Jonin Advent

Chapter 9: Jonin Advent

I had ended up crying myself to sleep that night, Minato-san taking it with a quiet support that I don't think I could ever repay him for in my lifetime, he had seen me at my lowest and most afraid, and he helped support me through it all. Suddenly, I saw why so many loved him as Hokage, a feeling that was starting to stir within myself, although I never realized it myself.

I woke up with the others at dawn when the sun began to peek over the horizon, I showed them my stat page over breakfast as I allocated the points from leveling up into my DEX, bringing that up to 100, and to my WIS to get that to 73. I was actually as a perk popped up when I confirmed the changes I made.

Because your DEX has reach 100, you have received a new perk!

[Fleet-Footed] - Base speed, evasiveness and accuracy is increased by +50%

Huh, cool. Following that I began talking with Jiraiya-sama about the different seals I used on my clothing once I was able to get my skills to a high enough level to use them correctly. Even taking my jacket out of my [Inventory], to both show them how it worked and to show the seal work to Jiraiya-sama who took down some notes on it.

As he was doing that, I was questioning Minato-san on his Hiraishin jutsu, eagerly absorbing everything that he was telling me about it, and from the way he was talking it was like some kind of hybridization of a wormhole and dematerialization. A lot of the details went completely over my head, but I was able to glean a few useful insights, especially with the 'markers' and his awareness of their presence.

That had let to me suggesting a seal that could be used to 'mark' a shinobi's position that is then relayed to a map allowing for real time update on allied troop positions. Sandaime-sama had to raise his voice to break the three of us out of our discussion on how best to implement it to get us back on the road and moving, though he did take our distraction in good humor.

It was a surreal experience for me, a nine year old chunin to be treated as an equal by these three powerful shinobi, being asked for my opinion on current events, my view on how certain jutsus would work best in combination with other jutsus. Surreal, but an experience I wouldn't trade for the world as I remember laughing so hard at a story Minato-san told me about some of his earlier adventures with Jiraiya-sama and his old teammates that I ended up slipping off a branch and face planting on the ground.

It took us a week, but soon enough we approached the border to Tetsu no Kuni, the air getting chiller, prompting us to don the specially made all-weather cloaks that used a tiny bit of our chakra to warm our bodies, I made a mental note to copy the seals onto my clothing aloud, to the amusement of Jiraiya-sama who asked if I was planning wearing more seals than clothing.

My first meeting with the samurai of Tetsu no Kuni was actually… fairly unremarkable, we simply walked up to the border office, stated our names, affiliation and purpose within Tetsu no Kuni before being allowed entrance with a single samurai escort, who was pretty damn quick, able to lead us up to the capital of the country where the meeting was to take place.

As we entered the city I wasn't able to help myself as I looked around at the various buildings and shops that dominated the main street, Minato-san chuckled as he patted my head, causing me to attempt to hide my blush in the high collar of my cloak. Why did I get rid of my face mask? It was so much easier to hide my embarrassment with it on.

We were escorted to the hotel we were assigned, apparently the Tsuchikage's delegation was on the opposite side of the city to ensure there would be no trouble before the meeting.

"Alright, now that we are here, we can talk about your roles," Sandaime-sama announced as we got comfortable in the lounge of the diplomat suite. "Minato, you are attending as my successor, and hopefully, deterrent to prevent Onoki from trying something foolish," he informed Minato who nodded in understanding. "Jiraiya, Yuriko-chan, you both are here as our bodyguards, I suspect you won't be needed, but, better safe than sorry."

Jiraiya-sama patted me on the back when I swallowed nervously. "Relax, kiddo, we wouldn't have brought you along if we didn't think you can handle it," he assured me with a wide grin. "Besides you managed to do pretty well against Minato when he wasn't holding back very much against you, if it does come down to it, you'll be fine."

Swallowing again I took in some of the confidence he was showing in me and nodded firmly, my eyes hardening as I mentally prepared myself for the talks tomorrow. "Right," I vocalized with a heavy breath. "I can do this."

"Good to know," Minato-san said as he ruffled my hair, garnering a squawk of indignation from me. "I'll be counting on your support then."

Oh man… how is it he is able to make me blush so easily!?

I sent a glare to Jiraiya-sama who was chuckling in amusement at the sight of me blushing, and, being the mature and professional nine year old chunin I was… I chucked a throw pillow at his face.

And thus the great pillow war of Tetsu no Kuni began, Minato-san siding with me against his evil teacher as Sandaime-sama showed his true age by coming to the aide of his beleaguered student.

It wasn't until I had curled up in bed with a wide smile on my face that I realized what the trio were doing, they were helping me heal. For two years I had been for fighting and healing without stop, combat rated medics being an extremely rare thing for Konoha, and being one of the few around, a lot of expectations had been place on me, whether consciously or unconsciously.

My mother, bless her heart, tried her best to help me, but she was under the same burden as I was, and grieving her lost husband while helping her daughter grieve her lost father. My mother was a strong woman, no if ands or buts.

The next morning was a solemn affair, there were no funny stories, no jokes, we each went through our morning rituals before getting dressed in our proper full uniforms, ensuring that every crease was in its proper place.

Sandaime-sama gave us each a scrutinizing look as he assembled before him at the door to the hotel room, looking pleased by what he saw, he gave us an approving nod and stepped out, greeting our escort politely and allowing the samurai to led us to the main hall.

My position was to be behind Minato-san's left shoulder while he sat beside Sandaime-sama, Jiraiya-sama standing behind his teacher's right shoulder. As we entered the main hall, we found the Tsuchikage's delegation waiting for us, with only the Tsuchikage looking familiar to me.

I resisted the urge to activate my Sharingan, Minato-san having explained that the samurai could see it as an act of aggression since we are able to cast genjutsu through eye contact with the Sharingan active. That urge became even harder to resist when the Tsuchikage spoke up.

"Are you so desperate for soldiers that you're bringing a kid as one of your bodyguards, Hiruzen?" Onoki growled as he sneered at me.

"Hardly," Sandaime-sama retorted with a small grin. "I brought her along because she is a highly capable kunoichi, although I am certain you already knew that given the bounty you put on her head."

I had a bounty on me!?

It took every inch of my willpower to restrain the urge to gawk at the revelation that I had a bounty, and managed to suppress it to a twitch on my hand, both of which were clasped behind my back. Huh… that would explain why the people targeting me in battle increased at least.

Onoki snarled as Sandaime-sama turned his attempted insult back into his face while an elderly looking man took a seat between the two groups. "If you two are done bickering, may we get down to business?" He requested, sounding as if we was sitting on a beach rather than between two groups of shinobi ready to rip each other apart.

You go badass old man.

The meeting itself was actually, all said and done, a rather boring affair as the two village leaders argued back and forth on who gets what, who pays that, how much X is worth. Although it was fun seeing Sandaime-sama turn every one of Onoki's barbs against him, and I think I did a great job of keeping myself professional like Minato-san, and not like Jiraiya-sama who was hurling insults of his own back at Onoki whenever the man would start getting obstinate… which was often.

Finally after nearly twelve hours of nearly uninterrupted arguing - pausing only for a few breaks along with lunch and dinner - the ceasefire was signed and both sides were getting ready to leave. That was when Onoki designed to address me again. "I look forward to the day you head lands on my desk, Uchiha brat," he growled to me, obviously trying to intimidate me and slight Sandaime-sama for bringing someone 'weak' to negotiations. "I'll enjoy gouging your eyes out for my shinobi even more.

Glancing at Hokage-sama out of the corner of my eyes, he nodded, giving me the go ahead to speak for myself I turned to the Tsuchikage and have him the sweetest smile I could muster. "And I look forward to castrating each and every one of the assassins you send after me, bronzing their balls, and then having them delivered to you," I replied in my best 'child-like' voice as I clapped my hands together. "You can start a collection with them!"

The room was silent for a moment before Jiraiya-sama started belting out in laughter, clapping me on the shoulder in approval as he bent over, the Tsuchikage sputtering in rage as his guards started to hurriedly escort him out of the room before he decides to attack me and anger the samurai.

"Kid… you are my hero!" Jiraiya-sama announced as he gasped for air between chuckles. "Did you see the fence-sitter's face as he tried to process what you just said!"

Minato-san was much more restrained as he simply chuckled a bit, patting my shoulder as we headed towards the exit that would lead to our hotel. "Well done, Yuriko-chan," he told me approvingly. "Not many would be willing to risk the Tsuchikage's wrath like that."

I flushed in response, ducking my head as I tried to lift the collar of my flak vest to cover my cheeks. "I was only able to do so because you all were here," I managed to mumble out, what was wrong with me!? I never had this much trouble speaking with someone before!

"All the same, Yuriko-chan, you managed to keep your calm before a superior shinobi as he tried to make you lose your cool and turned it back against him, masterfully done," Sandaime-sama said approvingly. "Although, in the future I would recommend using less crass language, it is ill becoming of a lady to speak like that after all."

My blush deepened as my head dipped in acknowledgement. "Yes, Hokage-sama," I replied In an embarrassed voice.

"Shall we get some rest, it is going to be a long journey home, after all," Sandaime-sama suggested as we approached our hotel. "But at least we return with good news this time."

The journey back home to Konohagakure was as enjoyable as the trip to Tetsu no Kuni, I was especially surprised when all three of them started teaching me little tricks here and there, like Jiraiya-sama showing me how to increase the power of an explosive note with just a couple of brush strokes.

Minato-san showed me how to 'compress' my seals, making them smaller without losing any of their effectiveness, and Sandaime-sama was a treasure trove of ninjutsu tips and tricks, he even helped me get started on the second stage of Nature Manipulation training for both fire and water. Setting a rock on fire and reversing the direction of a stream, respectively.

Unlike our trip out, however, our return was greeted with a large amount of fanfare as the news of the ceasefire spread and many of the shinobi began to return back home. It was… strange, standing between Minato-san and Jiraiya-sama behind Sandaime-sama as we walked down Main Street to the Hokage Tower for the debrief.

I was pretty sure, many people didn't notice me, considering just who was standing around me, but I did notice a few Uchiha in the crowd point me out to their fellows and call out my name, prompting me to wave nervously in return.

Soon enough we were in the meeting hall of the Hokage Tower, I was directed to stand beside Minato-san for the meeting instead of being told to wait outside like I assumed was going to happen. We then proceeded to give our report to the assembled clan heads - Fugaku-sama giving me a speculative look as I stood beside the future Yondaime - and reported on our gains and losses as a result of the treaty signed.

Questions were raised and answered, I was even asked a question by a man who could only be Shikaku Nara about things on the front lines alongside Sunagakure, and thankfully I managed suppress the nervous feeling of standing beside Minato-san - seriously why was I feeling like this? - enough to answer his question professionally, admitting that my information may be out of date.

Eventually the questions died down and Sandaime-sama dismissed the assorted clan heads, Fugaku-sama pausing to send me another contemplative look before leaving. "Well, I would say that was a successful mission, wouldn't you?" Sandaime-Samantha asked cheerfully as he stood in front of his d so in the chamber. "There is just one more item to be covered, Jiraiya, Minato, your assessments?"

I blinked in confusion at his question as Jiraiya-sama stepped forward. "She remained professional throughout the meeting, kept her cool when the fence sitter addressed her directly, she definitely has the skills," he listed, making me realize that they were assessing me. "With a bit more experience under her belt, she'll go a long way I think."

Sandaime-sama nodded before turning to Minato-san who took that as his own cue. "I agree with sense I on all counts, she showed the necessary level of professionalism required, she is also well versed in tactics, collaboration techniques and even political situations," he summarized, I blinked in confusion, completely lost at what they're were talking about. "I think she's ready for her promotion to Jonin."

Oh, that's what they were talking about. Wait… "What?" I questioned in an absolute deadpan, staring at Sandaime-sama who smiled in response.

"Well then, since you have the support of two of your commanding officers, I hear by approve your promotion to Jonin, congratulations, Jonin Uchiha," he told me with an amused smile at my dropped jaw. "We took the opportunity of the mission to Tetsu no Kuni to test to see if you were ready for a promotion, the Jonin Commander at your last promotion forwarded a recommendation after you were forced to temporarily take control of the medic division when your mother was injured three months back," he explained to me, I recalled the day he was talking about, I had flown by the seat of my pants that entire freaking week!

"That is not all, however," Jiraiya commented as he fought back a grin.

"Indeed, with me stepping down soon, Minato will be needing a set of guards he can trust with his life," Sandaime-sama informed me, my eyes widening as I realized where this was going.

"I would like to offer the position as one of my bodyguards to you, Yuriko-chan," Minato-san told me with a slight smile on his face. "You are young, yes, but you have length of potential for growth and I would be honoured to have you at my side when I become Hokage."

I began to feel lightheaded. Minato-san wanted me to be apart of his guard force? "I accept!" I shouted unintentionally, unable to control my volume due to my shock. "The honour will be mine, Minato-sama!"

"I look forward to working with you then," he told me cheerfully as a new alert popped up.

MANDATORY QUEST COMPLETED!

Escort the Sandaime Hokage to the Peace talks with the Sandaime Tsuchikage!

REWARD

25,000 EXP, +15,000 Reputation with Konohagakure, +5,000 Reputation with Iwagakure, Promotion to Jonin

BONUS OBJECTIVE

Made the Sandaime Tsuchikage lose his cool while keeping your own. - COMPETED

Earn a position amongst the Yondaime's Guard - COMPLETED

Entrust Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya with your secret - COMPLETED

REWARD

+15,000 EXP, +5,000 Reputation with Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi

+15,000 EXP, [Hokage's Bodyguard] perk acquired, +5,000 Reputation with Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi

+15,000 EXP, +7,500 Reputation with Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi

MANDATORY QUEST COMPLETED!

You have been made a genin early due to the war raging in the Elemental Nations, defend your home and allies from invasion while insuring your own survival!

OBJECTIVE

Survive to the end of the Third Shinobi World War without Konohagakure or any of your allied nations being destroyed!

REWARD

+25,000 EXP, +5,000 Reputation with Konohagakure, +2,500 Reputation with allied nations, [War Veteran] perk acquired.

BONUS OBJECTIVES

Survive with your entire squad - COMPLETED

Earn a place in the Bingo Book - COMPLETED

Escort the Sandaime to the treaty signing - COMPLETED

REWARD

+5,000 EXP, +1,000 Reputation with your teammates and Jonin-sensei

+15,000 EXP, +5,000 Reputation with Konohagakure

+15,000 EXP, +5,000 Reputation with Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi

My eyes bugged a bit as I stared at the pop ups before me.

"Something big kid?" Jiraiya-sama questioned as he raised an eyebrow at me.

"S-seven levels," I managed to stammer out. "I've… I've never had that big of a jump."

Jiraiya-sama blinked at me with a grin. "Oh yeah, the 'quest' of escorting the old man gave you that much?" he asked me.

"And the bonus objectives, and the quest for surviving the war and it's bonus objectives," I managed to explain, still staring at in shock before shaking my head. "Also… I have a Bingo Book entry?"

Sandaime-sama chuckled a bit as he pulled a little black book out of his desk and tossed it to me, allowing me a chance to leaf through it quickly before I came across my own entry.

[Bloody Scalpel Yuriko] - B-Ranked Bounty

Official Name: Yuriko Uchiha

Age: 9

Rank: Chunin

Specialty: Kenjutsu/Iryojutsu

Most Used Jutsu: Unique Chakra Flow with the properties of the Chakra Scalpel Technique - WARNING: TECHNIQUE IS HIGHLY LETHAL EVEN WITH A GRAZE!

Bounty: 1,000,000 Ryo - Payable by Iwagakure, Kumogakure and Kirigakure

Rating: Engaged with Caution

"Huh," I replied as I stared at the picture they used for my page, namely me with splashes of blood on my face as I glared elsewhere with an active sharingan. "That's… something."

Jiraiya-sama chuckled as he patted my back. "Welcome to the big leagues kid, chances are the Fence Sitter will probably bump it up a bit in revenge after the meeting," he pointed out. "But don't worry too much about it, aside from the odd bounty hunter not many will go out of their way to try and get you."

"Plus, with your position as the Hokage's Bodyguard, you will spending plenty of time of in Konoha with your duties to Minato," Sandaime-sama informed me gently.

"Plus, I will be doing some training with you and your new squad," Minato-sama elaborated. "There are a few techniques that I want you all to learn."

My heart skipped a beat at his words, a chance to learn from the Yondaime Hokage himself! Fuck yeah! "I look forward to it, Minato-sama!" I said aloud, a bit louder than I intended, getting a chuckle from him.

"Very well then, you are dismissed for the rest of the day, Yuriko-chan," Sandaime-sama told me. "Please report back here tomorrow morning to start your assignment."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" I replied, saluting proudly before I left the room, a skip in my step as I left.

Holy crap, sometimes my gamer life sucks, but then days like this roll around and things become awesome!

"Ah, welcome back, Yuriko-san!" one of the guards called out. "Heard you were apart of Hokage-sama's guard retinue to Tetsu no Kuni."

"Yup!" I replied cheerfully, smiling at one of the guards. "I even got to talk with Minato-sama and Jiraiya-sama about fuinjutsu while we were travelling!"

"Oho? That must've been quite the conversation," his partner said, grinning at me. "Pick up any good tricks?"

"Minato-sama taught me about seal compression, Jiraiya-sama showed me how to enhance my explosive notes, and Sandaime-sama actually taught me the next stage of nature manipulation training," I explained, my excitement clear in my voice as I spoke about my experience. "Plus I got to spar with Minato-sama, got completely destroyed in under two minutes though."

The pair stared at me with a slightly baffled expression before chuckling in amusement at I raved. "Well, before you head home, Fugaku-sama wanted to meet you at the main family building," the first one told me with a grin. "Not sure what he wanted to talk to you about, but he seemed pretty lost in thought."

I blinked before remembering the curious looks he had been sending me during the meeting. "Alright, I'll head over and see him now," I assured the two of them as I passed through into the compound. "See ya later!"

I was greeted by a number of people as I walked through the district, several of them stopping to chat with me for a moment with a few of the shinobi calling out to me in greeting. Finally I was able to make it to the home of the clan head of the Uchiha and knocked on the door.

I paused as the door was opened by a child around four years old, the tear tracks alongside his nose being a clear indicator on just who this child is. "Yes?" Itachi Uchiha questioned, staring up at me with wide eyes.

It took every inch of my willpower not to squee in excitement at the adorable look on his face, how could he be so cute as a kid!? "Hello, is your father in? He requested that I come meet him," I told the child, smiling at him.

"Okay, please come in," Itachi told me, stepping back to allow me entry before running off deeper into the house, a dark haired woman coming in shortly after he left.

"And you must be Yuriko-chan, welcome," Mikoto Uchiha greeted me with a kind smile. "Shigure-san has been bragging about you since you've graduated."

I flushed a bit in response at my mother's actions as I removed my heeled sandals from my feet. "Thank you for welcoming me," I told her. "Is Fugaku-sama in?"

"Of course, he's in his office," Mikoto told me as she gestured for me to follow her. "I hear you were on the guard detail for Hokage-sama's trip?"

Man, that story is spreading far isn't it? "Yeah, it was a very informative trip," I replied with a smile. "I was able to learn a lot while travelling with them."

"Really, they taught you something?" Mikoto looked at me in surprise as I beamed.

"Little things, but yeah!" I confirmed. "Sandaime-sama actually helped me with the second stage of my Nature Manipulation!"

"That's good to know," Mikoto replied, smiling back at me, something in her eyes as we came up to a door. "Fugaku, dear, Yuriko-chan is here to see you."

"Send her in," Fugaku's voice filtered through the door, prompting Mikoto to open it and allowed me entry. The head of my clan was seated at a desk, slowly working his way through a stack of paperwork as I entered. "Please, sit," he requested, gesturing me to the chair across from him. "I just wanted to know about the trip you took with Hokage-sama."

I tilted my head a bit as I sat down, something niggling at the back of my mind as I answered him. "I was a bit surprised that he wanted me to be a part of his detail," I explained, flushing a bit in embarrassment. "Well… I think the entire thing was something of a test… because after the meeting, Hokage-sama promoted me to Jonin," I smiled at the memory. "I was also given my new posting assignment, sorry, but I'm actually not sure if I'm supposed to talk about it yet, Fugaku-sama."

He nodded in understanding. "That is fine, you don't need to tell me," he assured me, knowing that secrecy was needed as a shinobi. "What happened during the mission?"

"Um… well I sparred with Minato-sama for a bit," I admitted with a shrug. "I also talked with him and Jiraiya-sama about fuinjutsu and Sandaime-sama showed me the second stage of nature manipulation."

Fugaku nodded with a contemplative look. "I see, and how does your training progress? As I understand it you were working on developing your fuinjutsu when you left for the front at Kaze no Kuni?"

"Yeah, I was working on clothing enforcement seals, mostly minor stuff right now, but with Minato-sama's help in showing me how to compress seals I should be able to improve them quite a bit," I admitted with a shrug. "Also, Jiraiya-sama taught me a few tricks to improve explosive notes, it was really helpful."

"How is your mother doing?" he asked, frowning a bit as he took in the information I told him.

"She's… coping," I said looking unsure. "My father's death had hit her hard, but… she was kept busy on the front lines…"

"Yes, as I understand it, she ended up having to take command of the medics there when the last commander ended up dying during an assault," Fugaku-sama said, looking at me for confirmation.

"Yes, Nobuyoshi-taicho was killed when an infiltrator managed to slip in during an attack on our base," I confirmed, wincing at the memory of that particularly devastating attack. "We were told that a replacement was going to be sent… but none ever arrived so she ended up just staying in command with me as her second."

"Quite the accomplishment from one your age," the clan head said in a complimentary tone. "As I understand it you have been doing a lot of work with the Chakra Scalpel."

"Yeah, I kinda fell into it, to be honest," I flushed a bit, trying to resist the urge to hide my cheeks the collar of my flak vest. "I ended up developing it further in combat, it's… not exactly suitable for normal sparring matches."

"That's putting it lightly," Fugaku-sama said giving me a dry grin. "If I remember some of the reports right, you ended up killing the assassin that killed the former medical commander by shredding his lungs with only a small cut?"

"Yes, the scalpel is mostly an exterior effect, I admit, but it is capable of affecting the internal organs without breaking the skin," I explained the principle behind my primary technique, feeling a small growth of confidence as I spoke, Mikoto-san returning with a tray of tea for us as I spoke. "So, I ended up experimenting when I was in the field and managed to come up with a few offshoot techniques to use with [Chakra Flow: Chakra Scalpel]."

"I have to say, you are making impressive progress in your career," he told me calmly as he sipped on his tea. "Especially with taking such an often overlooked jutsu and turning it into a specialty of yours."

"Thank you, Fugaku-sama," I replied, bowing my head a bit. "I had a lot of help with it though, my brother and father taught me a lot on the Uchiha taijutsu and kenjutsu, and my mother assisted me with a lot of the theory work for my jutsus."

"But you made use of those supports excellently, and managed to garner the attention of Hokage-sama himself, no small feat," he said approvingly. "With time and training, I'd wager you'd surpass Tsunade-sama."

My cheeks burned from his compliment, fact of the matter was, Tsunade-sama was hands down the best medic ninja in the world, bar none, even if myself, Saya-taicho and my mother were to somehow combine, we'd still probably wouldn't match her skills. "I don't know about that," I replied modestly.

"Nonsense, you are an Uchiha, and we do have a tendency to be overachievers when we put our minds to something," I couldn't help but let out a little giggle at his half-joke. "As I understand it, your brother and mother are still out in the field, dealing with the last of the clean up operations out there, please, stay for dinner tonight."

I blinked in response to his offer and glanced over to Mikoto-san who smiled at me encouragingly. "Ah, I'd be honored, Fugaku-sama," I replied after a second. "Thank you for having me."

"It'll be ready soon," Mikoto told us as she stepped out of the room, sending a grin our way.

"So, why don't you tell me some more about the Kaze no Kuni front, I've read the reports and I would like to get your perspective on things," I blinked, but nodded in agreement and settled myself in for the conversation.

Dinner with the Main Family was an… interesting experience, Fugaku-sama was a very stern person, but he did have a rather dry sense of humor to him that could be hard to miss if one wasn't either an Uchiha, or used to dealing with them. Mikoto-san was a surprisingly energetic woman, doting on me and her son enough to make us blush, and little Itachi-kun was… well… quiet for the most part, he had obviously seen the effects of what the war did if the small winces he'd try to cover up when the conversation came up were any indication.

He did warm up to me eventually, however, asking me questions about the places I'd seen, and his expression of wonder when I told him about Tetsu no Kuni was downright adorable, especially when I told him about all the snow that had been on the ground. It was obvious he was a smart kid and objectively knew about snow and the weather, but it was still something else apparently to hear about an entire country covered by it.

After dinner I helped Mikoto-san with the clean up to only a light amount of protest, the older woman only putting up the barest resistance to me helping her before saying my goodbyes to head home. It was when I was laying in bed that I remembered something, Fugaku had planned a coup in the canon timeline of the show, was that what this meeting was about? Seeing if I agreed with that sentiment, or was it something else?

Letting out a groan, I rolled over and shut those thoughts out of my head. Nothing I could do about it now, and I had to report in for my assignment tomorrow.

The next morning I couldn't help but brim with excitement as I went through my morning routine, getting ready for my first official day as a Jonin. While I was getting dressed I paused as I reached for my flak vest and tilted my head in thought before opening my [Inventory] and pulling out the [Crimson Chakra Jacket] and pulling it on instead of the flak vest.

Checking my reflection in my bedroom mirror I made a few adjustments to the fit before nodding in satisfaction and headed out the door. It was still very early in the morning when I left, the only people out were the early riser civilians that were getting their shops ready for the day, and fellow shinobi either heading to get their own assignment returning home from theirs.

I made good progress through the village, taking to the rooftops to avoid getting stopped by the occasional civilian who wanted to strike up a conversation with the passing shinobi. "Jonin Yuriko Uchiha to see Hokage-sama," I told the receptionist who looked over the appointment list and nodded, waving me through to the office proper.

Inside I was greeted by Sandaime-sama with Jiraiya-sama and Minato-sama on either side of him, three other jonin standing before him. "Ah, just in time, come on in, Yuriko-chan," Sandaime-sama requested, gesturing for me to join the other jonin. "Gentlemen, this will be the fourth member of your platoon, Yuriko Uchiha, Yuriko-chan, these will be your teammates, Raido Namiashi, Genma Shiranui and Iwashi Tatami."

"Please look after me, senpais," I replied respectfully, bowing a bit to them.

"Pleased to meet you," Genma-senpai replied, rolling the senbon around his mouth. "It'll be good to have a proper medic on the team."

I smirk a bit in response. "Well, I'm not just a medic you know," I told him proudly, making the three chuckle.

"Considering what I've heard from the front lines, I'm not going to argue that," Raido-senpai told me with a theatrical shudder.

"Indeed," Sandaime-sama said, getting our attention back to him. "Now, the four of you will be assigned to Minato in one week time when he is officially announced as my successor, for the next week you will be training with him to ensure that the four of you are able to work together."

"There is also a technique that I wish to teach to the four of you, a variant on the Hiraishin," Minato-sama continued, stepping forward. "The Flying Thunder Formation Technique, when used properly, it will allow the for of you to teleport as one to a marker placed on a person, in this case, myself."

I blinked in surprise before recalling that I had seen it used in my past life on the show.

"Just for confirmation, but we aren't to say anything about us being assigned to Minato-san in relation to him becoming the Yondaime, correct?" Iwashi-senpai questioned, stepping forward.

"Correct, I'm sure there are already rumours of Minato succeeding me, but I would like it to remain that way," Sandaime-sama requested. "Your new position will be obvious during Minato's inauguration next week."

"Understood, Hokage-sama!" we all replied, saluting, getting a nod from Sandaime-sama.

Minato-sama stepped forward with a smile. "Well then, shall we get started with our training then?" he offered, getting four nods of varying enthusiasm in return.

The next week had been a draining one, in a rather good way though, Minato-sama putting us through our paces drilling in various formations utilizing the Flying Thunder Formation, the technique itself requiring three of us to use it with the fourth in the middle - most often being myself - ready to take action upon being teleported.

It was this time that I had first met Kushina Uzumaki. I was accompanying Minato-sama to his and Kushina-san's home after he convinced me to join them for dinner that night. We were greeted by Kushina-san as we entered, the woman pausing as I followed nervously after Minato-sama, looking me over with intense eyes before I suddenly found myself being held to the very enthusiastic Kushina-san who was fawning over me.

Apparently she thought my professionalism was 'adorable'. I'm a lethal jonin, not adorable thank you very much!

I was quickly welcomed into their home after that, Kushina-san bustling me into the kitchen to sit me down as she chattered away, jumping from one subject to the next, somehow I actually managed to keep up with the woman's conversation topics and managed to get my own words in.

As we chatted we ended getting up onto a mutually interesting topic for all three of us, that being fuinjutsu. "So, you see with a little adjustments to the array on the edges, that would allow the imprisonment jutsu to be remotely triggered instead of needing contact with the seal itself," Kushina-san rambled from the stove she was cooking at. "I've been talking with the T&I guys and they're going to be running experiments with it to see if it is actually feasible for use."

I nodded, showing her I understood what she was saying. "It would actually be useful on the field as well, I remember when we were trying to capture a Kirigakure commander, squirrelly bastard kept slipping the bonds," I groused with a sigh. "Plus he was a Hozuki so trying to keep a paper tag on him was almost impossible."

"Oh tell me about it! While I wasn't on the Kaze no Kuni front like you were, I did face one in Kusa no Kuni was a bastard to pin down," Kushina said, sighing in agreement as she lifted the pot from the stove and placed it on the table, allowing me to see what she had been cooking, and I don't know why I was surprised, but it was ramen. "But, dinner is ready!"

I was actually kinda ashamed to admit, but I never had ramen when I arrived, and that night with Kushina-san and Minato-sama was my first time having it, much to the aghast shock of Kushina-san.

I honestly feel in love with the noodle dish with the first bite, practically inhaling my first bowl without even realizing it, much to my embarrassment as I let out a loud belch from eating too quickly.

"Thank you for dinner, Kushina-san," I said as I helped clean up after dinner, joining the redhead in washing the dishes. "It was delicious."

"Of course, it was ramen!" Kushina-san proudly declared with a wide grin. "I have to admit, I was rather surprised when Minato-kun told me about you, Yuriko-chan."

I paused, my eyes widening as my face heated a bit. "Minato-sama talked about me?" I squeaked out in surprise, making Kushina-san giggle, a knowing look of some kind in her violet eyes.

"Yup, when he told me that you were being assigned as one of his guards, I just knew I had to meet you, and I must say, you are just the most adorable jonin there is!" she said praisingly, making me flush under her praise, I'm not adorable kami-dammit! "Not even Kakashi-kun was adorable as you are when he first became a jonin!"

I shuffled a bit in response. "I'm nothing special," I tried to respond only to get off by the redhead.

"Of course you are! You must be related to Obito-kun, he was just as modest as you are!" she told me, making me freeze, realization filling me, I forced my body to continue moving as I pushed down the knowledge that I failed to prevent the creation of Tobi. "Your family is still deployed, correct?"

I nodded in confirmation, glad for the distraction from the topic I was thinking about. "Yeah, I got word that they'll be back the day before the inauguration," I told her, putting a smile on my face. "I have to admit, the house kinda feels empty without them around though…"

"Well, that settles that then; you're staying here until they get back!" Kushina-san declared loudly to me, making me blink and look up at the older woman. "Minato-kun, get the guest room ready!"

Minato-sama chuckled at his… fiance's? Girlfriend's? Enthusiasm, surely he'll save me from whatever terrible thing Kushina-san had planned. "I figured you'd say that, it's already prepared for her," he assured Kushina-san.

"Oh great, that means I get to play dress up with Yuriko-chan tomorrow!" Kushina announced happily.

Minato-sama you traitor!

Despite what my conscious mind was thinking, I couldn't help the feeling of warmness fill me as the two accepted me into their home without reservation.

I will save them.

Because I love them.

END CHAPTER!

Yuriko's Stats

Name: Yuriko

Level: 48

EXP: 1,262/24,500

Age: 9

Gender: Female

Title: Jonin (+50% to all Reputation gains)

STATS

HP - 2,404

CP - 7,780

STR - 48 (60) - Increased from 41

INT - 96 - Increased from 83

DEX - 110 (137) increased from 98

VIT - 48 - Increased from 41

WIS -80 - Increased from 73

LUK - 40 - Increased from 27

Ryo - 4,672,153

New Perks!

[Fleet-Footed] - Base speed, evasiveness and accuracy is increased by +50%

[War Veteran] - You have walked through the gates of hell and have come out changed, but you have learned skills that you will carry with you forever, and people will always respect the sacrifice you made. +25% to EXP gains in combat, +25% to reputation gains

[Hokage's Bodyguard] - You are one of a select few trusted enough to guard the leader of your village. Access to Flying Thunder Formation and +25% to all reputation gains with all factions within Konohagakure

Yuriko's Reputation Page

Konohagakure - 12700/25000 - Exalted

Uchiha Clan - 3010/10000 - Honored

Shigure Uchiha - 2500/25000 - Exalted

Genrai Uchiha - 8000/10000 - Honored

Sakaki Uchiha - 25000/25000 - Exalted

Fugaku Uchiha - 0/5000 - Well Liked

Mikoto Uchiha - 0/5000 - Well Liked

Itachi Uchiha - 0/5000 - Well Liked

Yamanaka Clan - 1750/2500 - Neutral

Chika Yamanaka - 3500/10000 - Honored

Fuyuko Yamanaka - 0/2500 - Neutral

Civilians - 500/2500 Neutral

Aoi Nanase 3500/10000 - Honored

Academy 3150/5000 - Well Liked

Konjo Asai 4500/5000 - Well Liked

Sarutobi Clan

Hiruzen Sarutobi - 0/25000 - Exalted

Namikaze Clan

Minato Namikaze - 0/25000 - Exalted

Shinobi Forces

Jiraiya - 0/25000 - Exalted

Hasai Natto - 3500/10000 - Honored

Genma Shiranui - 0/5000 - Well Liked

Raido Namiashi - 0/5000 - Well Liked

Iwashi Tatami - 0/5000 - Well Liked

Uzumaki Clan

Kushina Uzumaki - 0/7500 - Friendly