Ninja Academy, Room 201
"You little—"
Kankuro lay on the ground, looking defeated.
He could tell the shadows had held back, but that only made it worse. Being toyed with so easily left a bitter taste.
Temari lay against her giant fan, casting a resentful glance at Link. She didn't even have the strength to speak.
Sure, ninja didn't play fair, but wasn't there a line? Shouldn't a supervising jonin show more restraint?
Link stood before Gaara, who was suspended by sand, and asked, "Why don't you let it out?"
"The seal..." Gaara turned his face slightly, his expression calm despite being pummeled earlier. "Konoha placed a new seal on me."
He paused, then added, "Shukaku hates you."
"I quite like Shukaku, though," Link replied with a smile. He gestured for his shadows to help the three up and set them by a nearby rock.
"Since I'm your supervising jonin, we should establish a basic understanding of each other," he said.
"This little test was to show that none of you are particularly skilled in taijutsu."
"You were just beating us up," Temari couldn't help but retort.
Link wagged a finger and smiled wider. "No, no, no. This was a demonstration to teach you why you need to respect me as your instructor."
So it really was just about beating us up... Kankuro grumbled inwardly.
Gaara, however, listened intently and asked, "What do you want us to do?"
"First, I need to correct a little misunderstanding," Link said, leaning back on a rock brought over by a shadow. He stretched his legs leisurely. "Call me Link-sensei."
"If not, I might consider giving you some... special attention on a regular basis."
"Understood, Link-sensei," Kankuro replied obediently.
Temari rolled her eyes at her brother but followed suit. "Link-sensei."
"L-Lin... Link-sensei," Gaara stuttered, clearly unused to the title.
"Good," Link said, nodding. "And remember, never disobey my orders."
The three of them nodded in unison.
"By the way," Link asked casually, "do you guys have money?"
Temari shrugged. "I have some savings, but not much."
As the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage, she had been raised as a "princess," but with their father's constant struggle to keep the village afloat, funds were tight. Most of her income came from low-ranking missions, and her expenses weren't small—especially in the harsh environment of the Land of Wind, where skincare wasn't cheap.
"None," Kankuro admitted honestly. As a puppeteer, his art was expensive. While other ninjas might only spend on basic tools or jutsu, puppeteers invested heavily in poisons, puppet crafting, and maintenance. Sunagakure had fewer and fewer puppeteers for this exact reason—it was a rich man's game.
Gaara stared at him with his clear, unblinking eyes as if asking, What's money?
Temari explained, "Gaara's expenses are entirely covered by the village. Even when he takes on missions, he doesn't get paid directly."
Essentially, Sunagakure didn't treat Gaara like a person, let alone a shinobi. As a jinchūriki, he was a weapon, a high-risk one at that.
Link's gaze shifted between them with a hint of disdain. Three broke losers.
"As your supervising jonin, I'm willing to offer you special services," Link said after assessing the situation. "I can provide you with a chance to meet deceased loved ones. The price? One unknown jutsu I haven't seen before, and you get twenty minutes.
"If you'd rather pay, it's 100,000 ryō per minute. Tell me who you want to see beforehand, and I'll summon them. Payment upon successful contact."
Why bother doing dangerous missions when I can make money so easily? Link thought smugly.
Temari hesitated. "Could I... see Baki-sensei for one minute?"
"Right now?" Link's smile grew even wider.
"Wait, Baki-sensei?!" Kankuro exclaimed, shocked.
He hadn't known Baki had been summoned before, as those meetings were kept confidential.
Gaara's expression didn't change much, but his gaze flickered. While memories of his late mother and uncle stirred in his mind, he didn't say anything.
Temari pulled out a small scroll from her pouch, performed a summoning jutsu, and retrieved a black-and-gray wallet shaped like a weasel. She counted out 100,000 ryō and handed it to Link.
"One minute," she confirmed.
Link accepted the money, quickly calculating the chakra cost. He formed a series of hand seals and slammed his palms together.
A bewildered Baki appeared, immediately on guard. But upon seeing his three former students in front of him—albeit in various states of disarray—he turned to Link with a questioning look.
"What's going on?"
"It's not a combat situation," Link said, slipping the money into his pouch. "Your former students wanted to see you." He then stepped aside, leaving them to their reunion.
While Baki exchanged information with his students, Link observed with amusement.
Baki might be weak compared to Kakashi, but he has his uses.
As the minute wound down, Link approached with a smile. "Want to extend the time? I can give you a 20% discount."
"No need," Baki replied curtly before vanishing back to the Pure Land.
Suit yourself.
Link didn't pry. As a professional, he respected his clients' privacy.
Turning back to his three subordinates, he said, "Unless there's something else, we're done for the day. Meet me at the Hokage's building tomorrow morning."
And with that, he pocketed his easy earnings, waved goodbye, and disappeared.
…
Half a Month Later – Konoha, South Naka River
"Ugh!"
Temari angrily smacked the river's surface with her trash picker, expressing her frustration.
"Link-sensei, are we really going to keep doing these low-level missions?" she complained.
"I'm doing them with you, aren't I?" Link replied lazily from a bench, simultaneously forming seals for a summoning jutsu. Calling all ninjas in the Pure Land! Now's your chance to return to the living world!
While Temari fumed, Gaara sat quietly nearby, staring at the sky, lost in thought.
A few minutes later, with the trash bags full, Temari stormed over. "We're done."
"Great," Link said, standing up and letting his shadows handle the cleanup.
As they approached the mission desk, an Anbu suddenly appeared.
"The Hokage requests your presence," the masked figure said.
"Looks like you'll finally get to leave the village," Link told his team, dismissing them with a wave before vanishing alongside the Anbu.
~~~
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