138-A Bet

Renjiro made his way towards the northern district of Konoha, where his friend lived. As he walked, he reflected on the person he was about to visit. It had been several months since their last meeting, and Renjiro was eager to catch up and see how he was doing.

The streets became quieter as he approached his friend's area of stay. It was a residential area with traditional homes, each with its own garden and wooden gate. Renjiro walked up to a familiar house and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a young woman with striking features. She smiled warmly when she saw Renjiro.

"Renjiro! It's been a while. How have you been?"

Renjiro returned the smile. "I've been well, Seki. Is your brother home?"

Seki nodded and stepped aside to let Renjiro in. "Yes, he's in the training room. I'll let him know you're here."

As Renjiro entered the house, he was struck by the sense of nostalgia. The house was much like Fujioka's, with sliding paper doors and tatami mats.

Seki returned shortly, accompanied by her brother, Hiro. Hiro had changed from the last time Renjro saw him, with him becoming taller and leaner. He grinned when he saw Renjiro.

"Renjiro! What a surprise!"

Renjiro stood up and embraced his former teammate and friend. "Hiro, it's good to see you. How have you been?"

Hiro shrugged, leading Renjiro to the sitting area. "Busy with missions, as usual. But things have been good. What brings you here?"

Renjiro took a seat and explained, "I was just talking with another jounin I know, I am not sure if you have heard of him, he is called Namikaze Minato. He's taking his last missions before focusing on being a jounin sensei, and he asked me to join him. We need another chunin for the team, and I thought of you."

'Minato? Does he mean 'that' Minato?'

Hiro's eyes lit up with interest. "Of course, I know of Minato. I know of people from our clan who have been thinking of ways they could get him married to a clan member for as long as I can remember which shows how special he is. I'd be honoured to join you and Minato as it sounds like a great opportunity."

Renjiro smiled, "I knew you'd be interested. It will be good to work together again."

"Also, If I do a good job I can get a jounin recommendation from him and hasten the time I'm promoted," Hiro said as a smile beamed on his face.

"Huh? Recommendation?" Renjiro asked with a confused look on his face.

"What don't tell me that you don't know who chunins are promoted to the Jounins rank."

"..."

Sighing, Hiro decided to explain, "While it is still up to the Hokage to decide, we need to be recommended by some jounins who could testify on our skills and abilities."

Coughing, Renjiro said, "Ooh! You meant that, I think it just slipped my mind."

Seeing that Renjiro was avoiding his gaze, Hiro thought,

'He definitely did not change, sometimes I wonder if Renjiro was really brought up in a shinobi clan. But it is good to see that he hasn't changed much.'

Meanwhile, Renjiro had different thoughts, 'For someone who prides himself on perfect memory and knowledge of the future, I do embarrass myself by not remembering these miscellaneous details.'

'That being said, can clan kids just abuse this by asking their parents or any other clan member to recommend them for jounin rank? They could even be smart and ask their parents to ask their friends. There's almost a million ways how someone could abuse this system.'

'But I guess with the Hokage being the one to actually make the promotion official, the recommendation has to be factual. The shinobi should also have some skill widely acknowledged by other Konoha shinobi, so it is up to Hiruzen in the end. But with how he has been and will deal with Danzo and Naruto, I don't think I could fully trust his decision-making.'

'Should I ask Miwa for a recommendation? That would surely shorten my path to Jounin. I think I could even get Fujioka to vouch for me. But now that I actually think about it, let me just let things play out. Even if I am promoted and do a good job, it will be a hassle because the reward for good work is more work!'

As Renjiro was still in his thoughts, Hiro turned to him, "Did Minato inform you when you would start taking the missions?" he asked.

Renjiro shook his head. "He said he would let me know after confirming with two other shinobi. So, I'm still waiting on that."

Hiro nodded, then leaned forward, "Have you been focusing on your training?"

Renjiro nodded. "Yes, but between working in the force and practising fuinjutsu, I haven't had as much time as I'd like."

Hiro sighed and then replied with a sarcastic tone, "Too bad for you. I have been training in between taking missions with shinobi from my clan. It would be a shame if I surpassed you."

Renjiro couldn't help but laugh at Hiro's comment. His laughter caught Hiro off guard, causing him to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

'Why is he laughing?'

"What's so funny?" Hiro asked.

Renjiro grinned, a playful glint in his eyes. "Even if I sleep continuously for the next ten years, you still won't have a chance against me."

Hiro's eye twitched. Mildly irked by Renjiro's statement, he said,

"Alright then, how about we settle this right here and now? Let's have a spar."

Renjiro's eyes widened in surprise, but a smile quickly formed on his lips.

"Are you serious?"

Hiro nodded, "Yes, why not? Let's see if you are really unsurpassable."

Renjiro immediately shook his head. "No," he said firmly.

Hiro was taken aback. "No? Why not?"

He couldn't believe Renjiro would turn down a challenge, especially one from him.

"Or Are you afraid, Renjiro?" Hiro said, trying to taunt Renjiro.

Renjiro smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Afraid? Why should I be? If you want me to agree to a fight, you'll have to make it worth my time."

"So what do you want in return?" Hiro asked

"You are the one challenging me Hiro, you tell me," Renjiro said walking closer.

Hiro took a moment to think. Then, his eyes lit up as an idea struck him.

"Alright, how about this, We place a bet. If I win, you have to give me a lifetime supply of any three types of seals I need for free. Fuinjutsu is your speciality, after all."

While Hiro was from a shinobi clan, his access to Fuinjutsu materials was limited as there were not many Fuinjutsu experts going around. So having access to such seals could even elevate his standing in the clan.

Also, there was also the fact that Renjiro would work for him for free. Just the thought of this made Hiro happy. He was not aware, but a smile formed in his mouth when he was thinking of this.

'Why is this bastard smiling?'

Renjiro thought as he asked "And what if—no, when I win?" he corrected, a confident glint in his eyes.

'He clearly did that on purpose!'

Hiro's irritation grew, but he managed to rein in his emotions. "Fine, IF you win, what do you want?" he said emphasising the word IF.

'What should I ask?'

Renjiro thought for a moment, then replied, "When I win, you will owe me a favour. You'll have to do whatever I ask, no questions asked."

'Frankly, I don't think that there's anything that Hiro can offer me. But since I might not really act for the good of Konoha in the future and actually put my interests above the village, him owing me might help. I just hope he becomes an influential shinobi in the future.'

Hiro found the request odd but intriguing. He nodded, agreeing to the terms. "Only a favour? It seems like you are already giving up before we get started. Don't worry Renjiro, there is no shame in that. In fact, I'd do the same if I was in your position."

Seeing the smile on Hiro's face, something in him just snapped.

'I was going to go easy on him, but he needs to be taught a lesson.'

=====

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