"Leader? What leader?"
Ye Liang had naturally heard the Tsuchimura clan leader's words at the last moment, but he was absolutely sure—this person was never mentioned in the original story!
In the original story, the Tsuchimura clan leader was wiped out by Minato right after defeating Team Seven, so there was no way this leader should still exist.
Ye Liang couldn't help but suspect something big was off.
"Could it be that this isn't even the Konoha from Shippuden?"
...
A few days later.
Ye Liang sat coolly in the Hokage's office, wearing a detached expression.
Ding dong.
"Congratulations, Master! Mission Completed—First Pot of Gold!"
[Reward]: Summoning Jutsu
"Summoning Technique?"
He never expected to actually get his hands on this jutsu.
Ye Liang felt genuinely delighted. In the Naruto world, Summoning Jutsu was a technique any ninja could use, but depending on one's personal traits, each summoned different kinds of summoning beasts. That was why Ye Liang felt excited about this ability.
Just as Ye Liang collected his reward and was about to leave the Hokage's office, another series of sounds echoed in his mind.
Ding dong!
"Congratulations, Master! You've exceeded objectives for S-Rank Mission—Repel Minato!"
[Reward]: Flying Thunder God Technique
Ding dong!
"Congratulations, Master! Mission Completed—Ate for Free!"
[Reward]: Transformation Jutsu
...
Ding dong!
"Congratulations, Master! You've exceeded objectives for A-Rank Mission—Kannabi Bridge!"
[Reward]: Ninjutsu—Shadow Clone, Ninjutsu—Shadow Camouflage!
Because you exceeded mission objectives, Ninjutsu—Shadow Clone has been upgraded to Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
"??? "
"Why?!"
Ye Liang froze stiff!
"What the hell is going on here? Where are all these rewards coming from?"
"Ate for Free? Kannabi Bridge?"
Ye Liang paused for a moment. He realized all these were things he'd already experienced. The Kannabi Bridge mission had just finished recently, and "Ate for Free" probably referred to when he once ate ramen at Ichiraku without paying.
These were all events that had already happened.
"But then why did they only show up now?" Ye Liang wondered.
After some quick thinking, he suddenly understood everything.
"I get it!"
"The first two missions triggered almost immediately one after another, meaning mission triggers aren't necessarily spaced far apart!"
"But until now, there hadn't been any new missions—not because they weren't triggered—but because there had always been an ongoing, unfinished mission overhead!"
"As long as the current task remains incomplete, no new tasks will be displayed!"
"So that's how it works!"
He finally figured it all out.
Although no new missions showed up, once a pending mission was completed, all corresponding rewards would be issued exactly as intended!
A delighted expression instantly spread across Ye Liang's face.
Never did he expect that within just a few days, he'd have completed such a huge pile of missions!
Ye Liang roughly counted around seven or eight total, but aside from the one at Kannabi Bridge, all others were trivial daily tasks:
Ate for free, caught a street thief, stole and wore Anko's clothes...
The rewards given were also low-tier ones:
Transformation Jutsu, Clone Technique, Substitution Jutsu—all basic beginner techniques taught at the Ninja Academy.
But none of that even mattered anymore.
What really bugged him though—where the hell did the Flying Thunder God Technique come from?!
Ye Liang was suddenly overwhelmed by an uncontrollable wave of joy.
[The Flying Thunder God—the Golden Flash!]
Another S-rank jutsu!
But no matter how hard Ye Liang thought, he couldn't recall defeating Minato at all.
Am I suffering from amnesia?
Or did I beat him while sleepwalking?
Did I just dream about defeating him?
Suddenly, Ye Liang clearly remembered dreaming about Minato—he recalled stepping on him and pulling Kushina tightly into his arms.
"Hahahaha!"
Thinking about Kushina's alluring curves made Ye Liang's mouth water.
"Mr. Ye Liang, if you have nothing else to do, you should go back and rest. Everyone gets a few days off after completing a mission," Hiruzen Sarutobi reminded him.
He looked at Ye Liang with a twitch in his eye.
Is collecting a reward really that exciting? Enough to make drool run down his chin...
The Third Hokage was a little creeped out and quickly urged Ye Liang to leave.
"Huh? Oh!"
Ye Liang snapped out of his fantasy immediately.
Whatever, since it came this way, I might as well enjoy it for now.
He stopped overthinking.
Weighing the reward pouch in his hand, he realized the Kannabi Bridge mission was A-rank—probably worth several ten thousand ryō. Enough for him to live comfortably for a while.
"Sensei, if you're free, could you train with me in the afternoon?"
At this moment, Rin Nohara suddenly asked softly. She was a shy girl, her voice barely above a whisper, but Ye Liang still caught every word.
"Haha, no problem! Wait for me at the training ground this afternoon!"
Ye Liang laughed heartily. Still riding the high of sudden wealth, he agreed without even thinking.
Yet, he completely forgot—he didn't know any actual ninja techniques or methods, aside from using his 'cheats.'
Rin nodded.
A clear expression of happiness showed on her face.
Truthfully speaking, as a medical ninja, there wasn't much need for power. But after this recent incident, Rin deeply felt her own weakness.
Even though Obito isn't strong, she still needed his protection. Under such circumstances, she was practically a burden!
That's why Rin wanted to work hard and grow stronger.
At this time, Obito was already heading to the infirmary with Kakashi's help.
So only the two of them remained.
Rin casually followed Ye Liang out the door of the hall.
"Sensei, let's walk together," Rin said.
But Ye Liang acted as if he hadn't heard her.
Just imagine Anko's reaction when she sees this pile of cash—she'll be floored!
His mind raced, and like a total airhead, he left Rin behind, ignoring their agreement.
"I guess Sensei must be busy," Rin stood there blankly, trying hard to console herself.
As for Ye Liang?
He'd already forgotten the promise he just made.
Saying yes automatically was just his default response as a typical nice guy.
In his previous life, he was a pushover, a trait he naturally carried over into this one.
After some twists and turns, Ye Liang finally returned home.
Some days later.
Obito Uchiha rushed into Anko's little house.
"Sensei Ye Liang! Something happened to Rin!"
"What happened?"
Ye Liang was eating at the table when he suddenly felt puzzled.
"Rin Nohara is training alone at the Training Ground, but she seems to have gotten into a confrontation with a group of Chunin! Kakashi is already on his way. I came to inform you!"
"What?" Ye Liang was taken aback.
A scene from a few days ago suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Teacher, can you guide my training this afternoon?"
"No problem. Wait for me at the Training Ground!"
That was the conversation he'd had with Rin Nohara.
"Damn it, how could I forget about this!"
He immediately left Anko behind, still mid-meal, and bolted out of the village with Obito!
...
The Training Ground in Konoha was located on the outskirts of the village.
Because Ninjutsu was so powerful, shinobi obviously couldn't fight freely within the village itself. Therefore, the Hidden Leaf Village had set up a well-equipped Training Ground in the forest just outside the village.
Like how Naruto trained back in the main story, these sessions always happened at the Training Grounds.
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