Ninja Academy
At the top floor of the Academy was the place where ninja received missions from the executives—officials responsible for gathering requests from clients and assigning them to capable shinobi on a daily basis.
After a short Ramen break at Ichiraku, Team Kurenai arrived at the Academy to take on their first mission.
Seated behind the counter were Hiruzen, Takamori Arata (the Headmaster of the Academy), and a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties.
Upon entering the spacious room, Ryuku and his team gave a respectful bow to Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama," they greeted in unison.
Hiruzen observed them closely, his eyes lingering on Ryuku. He took a slow drag of his pipe before addressing Kurenai.
"Isn't today supposed to be the Genin Test?"
Nodding, Kurenai began to speak, "Yes, Hokage-sama. The Genin Test has already been cleared by Group Five. They've officially become Team Kurenai. But since they insisted on taking missions early, I brought them here."
Hiruzen gazed at the trio—Ryuku, Hinata, and Kiba—before slowly releasing a puff of smoke.
"What a surprise," he said with a faint smile. "To think they passed the Genin Test so quickly... Good work, everyone."
While Kiba grinned at the praise, Hinata simply felt quietly happy. Ryuku, however, remained calm and gave a respectful bow when Hiruzen's eyes met his.
Indeed... my eyes weren't wrong. This kid is simply exceptional...
Hiruzen nodded inwardly, pleased to have found a seed worth nurturing. It genuinely surprised him that such hidden potential had gone unnoticed for so long, all because of Ryuku's once-distant nature.
Had he acted a year or two earlier, Hiruzen would have surely placed him in the Anbu Black Ops.
Checking the D-rank mission parchment for the day, Hiruzen found plenty of tasks well-suited for a rookie Genin team like theirs.
"As it's your first time doing a mission, Genin like you always start with D-rank difficulty…" he said, taking a puff of his pipe. "Let's go with this one—clearing trees near the west border and lodging them on the client's farm. Deadline is by afternoon, and the reward is 9,000 Ryō. Hm, this will do."
Hearing they had to cut and move trees for their first mission, Kiba frowned. "Is this even a ninja's job?"
Akamaru let out a quiet bark from within his clothes, only his little head poking out.
Hinata didn't seem to mind. She stayed silent, her timid eyes drifting around the room and out toward the open balcony with a hint of curiosity.
As for Ryuku, he spoke up politely but firmly. "Hokage-sama, may we please take on an additional mission as well? If it's just cutting and lodging trees, we can finish this in about an hour…"
A wry smile played on Kurenai's lips. "Hey, Ryukuuu… One at a time," she whispered gently.
However, unlike what she expected, Hiruzen let out a light chuckle.
"Hoho, in an hour, you say… Well then, I suppose I'll give you lot a second mission too—just this once."
Saying so, he began skimming through another stack of mission scrolls.
Takamori Arata, seated beside Hiruzen, rubbed his temples in confusion. Aren't they a rookie team? Why is the Hokage trusting them with two missions on their very first day?
The executive ninja working in the Mission Assignment Hall looked equally surprised by Hiruzen's decision.
However, as jonin-level shinobi, both he and Kurenai quickly understood the reason behind it.
Is it him?
Their eyes flickered toward Ryuku for a moment.
"That works?" Kiba asked Ryuku, visibly shocked by the look on his face.
Even Hinata was taken aback. "C-Can we really complete two missions in a day?" she asked quietly.
"Of course, Kiba. As long as we finish both missions on time. And…"
Turning to Hinata with a reassuring smile and a gentle tone she found comforting, he added,
"Hinata, you've got us to rely on, okay? We'll do this together—as a team."
Hearing his voice, Hinata gave a small but firm nod. Kiba, on the other hand, grinned with renewed enthusiasm, excited at the prospect of clearing two missions on their first day.
The little interaction made Kurenai smile unconsciously.
I really lucked out with this team…
Watching them, Hiruzen felt his mood lift.
The Will of Fire burns strong in this boy… He's starting to remind me more and more of Minato…
"Your second mission will be... stream cleaning. Hm, the location is near the first one—the west border. A lot of junk is polluting the stream and its surroundings... Your task is to clean it all by evening. How about it? The reward is 20,000 Ryo."
Glancing at her team, Kurenai thought, I guess I'll let them decide…
Ryuku turned to Kiba and Hinata. "What do you guys think? It's near our first location. I think we should take it."
Kiba sighed, unimpressed by the mission's difficulty again, but agreed anyway. "Fine by me."
Hinata nodded. "Me too."
"Okay, so it's decided." Ryuku looked back at Hiruzen and said politely, "Hokage-sama, we'll take that mission as well."
Taking a puff from his pipe and releasing the smoke slowly, Hiruzen gave a faint smile.
"So be it. I'll be expecting good results from you all—don't disappoint me."
With the Hokage's encouraging words, Kiba and Hinata felt their resolve grow stronger.
Ryuku, meanwhile, smirked inwardly. Heh, sounds like we're heading out for an A-rank mission…
After Kurenai completed the paperwork, Team Five began making their way toward the location of their first mission.
At the same time, four groups had already failed the Genin Test, two were still in the middle of their evaluation, and one had passed by default.
In just a minute, Team Kurenai arrived at their destination—the farm where their client was supposed to meet them. After entering, they quickly found the client, who wasted no time and led them straight to the mission site.
He brought them to an extremely dense forest at the far end of the farm.
The tightly packed, towering trees blocked even the sunlight from piercing through, casting a shadowy gloom over the rough ground. One glance was enough to make the place feel dark and unsettling.
"This is the location," the old man said, waving his hand. "Please clear all the trees in this area—roughly 500 square metres." Without waiting for questions, he turned and walked away.
"Oye... we're supposed to cut all these trees in just three hours?" Kiba exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.
Hinata gulped silently.
Isn't this a bit much...?
A little distance away, sitting relaxed on the grass, Kurenai smiled knowingly.
Your Ninja life starts from here...
But Ryuku only smirked. His voice cut through the tension as he stepped forward. "Alright, guys. Assemble."