"Lin Yu, is your teacher really Orochimaru, one of the 'Sannin'?" Kushina's eyes widened. Although Lin Yu had already confirmed it, she still looked incredulous.
Lin Yu felt helpless. After parting with Mikoto, Kushina had been pestering him with questions. However, some things were difficult to explain to Kushina, so he could only stammer and give evasive answers. Fortunately, Kushina was naturally carefree and didn't overthink things.
Lin Yu recalled Mikoto's somewhat resentful gaze before she left, as if asking why he hadn't told her earlier that her guiding jonin was Orochimaru. But since she had agreed, Mikoto could only accept and pray that Orochimaru would truly not bother them!
"Yes, I've answered this question a hundred times, Kushina."
"But... Orochimaru is one of the 'Sannin'! How could he take a liking to an ugly duckling like you."
Lin Yu stumbled, almost bumping into a utility pole. He said with clear displeasure, "What ugly duckling! Your brother Lin Yu is a hidden genius. Orochimaru is incredibly lucky to have me as his student!"
Kushina looked at him as if he were lying, mumbling, "Who are you kidding? I know exactly how capable you are. I taught you the Three-Body Technique, and you still took half a year to learn it."
Lin Yu was struck speechless, this being a lifelong embarrassment for him.
Lin Yu decided to ignore Kushina and walked with a sullen face. Seeing that Lin Yu seemed angry, Kushina quickly grabbed his arm and shook it. The setting sun cast their elongated shadows...
The next day at noon, at Might Duy's house.
"Lin Yu, thank you so much for your help with the last mission." Might Duy poured a cup of clear tea and handed it to Lin Yu, expressing his gratitude.
"Senior Duy, you don't need to be like this. It was your passionate pursuit of youth that moved me..."
"Ah, just call me Uncle Duy. 'Senior' sounds too distant. Hahaha, I might not be good at other things, but when it comes to understanding youth, I'm second to none in Konoha!"
Of course, which ninja would run 1000 laps around the village every day with heavy weights? Even an ox would be exhausted to death!
Lin Yu said with a wry smile, "Uncle Duy, I've come today to tell you something. We have a new member joining our team. I'll introduce them to you another day."
Might Duy chuckled heartily and said, "What's the big deal? Young people should do more while they're young. Besides, I was only temporarily joining. I've also thought a lot these past few days. After completing a few more missions with Lin Yu, I'll withdraw from the team and focus on training Kai."
Lin Yu frowned slightly. "Kai is still so young. Uncle Duy, you don't need to be so rushed. Besides, I was just informing you about a new team member joining, not implying anything else. Please don't misunderstand, Uncle Duy."
Might Duy looked at Kai in his arms with a gentle expression. "I'm getting old. I know my limits. If I continue like this, I won't make any breakthroughs. So, I want to dedicate all my remaining energy to Kai. Once I've saved enough money over the next few years, I'll stop taking missions and focus on cultivating Kai."
"When Kai grows up and can live on his own in a few years, I'll use my remaining strength to inspire the younger generation not to forget the passion of youth!"
Lin Yu fell silent. He couldn't make decisions for Might Duy, nor could he stop him. He could only help him in any way he could.
Lin Yu took out a bundle from his arms and pushed it towards Might Duy. "Uncle Duy, I'd like to ask you for a favor. This is the commission fee."
Might Duy's brow furrowed, and he looked displeased. "What do you mean, Lin Yu? If you're in trouble, I'll definitely help. Forget the money."
Lin Yu's expression was firm, and he said in a deep voice, "Uncle Duy, just consider this a transaction. It's a deal for me to purchase the secrets of taijutsu from you."
Might Duy's expression changed. His thick eyebrows furrowed. He looked at Lin Yu for a long time, then smiled bitterly. "Lin Yu, must it be like this? You know, even if you gave me nothing, I would still teach you in the future. I would never go back on my word."
"Uncle Duy, you might not need it, but Kai does. The medicinal herbs for body refining, the damage to the body after breaking through limits—these all require a lot of money. What I have is just a drop in the bucket."
Might Duy looked at Lin Yu deeply once more, then got up and went into his room. Shortly after, he came out with a yellowed diary in his hand, looking nostalgic and reluctant. However, he still handed it to Lin Yu, his eyes red. "This contains all my cultivation experience from the past thirty years. The medicinal herbs I used after each breakthrough became progressively more refined. You can skip the trial-and-error process and start directly with the medicinal baths at the end. This is the epitome of my thirty years of youth! It also contains daily accounts of my romance with my wife. You must keep it safe!"
Lin Yu was somewhat moved at first, but when he heard the latter part, his mouth twitched slightly. Did he expect him to also experience the cloying sweetness of romance while cultivating? This precious diary suddenly lost its appeal.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yu said earnestly, "Uncle Duy, rest assured, I will return it to you after I've memorized the contents. It won't be damaged."
"Alas, forget it. Dwelling on the past will only bring more sorrow. When Kai grows up, teach it to him, let him see how hard his father worked in his youth!" Might Duy waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to reminisce.
"Uh... alright." Lin Yu broke out in a sweat. It wasn't enough to be subjected to this secondhand affection alone; he had to let his son experience it too. This was simply insane!
"By the way, this secret of taijutsu is called the Eight Inner Gates."
"Yes, I know!"
"...Cough cough, then what was it you wanted to ask of me?"
Lin Yu's old face flushed slightly. "It's like this, a new girl has joined the team named Uchiha Mikoto. She's quite gentle and hasn't adapted to the ninja life yet. I was hoping you, Uncle Duy, could take her on a few more D-rank missions to help her adapt. You can split the commission fee."
"Uchiha Mikoto? From the Uchiha clan? That's a proud clan. It's rare to have a gentle girl from there. Alright, I agree! I'll earn some more milk money for Kai in this last bit of time!" Might Duy's eyes burned with passion, as if this were the last time he was burning his youth.
Lin Yu's head swam. He felt that the D-rank missions in Konoha might be in for a rough time. Surely not, right? Although there were D-rank missions every day, their number was usually not large, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
Lin Yu didn't know that his actions today would add hundreds of D-rank missions to Orochimaru's record, and to his own as well.
Even though Lin Yu and Orochimaru weren't the ones executing the missions, the commissions were accepted under their names, so they would be recorded in their mission logs. It was as if they received credit without lifting a finger!
"Oh right, is that little girl Uchiha Mikoto pretty?"
"Uh... she's quite pretty!"
"You rascal, you've got my old charm! Ahahaha!"
"..."