Chapter 71: Gaojin Chiike
As a newly recruited Chūnin in the Intelligence Division, Gaojin Chiike had been feeling incredibly excited over the past few days. He had just recently been promoted to Chūnin and was promptly assigned to the Intelligence Division. As a "rookie" in the workforce, he was ready to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to his new role. However, before he could even finish a few days of mundane tasks like organizing documents and serving tea, he received notice from his superiors that he was being reassigned to the Secretariat.
Oh my god, Six Paths Sage save me! The Secretariat?! What kind of place is that?! That's the inner circle of the Kazekage! The "neck" of Sunagakure, directly linking the Kazekage to the entire village! A critical department, no doubt! Just as Gaojin was thinking his ancestors must have been smiling down on him and that his future was looking incredibly bright, he soon realized that it wasn't smoke rising from his ancestral grave—it was fire!
The Kazekage was set to attend the Wind Festival hosted by the Daimyō of the Land of Wind. The accompanying entourage consisted of only three people: the first was Tsunade, the Kazekage's girlfriend—completely reasonable. The second was Yakura, the head of the Secretariat—also logical, as it made sense to bring a secretary to such an important diplomatic event. But the third person? It was him! That was utterly incomprehensible.
Staring into the mirror, Gaojin widened his eyes, trying to figure out what was so special about himself. Finding nothing, he could only chalk it up to divine intervention and the blessings of his ancestors, believing his career was destined to soar.
Even as he followed Jinghang-sama on their departure, Gaojin still couldn't believe this was all real. It was then that Jinghang-sama walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and asked:
"Young man, your name is Gaojin, right?"
Gaojin was nearly moved to tears. The leader addressing him by name—this meant he didn't see him as an outsider! He immediately stood upright and responded loudly:
"Yes, sir! I am Gaojin!"
Jinghang-sama burst into hearty laughter.
"Good! Such spirit!"
That single compliment left Gaojin walking as if on clouds for the rest of the journey, his steps uneven from excitement.