Chapter 36 – First D-Rank Mission
Morning in Konoha—after a night's rest, the village had already sprung back to life. The streets bustled with people, merchants called out from their stalls, and everywhere was filled with vitality.
The Mission Hall of Konoha was, as always, crowded with shinobi coming and going. Taichi, who had arrived half an hour early, spotted his teammates already waiting in front.
After meeting up, he learned that both of them had been too excited to stay at home, so they came here to wait instead.
Poor kids… Taichi thought. If they knew their "first mission" was going to be nothing more than D-rank chores, I wonder what kind of faces they'd make.
"Captain Yamaguchi isn't here yet?" Taichi looked around but didn't see their jonin instructor anywhere.
"There's still thirty minutes till nine. I doubt Captain would come so early…" Saori murmured softly.
"Then we'll wait a bit longer." Yōhei was already restless, itching to take on his very first mission.
---
"Ahhh, come on—seriously!?"
The loud complaint drew everyone's attention. Heads turned toward another squad where a genin was grumbling at his captain about their assigned mission.
"That looks like Kawasaki Ryuya's team," Yōhei said, volunteering to go over and take a look.
Watching from afar, Taichi already had a good guess about what had happened.
---
"Ryuya! It really is you guys." Yōhei walked up happily when he saw his old classmate. "What was all that yelling just now? Everyone in the hall's staring at you."
Hearing his name, Ryuya turned around. At first he looked glad to see Yōhei—the former class top student—but at the reminder of what just happened, his face flushed red.
"Don't even mention it. We just got assigned a D-rank… chasing cats."
"D-rank… chasing cats!?" Yōhei froze in disbelief.
Seeing his reaction, Ryuya and his squad members just gave him a look that said: Exactly.
When Yōhei came back and explained the situation to Taichi and Saori, they didn't look the least bit surprised.
"You two don't seem shocked at all," Yōhei said, puzzled.
"I asked my father about it before," Saori explained quietly.
---
"It seems you three don't quite understand what kind of missions new genin are expected to take on."
A deep voice suddenly came from behind Yōhei, making him jump.
"Captain Yamaguchi!" the three said in unison.
"Captain, don't tell me we're going to be stuck with those cat-catching D-rank missions too?" Yōhei asked, still hoping otherwise.
"Of course. Every fresh genin team must complete a set number of D-rank missions before being allowed to accept higher-ranked ones."
"Besides, this rule exists to help rookies like you quickly get used to the mission process, while building teamwork within your squad." Captain Yamaguchi's tone was serious and instructive.
Yōhei pouted. "I get that, but still… those missions sound way too simple."
"You don't know anything yet. If you rushed into higher-ranked missions unprepared, could you take responsibility if something went wrong? Even C-rank missions may involve enemy encounters." The captain's words carried weight.
"Enough. Come with me, I'll show you how mission assignment works." With that, he strode toward the assignment desk.
The three exchanged glances, then quickly followed behind.
---
At the mission desk, Captain Yamaguchi pulled out a scroll filled with listed D-rank tasks. After scanning it, he handed it to the trio.
Huddling together, they opened it and read the assignments:
Find a Dog: Mrs. Morita's dog went missing at the market… Requirement: retrieve within 2 days. Reward: 1,000 ryō.
Weeding: Matsuda family's field in the east village requires weeding… Requirement: don't damage the crops, complete within 1 week. Reward: 800 ryō.
River Cleanup: Garbage clogging the Konai River in the west village… Requirement: clear debris and restore flow within 2 days. Reward: 5,000 ryō.
…
The scroll was crammed with similar petty village chores. Just reading through them was enough to make the three feel bored.
In the end, they unanimously chose the River Cleanup—at least the reward was the highest.
"Captain, we'll take the river cleaning mission."
Yamaguchi glanced over the details, then returned the scroll to the chunin clerk and filed their application while explaining the mission procedure step by step.
Soon, the paperwork was done, and the four of them walked out of the hall, the genin each carrying a large bamboo basket filled with garbage bags and cleaning tools.
Captain Yamaguchi held the mission brief and explained carefully:
"The key points to remember are: departure time, target location, and the deadline for completion."
"What you're handling now are only D-ranks. But starting from C-rank, missions may come with special requirements. More importantly—pay attention to confidentiality. Do not reveal mission details to unrelated people."
He looked at them sternly. "Like what you did earlier—probing into other teams' assignments. At higher levels, that could easily be mistaken as espionage."
The three nodded earnestly, their excitement tempered by their captain's words.
Especially Yōhei, whose face turned bright red. After all, it was he who had gone off prying into someone else's mission without a second thought earlier.
"Alright, let's head to the mission site—the Konai River on the west side of the village." With that, the four of them set off running, listening as Captain Yamaguchi explained the task along the way.
"The Konai River is about twenty meters wide, with a slow current. But debris often washes down from upstream and clogs the waterway, disrupting irrigation for the surrounding farms. That's why the local farmers band together and regularly post cleanup missions through the village." Yamaguchi spoke with calm ease.
"This mission was only issued yesterday, which means today is our last chance to complete it. And make no mistake—it's a heavy workload."
…
Twenty minutes later, the four arrived at the riverside. Looking at the wide expanse of water and the hundred-meter stretch they had to clear, the three newcomers finally understood what their captain had meant. They'd probably be at it until nightfall!
"Alright, enough gawking. Listen up." Captain Yamaguchi gathered their attention.
"From watching you during travel and sparring, I can tell you've all trained in tree climbing. That means you should also be familiar with water-walking, yes?"
The three nodded, though Uchiha Yōhei's expression was tinged with unease.
"Good. Then I won't waste time explaining. For this mission, I require you to perform the cleanup while maintaining water-walking. No standing on the riverbed."
"Captain, my water-walking is still really shaky…" Yōhei said awkwardly.
"If it's shaky, then practice. You wouldn't want to drag your teammates down because of your weakness, would you?" Yamaguchi shot back firmly.
"Y-yes…" Yōhei muttered, looking utterly defeated.
"Alright, get to it."
Taichi and Saori stepped lightly onto the river surface. Ripples spread faintly beneath their feet as they moved with perfect balance, calmly picking up floating debris and placing it into the bamboo baskets strapped to their backs.
By contrast, Yōhei cautiously extended one foot, waited until he didn't sink, then gingerly placed the other down. Wobbling and teetering, he inched toward the center of the river.
Just as he was about to boast, his expression twisted—his body tilted—and with a loud splash, he fell straight into the water.
The sound caught Taichi and Saori's attention. Seeing the drenched Yōhei haul himself back onto the bank, they burst out laughing.
"Yōhei, you've got this! We're waiting for you to join us," Taichi encouraged.
"Just wait—I'll be there in no time!" Yōhei declared.
SPLASH! No sooner had he spoken than he toppled back in again, drawing another round of chuckles.
Half an hour later, Yōhei was still struggling to stand steadily on the water.
"Yōhei, just focus on practicing your water-walking. I'll cover your share of the mission." Concerned about falling behind schedule, Taichi formed hand seals and called out: "Water Clone Technique!"
Water surged up from the river before him, rising until it reached human height—then shaped itself into a perfect duplicate of Taichi.