Superpower… no, money power! If there was anyone in the shinobi world who could help Shien retrieve that Summoning Scroll — and who he didn't have to worry about pocketing it for himself — there was only one man.
Kakuzu!
The future "Treasurer" of the Akatsuki's dream team. The man's only obsession was money. Which meant, there was absolutely no risk of him betraying a commission that was properly paid for.
As long as Shien spent enough to hire him, Kakuzu would bring the Summoning Scroll back without fail. With his Kage-level strength and advance intel on the Great Lizard of Shouzaki, defeating it head-on might be impossible, but acquiring the scroll? That was no problem at all.
As for the question of where the money would come from… Once upon a time, that would've been a headache for Shien. But now, he had a simple solution— "Rich lady, I'm hungry, feed me~.JPG."
After all, his fiancée wasn't short on cash.
Besides, there was another advantage to asking her for funds after coming clean— He could make her the official scapegoat for the summoning beast. Otherwise, even if he did find it, he wouldn't dare use it himself. But if the summoning beast was "Uchiha Mei's," and he was merely borrowing it—then all was well.
With that decided, Shien bid farewell to Hyuga Aotsuki. If he'd had a "System," her loyalty meter would've probably burst through the roof. Even without one, though, it was obvious from her eyes that she harbored deep gratitude—and affection—toward him.
Leaving the woods, Shien soon arrived at a nearby training field.
"Shien!" Namikaze Minato greeted him with his usual warm smile as he instructed the other two members of Team Three. He never put on airs around them—always that sunny big-brother vibe, radiating pure charisma.
Honestly, Shien aside, both Namikaze Minatoi and Kakashi were already half-infected by his charm. Especially that stubborn tsundere Kakashi—his words might still be sharp, but compared to his old cold, lifeless gaze, there was now the faintest glimmer of warmth.
Terrifying, truly terrifying. Namikaze Minato's charisma could rival that of Orochimaru himself.
Once everyone was gathered, Minato began checking their progress—stamina, hand-seal speed, chakra control, and so on. Only by understanding their current state could he give targeted guidance.
Technically, this was supposed to be the "teacher's" responsibility, not the team leader's. But even though Minato hadn't officially taken Shien or Koji as disciples, he still trained them wholeheartedly.
"Alright, I can tell you've all been working hard lately." Minato clapped his hands to draw their attention before continuing.
"Koji, overtraining isn't good for your body."
The first one he addressed was, of course, Namikaze Minatoi, the team's resident grind king. His daily training was already packed to the brim, and he even squeezed in extra practice privately. If he wasn't the king of grinding, who was?
In truth, Minato was holding back a bit. Training hard wasn't the problem—the problem was lacking the right support methods: herbs, medicines, or secret techniques to recover from the strain. Take Kakashi for instance—his training was even more intense, yet it never stunted his growth, simply because he had the resources to keep up.
"Yes, Minato-sensei." Koji fell silent. He knew the truth of it. The Yamashina clan might have declined, but he wasn't ignorant. Still, with teammates as strong as Shien and Kakashi, if he didn't work himself to the bone, he'd only become a burden.
"Shien, you need to keep working on your close-quarters combat. If an enemy spots that weakness, they'll target it immediately. Prepare a few short-range tactics in advance."
Minato's reminder hit the mark. With his sharp eye, he could tell Shien's taijutsu lagged behind his other skills.
A ninja didn't need to be perfectly balanced in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—but even illusion specialists would reinforce their melee defenses, sometimes even setting traps that used their "weakness" as bait.
So, even knowing Shien was walking the "ninjutsu-type" path, Minato still urged him to close that gap.
As for Kakashi… there wasn't much to criticize. His fundamentals were already solid.
After giving his advice, Minato hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up.
"Next month's Joint Chunin Exams—are you three planning to sign up?"
This was a directive straight from the Third Hokage himself. Normally, a genin needed several years of experience before applying for promotion—unless it was wartime. But such rules didn't really apply to certain people.
Geniuses.
Kakashi, for example, had been at chunin-level right after graduation. Shien and Koji weren't far behind either; their growth had been remarkable, already surpassing most genin by far. A team like theirs absolutely had the strength to compete.
The Joint Chunin Exams were more than just a promotion test—they were a showcase of power for all the hidden villages. The better a village's genin performed, the greater its prestige. And prestige meant everything: mission contracts, trade relations, political leverage.
That's why even the most precious geniuses were pushed onto the stage—sometimes even sacrificed—for the sake of their village's honor.
"Minato-sensei, do you want us to sign up?" Shien asked.
"Yes." Minato nodded. It was technically the Third Hokage's and Elder Danzo's decision, but he didn't mention that part.
"Then please handle the registration for us, Sensei." Shien agreed without hesitation. He understood Minato's character—if there had been any room to refuse, the man would have advised against rushing it. But since he didn't, it clearly wasn't optional. No point in making things awkward for him.
"I'll take care of it." Minato exhaled softly, visibly relieved, then added with a promise:
"I'll also be giving you special training before the exam. If there's anything you need, just say the word."
If Team Three was being pushed into the Joint Chunin Exams ahead of schedule, they deserved some compensation. The previous "rewards" they'd received had been part of this same arrangement. The village wanted them to grow stronger—fast—so they could perform well in the exams.
The Joint Chunin Exams were both a risk and an opportunity. Just like the future Konoha Twelve. They, too, had special training before their exams—Naruto got the Mount Myōboku summoning scroll, Sasuke learned Kakashi's A-rank technique Chidori, and so on.
But with those rewards came danger. Because the exams were joint, genin from other villages would participate—and they wouldn't hold back. Some even specialized in hunting rival prodigies.
That deadly tension was exactly what made the Joint Chunin Exams such a spectacle, drawing countless spectators from across the nations.
As for Kakashi, he wasn't particularly interested in extra training. The special regimen was mainly for Shien and Koji, who had never had the chance to be mentored by someone of "White Fang's" caliber before.
For them, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
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