"No, not at all!" The three of them shook their heads frantically. With that threatening look on your face, even if we had a problem, we wouldn't dare say it.
"Since there's no problem, let's do introductions. We'll start with the white-haired one." Isamu pointed directly at Jiraiya.
"I'm Jiraiya. Ten years old."
"I'm Tsunade. Also ten."
"I'm Orochimaru. Same age as them."
"Oh, you're all the same age? I wonder who's the oldest and who's the youngest." Isamu was slightly surprised. On the surface, Jiraiya clearly looked a bit older, so he hadn't expected them to be the same age.
"Of course Tsunade is the oldest, then Orochimaru, and I'm the youngest." Now that he had recovered from the earlier intimidation, Jiraiya pointed at the other two as he spoke.
"Jiraiya! Are you asking for another beating?" Tsunade instantly exploded when she heard him say she was the oldest.
"But you are the oldest! I'm not wrong!" Seeing Tsunade about to attack, Jiraiya quickly ducked behind Orochimaru.
"You're still talking? Let's see how I deal with you!" Tsunade rushed forward, ready to beat him up.
Seeing this, Isamu interrupted.
"I didn't expect that Tsunade, who looks the smallest, is actually the oldest, while Jiraiya—who looks the oldest—is the youngest. That's surprising."
"Alright, enough messing around. Let's head to the Mission Hall and pick up a mission."
Hearing that they were going to take a mission, the three of them stopped fooling around and followed Isamu.
Isamu walked in front while the three Genin followed behind him.
"Who do you think is stronger—Old Man Sarutobi or this new captain?" Jiraiya whispered when he noticed Isamu hadn't spoken during the walk.
"Is that even a question? Of course Sarutobi-sensei is stronger. He's the Hokage, and the Hokage is the strongest in the village," Tsunade said confidently. Her grandfather had once been Hokage, so she naturally believed that title meant absolute strength.
Hearing her answer, Jiraiya turned to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, what about you? Who do you think is stronger?"
Orochimaru thought about the terrifying pressure Isamu released earlier.
"…It should still be Sarutobi-sensei," he said uncertainly. "After all, he's the Hokage."
"Fine. Since both of you think Old Man Sarutobi is stronger, let's make a bet. I think the new captain is stronger."
Thinking back to that overwhelming pressure earlier, Jiraiya felt that Isamu might actually surpass even the Hokage.
"A bet? What are we betting?" Tsunade's interest instantly sparked when gambling was mentioned.
"The loser treats everyone to dinner tonight. How about that?" Jiraiya suggested.
Tsunade came from the wealthy Senju Clan and obviously wasn't short on money. As for Orochimaru, if they lost, Tsunade would probably pay anyway.
Only Jiraiya himself was poor enough that he could barely afford food.
If he won, he'd get a free meal.
Thinking of that, Jiraiya secretly prayed that he absolutely must not lose.
Since it was only a single meal, Tsunade agreed immediately. Orochimaru also nodded—he was curious about the answer too.
Seeing them agree, Jiraiya cautiously walked up beside Isamu. The intimidation earlier had genuinely scared him.
"Captain… can I ask you something?"
Seeing Jiraiya acting so nervous, Isamu casually draped an arm around his shoulder and smiled.
"We're all brothers here. I'm only a few years older than you. Just call me Big Brother Isamu from now on. I'm easy to talk to—ask whatever you want."
Seeing how approachable he was, Tsunade and Orochimaru also gathered closer to listen.
"Well… Cap—Big Brother Isamu… I want to know… between you and Sarutobi-sensei… who's stronger?"
Even though Isamu told him to ask freely, Jiraiya still stammered nervously. But for the sake of that free meal, he forced himself to finish the question.
Isamu hadn't expected this question.
He glanced at Tsunade and Orochimaru.
"You two want to know too?"
They nodded.
"I see… come closer. I'll tell you secretly."
A mischievous grin appeared on Isamu's face.
The three of them quickly leaned in and formed a small huddle. They were extremely curious about the answer.
"I'm telling you," Isamu whispered, "you shouldn't even need to ask this question. Just look at me—I'm obviously stronger."
"What does Hiruzen Sarutobi have that can compare with me? Even if he's the Hokage, he's still just my little brother."
"Hahaha!"
After saying that, Isamu burst out laughing and walked ahead.
The three Genin were left standing there in complete confusion.
They had expected something serious, but instead got that answer.
They looked at each other.
"Should we believe him?" Jiraiya asked.
"I feel like he's joking," Tsunade said.
In the end, the debate remained unresolved as they followed Isamu to the Mission Hall.
---
As soon as they arrived, the ninja responsible for assigning missions greeted them enthusiastically.
He had good reason to.
Isamu used to be a peer of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Now that Hiruzen had become Hokage, Isamu's status had naturally risen as well. It was even rumored that his strength rivaled Hokage-sama.
"Lord Isamu, are you here to take a mission today?"
"Of course. If it wasn't for a mission, I wouldn't normally come here."
Hearing that, the ninja immediately pulled out an A-rank mission scroll.
"Lord Isamu, what do you think of this one?" he asked with a flattering smile.
Jiraiya and the other two were stunned.
It wasn't the flattery that shocked them—the ninja acted the same way when Hiruzen came.
What shocked them was that someone besides the Hokage could receive the same treatment.
The three exchanged glances.
Their new captain clearly wasn't an ordinary shinobi.
Looking at the A-rank mission, Isamu waved it away.
"I'm taking Genin out today. Just give us a simple C-rank or D-rank mission."
"I understand."
The ninja quickly took back the A-rank scroll and handed over a D-rank mission instead.
Isamu didn't even bother reading it. He tossed the scroll to the three Genin and walked straight out.
---
In the fields outside the village…
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were bent over pulling weeds, while Isamu lay comfortably on a rock nearby, basking in the sun.
It turned out the D-rank mission they had accepted was simply weeding farmland.
Seeing Isamu sleeping while they worked, Jiraiya finally exploded.
"Big Brother Isamu! Why do we have to do all the work while you sleep, and then split the reward equally? That's totally unfair!"
"If you think it's unfair, you're free to stop working," Isamu replied calmly with his eyes still closed. "Just wait until I wake up and deal with you."
Hearing that threat, Jiraiya immediately lost his courage.
If he got beaten up, he might not be able to get out of bed for half a year.
Tsunade and Orochimaru, who had also been about to complain, immediately stayed quiet.
"Oh, right," Isamu added lazily. "It's only a few dozen acres of weeds. I suggest you finish before three o'clock this afternoon. Otherwise, don't blame me for being unfriendly. My time is very valuable."
Hearing this, the three of them cursed him in their hearts while desperately speeding up their work.
They had only taken the mission around noon, and now they were being forced to finish a job that normally took an entire day—in just a few hours.
And they hadn't even eaten lunch yet.
This was clearly a trap.
So, while mentally sending countless "blessings" toward Isamu, the three Genin finally finished the weeding by three o'clock.
Exhausted, they collapsed onto the ground.