"No, it's not like that. In the Puppet Corps, you're on the roster but not on active duty, so you only get half the salary. But in the Elite Operations Team, you're considered a full member and receive the full salary. Additionally, as a Chūnin, you'll get a monthly stipend of 10,000 ryō, which you'll continue to receive for life, even after retirement, until death," Keno explained to Hardy.
"That works for me."
The Puppet Corps and Elite Operations Team are on the same level. Unless you hold a position like captain or vice-captain, the pay is the same.
In other words, Hardy just got a 50% salary increase plus a monthly Chūnin stipend of 10,000 ryō.
A promotion and a raise—naturally, this was a good thing.
That evening, Keno treated the members of Squad Three, Sixth Unit to a farewell dinner.
Although it wasn't as lavish as the one Chiyo had hosted before, it was still quite decent.
The next day, Hardy packed his ninja tools and gear, first heading to the Kazekage Building to find Ebizō. After getting the necessary documents stamped and signed, his promotion to Chūnin was officially complete.
Gaining status within Sunagakure, one of the top powers in the ninja world, brought far more fortune than subduing a small gang or seizing a street in Gotham.
His fortune progress bar instantly leapt from 20.9% to 45.3%, and was still slowly increasing.
After that, he received his Chūnin vest from the warehouse and headed to Training Ground Two.
He was to meet his new teammates there.
...
...
When Hardy arrived at the designated spot in Training Ground Two, someone was already waiting.
It was a tall, slender young girl in a backless outfit, with delicate features. She looked a little older than Hardy.
"Hello, I'm Yakura, twelve years old, newly promoted to Chūnin last year. I specialize in Wind Release and Fire Release. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the other newcomer assigned to Squad Nine?" Yakura greeted Hardy with an open and friendly handshake.
"Hello, I'm Hardy, Chūnin, temporarily transferred from the Puppet Corps," Hardy replied with a smile, shaking her hand.
After all, they would be entrusting their lives to each other on missions—it was important to build a good relationship.
And in Hardy's memory, Yakura was no ordinary ninja; she was definitely someone outstanding.
After chatting for a bit, the remaining two team members arrived one after another.
"Baki, Chūnin. I specialize in Wind Release, Earth Release, and kenjutsu. I'm eleven,"
Another "familiar face."
In the future, Baki would become the jōnin instructor for Rasa's three children. At that time, her status in Sunagakure was comparable to Konoha's Kakashi—one of the village's top elite jōnin.
It seemed this squad was quite extraordinary.
The team composition was also well-balanced: Yakura was a typical ninjutsu-type ninja, Baki excelled at both ninjutsu and taijutsu, covering both close and long-range combat, and as a puppeteer, Hardy could do both, likely serving as the third position support in battle.
With that in mind, Hardy turned his attention to the last member of the team.
He was a young jōnin, like Baki, with a white cloth tied around his head. He was rather handsome, and the long sword on his back suggested he was a skilled swordsman.
"Everyone's introduced themselves, right? Guess it's my turn as your superior,"
The jōnin coughed twice and said,
"My name is Kazekami Chiran, Jōnin, age twenty-nine. I specialize in Wind Release, Fire Release, and Lightning Release. My kenjutsu is decent, too. From now on, I'll be your Squad Nine captain. For the next week, I'll take you on some simple missions to help the team build chemistry."
Kazekami Chiran introduced himself while sizing up his three new subordinates.
Before coming here, Chiyo and Ebizō had naturally briefed him.
Hardy was the top priority—a candidate chosen by Chiyo and Ebizō as the next leading figure of the Puppet Corps.
Yakura had the greatest talent for ninjutsu among Sunagakure's new generation in recent years, and Baki, though slightly less gifted than Yakura...
...they are a handful, but also extremely worth cultivating.
This team is not easy to lead—mainly because I have to develop the potential of these three subordinates as much as possible while ensuring they don't get themselves killed.
Once they're properly trained, at the very least, they'll become elite jōnin, and there's even a fair chance that one of them could reach the level of a Kage.
The reason for assigning such an elite jōnin as their leader is twofold: on one hand, his expertise in ninjutsu and swordsmanship can provide valuable guidance to the three; on the other, he can act as a bodyguard for these highly talented chūnin, while also leading them through missions suited to the team's capabilities, giving them opportunities to grow.
"I'm someone who believes in the words of the Second Kazekage: actions speak louder than words. On the way here, I've already accepted a B-rank mission for us."
Hardy exchanged glances with Yekura and Baki.
Truthfully, they all felt that jumping straight into a B-rank mission might be a bit much.
Since graduating from the Ninja Academy and being promoted to chūnin, aside from that one mission that unexpectedly escalated from A-rank to S-rank, Hardy had only completed three B-rank missions in total. The last one even resulted in him being injured and having to recuperate back in the village.
Although his strength had improved considerably since then, shouldn't the team start with some easier missions to build rapport?
But with such an elite jōnin as their safety net, it didn't really matter.
...
...
Ever since joining this squad, Hardy hadn't done any low-level missions.
Or rather, after becoming a chūnin, D-rank missions from his genin days were basically a thing of the past. Unless he became a jōnin instructor for a new batch of genin in the future, he'd probably never take on another D-rank mission in his life.
Currently, this squad mainly took on B-rank missions. If there weren't any suitable ones, they could choose some simple C-rank missions for practice, or take time to rest or train.
When it came to training and guidance, Kazekaze Senran really had a lot to offer. Whether it was Wind Release, Fire Release, or Lightning Release, he was clearly highly skilled, and he even knew some basic medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques.
However, in terms of puppet techniques, Kazekaze Senran couldn't offer Hardy much guidance—but that didn't mean Hardy had no one to learn from.
He was still part of the Puppet Corps and could visit the hospital to consult Ishito, who was still recovering. Occasionally, he'd spar with Sasori and borrow books from his house.
It's worth mentioning that both Chiyo and Ebizō had promised that Hardy could seek their guidance whenever they were available.
It was from that moment that Hardy truly realized how his status in Sunagakure had changed.
Demonstrate your talent, attract the attention of the higher-ups, join a certain faction, gain access to resources, and use that to quickly improve your standing.
This is a tried-and-true method to rise through the ranks in any organization, and it's the one with the fewest downsides and the most stable foundation.
There's no doubt that Hardy was now being groomed by Chiyo and Ebizō.