At that moment, the ninja academy had just let out!
That in itself wasn't the key point. The key point was that the children belonging to Kaori and Madam Shūto, namely Heiji and Genosuke, were both wearing the Akatsuki's red-cloud robes!
As soon as Kaori and Madam Shūto saw that, their expressions became animated with excitement. Meanwhile, Mayumi's gaze shifted to the academy entrance—and saw three kids, two boys and one girl, all wearing red-cloud robes.
The two boys were indeed Heiji and Genosuke, sons of Kaori and Madam Shūto. Between them, clutching a sheet of paper, was Mayumi's daughter, Mikiko.
Seeing that both Heiji and Genosuke were wearing red-cloud robes, Mayumi nearly fainted on the spot!
What in the world...?
She had only been complacent for a moment, and now Heiji and Genosuke had also joined the Akatsuki!
Just moments earlier, Kaori and Madam Shūto wouldn't shut up about not wanting to discuss the Akatsuki with Mayumi—and now they couldn't stop talking about it.
Kaori, looking more and more satisfied with her son, said, "Heiji, this is wonderful! You've joined Akatsuki, too. Now, just like Mayumi's family, you can help our village grow and work for the happiness of the villagers! I'm so happy!"
Madam Shūto squatted down and embraced Genosuke. "Genosuke, I'm so proud of you! Amegakure's current prosperity is the result of Lord Senshi and the Akatsuki working together. Now you can also take part in that great cause, helping the village become even stronger and making the villagers happier!"
But even in their mothers' arms, Heiji and Genosuke weren't all that happy. They and Mikiko had always had a friendly rivalry, and this time both boys had lost to Mikiko. All right, so they'd joined Akatsuki a few days later than she did—that wouldn't have been a big deal. But something had happened that day to hurt them both deeply, so even though they had finally joined, they just couldn't bring themselves to celebrate.
Kaori and Madam Shūto, however, were far too absorbed in their excitement to notice their sons' moods. Laughing, they went on:
Madam Shūto touched her ruby necklace. "Mayumi, you were right—this 'true red' on the red-cloud robe really does look better than the gemstone-red on my necklace."
Likewise, Kaori placed her black-swan ring next to Heiji's red clouds and said, "Yes, Mayumi's sense of style is impeccable. The pure black fabric of the robe is just so striking. Wearing it makes Heiji look so spirited."
Mayumi offered them a polite smile, but inwardly she was ranting:
This is insane. Wasn't Akatsuki supposed to be hard to join? How did Heiji and Genosuke both manage it in the blink of an eye?
The more she had shown off earlier, the more awkward she felt now. She could no longer boast about how her daughter Mikiko had joined Akatsuki first, and now, with Kaori and Madam Shūto both going on about the organization, there was little she could do except steer the topic elsewhere so they could chat normally at all.
She glanced curiously at Mikiko's slight smile—and at the piece of paper in her daughter's hand. Looking baffled, she asked, "Mikiko, what's that paper you're holding?"
Mikiko pushed her glasses up. Opening the paper, she replied, "It's my acceptance letter to Lord Senshi's mercenary corps. Once you've joined Akatsuki, only those with the potential to inherit the Will of Rain can join his mercenary group. Right now, I'm the only one in our class who got accepted, so I plan to do my best to inherit the Will of Rain!"
When Mikiko finished, the entire area fell silent, and Mayumi was so emotional she couldn't speak for a moment.
Nearly everyone in Amegakure knew that the Akatsuki was the core of normal operations in the village. Many also knew that once ordinary shinobi joined Akatsuki, if they were outstanding enough, they could be selected for Lord Senshi's mercenary corps.
But joining Akatsuki in the first place was already difficult. After that, being chosen for Lord Senshi's direct team was unimaginably harder. So far, only a handful, such as Lord Kakuzu or "Dean" Karin, had made it into Senshi's mercenary group.
Given that Amegakure's prosperity was brought about by the entire village rallying around Akatsuki, everyone was proud if they or their children were accepted. If Akatsuki was the core of the village, then in matters of village development, Lord Senshi's mercenary corps was the core of the core.
Hence, joining Akatsuki was a major honor; joining Senshi's mercenary team was the highest honor. And now, Mikiko was part of that mercenary team! In the near future, she might even be the one to inherit Lord Senshi's Will of Rain!
Mayumi's heart soared, and her grin practically stretched from ear to ear. Outwardly, however, she pretended to scold her daughter:
"Mikiko, you still have a lot to learn. Now that you're in Lord Senshi's mercenary team, you'll have to work extra hard!"
Then she turned and said to Heiji and Genosuke, "Heiji and Genosuke, you two are so much more down-to-earth. You didn't go straight for Lord Senshi's mercenary group right away."
Heiji and Genosuke both thought: Auntie, do you even hear yourself?
Standing at the school gates in their red-cloud robes, Mikiko, Heiji, and Genosuke soon drew the attention of other parents and children. Many kids looked on enviously, chattering:
"Mikiko, Heiji, and Genosuke are so awesome! They actually joined the Akatsuki under Lord Senshi's leadership—now they get to help build up the village with him!"
"Yeah, I wish I could join Akatsuki, too. But I've already been turned down twice."
"Mikiko's unbelievable—she got an acceptance letter from Principal Senshi's mercenary corps! In village-related matters, Principal Senshi's corps is practically the core of Akatsuki!"
"No kidding. Mikiko is amazing!"
When it came to Principal Senshi's mercenary group, the kids' eyes shone with excitement. All of them longed to join Akatsuki—and, even more, to join Senshi's corps—so they could help the village develop quickly and improve everyone's lives.
Among the general public of Amegakure, it was understood that Kakuzu and Karin were members of Senshi's team. It was also known that some of the young Uzumaki kids might have the potential to join. But in truth, there were also two other youngsters in Senshi's corps—Naruto and Sasuke, who had been giving Kakashi a nightmare of a time.
During the latest cycle of events, the two troublemakers had shown up outside Kakashi's room. Sasuke naturally stepped forward, politely planning to knock and wake their teacher. He had just raised his hand to knock when Naruto stopped him.
Sasuke froze, "Naruto, are you slacking off now?"
Naruto waved his hand. "Sasuke, you can't wake Kakashi-sensei that way!"
Then, mimicking Senshi's "no-mercy footwork," Naruto suddenly kicked Kakashi's door.
Bang!
With a dull thud, the door flew open. Inside, Kakashi was sitting on his bed, eyes bloodshot, looking half-dead at the doorway.
Naruto: (O_O)???
Sasuke: (O_O)???
Naruto asked, baffled, "Kakashi-sensei, why do you have the Sharingan activated?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Naruto, that's not the Sharingan."
Naruto blinked. "It's not? But Kakashi-sensei's eyes are so red! What else could it be?"
Sasuke frowned. "No idea. Anyway, let's get him to take us on a mission."
Naruto nodded. "Kakashi-sensei, bring us out on a mission. By the time we're done with a few assignments, maybe your eyes will look normal again."
Kakashi sighed and stood up, though he looked exhausted. The moment he was on his feet, his vision went black and he collapsed on the spot. He'd been sleep-deprived for ages—at times staying up all night on missions with Naruto and Sasuke. If that weren't enough, the Hokage often gave him surprise emergency tasks. He'd barely gotten back to his room after completing a mission and hadn't even lain down before these two monsters kicked down his door.
Sasuke, seeing Kakashi knocked out cold, frowned. "Naruto, should we call the medical team?"
Naruto thought briefly, then clapped his fists together. "No need. Let's carry Kakashi-sensei to the black market. If the shinobi at the village gate won't let us leave, we'll ask them to help wake him up."
After a moment's deliberation, Sasuke nodded. He figured Kakashi just needed proper rest, and traveling wouldn't hurt. So they hoisted Kakashi's unconscious body and headed for the village gate. Approaching the gate, Kakashi slowly came to his senses. Blinking in confusion, he asked, "Naruto, Sasuke... where are you taking me?"
Naruto answered casually, "Oh, Kakashi-sensei, you're awake! We were just going to check with the guards at the gate about your condition."
Kakashi was perplexed about why they were bringing him to the gate instead of the hospital or the medics. But, lacking the strength to protest, he forced himself to walk alongside them. As long as Kakashi was present, they could pass through the gate freely. Not long after leaving the village, Kakashi's eyes rolled back again, and he collapsed a second time.
By now, Naruto and Sasuke were used to it, and wordlessly lifted him back onto their shoulders, carrying him on to the black market. Kakashi stirred to find himself already in the black market's main hall, slumped against a wall. When Naruto and Sasuke emerged, his eyelids twitched anxiously.
"Na... Naruto, Sasuke, why did you accept so many missions?"
Each of them was holding a thick stack of job requests. From experience, Kakashi estimated it would take them till midday the next day to complete them all.
Naruto replied cheerfully, "Kakashi-sensei, the early bird catches the worm! Sasuke and I lucked out—there are loads of assignments perfect for us this time!"
Sasuke said, "Kakashi-sensei, we're going to work nonstop through the night. We should be done by midday tomorrow."
Kakashi: ?
He really wanted to talk to the Hokage about switching out—maybe they could send a three-man team for this instead, so they could rotate. One person alone might just drop dead from the lack of sleep.
But while these thoughts were swirling in Kakashi's tired mind, Naruto and Sasuke were already sprinting off to start the missions. Exuding fighting spirit, Naruto challenged Sasuke: "Sasuke, let's see which one of us can finish first!"
Sasuke gave him a bored look. "Naruto, is that really necessary? When have you ever beaten me?"
Naruto retorted, "That's because before, I didn't have proper guidance and never improved quickly. Now I'm stronger than you!"
Sasuke sneered. "You, the eternal loser, must still be dreaming."
"I'll show you!" shouted Naruto, annoyed.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Dream on."
They glared, then shot off like arrows from the bow, racing to see who'd finish their missions first. Kakashi, sporting not only red eyes but also black circles beneath them, struggled to keep up. Usually, he followed Naruto in person while sending a summoned beast to track Sasuke. His poor summon, likewise sleepless, had the same raccoon-eyed look.
Just as Kakashi had feared, Naruto and Sasuke worked through the night again. By late morning of the next day, Sasuke had finished his final assignment a fraction sooner and handed it in at the black market's front desk, followed shortly by Naruto. Seeing that Sasuke had beaten him yet again, Naruto was crestfallen.
"Darn it—you're only faster than me because you use Lightning Release, and that gives you an edge when traveling!"
"Watch out! I'm gonna learn a special speed-travel ninjutsu, so I'll never lose to you again!"
~~~
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