I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

Uchiha Shingen greatly respected people who took their work seriously.

"But..." The head of the guards felt uneasy, but since the boss hadn't called him, he couldn't just barge in like that.

"Do you know about 'Translation Seal'?" Uchiha Shingen decided to put him at ease. "It's a unique ninjutsu of our clan. It can seal a pre-designed technique into the eyes of oneself or another person, and it will be released as long as the conditions are met."

"Ninjutsu can be like this?" The guard leader was both in awe and admiration. "The Uchiha are really amazing."

"Of course, I am a Jonin after all."

Chapter Thirteen: Missing Him

Pantaya came out without exchanging more than a few words with the guard leader.

Seeing this, Uchiha Shingen took her away.

After a while, once the Gaotai family had finished packing, the group resumed their journey.

"What is this...?" someone suddenly shouted.

Under a serene, azure sky, a lake surrounded by crystal-clear ice peaks stands majestically on the land ahead.

The once wide river channel has become a Great Wall of ice and snow.

The master of the high platform and his son were also watching, occasionally glancing at Uchiha Shingen.

Uchiha Shingen slapped his forehead.

He forgot.

He stepped forward and began to unblock the river channel, diverting lake water into it.

After he finished, he rebuilt an ice bridge, since he had destroyed the original wooden bridge with his ice magic.

As the convoy crossed the bridge, some people couldn't resist touching it with their hands, but even those wearing gloves shivered from the cold.

So much so that Uchiha Shingen had to stop their pointless behavior and get them across the bridge as soon as possible.

This mission is finally nearing its end.

If you think about it, it's been more than half a month. It's only thanks to Uchiha Shingen using ninjutsu to clear the way most of the time that we're still halfway there.

He essentially built a "highway" on the spot.

Several days later, the group finally arrived at the high platform area, the destination of their mission.

Upon entering the mansion, the head of the high platform efficiently completed his handwritten letter to Minato Namikaze, handed it to Shingen Uchiha, and stated that he would make up the difference as soon as Konoha informed him of the additional amount required for the final payment.

As an ally of the Land of Fire, the Land of Hot Water uses the Land of Fire's currency system, making settlements very convenient.

After expressing his gratitude in a very cooperative manner, Uchiha Shingen took Pantaea and returned home.

The journey back to Konoha was swift; in just a few days, the two were already able to see the western gate of Konoha Village in the distance.

Regarding Pantaya's identity, the information had already been relayed back to the village by the Konoha ninja at the supply point along the way. Otherwise, the two would have been intercepted by the Anbu once they entered the forest where Konoha Village is located.

Business in Konoha is still booming, with people coming and going, and there's already a queue at the West Gate.

As a morally upright ninja, Uchiha Shingen would naturally line up obediently... just kidding!

He doesn't delegate tasks.

They called Pantaea, and the two of them hopped and skipped all the way to the door, where they landed in front of a Chunin who was registering people.

The Chunin looked up unsurprised, then saw the Cloud Ninja headband with a slash on Pantaea's head and gave him a strange look.

It wasn't that he was surprised to find a rogue ninja from the Cloud Ninja clan here; Pan Taiya's identity had already been communicated to those in charge of the gate, and they even had photos of her. What he found strange was—why was this girl going to all this trouble?

Anyway, you'll have to change the one you wear every now and then.

As for Pantaea's decision to switch allegiance, Chunin-kun was not surprised at all.

Even a ninja like him, who was specifically assigned to work within the village, knew that among all the ninja in the world, the Chunin were the most mobile group, but movement between the five major villages was rare.

"Lord Shingen, the Hokage requests that you and this... well, friend, go directly to his office."

"Okay, thank you."

Uchiha Shingen nodded and led Pantheon toward the Hokage Building.

Along the way, the Konoha ninjas who passed by couldn't help but look at Pantaya's head.

Perhaps they were surprised that a rogue ninja could appear so openly in Konoha, or perhaps they were wondering whether to cut off his head and sell it on the black market.

Regardless, the presence of Uchiha Shingen kept them from approaching.

The goods are good, but they already have an owner.

With so many tasks already, one more won't make a difference, and there's no need to offend my colleagues from my own village.

Soon, the two arrived at the Hokage Building.

You can't jump here. If anyone jumps from here, the secret service will immediately fight them.

So the two of them verified their identities and then walked up the stairs properly.

Speaking of which, since his second rebirth, Uchiha Shingen has never been to the Hokage's office.

Led by the ANBU ninja, the two arrived at the top floor, bypassed the circular corridor, and finally reached the Hokage's office.

The ninja guarding the office door glanced at the two of them.

The scrutinizing gaze lingered on Pantaya for only a few seconds longer.

"Has Shingen arrived? Let him in."

The ANBU ninja opened the office door and invited the two inside.

Upon entering the office, Uchiha Shingen first looked around; everything was the same as before.

As the office of the leader of the number one village in the ninja world, this place is quite ordinary, with an average size and decoration.

The desk is quite messy.

Minato Namikaze sat on the sofa in the reception area, leisurely drinking tea.

He looked quite pleased with himself, squinting his eyes, but his cool demeanor lasted only three seconds before he got burned by the hot drink.

"Shingen, come and try the tea," he said, sticking out his tongue.

"Lord Hokage, this is a letter from Lord Takada no Miyabi." Uchiha Shingen handed over the letter and then sat down on the sofa.

Anyway, it was the Hokage who told him to sit down.

Minato Namikaze didn't chat at first, but instead carefully read the letter.

“I see.” Setting the letter aside, Minato Namikaze turned his gaze to Panthea, who was standing to the side. “I am aware of your situation and have discussed it with the Third Hokage. It’s not a big problem, but you still need to undergo the necessary review by the Anbu. This is a necessary procedure, and I hope you don’t mind.”

“I have no objection.” Pantaya’s expression softened considerably.

Minato Namikaze's attitude gave her confidence in Konoha's attitude.

As for the review process, if Minato said there was no need for review and she could go straight to work, she would immediately start planning her escape route.

"At the same time, colleagues from the interrogation department and intelligence unit will contact you first. Don't worry, as long as you are sincere in joining Konoha, time will be short. We will also try to bring your family to the village, but that won't be a quick process. To the outside world, we will create the impression that you have been killed by Shingen, and we will need your cooperation in this regard."

Uchiha Shingen silently poured himself a cup of tea.

Why does this taste so familiar?

I tried it and I'm pretty sure it's a special product for the big shots in the family.

He remembered that Minato Namikaze's wife and Fugaku Uchiha's wife were best friends.

I just can't remember what his wife's name was, all I know is that this new Asura's mother is from the Uzumaki clan.

It's a terrible thing that this vortex was destroyed, since it was right next to the Land of Fire.

As distant relatives of the Senju clan, they share the same Yang Release talent. Sealing techniques, as a type of space-time ninjutsu, are at least A-rank if they are even slightly powerful. Most ninja clans wouldn't dare to use this as their development path.

The fact that the Fourth Hokage in front of us can take the Flying Thunder God Technique of the rich man to a whole new level is largely thanks to the Uzumaki princess in his family.

Recalling the past, Uchiha Shingen couldn't help but smile like an aunt.

Those days with the big spender on prostitutes were truly blissful.

It's been seventeen years since I parted ways with that dog-loving tycoon. I miss him!

"Shingen, your smile looks just like Jiraiya-sensei's..."

Chapter Fourteen: Minato Namikaze Begins His Operation

Interrupted from his recollection, Uchiha Shingen looked up.

Minato Namikaze was looking at him, waving the letter in his hand.

"It seems you get along very well with the Lord. I rarely see him praise someone like that. I'm very impressed with you now."

"Lord Hokage, it's just that we're both giving each other face," said Uchiha Shingen.

That's not the point at all; he doesn't want to hear about it right now.

"Well, based on the actual situation you encountered, we discussed it and decided to increase the mission fee to 800,000 taels. Xin Xuanjun, you will receive 712,000 taels. Considering that you made extra contributions this time, you don't need to wait for the master to make up the balance. You can take the money and go back first."

Nice, that's exactly what I want to hear!

Uchiha Shingen jumped up from the sofa, not forgetting the verbal instructions.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, and the village for nurturing me!"

Pantaya, standing to the side, looked on with envy.

Previously, she had taken advantage of her position to casually accept the mission of assassinating the daimyo of the high platform.

If she hadn't run into Uchiha Shingen, she would be counting her money in the Raikage's building right now.

Minato Namikaze, on the other hand, seemed somewhat bewildered.

However, considering Uchiha Shingen's identity, I understand now.

The Uchiha clan doesn't get many missions throughout the year.

Before he became Hokage, during peacetime he could take on several S-rank and a dozen A-rank missions a year. Although he couldn't compare to Konoha's White Fang, he could still steadily earn 30 to 40 million ryo a year.

Of course, the expenses of a Jonin are not small, especially the development of ninjutsu. Thirty or forty million ryo may seem like a lot at first glance, but it's not that big of a deal.