*Chapter 2: B-Rank Ninja Mission [Iwagakure Spy]!*

The setting sun dyed the sky in molten gold as dusk settled in.

Two figures, one large and one small, stepped out of Konoha’s gates, chasing the fading light of the sunset.

Tsunade, for what seemed like the hundredth time, carefully counted the 100,000 ryō in cash, then confidently stashed it away in her "four-dimensional pocket." She patted the pocket twice, her eyes gleaming with certainty.

"I swear on my grandfather's name, I'll turn this 100,000 ryō into 500,000 in no time!"

"Nara kid , you said you're feeling weak earlier. Have you thought about consulting a professional medical-nin to check your condition?"

Tsunade gazed toward the distant Kikyo Castle, now shrouded in twilight, emphasizing the word "professional" with a pointed tone.

Despite a minor misunderstanding with the kid earlier—where she may or may not have extorted his 100,000 ryō mission bonus—Tsunade prided herself on her medical skills.

Of course, she mostly just wanted more money.

Normally, ninja earned their income by completing missions, though a rare few could supplement that with side gigs, like writing. A typical B-rank mission only paid around 100,000 ryō, and the payout was usually split with teammates. After all was said and done, a ninja was lucky to keep a third of the reward.

Due to personal reasons, Tsunade had avoided high-ranking missions for some time—especially since most B-rank and above missions involved combat.

This "special reason" had also affected her medical work. So, despite being one of the Legendary Sannin, she hadn’t had a stable income in ages, compounded by her little gambling habit...

In short, Tsunade wouldn't miss any opportunity to make money.

This Nara kid clearly came from wealth. Casually throwing out 100,000 ryō like it was pocket change? He was the perfect fat sheep waiting to be sheared.

If his health problem was minor, she could heal him easily, and the 100,000 ryō would be a fair medical fee. But if it turned out to be serious, well... time for a real business deal!

Tsunade eagerly awaited her "temporary employer's" response. Seconds ticked by. Still no answer.

She frowned and turned around, wondering what was up with the kid.

In the next instant, she was met with a blank stare.

"This brat...!"

Tsunade’s fists clenched reflexively, and veins bulged on her forehead. She knew she wasn’t imagining things.

This kid was definitely the same type as Jiraiya!

Just as she was about to clobber him, she noticed that Nara Raku continued walking calmly, his face void of any expression.

‘Wait... he’s not peeping at me?’

Realizing that Raku wasn’t ogling her but rather lost in thought, Tsunade felt a wave of embarrassment and took a step back.

‘He ignored me... completely!?’

Shame quickly turned to rage.

‘How dare you! I’m Tsunade—the beautiful, rich, powerful, and skilled kunoichi! People line up to chase me from Konoha to Kumogakure! And you're just... spacing out? Am I invisible to you?’

Seething, Tsunade stopped in her tracks and shot a cold glance at Raku, waiting for him to snap out of his trance.

Step by step, Raku approached, almost close enough to bump into her chest.

At the last moment, Tsunade raised her palm and smacked his forehead.

Smack!

Raku blinked, awakened by the sharp sound and slight pain, and quickly refocused. He glanced around, trying to make sense of things, but was only met with the sight of a vast, intimidating abyss beneath him...

In their universe, there were protons, neutrons, electrons, and—

Raku quickly looked down, his gaze sweeping past Tsunade’s curvy waist, her long, flawless legs, and finally resting on the ninja sandals she wore.

Her toes peeked out, clean and well-groomed, with rust-red polish gleaming faintly in the fading light.

The moonlight tonight was beautiful, and Raku knew he was in trouble.

"Hiss—"

He faked a wince, stepping back and feigning discomfort.

“Tsunade-sama, is there something wrong?”

“There was.”

Tsunade crossed her arms, looking down at him with a smug grin.

“But not anymore!”

‘Kid, you were totally checking me out, right?’

Raku was speechless and averted his gaze.

‘What the heck? I already paid the protection fee!’

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, sensing a hint of malice from the boy. But before she could confront him, Raku’s attention shifted to a figure approaching from the distance.

The man was large, wearing rough, simple clothing. His face was plain, like a cold, hard rock.

‘A civilian wandering outside at this hour?’ Raku frowned slightly.

The Kikyo Mountain range surrounded Konoha, and many civilians lived at the base of Kikyo Castle. Konoha ninjas, like the Nara clan, were assigned to protect the area.

Raku himself had good relations with the head of a local orphanage, a blonde woman from the castle.

However, tensions outside the village had been high lately, with even Konoha's citizens cutting back on nighttime activities. For a man to be out here now, heading from Kikyo Castle...

‘Probably just some civilian trying to make a living.’

Raku dismissed his suspicion. But Tsunade, who had also noticed the stranger, wasn’t so quick to relax.

‘His movements are too steady, his footsteps silent, with no difference in his pace... and most importantly, he’s avoiding my gaze!’

Having survived the brutal ninja wars, Tsunade’s instincts flared.

‘This guy reeks of guilt.’

She gathered chakra in her feet and smashed the ground with a burst of power, leaping high into the air. Tsunade glared down at the stranger, who had frozen in his tracks and raised his head warily. She dropped toward him like a cannonball.

Without hesitation, the man formed a seal with his right hand, channeling chakra through his legs.

Shunshin no Jutsu!  

With a flash, the man vanished, moving so fast that Raku could only catch a blur.

"He's really a ninja!"

Nara Raku, still new to the battlefield, was shocked.

"And that speed... There's no way this guy is just an ordinary Chunin! Is he a Tokubetsu Jonin? Or maybe even a Jonin!?"

The next second, Tsunade’s foot arrived just a moment too late, stepping right in front of where the man had just been standing, and yet...

Step!

Tsunade landed gracefully, her eyes sharp as she fixed on the new position where the mysterious man had reappeared.

Both her target spot and what seemed like an unstoppable "superhuman kick" were all just a feint!

Tsunade shouted, "You're definitely a ninja! From which village?"

"Golden hair... and that ridiculous strength... Could it be that you're..."

The man looked at Tsunade in shock, though his right hand, raised in front of him, remained steady.

"One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha! The Slug Princess—Tsunade-hime?!"

"That's right!" Tsunade nodded proudly.

"Exactly—huh!?"

Just as she responded, the man’s figure suddenly vanished from where he stood, as if some kind of special eraser had wiped him from existence. Even his scent disappeared completely.

The title of one of the Three Legendary Sannin was simply too famous.

From the moment he got close, this spy from Iwagakure had already recognized Tsunade's true identity.

The conversation just now was merely a way to buy enough time to activate the secret technique he’d mastered from Iwagakure!

"Stealth release?"

Tsunade frowned slightly but didn't hesitate. She quickly flashed back to Nara Raku's side.

"No, it must be some kind of invisibility technique from another village! Suna doesn't have anything like this, so he's from Iwa?"

Almost simultaneously, several new notifications popped up on Nara Raku's virtual panel.

[Detected: B-Rank Ninja Battle Task triggered!]

[B-Rank Task: Iwa Spy]

[Task Objective: Defeat/Eliminate the Iwagakure Jonin]

[Task Reward: B-Rank Ninja Scroll. Open to randomly obtain a B-Rank jutsu, ninja tool, or other item.]

[Task Hint 1: First-time completion will result in an upgraded quality for the task reward.]

[Task Hint 2: This B-Rank Ninja Battle Task can be completed once per month for the same target.]

[Task Hint 3: This is just a Lazy Ninja's task! You can speedrun the task on the panel for a lower reward grade without any resource cost. Accept/Decline?]

"So that's it! This is the right way to use the [Ninja Scrolls], by earning random rewards through missions!"

Nara Raku quickly scanned through the mission information, feeling a slight stir of excitement.

"If there are special ninja battle missions, then there must be other kinds of tasks too, right?"

"Although I can speedrun it, if it's limited to the panel, it doesn't seem very meaningful since I still have to complete tasks in reality... Wait!"

"Actually, even if I fail a real-world mission, it seems like I could use this feature to end the mission early and still claim the reward? Isn't this...?"

"The Lazy Ninja welfare?"

(End of Chapter)