Morning. Konoha had completely awakened from its slumber. People were coming and going everywhere, and the entire village was bustling with activity again.
The Konoha Mission Hall never lacked ninjas coming to accept assignments. Taiichi, arriving half an hour early, spotted his teammates from afar.
He went over to join them and learned that both were too excited to sit still at home, so they had come to the Mission Hall to wait.
Poor kids. He wondered what kind of expressions they'd make if they knew they could only do D-rank chores.
"Captain Yamaguchi isn't here yet?" Taiichi looked around but didn't see the captain.
"There's still half an hour until 9:00 AM. The captain shouldn't be here this early," Saori said softly.
"Then let's wait a bit longer." Yohei was already impatient, eager to go on his first mission.
...
"Ah! How can this be?!"
A startled cry attracted everyone's attention. They turned to look at the source of the noise.
It was a ninja team. A member seemed to be complaining to their captain about receiving a lousy mission.
"I'll go check it out. That looks like Tatsuya Kawasaki's team." Yohei volunteered and walked over.
Watching the scene, Taiichi already had a pretty good idea of what was happening.
...
"Tatsuya! It really is you guys," Yohei said happily as he approached his old classmates. "What happened just now? Everyone in the Mission Hall was looking at you!"
Hearing his name, Tatsuya turned around. Seeing the top student of his class made him happy at first, but hearing the question, he couldn't help but blush.
"Sigh, don't mention it. We just accepted a D-rank mission to catch a cat..."
"D-rank... catching a cat?" Yohei looked shocked.
Seeing Yohei's surprised expression, Tatsuya and his teammates wore "I knew it" looks on their faces.
Yohei returned to his teammates and explained the situation to Taiichi and Saori. To his surprise, neither of them showed any particular astonishment.
"You guys don't seem surprised at all," Yohei said, puzzled.
"I asked my father about this," Saori said in her soft voice.
"It seems you don't understand the level of missions ninjas of various ranks usually accept!" A deep voice came from behind Yohei, startling him.
"Captain Yamaguchi!" x3
"Captain, do you mean we also have to take those D-rank cat-catching missions?" Yohei continued to ask.
"Of course. Every newly graduated Genin team must complete a certain number of D-rank missions before they can accept higher-level ones."
"Besides, this rule was established to let you rookie Genin familiarize yourselves with the mission process and build team cohesion as quickly as possible," Captain Yamaguchi said seriously.
"That makes sense, but... these missions are way too simple," Yohei said, still reluctant.
"You need to realize that right now, you don't know anything. If you rashly take on a high-level mission and encounter danger, can you take responsibility? Even C-rank missions have a chance of encountering enemy ninjas." Captain Yamaguchi said earnestly.
"Alright, follow me. Let's see how missions are accepted." With that, the captain led the way to the mission desk.
The three exchanged glances and followed the captain.
At the mission desk, Captain Yamaguchi picked up the scroll listing D-rank missions, browsed it briefly, and handed it to the three.
They opened the scroll and huddled together to read the mission briefs:
Find Dog: Mrs. Morita's dog got lost at the market... Requirement: Find the dog within two days. Reward: 1,000 Ryo.
Weeding: The Matsuda family's field in the east of the village needs weeding... Requirement: Do not damage the crops; complete within one week. Reward: 800 Ryo.
River Cleaning: Trash has accumulated in the Konai River in the west of the village... Requirement: Clear the trash to ensure smooth water flow; complete within two days. Reward: 5,000 Ryo.
...
Looking at the scroll packed with mundane tasks, the three felt increasingly disheartened. These were all trivial matters within the village; just reading them felt boring.
Finally, they collectively chose the river cleaning mission. At least it had the highest reward.
They handed the scroll back to Captain Yamaguchi. "Captain, we'll take the river cleaning mission."
Masasuke Yamaguchi took the scroll, checked the mission brief, and handed it back to the receptionist Chunin. He submitted the mission application while explaining the process to the three.
Soon, they completed the procedures and left the hall with mission tools and the mission certificate.
Taiichi and his teammates were each carrying a large bamboo basket on their backs containing trash bags and pick-up tools.
Looking at the mission details in his hand, Yamaguchi explained the key points to the three: "Pay special attention to the departure time, destination, and deadline."
"You are only dealing with D-rank missions now, but starting from C-rank, there will be special requirements. More importantly, pay attention to mission confidentiality. Do not reveal mission information to unrelated personnel." Captain Yamaguchi lectured the three seriously.
"Asking about other people's mission details like you did earlier is a huge taboo in high-level missions. It could be considered espionage." Captain Yamaguchi continued to admonish.
Hearing this, the three nodded repeatedly, especially Yohei, whose face turned red. He was the one who had gone to ask about the other team's mission without thinking.
"Alright, let's head to the mission location: Konai River in the west village." The four began running toward the west, listening to the captain explain the mission content as they ran.
"The Konai River is about 20 meters wide. The current is slow, and it often gets blocked by trash washed down from upstream, affecting irrigation for nearby farmers. So, the farmers unite to issue regular cleaning missions to the village." Captain Yamaguchi explained leisurely.
"This mission was posted yesterday, which means we only have today left to complete it. The workload is quite heavy."
...
Twenty minutes later, the four arrived at the Konai River. Looking at the wide river surface and the 100-meter stretch needing cleaning, the three finally understood what the captain meant by a heavy workload. This was going to take until nightfall!
"Alright, stop staring. Listen to me." Captain Yamaguchi attracted their attention.
"From your travel and combat earlier, I can see you've all undergone tree-climbing training. So, you should also know about water walking."
The three nodded, though Yohei Uchiha looked a bit apprehensive.
"Since you know, I won't say much more. For this river cleaning mission, my requirement is that you must do it while walking on the water. You cannot clean by wading on the riverbed."
"Ah? Captain, I'm not proficient at water walking yet!" Yohei immediately looked troubled.
"If you're not proficient, practice more. You don't want to drag your teammates down because of your own issues, right?" Captain Yamaguchi refused firmly, leaving no room for argument.
"Yes..." Yohei looked like he had lost the will to live.
"Go on!"
Taiichi and Saori stepped confidently onto the river surface. Ripples spread gently from their feet as they walked steadily on the water, picking up trash with their tools and putting it into the baskets on their backs.
In contrast, Yohei carefully extended one foot. Ensuring it didn't sink, he extended the other, wobbling his way toward the center of the river.
Just as he opened his mouth to boast, his face changed color. He tilted, and with a splash, fell into the water.
The sound attracted Taiichi and Saori's attention. Seeing a soaked Yohei crawling out of the water, they laughed out loud.
"Yohei, do your best! We're waiting for you to join us!" Taiichi encouraged from the side.
"Just wait! I'll be there soon!"
Splash. Just as he finished speaking, Yohei fell in again. This drew another round of chuckles.
This continued for half an hour, and Yohei still couldn't stand steadily on the water.
"Yohei, just focus on practicing water walking. I'll help you finish your share of the mission," Taiichi said to Yohei, worried about their progress.
Without waiting for Yohei's answer, he formed hand seals and cast the Water Clone Jutsu. A stream of water rose from the surface in front of Taiichi, forming into a replica of him once it reached human height.