Endo Daisho had told Itsuki all this because he was worried he might get stuck in a rut.
Among all the students Daisho had ever taught, Itsuki was the most promising.
He regretted that he hadn't been able to establish a true teacher-student bond with him back then.
Now that Itsuki had joined the ANBU, Daisho naturally hoped he could only rise higher and do even better.
Itsuki already had some guesses about these things, but he didn't know as much as Daisho had revealed.
As for whether Konoha's policies were good or bad, that wasn't Itsuki's concern.
He had his own golden finger to rely on anyway.
After saying goodbye to Endo Daisho, night had completely fallen.
The ninja who had been out on missions were already home.
Itsuki didn't linger outside and soon returned home himself.
Tenzō had already moved in and renovated the front yard according to the drawings Itsuki had given him.
The weeds were gone, the cherry trees trimmed neatly, and colorful flowers planted in tidy beds.
The road was newly paved, and most striking of all was an open space connecting the three courtyards, with a fountain pool built right in the center.
Walking in the door, the sight was instantly refreshing.
"Itsuki, you're back!"
Tenzō had just finished the day's work, sweat on his forehead, clearly exhausted.
"After I moved in from work, I cleaned up the front yard," he explained. "Time is tight, so I'll continue tomorrow. But at this pace, it'll take several more days to complete."
He added, "Since you said you were going to Tsubaki's house for dinner, I didn't prepare anything tonight. But if you want a midnight snack, I can make it for you."
Itsuki looked around at the newly renovated scenery and felt a wave of ease wash over him.
Sure enough, calling Tenzō "teacher" a few times had been a profitable move.
"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Tenzō. Don't push yourself too much," Itsuki said with a smile. "I asked you to move in so you'd live more comfortably, not to increase your workload."
Tenzō laughed and shook his head. "It's no trouble at all. Just a piece of cake. Honestly, I'm happy to do it."
Though clearly tired, he still looked like he was enjoying himself.
After all, he was the type who thrived when people needed him.
Itsuki handed him the herbal tea Endo Daisho had given him earlier. "I'll skip the midnight snack. I just ate with Tsubaki and stopped by Teacher Daisho's place for some snacks after. Here, have some cold tea and rest for tonight. There's still a long way to go."
"Thank you! You should rest too—you must be tired from everything today," Tenzō replied, touched by the thoughtfulness.
When he heard Itsuki had gone to visit Endo Daisho specifically to thank him, Tenzō's admiration for Itsuki only deepened.
His student was impeccable. How had he gotten so lucky?
In that case, as a teacher, it was his duty to handle all the little things in Itsuki's life.
He would make sure Itsuki lived as comfortably as possible here.
Tenzō made up his mind then and there: no matter how exhausting, he would finish renovating the house according to Itsuki's wishes as soon as possible.
So, when Itsuki went back inside to rest, Tenzō quietly continued working overtime in the backyard.
According to Itsuki's vision, the backyard would have a spacious pavilion for relaxation, plus a hot spring pool that could also be used for swimming.
The details mattered—it couldn't just be done with some quick earth-style ninjutsu.
At this rate, Tenzō probably wouldn't sleep tonight.
Unaware of Tenzō's late-night dedication, Itsuki returned to his room, washed up, and lay down on his bed.
He casually flipped through some scrolls on the shelf while glancing at the [Itsuki Harem Chat Group].
[Yamanaka Ino: I thought this mission would be upgraded to at least A-rank, but Asuma told us we only completed a C-rank mission!]
[Hinata Hyuga: After all, we weren't the ones to defeat the main enemy, and like Anko-san said, we didn't actually perform well.]
[Haruno Sakura: Don't be so gullible. I'm still stuck on D-rank missions here, not even allowed out of the village. I'm so pissed. Kakashi-sensei is so unreliable.]
[Yamanaka Ino: What's wrong? Isn't he a sultry pervert? Did he ever harass you?]
[Haruno Sakura: What are you thinking! Of course not! Don't say something like that!]
[Yamanaka Ino: True. Even if I were blind, I wouldn't harass an ugly forehead like you—flat as a board and not even pretty.]
[Haruno Sakura: Ino-pig! Do you want to fight again?!!]
[Tenten: Enough, enough, quit the bickering. @Yamanaka Ino, an A-rank mission is already serious, usually involving state secrets. It's not just about fighting a few bandits. But since this involved rogue ninja combat, it should have been at least B-rank, right?]
[Hinata Hyuga: Kurenai-sensei said the mission client will upgrade the rank to B. But since we're still just students, our payment and records only count it as C-rank.]
[Yamanaka Ino: I heard Itsuki and his partner will get some of the mission money too, which is fine. But why are we still marked as only completing a C-rank? We took down three rogue ninjas ourselves!]
[Mitarashi Anko: Be content. With your ability, could you complete a B-rank mission without help? You're dreaming of an A-rank reward? Be glad you didn't fail outright.]
[Yamanaka Ino: How could we not finish it? If that leader wasn't hopped up on drugs, I would've beaten him down!]
[Mitarashi Anko: Even if he was on drugs, that doesn't make it an A-rank. Didn't you hear Tenten? A-rank means state-level secrecy. Even if your opponent was at Kage-level, this mission would still just be B-rank.]
[Mitarashi Anko: If you had the ability to stop him before he dosed up, or hold him off afterward, that would have been B-rank. But since you couldn't, the situation worsened. That's on you. If it had been assigned as a B-rank from the start, you would've failed. The fact it was only C-rank is why you barely passed. Got it?]
[Yamanaka Ino: …It's a little hard to get, but I think I understand. Basically, it's our problem.]
[Hinata Hyuga: Thank you, Sister Anko. We'll work harder on improving our strength.]
[Tenten: Right. And since we're all still Genin, the village won't give us B-rank missions yet anyway. We need not just strength, but more mission experience too.]
[Uzumaki Karin: I didn't realize the mission system was this complex. But honestly, facing challenges and growing with my teammates is its own kind of happiness.]
[Haruno Sakura: I get it. But it sucks that I haven't even had the chance to test myself yet! I don't know when I'll ever get to do something higher-level.]
"An advanced mission? It should be soon…"
Itsuki smirked at Sakura's words. His mind instantly flashed to the Land of Waves mission.
That mission should be coming up soon.
And since it would be the first time the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki left the village, the Third Hokage would definitely assign him to accompany them.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you for your support! 💙