Tobirama commanded, "I have already gathered intelligence on all of Kumogakure's spies. Go and apprehend them!"
Torifū took the list from the table and quickly scanned it. "Emmm... their strength isn't that great, about the same as that Tanabe Sanji..."
[T/N: Hint - First System Mission]
As soon as he finished speaking, Torifū realized he had blurted something out! Just as he was about to change the subject, Tobirama asked, "Tanabe Sanji is who?"
Torifū scratched his head: "Ahaha, he's a ninja I killed in the Land of Lightning, a Chūnin-level strength."
Tobirama didn't suspect anything, nodded, and continued, "These individuals aren't very strong. You should be able to handle them within a day, right? Come back tomorrow noon to report."
"Of course, I guarantee the mission will be completed on time."
As Torifū confirmed, the system notification sound chimed: [B-rank mission: Apprehend Spies, accepted.]
Very good, more Peace Points coming in. Torifū had been a bit frustrated that the two clans he brought back had barely contributed any Peace Points. However, he didn't dwell on it too much; after all, they did add new blood to the village, so it was still a gain.
"Alright, I'm done here. You should head back early."
"Understood, I'll be going now."
With that, Torifū left the office and headed towards home. As for apprehending the spies, it wouldn't even take a full day; he could send a few Shadow Clones out and they'd be captured within half a day. Tobirama also knew Torifū's strength. His instruction for Torifū to report back at noon the next day implicitly meant, Don't come back tonight and add to my workload.
However, after returning home, Torifū thought it over. To ensure the mission was foolproof, he decided to send out Shadow Clones early. Eight Shadow Clones were dispatched to monitor the movements of the eight spies, ready to apprehend them first thing in the morning. He had to admit, Kumogakure was a bit deranged; sending so many spies here, did they want to strip Konoha bare? Konoha Village had only sent one spy in comparison.
After confirming that his clones hadn't been discovered, Torifū went about his own business. It had to be said that Shadow Clones were indeed more useful than Crystal Clones. The fact that Tobirama could develop such a ninjutsu truly benefited the entire Konoha Village.
"Snowflake, have those two gone off to train again?"
He had been inside for a while but hadn't seen Aokumo and Ryūfū, only Snowflake leisurely strolling about. Snowflake looked up at Torifū and casually replied, "Yes, those two children have been very dedicated lately. They barely go out anymore, focusing on their training every day."
Torifū smiled upon hearing this. It seemed he definitely wouldn't be cultivating Sage Mode before Aokumo and Ryūfū. He himself always had missions, while Aokumo and Ryūfū trained almost all day, practically staying in the backyard forest except for meals. They would certainly cultivate Sage Mode before Torifū. However, Torifū refused to get caught up in the rat race; going with the flow was his way of life. Sage Mode wasn't something to rush, but Torifū would still make time to train, as he also wanted to test how powerful his ninjutsu could become after infusing it with Sage Chakra.
However, he definitely wouldn't be training today; he needed a good rest. After taking a bath, feeling refreshed, he changed into loose clothes and sat in the courtyard, leisurely eating his meal. Although the taste was ordinary, combined with the beautiful scenery of the courtyard, it wasn't so bad. He had half a day left to rest. This time, Torifū chose not to leave the village, instead just wandering around within it. This way, he would avoid encountering any irrelevant clans or the like. While beneficial for the village, it was detrimental to Torifū's rest. He suggested they appear when he wasn't resting.
After a short nap after his meal, he woke up around two o'clock. He went to the courtyard and found that Aokumo and Ryūfū were still absent, and Snowflake was nowhere to be found either. Too lazy to look for them, Torifū combed his hair and headed out.
There weren't many people on the streets; they were probably all still taking their afternoon naps. As he passed the Katō clan's house, he saw En and Dan having a blast playing. They didn't even notice Torifū's presence. En's face was full of smiles; he seemed like a completely different child from when Torifū first met him. Seeing this, Torifū felt very relieved and quietly left, not wanting to interrupt their friendship. Torifū hadn't spent time playing with Dan in a while, but it seemed he didn't need his company anymore.
When he had nothing to do, Torifū liked to wander around the village. This allowed him to directly experience the vibrant atmosphere of the village. Some clan heads of large families were arrogant and didn't particularly like associating with commoners. Although the village always claimed everyone was equal, true equality was quite difficult to achieve. What they had now was already quite good. For example, the clan head of the Sarutobi clan was quite low-key, which in turn influenced the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. They all mingled with the villagers: the Yamanaka clan's flower shop, the Nara clan's medicinal herb business, the Akimichi clan's BBQ restaurant. These were all ways they used to bridge the gap between themselves and the villagers. Now, it seemed the effect was significant.
Before he knew it, he found himself at the Yamanaka clan's flower shop. He stood at the entrance and looked inside, noting that there weren't too many customers at the moment. Torifū didn't know much about flowers, only having meticulously observed lotuses for a long time when developing his ninjutsu. Beyond that, he understood nothing. Since he didn't have anything to buy, he didn't linger at the shop's entrance.
"Hey! Torifū! Long time no see!"
Suddenly called by name, Torifū looked up and saw Maruboshi Kosuke, an old friend. He hadn't been in touch much lately, as Torifū had been busy traveling abroad for the past few weeks, so he naturally hadn't had time to contact old classmates.
"Kosuke, it really has been a long time. How's school lately?"
Kosuke spread his hands: "Sigh, still the same, I guess. But there are quite a few new kids enrolled, and I heard they're recruiting again next month."
"Yes, I recently rescued a clan from the Land of Lightning, and their young clan heir will also be enrolling next month."
"Oh?" Kosuke was genuinely surprised to hear Torifū say this. Other people were going abroad to carry out missions, while he was still in school, with three more years until graduation. Comparing himself to others was truly infuriating, but Kosuke and the others had long known that Torifū was a genius among geniuses. So, they never compared themselves to Torifū; doing so would only lead to a loss of confidence, with no benefits whatsoever.
"Is that clan very powerful? I heard Hokage-sama even went personally!"
Kosuke was naturally aware of how grand the welcoming ceremony had been before, and his classmates had been discussing the clan non-stop, wondering what kind of ability they possessed that would make Hokage-sama personally get involved.