"Excellent, you've worked hard this time."
Inside the Commander's tent, Jiraiya, seated at the head, rubbed his brow wearily, but still managed a forced smile as he addressed everyone.
"You all should go get some good rest first."
"Yes!"
The three reconnaissance teams exited the Commander's tent, and the previously crowded camp instantly became spacious. Minato Namikaze looked at Jiraiya, who was constantly yawning, and asked with some concern.
"Jiraiya sensei, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, no problem."
Jiraiya twisted his neck, feeling a bit more awake.
"Oh, by the way, did you have any unexpected gains on your trip this time?"
Minato Namikaze took out the map he had prepared earlier and placed it on Jiraiya's desk.
"We met your junior disciples whom you mentioned to me, and we exchanged this map with them."
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya was slightly stunned, then a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.
"Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, are they the ones?"
"Yes, they asked us to convey their regards to you."
"How are those three children doing?"
A look of reminiscence appeared on Jiraiya's face; his time with those three children in the Land of Rain was one of his few precious memories.
"They all looked very well, and they even established an Akatsuki Organisation."
"Is that so…"
Although Jiraiya was a bit surprised, he wasn't too taken aback. Instead, he was quite interested in the map that the two of them had exchanged with Yahiko and the others. As he opened the map, he casually asked,
"What did you exchange with them?"
"Five million Ryo."
"Oh, is that so, it was five million…"
"How much?!"
Minato said calmly, looking at the jumping Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya sensei, you can take a look at this map first. I believe it's worth the price."
"Wait a moment."
Jiraiya somewhat suspiciously spread the map on the desk. In his opinion, his disciple was not someone who would shoot without aim, so there was no harm in taking a look first.
Soon, Jiraiya's expression changed, from suspicion to surprise, and then from surprise to joy. After finishing the map, Jiraiya's gaze towards the two instantly softened.
"I'll give you credit for this. You did a good job."
"Then, Jiraiya sensei, what do you think…"
Before Minato Namikaze could finish, Jiraiya waved his hand grandly and said with great generosity,
"The Village will reimburse you for the five million Ryo, and I will record additional bonuses in your files."
Anyway, it wasn't his own money. He just had to submit the receipt to the Village later. The financial matters would naturally be handled by others, so he wouldn't worry too much about it.
"Thank you, sensei."
Minato Namikaze said with a smile. Meanwhile, Ren was sitting in Nara Chomei's seat, going through documents. As for Nara Chomei, he was asleep on a wooden bed nearby. Although the documents he handled weren't as important as Jiraiya's, they were still tedious and complex.
Since he had nothing to do, Ren simply let Nara Chomei rest for a while, as he could handle some of the simpler tasks without any problem.
"Since that's the case, then inform Sakumo-senpai's side. They can begin the transfer."
Jiraiya said in a deep voice. Since the situation was pretty much understood, they could begin their actions. They would enter early and occupy advantageous terrain.
"Yes, then, Jiraiya sensei, do you want me to make another trip?"
Minato Namikaze nodded. This kind of thing was commonplace for him; he was used to being used as a messenger by his teacher.
"No need. This time, I'll just use the Summoning Technique. You've just returned from a mission, so I'm giving you half a day off."
"Really? Thank you, sensei!"
Minato Namikaze was instantly surprised and delighted. After working so hard for so long, he finally got a day off; it was truly not easy. He had only had three days off since the war began almost three months ago, constantly either submitting missions or on his way to accept new ones. With this holiday, he finally had time to write to Kushina!
"What about me, don't I get one?!"
Ren put down a processed document, turned his head, and asked Jiraiya somewhat eagerly.
"You? What do you need a holiday for? Just honestly get to work."
Jiraiya said in a huff. Hearing Jiraiya's words, Ren could only get up and argue with Jiraiya for his own benefit.
"I need it, I really need it! Can't I have half a day off to spend with my girlfriend?! Lord Jiraiya, this kind of preferential treatment will make people talk!"
Ren whispered, after all, Nara Chomei was still sleeping nearby, and it wouldn't be good to wake him up.
"Idiot! What girlfriend are you spending time with at such a young age! What's so good about a girlfriend! Young people should train more! Look at this immortal sitting here, who gives me a holiday!"
Jiraiya cursed in a low voice. After all, what was this kid doing with a girlfriend at such a young age? Working hard and training more was the proper thing to do!
"Tch, I wonder who's been chasing my teacher for over twenty years and still hasn't succeeded. A single dog."
Hearing Ren's "quiet mumbling," Jiraiya's eyes flared with anger, and he shouted exasperatedly,
"Idiot, who are you talking about! How many times have I told you, it's your teacher who's been stubbornly chasing me! I've never agreed!"
This loud noise directly jolted Nara Chomei, who had been sleeping for less than half an hour, awake. He stared with bloodshot eyes, scanning the tent, and finally stopped at Jiraiya.
"Lord Jiraiya…!"
Nara Chomei glared at Jiraiya through gritted teeth, making Jiraiya's back tingle. He immediately calmed down as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on him, and said awkwardly,
"Chomei, let me explain, I didn't mean to, it's all Ren… "
As Jiraiya spoke, he pointed his finger in Ren's direction, but halfway through, he realised that Ren was already sitting upright at the desk, approving documents, occasionally taking notes. He looked utterly focused.
"Lord Jiraiya, this is an office. As the Commander, please do not speak loudly here and disturb others' rest and work."
Just then, Ren put down the document, put on Nara Chomei's glasses that were placed nearby, and said to Jiraiya with some dissatisfaction.
"You… I… This!"
"Lord Jiraiya, you even want to push the responsibility onto Ren, a child. Is that appropriate for you as the Commander? I…"
Looking at the babbling Nara Chomei in front of him, Jiraiya was dumbfounded. Are these brats all so cunning now? You're treating me, an old man in his fifties, like this?!
"Minato, you…"
Jiraiya, who was about to ask his good disciple to help him out, suddenly paused. He scanned the entire area, but Minato Namikaze was nowhere to be found.
"Minato!!!"