28 Reward

In the forest, Shibi swallowed a mouthful of saliva and stared wide-eyed at Satoru, who was holding a bow and arrows next to him.

"Satoru, your attack was too brutal!"

He consecutively shot three arrows from a kilometer away, each violently killing a Suna Shinobi. Such achievements even left him amazed.

Satoru retracted the large metal bow into a scroll and shook his head. "Shibi-sensei, it's not the time to discuss this. They will surely come to investigate once they realize it. Let's leave quickly."

"Alright."

Shibi nodded, quickly concealing their tracks, and hurriedly left the area.

...

Back at the inn, the innkeeper, Red Dove was restless, pacing back and forth. When she saw the two approaching, her eyes lit up, and she immediately walked over.

"How did it go?"

"It's done," Satoru replied softly.

Done?

Red Dove widened her eyes. What did he mean by "done"? Was the mission completed? Did Iwa retrieve the supplies? What exactly happened? She was full of questions.

"The mission has been resolved, Red Dove. After we return, I will report your contribution to the Hokage," Shibi said, in a better mood now that the mission was over.

Resolved?

Red Dove's mouth dropped open. She was still puzzled. Wasn't there supposed to be involvement from Iwa in this matter? Did it end like this?

The two of them weren't even covered in a speck of dust, as if they hadn't engaged in any combat with the enemies. Did they just go there and complete the mission?

Seeing Red Dove's confusion, Shibi smiled and said, "This mission was indeed thanks to Satoru. Without him, it would have been troublesome. However, due to the mission's confidentiality, I can't give you any details."

"Satoru?" Red Dove looked at Satoru, not understanding. He seemed too young to be even a Chunin. Could he play such a significant role?

...

After bidding farewell to Red Dove, the two set off on their journey back to Konoha. Along the way, Shibi said cheerfully, "Satoru, this mission involved two major nations. After reporting back to the Hokage, it will be promoted to S-rank."

S-rank?

Satoru's eyes brightened. S-rank missions had a minimum bounty of one million ryo. It seemed like his three chakra-infused metal arrows would be reimbursed.

To minimize any accidents, Satoru didn't use ordinary full-metal arrows but special chakra-infused metal arrows. Although he still felt a pang of regret for wasting three of them, it would be worth it if the mission was upgraded to an S-rank.

"By the way," Shibi paused and said, "When we get back, I will discuss with the Hokage and give you a chance to choose a Forbidden Jutsu from the Sealing Scroll. You can take some time to think about what jutsu you want."

Forbidden Jutsu?

Satoru smacked his lips, as all the jutsu listed on the scroll were powerful and forbidden. There was one particularly famous jutsu he had been eyeing for a long time.

...

After several days of travel, they finally reached Konoha. As soon as they arrived, Shibi wasted no time and immediately took Satoru to report the mission to the Hokage.

After listening to Shibi's report, Hiruzen's eyes brightened, and he said, "If Shibi's report is true, then after this mission, Iwa will hold a grudge against Suna. Seven elite shinobi and over one million ryo worth of supplies; knowing that stubborn old man Onoki, they won't let this go easily!"

If that were the case, Konoha would temporarily be in a safe position. Even if the shinobi world plunged into chaos again and war broke out, the first targets would be Suna and Iwa, while Konoha could sit back and observe.

Hiruzen stroked his beard, looking at Satoru with increasing admiration. The complicated situation had been manipulated to become most advantageous for Konoha, thanks to his actions.

Satoru smiled awkwardly. His initial intention wasn't to benefit Konoha. He let Yamatsuchi live and return to Iwa because he knew that the Third Great Ninja War would start with Suna's headstrong attack on Konoha, which would provoke conflicts between Suna and Iwa, effectively delaying the war.

At least during this time, Suna would be preoccupied with their troubles with Iwa. This would provide Satoru with more time to develop his abilities, as time was the one thing he lacked the most.

After gaining a rough understanding of the mission, Hiruzen's expression became more serious, and he said, "This mission has been upgraded to an S-rank due to your outstanding performance. Furthermore..."

He looked at Satoru and paused for a moment before continuing, "Because of your excellent performance, I'm rewarding you with the opportunity to select a Forbidden Jutsu from the Sealing Scroll. I hope you won't waste it."

Satoru's eyes lit up; the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Hiruzen took out a scroll from a drawer and handed it to Satoru. "This is the catalog of Forbidden Jutsu. Choose one that you like, and later, I'll take you to the place where the true Sealing Scroll is kept."

Satoru quickly scanned the catalog and soon found the Forbidden Jutsu he had set his eyes on.

"This one."

He pointed it out to Hiruzen.

"This one?" Hiruzen frowned. "Why would you choose this jutsu? This opportunity is quite important; it's not easy to come by again."

Shibi saw the Forbidden Jutsu that Satoru selected and couldn't help but feel anxious. "Satoru, this jutsu requires extremely high demands on its practitioner. Are you sure you want to choose this one? It will be a waste if you can't master it completely."

Satoru stared at Hiruzen with determination. "I've already decided, Hokage-sama. I choose this Forbidden Jutsu."

"Alright, since you've made up your mind," Hiruzen sighed. "But let me remind you that to practice this jutsu, you must have a large reserve of chakra. And until you fully master it, avoid using it forcibly, or it could be life-threatening."

"I understand, Hokage-sama."

Satoru nodded seriously.

The Forbidden Jutsu he chose was the signature jutsu of the future Seventh Hokage: the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!

...

Not long after leaving the Hokage's office, they ran into Rin and Anko waiting for them.

"Finally, you've completed the mission! I've been waiting so long; my body is starting to rust," Rin complained impatiently, patting her shoulders.

Satoru smiled and scratched his head. "This mission had some unexpected changes. It got upgraded to an S-rank, and it took some time. After we exchange the reward, I'll treat everyone to dinner."

"S-rank?" Rin's eyes widened in shock. Did she hear it correctly? The two of them, together, completed an S-rank mission!

"Yeah." Shibi nodded and said with a serious tone, "Not only that, Satoru played a leading role in this mission."

Rin was stunned as she looked at Satoru. Even with her self-confidence, she knew that with her strength, there was no way she could have made any significant contribution to an S-rank mission.

Anko was equally surprised, her mouth hanging open. Then she seemed to remember something and looked worried, asking, "Was the mission dangerous? Did anyone get hurt?"

Shibi shook his head with a hint of helplessness. He couldn't understand why Satoru would waste such an important opportunity on the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

Forbidden Jutsu from the Sealing Scroll was powerful, and the conditions for using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique were quite strict.

Satoru was eager to try it out and, after bidding farewell to the others, immediately rushed to the forest where he usually practices. He already had a plan to test out the technique.