Chapter 15: Five Times, Twelve Times, and Fifty Times

Rinjin was absolutely losing his mind.

He never imagined he'd end up being outsmarted by this repressed, pervy man who loved reading erotic novels—this so-called "Dog Brother."

Fuming with frustration, Rinjin grabbed Dog Brother by the neck with a fierce grip.

If persuasion didn't work, then it was time to go all-in with brute force!

"Listen up, you repressed mutt! If you don't join me, I'll move next door to you, change my last name to Wang, and call myself Wang Rinjin!"

Hearing this, Dog Brother's face beneath the mask turned completely dark.

"No way! You can't live next door to me!"

"Oh, but I will!" Rinjin declared with defiance.

"If you dare move next door, I'll tell Lord Hiruzen your little secret about mastering space-time ninjutsu!"

"What?!" Rinjin screeched.

"If you dare snitch, I'll spread the news all over the village about your deluxe, full-color, illustrated edition of The Tale of Genji!"

Rinjin grinned mischievously as he watched Dog Brother break out in a cold sweat.

"Besides, your book has... yellow spots!"

"You read it too!" Dog Brother stammered, still unwilling to admit defeat.

"I don't care if I lose face! Say whatever you want!" Rinjin declared, his pride unshaken.

"You bastard, Rinjin! Are you trying to make the Hatake clan go extinct?!" Dog Brother roared.

!?

Hatake?

Hatake Fifty-Fifty?!

Rinjin froze, and a tragic name suddenly popped into his mind—Hatake Sakumo.

Wait a second! Dog Brother is Sakumo?!

No wonder Fifty-Fifty (Kakashi) is always carrying around Icha Icha Paradise! The root of the problem lies with you!

You sneaky, repressed man! You've been hiding this all along!

After his outburst, Dog Brother also froze, realizing that he had accidentally revealed his identity.

Crap! I've been exposed! What do I do now?

His head jerked toward Rinjin, hoping to find some trace of confusion on his face.

Unfortunately for him, Rinjin was grinning ear to ear, his eyebrows raised smugly.

It's over! My life is ruined!

But Rinjin, on the other hand, was thinking: The Hatake clan must be loaded! If I rope him in, I'll have plenty of startup capital.

And the reason this guy dares to casually sacrifice himself might just be because his family is rich; he doesn't have to worry about Kakashi's meals, expenses, or even wedding dowry. That's why he's so reckless.

So, if I milk him for all he's worth—his money, his house, everything—wouldn't I actually be saving his life?!

Wow, I'm such a saint!

With that thought, Rinjin sidled up to Hatake Sakumo, sticking close to him with a cheerful smile.

"Dog Brother Sakumo, you—"

"My name is Sakumo," Sakumo interjected gloomily.

"Alright, Sakumo Dog Brother."

At those words, Sakumo felt another wave of exhaustion wash over him. He just wanted to dig a hole and bury himself.

"Sakumo Dog Brother, listen to me. You see, we've known each other for so long. Ever since I entered the village, you've been following me around."

Following? That's called surveillance! Sakumo was utterly speechless.

This guy couldn't say anything decent if his life depended on it!

Oblivious to Sakumo's inner turmoil, Rinjin continued.

"I've always known you were following me, but I never said anything because I didn't want to hurt your confidence. See? I'm such a considerate person.

Later, you didn't even bother hiding anymore and just openly followed me. I pretended not to see you, playing the blind man, so I wouldn't add to your workload. Am I considerate or what?

Then, when I went undercover in Amegakure and found out you were the intermediary, I specifically asked Uncle Hiruzen to assign you to a cushy spot like the Land of Hot Water, so you wouldn't have to risk your life in Kumogakure.

Tell me, don't I care about you?"

The earlier parts sounded somewhat reasonable, but the latter half started to feel off.

Hatake Sakumo couldn't find a reason to refute Rinjin, so he nodded reluctantly.

Seeing this, Rinjin was overjoyed.

Gotcha! House, car, money—hand it all over!

With that in mind, Rinjin pressed on.

"Do you know what kind of person I, Rinjin of the North, am? Dog Brother, you should know me well by now. With our relationship, could I possibly scam you? Absolutely not!

So, forget about being in the Anbu. When I finish my sentence—oops, I mean, when I return from my undercover mission—we'll partner up and make billions!"

Under the mask, Hatake Sakumo's face was full of hesitation.

This was exactly the strategy Rinjin came up with after discovering Sakumo's identity.

From the original series, it was clear that Hatake Sakumo valued his comrades more than the mission. What does that mean? It means he values bonds more than the village's interests.

And what are missions? Missions are for the village's benefit.

In other words, this guy values bonds over the village's interests!

This is the essence of the Will of Fire.

The Will of Fire was never about using the village for moral coercion. Its true essence has always been about bonds and people.

So, Rinjin fully utilized his past life's experience of outsmarting clients to persuade Hatake Sakumo.

And it seemed to be working.

Maybe Dog Brother was the one who truly saw Rinjin as a comrade.

After all, this could be considered a bond forged through unspoken companionship.

After much deliberation, Hatake Sakumo finally shook his head.

"Being a ninja is my dream. I can't give it up. As for your..."

"Konohagakure Unlimited Irresponsibility Company," Rinjin interjected.

"Yes, that shameless company. Is it really as free as you say?"

Hearing this, Rinjin rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Then I'll go back and consult with Lord Hokage before giving you an answer."

Hearing this, Rinjin could only sigh helplessly and nod weakly.

Getting this guy to agree to this extent was already half the battle. As for the other half, Rinjin was temporarily powerless.

But he quickly brushed off his disappointment.

If once doesn't work, then twice! Which HR doesn't try multiple times to recruit talent? Maybe he'll change his mind later!

Before leaving, Rinjin pulled out a limited-edition, illustrated series Kabuki Queens of the Land of Hot Water from his bag and placed it on the table.

Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo's eyes lit up. He pointed at the book, then at himself, and asked excitedly, "This! Is this for me?"

Rinjin grinned mischievously.

"No, this is for my dearest comrade, Jiraiya! Please deliver it for me, okay?"

Rinjin emphasized the words "dearest comrade."

With that, Rinjin raised an eyebrow, made a single-hand seal, and said, "But I do have another set! A rare edition!"

In the next instant, Rinjin disappeared.

Watching Rinjin's vanishing figure, Hatake Sakumo pouted and snorted.

"Let me inspect this bastard's book first to make sure he didn't hide any secret intel!"

What Rinjin didn't know was that this book went through five inspections by Hatake Sakumo, twelve inspections by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and by the time it reached Jiraiya, the illustrations were already faded.

But Jiraiya was still thrilled to take it home and study it carefully—fifty times, to be exact—laying the solid foundation for the future creation of Icha Icha Paradise.