Back at the village.
"Sensei, what were you talking about with Lord Minato just now?" Yūhi Kurenai couldn’t help but ask, curious about the earlier exchange.
"Heh, just putting on a little show. Otherwise, that brat Kakashi…" Kyoichi shook his head with a sigh.
Asuma thought for a mont and then nodded lightly in agreent.
Indeed…
That Kakashi guy was tough to handle.
If he were Uchiha Obito, teaming up with Kakashi would be just as impossible.
Too peculiar!
Shisui remained silent.
After a few steps, he finally asked, "Sensei, did you really team up with Kakashi before?"
"Yeah, about a year and a half ago. I had just been promoted to Chūnin and was assigned to a mission where we ford a temporary team. Two teammates died during that mission."
"Why did that happen?" Shisui asked in shock.
Was the mission that dangerous?
Kyoichi shook his head, unwilling to elaborate further. Kurenai whispered to explain, "Kakashi went through so things. He believes that a ninja’s duty is to complete the mission at all costs, so he sotis…"
"I see."
Shisui thought for a mont before it clicked.
The White Fang incident!
He had been just a year old at the ti and hadn’t understood anything, only hearing bits and pieces as he grew older and heard clan mbers criticizing the Third Hokage.
"Alright, forget about Team Seven. Starting tomorrow, Team One will officially begin taking on missions. Be at the Hokage Office early in the morning. Dismissed!"
The sooner they completed missions, the sooner they could make money.
Being a ninja wasn’t easy, and everything cost money—especially chakra-infused weapons, which were expensive. Though Kyoichi had the Sword of the Thunder God, it wasn’t suited for iaido techniques.
So, saving up was still necessary.
"Starting tomorrow?" Asuma looked puzzled.
Isn’t this a bit fast?
"Sensei probably wants us to complete more missions quickly so we can qualify for C-rank missions sooner," Shisui speculated.
"That might be it. Sigh, with the constant wars these past years, Sensei really worries about us. We must train hard and live up to his expectations!"
"I’ve decided! Starting tomorrow, I’ll focus on daily runs to strengthen my taijutsu!"
Kurenai clenched her fists in determination.
Even if she couldn’t beco a taijutsu powerhouse like Lady Tsunade, she couldn’t lag behind Asuma and Shisui—or, worse, beco a weak link like Rin, whose poor taijutsu often made her a target.
"I think I’ll focus on kenjutsu," Shisui said thoughtfully after a mont.
Previously, he’d hesitated, but after witnessing Kakashi’s blade techniques earlier, his doubts vanished.
Ninjutsu?
Kyoichi didn’t teach fire-style techniques.
For Shisui, it was either taijutsu or swordsmanship. Swordsmanship clearly suited him better. Besides…
Techniques like kenjutsu and illusionary blade techniques might fit him even more.
"If you’re choosing swordsmanship, I’ll stick to taijutsu," Asuma said with a smile.
His plan: focus on taijutsu, with ninjutsu as a secondary skill.
As for swordsmanship…
It wasn’t his strength; he preferred short weapons instead.
"I’m not good at close combat. I’ll train in taijutsu just enough not to drag the team down. But what Sensei said to Rin earlier reminded —genjutsu and dical ninjutsu both require precise chakra control. Maybe I can draw so connections there."
Kurenai’s eyes sparkled with a sudden realization.
Her teacher knew dical ninjutsu. She could major in genjutsu while supplenting it with taijutsu and dical ninjutsu. It seed like a solid plan.
---
The next morning…
At the Hokage Office, Kyoichi arrived to find his three students already waiting.
He sent a shadow clone to cover for him at Minato’s group.
"Let’s go. Ti to pick up our missions," Kyoichi yawned as he spoke.
The night before, he’d checked his system panel. All he got was a single Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.
But…
Thinking it over, it made sense.
This kind of interaction took ti to show results. Kakashi’s stubbornness wasn’t sothing that could be resolved quickly. As for Obito…
Forget it.
That kid wouldn’t change unless Rin was killed to push him into the darkness. Otherwise, no amount of teaching would get through to him.
Better to focus on his own team for now.
Inside the mission hall, the Chūnin in charge of assignnts looked surprised.
"Sir, you’re here for…?"
"Team One. Ford just yesterday. We’d like to take on a D-rank mission—or better yet, three. There should be plenty of backlogged ones, right?"
A new team taking on missions just one day after forming? And three at that?
The Chūnin was stunned.
Were they here to train or just to rake in money?
"Is that a problem?" Kyoichi asked when he saw the man hesitate.
"N-no, it’s not a problem. It’s just… Alright, since you’re requesting it, here are three missions for your team," the Chūnin finally said, handing over the assignnts.
Kyoichi nodded in thanks.
Outside, Kurenai asked, "Sensei, you accepted three missions?"
"Yep. Now, what about the main specialties we discussed yesterday? Have you all decided?"
"We have!"
The three shared their plans, and Kyoichi nodded in satisfaction.
As expected!
Thankfully, his students weren’t as stubborn as Kakashi or Obito. Otherwise, he might’ve lost his temper and resorted to smacking sense into them instead of teaching.
Holding up the three mission cards, he announced, "Perfect. You’ll each handle one mission. Shisui, you’ll chop firewood. Asuma, you’ll fetch water. Kurenai, you’re catching a cat."
"Uh…"
The three stared blankly.
Separate tasks?
"Any objections?"
"But Sensei, aren’t missions usually done as a team?"
"Team-based missions are for fostering teamwork. But since you’ve already considered team dynamics when choosing your specialties, these D-rank missions won’t help with that. They’re better suited as individual training exercises."
Kyoichi chuckled.
Besides, sharing one mission was inefficient. With three missions, they could train and earn more at the sa ti—a true blessing of a 996 work ethic!
"Understood!"
Shisui’s eyes lit up.
Chopping wood trained sword techniques, fetching water built physical endurance, and catching cats honed speed and reflexes.
Sensei had clearly put thought into this!
"Good. Get to it. Shisui and Asuma, your tasks are straightforward. The only tricky one is Kurenai’s, so I’ll go with her and step in if needed."
"Yes, Sensei!"
All three weren’t foolish. They quickly understood the logic behind Kyoichi’s assignnts.
Kurenai, being the weakest in taijutsu, had the most to gain. For her, who specialized in genjutsu, this task was perfect for improving her speed, reaction ti, and stamina.
After all, cats were the most agile "enemies" in D-rank missions!
"Let’s begin…"
"Yes!"
The three dispersed, and Kyoichi followed Kurenai at a leisurely pace.
As he walked, he considered picking up so entertainnt for himself—like how Kakashi would later carry around books. Babysitting these kids could get tedious.
But…
This era didn’t even have Jiraiya’s debut novel, Tales of a Gutsy Ninja.
What a sha.
Since the cat-catching mission required leaving the village, Kyoichi accompanied Kurenai. D-rank missions didn’t take them far from Konoha, so they soon arrived.
Kurenai wasn’t fast, but she had her strengths.
Her keen perception and proficiency in genjutsu made solo cat-catching manageable if she used her abilities wisely.
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