every sleep, and every strike of the hammer.

For Rinjin, this progress was even more satisfying than learning a forbidden jutsu.

After all, as Mizuguma-sensei often said, ninjutsu might decide life and death on the battlefield, but taijutsu determined one's dignity in bed!

To Rinjin, life and death were secondary. Dignity was non-negotiable.

After finishing his day's work, Rinjin returned to the Ippongi household.

After a quick dinner, he went back to his room.

On the tatami mats, Rie sat cross-legged in her turtle pajamas, looking adorably earnest.

Ever since she got the Chakra Extraction Technique scroll, the little girl had been practicing diligently.

Rinjin noticed that Rie had a natural talent for being a ninja. In just a week, she could already sense chakra.

Back when he was in the Jashin Cult's base, it had taken him over half a month to feel the flow of chakra in his body!

By comparison, Rie's talent even surpassed Rinjin's.

But for Rinjin, this was actually good news. The more talented Rie was, the more attention she would receive from Konoha's leadership, and the lower her chances of dying would be.

Of course, that was assuming she didn't court death.

Rinjin firmly believed that with such a cautious and reliable brother like him, Rie would grow up to be a steady and experienced ninja.

Watching Rie practice so diligently, Rinjin felt that as her older brother, he couldn't slack off either!

With that thought, Rinjin suddenly felt a surge of motivation and dove headfirst into his warm blanket.

After all, training and I, a salty fish, are completely incompatible!

Maybe someday, when I steal the *Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu*, I'll let my clones do the training for me!