Ninja Academy, Room 201
"You little—"
Kankuro y on the ground, lookied.
He could tell the shadows had held back, but that only made it worse. Being toyed with so easily left a bitter taste.
Temari y against her giant fan, casting a resentful g Link. She didn’t even have the strength to speak.
Sure, ninja didn’t py fair, but wasn’t there a line? Shouldn’t a supervising jonin show more restraint?
Link stood befaara, 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 pced 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 ahem by a nearby rock.
"Since I’m your supervising jonin, we should establish a basiderstanding of each other," he said.
"This little test was to show that none of you are particurly 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 o respect me as your instructor."
So it really was just about beating us up... Kankuro grumbled inwardly.
Gaara, however, listened ily and asked, "What do you want us to do?"
"First, I o correct a little misuanding," Link said, leaning ba a rock brought over by a shadow. He stretched his legs leisurely. "Call me Link-sensei."
"If not, I might sider giving you some... special attention on a regur basis."
"Uood, Link-sensei," Kankuro replied obediently.
Temari rolled her eyes at her brother but followed suit. "Link-sensei."
"L-Lin... Link-sensei," Gaara stuttered, clearly uo 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 stant struggle to keep the vilge afloat, funds were tight. Most of her ine came from low-ranking missions, and her expenses weren’t small—especially in the harsh enviro of the Land of Wind, where skincare wasn’t cheap.
"None," Kankuro admitted holy. As a puppeteer, his art was expensive. While other ninjas might only spend on basic tools or jutsu, puppeteers ied 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 expined, "Gaara’s expenses are entirely covered by the vilge. Even wheakes on missions, he doesn’t get paid directly."
Essentially, Sunagakure didn’t treat Gaara like a perso alone a shinobi. As a jinchūriki, he was a on, a high-risk o 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 provide you with a eet deceased loved ohe 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 miell me who you want to see beforehand, and I’ll summon them. Payment upon successful tact."
Why bother doing dangerous missions when I 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 excimed, shocked.
He hadn’t known Baki had been summoned before, as those meetings were kept fidential.
Gaara’s expression didn’t ge much, but his gaze flickered. While memories of his te mother and uirred in his mind, he didn’t say anything.
Temari pulled out a small scroll from her pouch, performed a summoning jutsu, arieved a bd-gray wallet shaped like a weasel. She ted out 100,000 ryō and ha to Link.
"One minute," she firmed.
Link accepted the money, quickly calg the chakra cost. He formed a series of hand seals and smmed 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 turo Link with a questioning look.
"What’s going on?"
"It’s not a bat situation," Link said, slipping the money into his pouch. "Your former students wao see you." He then stepped aside, leaving them to their reunion.
While Baki exged information with his students, Link observed with amusement.
Baki might be weak pared to Kakashi, but he has his uses.
As the minute wound down, Link approached with a smile. "Want to extend the time? I give you a 20% dist."
"No need," Baki replied curtly before vanishing back to the Pure Land.
Suit yourself.
Link didn’t pry. As a professional, he respected his ts’ privacy.
Turning back to his three subordinates, he said, "Uhere’s something else, we’re done for the day. Meet me at the Hokage’s building tomorrow m."
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 pined.
"I’m doing them with you, aren’t I?" Link replied zily from a bench, simultaneously f seals for a summoning jutsu. Calling all ninjas in the Pure Land! Now’s your ce to return to the living world!
While Temari fumed, Gaara sat quietly nearby, staring at the sky, lost in thought.
A few mier, with the trash bags full, Temari stormed over. "We’re done."
"Great," Link said, standing up aing his shadows hahe up.
As they approached the mission desk, an Anbu suddenly appeared.
"The Hokage requests your presehe masked figure said.
"Looks like you’ll finally get to leave the vilge," Link told his team, dismissing them with a wave before vanishing alongside the Anbu.
Bleam
