Konoha's Mission Master

Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. When he is unable to break free of those chains, all he can do is temporarily hide himself.

"Hoo..." Yakumo adjusted his breathing and calmed himself down.

Just then, a dark shadow crashed into Yakumo's arms from high above. It carried the fresh scent of milk and was none other than Milkball, whom they hadn't seen in a long time... It had become heavy again.

"Milkball, you've gotten fatter again..." Yakumo weighed Milkball's increasingly round body in his hand and pushed open the courtyard gate.

She created a shadow clone and began tidying up the house. Then she started studying the Palm Healing Technique until it got dark and Mori Masako pushed open the courtyard gate.

“I saw that Naiqiu wasn’t at my house, so I guessed you were back.” Mori Masako’s breathing was a little erratic as she stared at Yakumo with a face full of surprise.

Suddenly she leaped up and threw a punch.

As the force of the punch swept towards him, Yakumo calmly used his left hand to defend while simultaneously launching an attack with his right.

His childhood sweetheart's way of expressing her longing was truly extraordinary; every powerful clash he could feel the longing that Mori Masako poured into her fists.

Half an hour later, the two lay on the training ground floor. Suddenly, a light fragrance lingered around Yakumo's nose. It was neither strong nor faint, but it made him feel relaxed and comfortable, as if it were full of vitality.

You smell wonderful…

"Why can't I smell it?" Masako Mori put her arm under her nose and sniffed hard, even Naiqiu next to her shook her head.

"Can't you smell it?" Yakumo asked.

"Can't smell it..."

"Meow!"

Yakumo was taken aback. He suddenly remembered a saying he had heard before: in biology, if you can still smell a person's natural scent even without them wearing any perfume, it means that your genes have selected them.

"What have you been feeding Milkball lately? It's gotten so fat." Yakumo asked suddenly, looking at Milkball beside her.

“It’s just regular grilled meat,” Mori Masako replied.

"Come on... let's continue our sparring."

Mori Masako leaped up, clenched her fist, and charged toward Yakumo. In the blink of an eye, Yakumo appeared three meters away.

"Let's go, let's do another... full body checkup."

"Oh... okay." Masako Mori withdrew her fist, walked into the house with a complicated expression, and lay down on the bed.

Yakumo stared intently at the slightly undulating curves of the body before her, her long, straight legs pressed tightly together in embarrassment.

"This is a very serious examination," Yakumo kept telling himself, trying to calm his slightly disordered breathing.

Yakumo's hands emitted a bright green light, enveloping Mori Masako's entire body. Four shadow clones worked together, sensing her body's condition.

From the surface of the skin to the muscles and bones... Yakumo's gentle chakra flowed through Mori Masako's body.

Within Mori Masako's body, the chakra pathways are a battlefield where two streams of chakra clash, or rather, three streams... two vibrant streams of chakra working together to annihilate the cold, sinister chakra.

Last time, because his technique for extracting subtlety was too low-level and not subtle enough, he did not discover that the powerful Yang Release chakra was actually composed of two different types of Yang Release chakra.

For a fleeting moment, Yakumo considered using the Healing Palm Technique to stimulate and enhance the two types of Yang Release chakra, thereby annihilating the Yin Release chakra and ending the conflict.

But Yakumo suddenly calmed down. Could Tsunade not have thought of such a simple method?

It definitely is... possible.

Why didn't she make that choice?

Yakumo reviewed what he had learned during this period and finally concluded that Yin Release Chakra represented Mori Masako's spirit. If it was suppressed rashly, it would cause her to fall into a deep sleep or suffer a mental breakdown and become a vegetable.

Yakumo withdrew his chakra, and the emerald light on the shadow clones also dissipated at the same moment. Mori Masako opened her eyes, sat up, and her cheeks were flushed with an alluring blush.

However, Yakumo was completely oblivious to this beautiful scene and instead fell into deep thought... He was pondering where the second Yang Release chakra came from.

If that Yang Release chakra was part of Tsunade's plan many years ago, then she should know the consequences of suppressing Yin Release chakra with Yang Release chakra.

Yakumo ordered his shadow clone to escort Masako Mori away, while his main body took out a scroll and began recording the changes that had occurred in Masako Mori's body this month.

Chapter 66 Target! Cloud Ninja Village

Saturday, April 10.

Yakumo got up and went for his usual morning run. In the morning, he followed Jiraiya to practice the ninjutsu Jizo Needle. In the afternoon, he went to Konoha Hospital to report for duty.

Today, Reiko Aoyama wore a headband and a dark green vest that signified her Jonin status, which couldn't hide her curvaceous figure at all.

On the office floor were large and small bags containing various medicinal herbs, equipment, and a silver baseball bat that gleamed with metallic luster—her packed luggage.

This is preparation for a mission. Aoyama Reiko only returned to Konoha yesterday, and today she has been assigned a mission again.

"Aoyama-neechan, what's wrong?" Yakumo asked.

“Yakumo, you don’t need to come this month. The Hokage has ordered me to accompany the Cloud Ninja envoy to the Cloud Ninja Village to treat an old man.” Aoyama Reiko tied her loose hair into a ponytail with a black hair tie.

"The Hokage will agree to let you go to Kumogakure?" Yakumo asked with some surprise. Medical Jonin are definitely the most scarce resource in the ninja world.

"The Third Raikage swore in the name of Raikage to protect my safety... and the rewards for the mission are incredibly generous..."

So that's why the other party gave too much... Yakumo thought to himself. He could imagine how Hiruzen Sarutobi felt at that time. He also wanted to refuse, but the other party just gave too much.

As for the Third Raikage's vow to guarantee safety, Yakumo didn't believe a word of it.

"You go by yourself?" Yakumo asked.

"Two squads of secret agents are responsible for protecting my safety."

Each Anbu squad consists of four members: a Jonin as the squad leader and three Chunin as squad members. They are mostly responsible for protecting the Hokage and assassinating enemies.

"Aren't you taking... me with you?" Yakumo asked tentatively.

“I won’t bring it…” Aoyama Reiko answered decisively.

"Although relations between the Land of Lightning and us have improved over the years, they have always coveted the title of the number one ninja village... It's better for me to venture into this dangerous place on my own."

“It is precisely because of the dangers and dangers that you need my protection, Sister Aoyama!” Yakumo replied firmly.

Reiko Aoyama continued packing her things, refusing without looking up. "You have no reason to come with me."

Yakumo was taken aback. The reason…

Before this, all his actions were for the mission, following the guidance of the panel... gradually becoming stronger.

Now he has to make the choice himself, and to be fair, if he stays in Konoha, the refreshed quests will likely be easier.

But... could he really just stand by and watch Aoyama Reiko go to Kumogakure alone?

After all, the Third Raikage's promise is not credible.

"Sister Qingshan, I'll go with you."

Yakumo raised his head and said with utmost seriousness that he could not bear to see the person who had taken care of him like an older sister step into the lion's den alone.

Reiko Aoyama was very kind to him, teaching him everything from skills and knowledge to ninjutsu.

Only by repaying kindness can one be upright!

"Okay." Faced with Yakumo's determined gaze, Aoyama Reiko hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

At that moment, the mission was triggered.

[Bond Quest - Unique]

Task source: Reiko Aoyama

Mission objective: Iori Yagami returns to Konoha alive.

Quest Reward: Grandmaster Breakthrough Scroll.

Bonus: 20000 gold coins.

Yakumo's expression changed several times in a very short moment. Triggering the bond quest was beyond his expectations, but not entirely unexpected.

What truly surprised him was the mission details: as long as he returned to Konoha safely, the mission would be considered a success, meaning that Aoyama Reiko's life or death would not affect the mission reward.

Most bond quests involve changing the fate of the person most important to the triggerer. For example, Obito's quest is to save Rin, Kakashi's quest is to save White Fang, and Reiko Aoyama's quest is to save Yakumo.

Or rather... he is now the most important person in Aoyama Reiko's heart... This deep affection left Yakumo somewhat stunned.

"I'll save myself?" Yakumo thought to himself.

"By the way, is there anything you need me to do?" Aoyama Reiko asked after sealing all the items into a storage scroll.

In fact, as a ninja, she always had a set of neatly packed storage scrolls; she was just taking them out to check them.

"Sister Aoyama, can you get your hands on corpse-dissolving water and disappearing powder of the Anbu level?" Yakumo asked.

Kakashi is currently in class, so there's clearly not enough time. Therefore, the only solution is to ask Aoyama Reiko to handle this.

Reiko Aoyama was taken aback; she hadn't expected that Yakumo would need to prepare these two things.

“No problem…I’ll take care of it. Do you think we’ll encounter any danger on this trip?” asked Reiko Aoyama.

"Better safe than sorry," Yakumo replied softly.

With a click, a member of the Anbu dressed in black and masked pushed open the door, staring at Yakumo and speaking.

"The Hokage has instructed that Iori Yakumo must accompany Aoyama Reiko to the Hidden Cloud Village for an exchange program. As a reward, he will be exempt from the entrance exam and achieve a perfect score in the first year of the Ninja Academy."

After finishing his speech, the ANBU used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

"I'm sorry, I've dragged you down again." Aoyama Reiko sighed. She knew that this trip was likely to end badly, but as a ninja, she had no right to refuse.

"Anyway, I'm going..." Yakumo waved his hand and said.

The Third Hokage knew the dangers of this trip, but he still sent Yakumo to accompany him. Commoners with no roots in Konoha were just pawns that could be sacrificed at any time.

No, it's not just him, even Aoyama Reiko is the same, they are all just pawns abandoned because of interests.

"It's settled then... We'll meet at the village entrance later."

“Okay… Sister Aoyama.” Yakumo smiled, turned around and left, preparing to go home and pack her supplies.

In the hospital corridor, Yakumo's expression gradually became veiled. Would the Hokage specifically send an ANBU member to deliver a message and include him, a nobody?

will not.

Yakumo would swear on all the Doritos he owns for the rest of his life that Shinichi must have been involved.

Good grief, if they can't rip you off, they'll rip you off to death?

What exactly does he want to do?