In a village located a suitable distance from Konoha.
Takuno, who had left the experimental base, was currently wearing a mask, and several figures were kneeling before him.
These were all subordinates he had trained; they were not ninjas, just relatively strong ordinary people.
After all, although there seemed to be many ninjas in the original work, that was the result of focusing solely on the Ninja Villages.
In reality, ninjas were indeed a scarce species, so using ninjas greatly increased the probability of exposure, and it was not suitable for him to show his face right now.
"Lord, this is the report for your mission this time; everything has been handled. Also, this is the recent income. Please review it, Lord," the leader said respectfully.
"Mm."
Takuno took the ledger handed to him by the other party, and seeing the income listed, a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. He then brazenly took a large portion of it.
"Distribute the rest among yourselves." Takuno glanced at them and said in an androgynous voice.
"Thank you, Lord!" A hint of joy appeared on the leader's face, because even though Takuno had taken the majority, what remained was still a considerable income for them.
Most importantly, they knew exactly how this money was acquired; without Takuno's backing, they wouldn't even be able to obtain this much.
Of course, people are greedy, and no one would refuse to earn more.
But the problem was, they didn't dare. If it were just based on the other party's strength, they could grab a sum and leave, but... the moment he thought of that agonizing feeling, cold sweat broke out all over his body. They truly preferred death over trying that sensation again.
Takuno nodded, ordered them to continue their operations, and then departed.
He didn't have the time to win over these people's loyalty; the method he used was merely borrowed, the Death Cursed Seal.
But even so, it wasn't foolproof.
Therefore, they probably didn't know that a crow was constantly watching them, just in case they tried to break the Sealing Jutsu.
Takuno was very confident that his Sealing Jutsu was not something anyone could break. Among the people he knew, the only ones who could definitely break his Sealing Jutsu were Uzumaki Kushina and Minato.
But who could be sure there weren't other Sealing Jutsu masters in this world?
Keeping a backup plan was necessary... Konoha, Hokage Office.
"Oh, the mission was completed perfectly," the Third Hokage said, smiling as he looked at the mission scroll.
"I was relatively lucky," Takuno replied modestly while standing in front of the desk.
Not all ninjas had their completed missions confirmed by the Hokage, but Takuno, as a Special Jonin, naturally had this privilege.
The Jonin of a village could be considered top-tier combat power. Although Special Jonin were merely elite cannon fodder on the battlefield, they were still considered excellent talents within the village.
"So, after completing this mission, are you going to shut yourself inside again to research Sealing Jutsu?" the Third Hokage asked with a chuckle.
"Yes," Takuno nodded. This was the persona he had established in Konoha: an extremely reclusive fanatic obsessed with researching Sealing Jutsu.
The Third Hokage showed an 'I thought so' expression. Almost everyone in the village who knew Takuno knew that his life consisted of only two things.
One was doing missions when he lacked research funds, and the second was staying shut up inside researching Sealing Jutsu once he had the funds.
He was just talking to Takuno. Completing missions was contributing to the village's development, and since Takuno was considered a mission maniac, he naturally needed to offer some words of comfort.
At this moment, the Third Hokage picked up the Hokage stamp and pressed it onto Takuno's mission scroll, signifying the completion of the mission.
Just as Takuno was preparing to leave, a figure walked in.
The person was wearing the green vest typical of a Jonin, had golden hair, and a pair of blue eyes.
The newcomer was none other than the future Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato!
"Hokage-sama, did you need something from me?" Minato walked up next to Takuno, asking while gently nodding toward Takuno.
Takuno nodded in response. He hadn't expected to run into Minato here.
"Oh, Minato, I almost forgot I called you over," the Third Hokage said with a hearty laugh, exhaling a thick plume of white smoke, then suddenly seeming to remember something.
"Takano, Minato is also a Sealing Jutsu master. Don't always keep yourself isolated; coming out and communicating with others might speed up your progress."
"Yes," Takuno nodded, his expression largely neutral.
Minato looked at Takuno with a bit of curiosity. He had naturally heard of the man—an eccentric obsessed with Sealing Jutsu.
"Takuno-senpai? If there's a chance, I hope we can exchange ideas about Sealing Jutsu," Minato said with a gentle smile.
"Mm... alright. And I don't dare accept the title of 'senpai'." Takuno looked at him after hearing Minato's address. That brilliant smile truly was... impossible to dislike.
In truth, he was only a few years older than the other man. In terms of rank, the other man was already a Jonin, and in terms of combat power... even with the Uzumaki bloodline integrated, he was no match for Minato.
Yet, despite all this, the other party was still willing to call him Senior. It just went to show that Minato's excellent reputation and popularity were well-deserved.
"Well, I've actually heard about your deeds for a long time, Senior—a Sealing Jutsu fanatic. I've wanted to visit you for ages, but unfortunately, the opportunity never arose," Minato said, unconcerned. He called him Senior simply because Takuno was genuinely older and more experienced.
"Mm, if there's a chance, let's exchange Sealing Jutsu knowledge." Takuno naturally couldn't refuse him here. Since the other man wanted to call him Senior, he might as well let him.
Yes, Takuno actually felt a little comfortable inside. Being called Senior by the male idol in the hearts of so many viewers felt quite good.
Surely no one hates being flattered?
"Haha, we can talk about exchanging ideas later when there's an opportunity," the Third Hokage said, handing a scroll to Minato. He continued, "Minato, I called you over this time because I need you to complete a mission. It's S-rank, and currently, only you are suitable for it."
Minato nodded. It was not his first time undertaking an S-rank mission.
Takuno, however, was stunned for a moment, then secretly shook his head. Sure enough, he couldn't compare. He could only complete A-rank missions at most; he had never completed an S-rank mission alone yet.
"Hokage-sama, Jonin Minato, I will take my leave now."
After Takuno finished speaking, he left with the consent of both parties. The Third Hokage would likely discuss the details of the S-rank mission with Minato afterward, and it was inappropriate for him to stay.