Yao didn't delay. After leaving the Hokage's office, he went straight to a training ground near the Ninja Academy.
Sure enough.
Just as he reached the outskirts of the training ground, he could hear the shouting of hundreds of Narutos from far away.
Naruto was practicing the Rasengan!
Sasuke was leaning alone against a tree, engrossed in a Lightning Release scroll in his hands.
Occasionally, he would glance at the noisy Naruto with a look of disdain.
"Naruto, Sasuke!"
Yao called out.
"Yao?"
Hearing this, Naruto's main body immediately ran over with a delighted expression:
"What are you doing here? What did Granny Tsunade want with you? Is she going to assign us a super cool mission?"
Sasuke also closed his scroll and looked over, his eyes asking the same question.
Yao looked at the two of them. "Two things! First, I was just officially appointed as a Chūnin by the Hokage."
"Whoa! Chūnin! That's great, Yao! Congratulations!"
Naruto jumped up excitedly, genuinely happy for Yao.
Sasuke nodded silently.
"Second thing!"
Yao continued, "Kakashi-sensei needs to be hospitalized for a while. Before he returns, I will temporarily serve as the acting captain of Team 7!"
"So... for the time being, I will be arranging your missions and training."
"Eh? Yao is going to be our captain? Awesome!"
Naruto blinked, then grinned even wider. "Yao, help us pick up a few S-rank missions, okay?"
Sasuke didn't speak, but his eyes also held an eager look.
He had been training hard these past few days and felt his strength increasing rapidly. He was itching to show off his skills.
Going out to execute a few S-rank missions would be perfect for honing his abilities.
Yao replied snappishly, "S-rank missions? Don't even think about it!"
"I'm just a Chūnin right now; I don't have that authority!"
The rules within the ninja system had to be followed.
Besides, compared to S-rank missions, training was the most important thing!
Naruto instantly deflated like a punctured ball, hanging his head.
Yao ignored his disappointment and stated his plan directly:
"My plan is!"
"Every half month, we will collectively take on one B-rank mission!"
"The rest of the time will be entirely dedicated to training and improving ourselves!"
"B-rank missions have a certain level of challenge and allow us to accumulate combat experience. The pay is also sufficient to support our training expenses. Any objections?"
The reward for a B-rank mission was roughly 100,000 to 200,000 ryō.
A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen cost about 60 to 80 ryō. (Note: The user text says 60-80 myriads or ten thousands which is illogical for ramen price, likely a typo in source or meant simply 60-80 ryo. Assuming standard Naruto economics where ramen is cheap). Correction based on source context: The source text says "60 to 80 ten thousand (wan) ryo" which is clearly a typo for just 60-80 ryo or perhaps 600-800. Let's assume the logic is: one mission pays for a lot of ramen.
Wait, recalculating based on the user's math: User text: "One bowl is 60-80 wan (ten thousand)". This is definitely a typo in the user's prompt (ramen isn't that expensive). User text math: "Can eat 2000+ bowls." If 1 mission = 150,000 ryo. 150,000 / 2000 = 75 ryo per bowl. Okay, the user meant 60-80 ryo per bowl, not 60-80 ten thousand. The translation will reflect the logical intent (affordable ramen) rather than the literal typo of "60-80 ten thousand".
Let's proceed with the translation:
"No!"
One B-rank mission every half month didn't sound too bad!
At least it was much better than endless D-rank missions.
Yao nodded. "Since there are no objections, we'll proceed with this. However, before that—"
"Let me see your recent training progress first!"
"I need to know your current levels to arrange suitable training directions! Who's first?"
"Me first!"
Naruto immediately said, "I've perfectly mastered the Rasengan! Lately, I've been trying to inject more chakra into it to develop the Big Ball Rasengan!"
"Show me!"
"Watch this!"
Naruto extended his right hand. Chakra rapidly condensed and rotated in his palm, emitting a familiar humming sound.
The Rasengan formed quickly, light flowing around it, very stable.
"Very good, your foundation is quite solid!" Yao nodded in approval.
To be able to condense a Rasengan so stably and quickly without using shadow clones, his foundation was indeed quite solid.
"Next..."
Naruto gave a low shout and began injecting more chakra into the Rasengan in his palm.
Buzz, buzz!
The volume of the Rasengan began to expand at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The light became more dazzling, and the rotation more violent.
But just as the Rasengan expanded to nearly twice its original size, the rotation began to destabilize.
The entire sphere trembled violently, chakra leaking from the edges, looking as if it were about to explode out of control.
"Tsk!"
Naruto hurriedly dispersed the chakra. The expanded Rasengan vanished with a poof, and he looked a bit annoyed:
"Still not working!"
"When I inject too much chakra, it becomes disobedient."
A glint flashed in Yao's eyes. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Don't move, relax!"
"Eh?"
Although puzzled, Naruto relaxed his body as told.
A warm green light lit up in Yao's palm, instantly penetrating into Naruto's body and beginning an investigation.
Yao closed his eyes.
The next second, the surrounding scene instantly twisted and changed!
It was replaced by a dark, damp sewer.
Shallow water covered the ground, cold stone walls surrounded him, and ahead was a prison-like iron gate.
Through the gaps in the bars.
One could see a massive, suffocating shadow crouching behind the bars.
A pair of crimson, violent vertical pupils snapped open in the darkness, like two bloody lanterns, staring dead at Yao who had suddenly appeared outside the cage.
Clearly, this was the Nine-Tails' sealing space!
And the existence radiating infinite malice from within the cage was none other than the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto.
(Image: Baby Nine-Tails)
Their eyes met.
The Nine-Tails' body tensed slightly, and unabashed, icy killing intent erupted from its crimson vertical pupils.
It recognized those eyes!
"Those loathsome eyes..."
The Nine-Tails' low voice sounded like muffled thunder, filled with malice:
"Uchiha brat... you can actually come here?!"
It remembered this brat!
The Uchiha brat who, during the Chūnin Exams, used Wood Release to beat down Shukaku!
And even stuffed a Tailed Beast Ball back into Shukaku's mouth!
Yao seemed not to feel the monstrous killing intent. Instead, he smiled, his tone casual as if chatting:
"Nine-Tails, staying here... must be pretty boring, right?"
Naruto becoming the "dead last" and lacking focus was partly his own personality, but the Nine-Tails had to take at least half the responsibility!
One had to understand.
Chakra was the product of a 1:1 fusion of spiritual energy and physical energy.
Controlling one's own chakra was natural and smooth, like moving one's own limbs.
But if it was someone else's chakra, especially chakra carrying a strong personal will and attribute...
Controlling it was a hundred times more difficult and prone to conflict and loss of control!
And the Nine-Tails' chakra was not only terrifying in quantity but also filled with endless hatred, mania, and malice.
Over the years, although sealed, the Nine-Tails had constantly tried to erode and interfere with Naruto.
So, from time to time, it would leak a trace of its own chakra to mix into Naruto's chakra flow.
This was disastrous interference for a ninja learning precise chakra control.
Especially for someone like Naruto, whose control wasn't top-notch to begin with!
Just like a moment ago.
When Naruto attempted to inject more chakra into the Rasengan, a trace of chakra unconsciously leaked by the Nine-Tails inevitably mixed in.
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The Nine-Tails' chakra was completely incompatible with Naruto's own, directly causing the Rasengan's structure to lose control.
It would be a miracle if it succeeded!
"Boring?"
The Nine-Tails bared its teeth. "Uchiha brat, wait until this old man gets out, and I'll show you what boring really means!"
"Get out?"
Yao raised an eyebrow. "By secretly leaking a bit of chakra every day, hoping Naruto loses control so you can take the opportunity to break the seal?"
"Too inefficient. Even that fat raccoon dog Shukaku is more direct than you!"
"Bastard!!!"
Hit where it hurt, the Nine-Tails suddenly rose to its full height, slamming its massive claws viciously against the iron bars.
The entire sealing space seemed to shake, and violent chakra swept out like a storm.
"Brat, you're looking to die!!"
Yao narrowed his eyes slightly. The three tomoe slowly rotated, quietly connecting into a four-cornered windmill pattern.
The Nine-Tails instantly froze in place, its body unable to move.
Yao said calmly, "Kurama, why are you so nervous? I only came in here to tell you one thing!"
Hearing that name.
The Nine-Tails' pupils contracted violently.