"I'm more… special than them?"
For a moment, Naruto's eyes widened in confusion, not quite understanding what Uchiha Hikaru meant.
But then he raised his hand and touched his belly, as if something clicked.
"Because of him?"
Uchiha Hikaru pulled out a scroll and handed it to Naruto.
"Take this. When you get back, open it with Jiraiya. Then you'll understand."
With that, he vanished instantly. Naruto stared at the red and white scroll in his hand, tempted to open it right away.
But he remembered what Uchiha Hikaru had said—that he had to open it together with Jiraiya—so he restrained himself and dashed home.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to stick his tongue out at Sasuke.
"Bleh~!"
Sasuke turned with a smirk, jumped onto the rooftop, and disappeared.
"…That's the Uzumaki Naruto I know."
...
Later that evening, the door clicked open. Naruto jumped out of bed impatiently and ran barefoot to greet the visitor.
Jiraiya stood there, holding two takeout packages of Ichiraku Ramen, waving casually.
"Yo! What are you doing? You didn't have any training today. Why're you back so early?"
Naruto shoved the red-and-white scroll into Jiraiya's hands.
"Hurry up and open this with me! Big bro Hikaru said it has to be opened by both of us together!"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, then offered the two steaming ramen packs in front of Naruto.
"Hooo~ I get that you're excited, but don't get ahead of yourself."
"Because what I've got here is Ichiraku's limited edition super deluxe full combo large double ramen."
"If we wait any longer, the noodles will soak, and it'll lose that fresh texture~"
"You sure you don't want to eat this heavenly Ichiraku ramen first?"
The rich aroma from the bag instantly filled the room. Naruto drooled, swallowing hard.
For a moment, he hesitated, then resolutely stuffed the scroll back into his ninja pouch.
Uzumaki Naruto, you're such a damn fool. About to eat Ichiraku Ramen and you're thinking about other stuff?
The world is huge, but nothing beats food—especially Ichiraku Ramen, the most divine taste in the whole ninja world!
How could I have even hesitated!? Shame! Shame…
He hurried to the cupboard, pulled out two big ceramic bowls, and set them on the table like he was preparing for battle.
"Hurry up, hurry up, you damn pervy sage! If you're any slower, the noodles'll go soggy!"
Jiraiya snorted proudly as he opened the bag, expertly unpacking the ingredients.
He poured the noodles into the bowls first, then the hot broth around them, making sure not to drown the texture.
As the savory aroma intensified, Naruto flared his nostrils and inhaled deeply, his stomach rumbling.
He clasped his hands together over the steaming ramen.
"Thanks for the food!"
First, he took a sip of the light brown broth. It wasn't too hot, nor too cold—just right.
The warmth surged down his throat, whetting his appetite instantly. He fished out a few slices of chashu pork and stuffed them into his mouth.
Then came the noodles—he slurped them loudly, cheeks puffed as he chewed.
"Ah~ it's so damn good! Slippery, firm, soaked just right!"
Jiraiya grinned smugly.
"Hmph! I'm the Ramen Sage of Konoha. For a connoisseur like me, separating soup and noodles when packing is a basic skill!"
Within minutes, both bowls were polished off—every bite, every topping, every drop of broth. Naruto even slurped the soup clean, then leaned back with a satisfied burp.
"Buuurp~ Mmm, that hit the spot~"
"Well? Now that your belly's full, let's get down to business."
Naruto blinked. "Business?"
Jiraiya slapped his forehead. Why do I even bother hoping he'll remember things on his own?
"The scroll."
"Oh, right!" Naruto fished the red-and-white scroll from his pouch and handed it over.
Jiraiya inspected the scroll, then glanced at Naruto.
"What happened when Hikaru gave this to you?"
Naruto sighed, a rare moment of seriousness crossing his face.
"They announced the list of Chunin promotions today. Out of twenty-five people… I was the only one who didn't make it."
"Then big bro Hikaru said I was different—'special.' He kinda scolded me too."
"Then he gave me this scroll, told me to wait for you before opening it."
"Maybe it's a secret mission that only a genius like me can handle, huh!?"
With Naruto bouncing with anticipation, Jiraiya simply undid the string, broke the seal, and unfurled the scroll.
After reading a few lines, he chuckled and slid it across the table.
"Hahaha, you're actually right. This really is a mission only you can carry out."
"Huh!? Let me see!"
Naruto snatched the scroll and read aloud:
[Appoint Uzumaki Naruto as a Special Chunin to undertake a classified mission.]
[Accompanied by Jiraiya, who will act as mission commander, Naruto is to join the Raikage's delegation to Kumogakure.]
[Primary Objective: Train under Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, and learn to master the power of the Nine-Tails.]
[Minimum Requirement for Completion: Gain partial control of Kurama's chakra.]
[Perfect Completion: Become a Perfect Jinchūriki.]
[Mission Rank: S or Super S, depending on degree of success.]
[Time Limit: Two and a half years. If not completed within this period, the mission is considered failed, and the mission commander must return to Konoha immediately.]
Naruto gawked.
"Special… Chunin?! S-rank—super S-rank mission?!"
"YEAHHHHH!"
He jumped up and down on the spot in wild joy, then slid dramatically to his knees in front of Jiraiya, throwing his arms wide like he was in an action movie.
"Perverted Sage! Special Chunin! That's, like, rare and amazing, right!?"
Jiraiya tilted his head, a bit baffled.
This was actually the first time he'd heard of "Special Chunin." Given that Special Jonin were just below full Jonin, maybe this was a similar deal—somewhere between Genin and Chunin?
But seeing Naruto so hyped, he decided not to ruin the moment.
"Yep. You're probably the only Special Chunin in all of Konoha. I've never even heard of another."
At that, Naruto looked like he was about to explode from excitement.
If he could, he probably would've opened the window and screamed it to the whole village.
Jiraiya watched him with a slight pang of guilt.
Am I really lying to a twelve-year-old like this…?
But technically, no—he hadn't lied. In all his years, this really was the first he'd heard of a "Special Chunin."
He leaned back in his seat, his thoughts drifting back to the real mission outlined in the encrypted version the ANBU had sent him:
[While assisting and supervising Naruto's Jinchūriki training, also aid Kumogakure in establishing a branch of the Ninja Association in the Land of Lightning.]
[Should the local daimyo resist or obstruct the initiative, Konoha and Kumogakure are authorized to act jointly—in the name of the Hokage—to remove him if necessary.]
[Appointed as Konoha's diplomatic envoy to Kumogakure, responsible for handling matters related to ninja-level commerce and trade coordination.]
e=(′o｀)))* "Ahhh… I've become a beast of burden again… but hey, the women in the Land of Lightning have their own special charm…"
He grinned to himself.
Ever since he found out Tsunade and Uchiha Hikaru were together, he'd sulked for a bit—but he got over it fast.
If Tsunade had found happiness, who was he to hold on?
Time to be a real man and move on. The bold and beautiful ladies of Kumogakure await me!!!
...
...
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