I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But I Was Forced to Become Hokage

Chapter 44: First Meeting with Namikaze Minato!

"Lord Nara is gone!" Tobitake Tonbo cried out in alarm.

Unlike a well-read clan heir like Nara Keisuke, or the Hokage's own son like Sarutobi Asuma, or even Yūhi Kurenai, who had a Jonin father, Tobitake Tonbo was a very ordinary commoner ninja. The knowledge about the Summoning Technique that Nara Shikano had just shared was, for a commoner ninja like him, "high-level knowledge" that was hard to come by and extremely helpful. Therefore, his reaction to Nara Shikano's disappearance was the most emotional.

"Calm down, Chunin Tobitake," Yamanaka Inoichi said reassuringly. "That puff of smoke is characteristic of the Reverse Summoning Technique. It should be Enma, who just returned to Konoha, summoning Lord Shikano back to the village under the orders of Lord Third. Lord Shikano is likely in the Hokage's Office right now, reporting the mission situation to Lord Third."

After Inoichi's explanation, Tobitake Tonbo instantly calmed down.

Nara Keisuke continued to gaze at the spot where the old clan head had just disappeared. 'I've now learned the [Summoning Technique], but I haven't mastered the [Reverse Summoning Technique]. I can ask the Clan Head to teach me later.'

'Unlike the [Summoning Technique], the [Reverse Summoning Technique] can be used by both the summoning animal and actively by the ninja.'

'From a combat perspective, the [Reverse Summoning Technique] is a very effective method to temporarily evade battle damage.'

'Right, but to learn the [Reverse Summoning Technique], you have to find a suitable summoning partner first.'

'My partner... where are they?'

After a short while.

Poof!

Another cloud of smoke arose, and Nara Shikano reappeared before everyone. "I have already reported the specific situation to Lord Hokage," he said, his tone no longer grave as before, but very relaxed. "According to Lord Hokage's orders, we will continue to carry out the mission to clear out bounty hunters as planned. Reinforcements from the village will arrive soon, so there is no need to worry."

The reason Nara Shikano wanted the village to send reinforcements was not because they lacked the ability to continue the B-rank mission [Bounty Hunter]. Even if the Ino-Shika-Chō were not in top condition, they weren't people that just any random cat or dog could provoke. Shikano's request for aid was solely as a precaution against Kakuzu, who was still lurking in the shadows, and that "invisible ninja" who had yet to reveal himself!

Better safe than sorry. Nara Shikano had no desire to capsize in a gutter on the final mission of his ninja career.

"Mm, right, where were we just now?" Shikano didn't go into detail about the "reinforcements," but simply returned to the previous topic.

"The ninken of the Inuzuka clan, and the crows of the Yamashiro clan!" Tobitake Tonbo answered enthusiastically.

"Right, that's it." Shikano leaned against the deer cart and explained methodically, "The Inuzuka clan and the Yamashiro clan are very special ninja clans in Konoha that specialize in raising summoning animals, and the summons they cultivate have already formed large-scale populations. The number of personnel in the Inuzuka and Yamashiro clans is limited. When the number of summoning animals they raise exceeds the number of people in their clan, how to deal with the surplus becomes a problem."

"In response, the solution the Inuzuka and Yamashiro clans came up with was to rent or sell some of the more outstanding ninken and ninja crows to the village. The scent-tracking ability of the ninken and the flight ability of the ninja crows are special abilities that ordinary ninja do not possess, and their functionality is extremely strong. So the village also allocates extra funds to raise these ninken and ninja crows, while also issuing them ninja forehead protectors and official ninja ranks."

"For ninja who are not from the Inuzuka or Yamashiro clans, they can go through a special application process to gain the qualification to sign a summoning contract with those ninken or ninja crows. Of course, this contract signing is a two-way street. Some ninja with outstanding talent might be able to contract with several ninken at once; but some ninja, who are not welcomed by the ninken or ninja crows, might not be able to contract with even a single one."

After listening to the old clan head's explanation, Keisuke subconsciously thought of Hatake Kakashi's wall of dogs—ah, no, his eight ninken. Could it be that Kakashi also obtained the qualification to contract with eight ninken through this method? If he remembered correctly, every one of Kakashi's eight ninken did seem to wear a Konoha forehead protector. Those weren't ordinary ninken; they were... ninja dogs with official Konoha ninja ranks?

"Lord Nara!" Tobitake Tonbo asked with some excitement, "If I want to form a summoning contract with a crow or a ninken, where do I go to apply?"

"The Medical Department's Beast Taming and Medical Treatment class. For any matters related to ninja animals in the village, you can just go there to find them," Shikano replied calmly. "Of course, you can also directly seek help from the Inuzuka or Yamashiro clans. Since their families have opened up such a service, they naturally won't refuse a visitor."

Tobitake Tonbo firmly committed this to memory, planning to try his luck after returning to the village. For a commoner ninja like him, "Chunin" was basically the ceiling of his career. If he learned the Summoning Technique and obtained some suitable summoning partners, it might not be impossible for him to try to become a "Special Jonin"...

Nara Keisuke was somewhat surprised to hear the old clan head talk about the "Beast Taming and Medical Treatment class." He had thought it was purely a veterinary class, but he didn't expect it to also offer special services... Unfortunately, he was no longer a member of that class. Besides, he didn't have much interest in "ninken" or "ninja crows." If only there were "ninja deer"...

"Oh, right. I remember there's also a very special old turtle in the village. It is also a selectable contract option," the old clan head added, stroking his beard, perhaps sensing Keisuke's lack of interest. "However, that old turtle has a very strange personality and is extremely picky when choosing a contractor."

After listening for a long time, Sarutobi Asuma couldn't help but ask, "Jonin Nara, why have you only been talking about dogs and crows? Our Sarutobi clan also has monkey summoning animals!"

"Just as you said, those are your Sarutobi clan's summoning animals," Nara Shikano replied very calmly. "Unless there are special circumstances, it is basically impossible for anyone other than a Sarutobi clan ninja to get the opportunity to sign a summoning contract with the monkey clan. There are many similar examples, such as Root—well, for example, the Sannin's summoning animals. Jiraiya has the toads from Mount Myōboku; Orochimaru has the snakes from Ryūchi Cave; and Princess Tsunade has the slugs from Shikkotsu Forest. These summoning animals, in the end, can be considered the Sannin's personal contractual relationships and have little to do with the village. It's simply impossible for an ordinary ninja to contract with a toad, snake, or slug."

To put it bluntly, unless it was a relationship on the level of a direct disciple, it was basically impossible to learn a ninja's personal specialty ability from them. And this wasn't just limited to the Summoning Technique; it was the same for all ninjutsu.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Nara!" Tobitake Tonbo said, thanking him from the bottom of his heart.

Nara Shikano waved his hand at him, indicating it was nothing. He was about to offer a few more polite words, but just then, a flash of golden light appeared in everyone's line of sight.

The newcomer was tall and well-proportioned, with a gentle smile on his fair, handsome face. Although he wore the standard Konoha vest, his brilliant blond hair was still as bright and dazzling as a small sun.

"Minato, your speed is as fast as ever." Nara Shikano stopped talking and turned to look at the newcomer, his expression filled with gratification and emotion.

"You praise me too much, Lord Shikano." Namikaze Minato bowed slightly, his attitude extremely polite. He turned to the other Chunin and introduced himself. "Hello everyone, I am Namikaze Minato."

Prepare for trouble... Nara Keisuke almost finished the line himself. He widened his eyes slightly, looking at this eternal Yellow Flash of Konoha.

A live Minato! So rare! That blond hair, those blue eyes, that vest, that speed... truly wow!

'Minato's skill level now is definitely not as high as it was after the Third War, but it should be close.' Nara Keisuke calculated in his mind. 'So, can the current Minato trigger an A-rank combat mission?'

'Unfortunately, the Flying Thunder God Technique is an S-rank space-time forbidden jutsu. It can only be obtained from an S-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]...'

Namikaze Minato was unaware that there was a malicious person in the crowd planning to probe his strength. "Lord Shikano, I quickly checked and scanned the surrounding area before I came," Minato said seriously. "But I did not sense the bounty hunter with the massive amount of chakra you mentioned earlier. Based on a ninja's movement speed, he shouldn't have gotten too far yet. Perhaps he is hiding underground, or moving via underground travel."

"As expected of you, Minato," Nara Shikano said with admiration. "Since even you can't find any trace of him, then there's no need to pursue. Let's continue with the mission!"

Namikaze Minato nodded, walked over to Akimichi Chōza's side, and handed him a scroll. "Big Brother Chōza, this is a medical ninjutsu scroll I just brought from the village. It should be able to help you."

"That's great, Minato! Thank you so much!" Akimichi Chōza was overjoyed. If he could heal his injuries quickly, who would want to go into battle wounded?

Namikaze Minato's arrival added a strong sense of security to the team. The Konoha ninja continued to clear out the bounty hunters around the Land of Fire's main roads according to the original plan.

As night fell, they set up camp. Nara Keisuke was still hesitating about whether to go find Minato. But the old clan head came to find him first.

"Keisuke, I heard from Minato that you have something you want to talk to him about?"

(Author's Notes:)

Regarding Tobitake Tonbo: He is a character from the original manga who also appears in the anime during the Chunin Exams arc. The original work doesn't mention his childhood. The author has just placed him in Asuma and Kurenai's squad based on his own organized timeline and age division. In the original work, besides "Tobitake Tonbo," there are no other ninja with the "Tobitake" surname, so he has been set as a "commoner ninja." Additionally, Tobitake Tonbo was still just a Chunin at the age of 31, up until the Pain's Assault arc. This point can perhaps also serve as evidence of his "commoner origin."

Regarding the Inuzuka and Yamashiro clans renting/selling their ninja animals: This is just a secondary creation for this book. For details, you can refer to the author's note in the previous chapter. In Konoha Village, there are indeed [dogs], [turtles], and [monkeys] that wear forehead protectors.

(End of Chapter)

☆☆☆

-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE

-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER

☆☆☆

-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!

-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper

(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)

If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you