Chapter 41

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Inside the Hokage Building, Uchiha Toshiro, Kirishima, and Asuka followed behind their sensei, Satoshi, to submit a mission completion report.

Kirishima was holding an obese orange cat with a look of disgust on his face. His displeasure was understandable—the mischievous cat had made capturing it a torturous ordeal. The agility of cats is unmatched among animals, and their ability to maneuver through the smallest of spaces makes them even harder to track down. Once found, their nimble bodies and small size allow them to slip through places humans can't easily reach.

Even after Kirishima finally caught the cat and held it in his arms, it resisted fiercely, leaving four claw marks on his face. This unfortunate incident provided ample amusement for Toshiro and Asuka, who couldn't resist mocking Kirishima, adding to his humiliation.

At this time, it wasn't the Third Hokage who met with Satoshi-sensei but a Chunin member of the Sarutobi clan in the Hokage's office building.

"It seems not everyone completing D-rank missions gets to see the Hokage." Toshiro mused. Given the number of registered ninjas in Konoha and the influx of graduates each year, the village releases numerous D-rank missions to train these young ninjas. It's only natural that Hokage can't see them on all these minor missions.

Reflecting on these D-rank missions, he couldn't help but complain about their diversity and mundanity. They shattered Kirishima and Asuka's expectations of ninja missions involving thrilling, life-and-death battles. Instead, D-rank missions included finding lost pets, babysitting, repairing roofs, plowing fields, chopping wood, and gathering medicinal herbs.

The pay for these missions was meager, ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 ryos. The village took a thirty percent cut, and Satoshi-sensei, as the captain, took another thirty percent. The remaining amount was split among the three of them, leaving each with a pittance. Toshiro often sighed, thinking it would be easier to make money on a streaming platform by doing nothing.

These boring and easy missions quickly became tiresome. Within just a month, Toshiro, Asuka, and Kirishima were thoroughly fed up by them.

"Satoshi-sensei, when will we be able to take on some high-level missions?" Kirishima asked, handing the fat cat to a middle-aged woman waiting nearby. She eagerly took it, hugging it tightly. Watching this, Kirishima couldn't hide his discomfort and turned to his sensei for some sort of assurance.

"Well, Kirishima, if you want to take on better missions, you might want to deal with those claw marks on your face first!" Satoshi replied with a hint of amusement.

As Kirishima turned his head, the four clear claw marks on his cheeks were even more pronounced, causing Asuka to laugh. The little girl, always delighted to tease her childhood friend, covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes narrowing into slits of amusement. Her chubby face was full of joy.

"Asuka, it was just an accident! Do you understand the word 'accident'!? These wounds will be healed by tomorrow morning!" Kirishima shouted, trying to defend himself, his frustration evident as the veins on his forehead bulged. However, his attempt to quell the laughter only made Asuka laugh harder.

'These two are really made for each other' thought Toshiro, observing the playful banter. 'One is a bit naive and silly, while the other is mischievous and enjoys teasing.' Watching this innocent exchange, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. He realized that only during such a time of life could emotions be so genuine and beautiful. As people grow older and more mature, these cherished memories of childhood drift further away, lost in the mundane struggles of daily life.

"But Kirishima, silly as he may be, has a point! sensei, when can we take on some high-level missions?" Asuka, still chuckling, turned to their teacher with hopeful eyes. Clearly, she too had grown tired of the D-rank missions.

"Yes, Mr. Satoshi! We can't sustain ourselves with these minor missions forever!" Toshiro added, unable to remain silent any longer. Since graduating from the Ninja Academy, the monthly stipend from Konoha has ceased. Even the 10,000 Ryo monthly allowance from the clan had stopped, and the expected stipend from the police department had yet to materialize. According to sensei, they were lucky to be registered with the police force at all, given they were fresh graduates from the academy.

"You don't participate in patrol duty, yet you still want a salary and official status? Such a free handout doesn't exist in the world. Better learn to endure it."

Hearing this, Toshiro felt utterly disheartened. These days, he could barely make ends meet, and the daily mission commissions were hardly enough to sustain him. If this continued, he would have to dip into his savings, which was far from ideal. He needed to take on missions with higher commissions.

'Maintaining three shadow clones every day is a huge drain!' he thought, sighing deeply. With his recent practice of Yin and Yang release, his training was finally on the right track, but it also meant his daily food consumption was steadily increasing. Each visit to the food store now felt like an assault on his wallet.

'Getting here to the Ninja world is simple; living in it is not easy. I'll have to cherish what I have' he mused.

Satoshi wasn't surprised by his students' complaints. He recalled how he used to have similar conversations with his own teacher. Now, in the blink of an eye, he was the teacher, and his teacher was...

For a moment, Satoshi fell into memories of the past, his expression turning somber.

"It's not out of the question to take on some advanced assignments," Satoshi Uchiha finally replied, snapping out of his reverie. "But I'm going to put you through a couple of weeks of special training first. Only after passing my special training will I take you on missions of C-rank or higher."

As he spoke, he silently vowed to himself that, no matter the cost, he would protect these three students.

"Understood!" X3

Hearing that they wouldn't have to do any more annoying D-rank misssions, the three who had just exited the Hokage Building responded in unison.

Kirishima, in particular, was so excited that he could barely contain himself. He clenched his fists and jumped three feet high, momentarily forgetting the scars on his face.

"This was the main reason for your early graduation!" Uchiha Satoshi explained. "After more than a month of shared mission experiences, you've developed some teamwork. Now, it's time for your real training."

Seeing his disciples' energetic responses, Satoshi's expression turned solemn—the most serious it had been since forming the team. He had no choice but to be serious.

According to information gathered by the family, the prices of war-related materials such as grain, iron, and medicinal herbs had been rising for some time. Ninjas from other countries had been infiltrating borders, increasing friction. These were clear signs that another ninja war was imminent. The training of these kids could no longer be as casual as before.

"It's late today, so gather at the clan's training ground tomorrow at six in the morning," Satoshi instructed. "Prepare yourselves; this special training won't be as easy as your time at the ninja academy."

With that, he left in a shunshin, leaving his three disciples standing there.

With the task reward just received, the trio didn't linger and soon parted ways.

"It seems the situation is becoming more dire; otherwise, sensei wouldn't be in such a rush to start special training," Toshiro thought as he wandered the streets of Konoha. The imminent outbreak of war left him feeling uneasy.

As a former urban white-collar worker from a time of peace, war, death, and killing were concepts that were extremely foreign to him. While he had some superficial understanding through literature, movies, and the internet, these were only surface-level insights. The true pain and grief experienced were completely foreign to him.

Now, as a ninja, he questioned whether he could kill others' husbands, wives, children, and parents with a clear conscience. Despite his new life, his soul remained that of a modern man, and these realities conflicted with his core values. Until the moment of truth, he wouldn't truly know his own nature.

Four years had allowed him to fully understand the profession of a ninja.

The ninja profession begins at the ninja academy, where students are trained to kill—both ordinary people and other ninjas—more accurately and effectively.

Completing the missions assigned by the village is the primary goal. Ninjas must abandon personal thoughts and feelings, lurk in dark corners, and endure loneliness. Like cold weapons, they ruthlessly carry out killings.

How can such a perverse profession, which destroys one's humanity, be accepted by him with peace of mind?

"The history of ninjas is a history of killing and war!" he thought, as he set a personal code of conduct.

If he encountered cruel individuals, bandits who took pleasure in killing, or traitors, he would not hesitate to raise his weapon against them.

If he found himself on the battlefield, he would kill the enemy for his own safety. The armies would be at war. Life and death would be determined by fate—this reasoning provided some comfort. The battlefield is chaotic, with too many uncontrollable factors. He wasn't a bleeding heart.

However, when faced with children around his own age, he would show mercy as long as his own safety wasn't compromised.

In any case, pointing a weapon at young children was deeply inconsistent with the values he held in his previous life.

"As a human being with feelings, it's better to have some boundaries," he thought.

Ninjas in this world often had to make choices that went against their nature. It was essential to have a personal code to avoid falling into confusion and becoming insensitive.

Countless ninjas had trampled on their own boundaries, violating their nature repeatedly. Slowly, they became like cold machines, mechanically accepting orders, killing targets, completing missions, and then dying silently on some mission.

"This guy, do you know that if the sensei hadn't intervened just now, Reiko would have died!"

As Toshiro was lost in thought, three people approached from the intersection ahead. They looked like a regular three-man team.

At this moment, a twelve-year-old boy on the team was sharply accusing a white-haired boy of negligence, claiming he failed to save their teammate. Next to him stood a girl of similar age, her eyes red and her face pale, as if she had just experienced something as scary as death.

Leading the group, a middle-aged ninja in his thirties, wearing a green vest, walked expressionlessly, seemingly oblivious to the quarrel behind him.

"Ninja rule number one: a ninja's first priority is the completion of their mission," replied the white-haired boy, his face devoid of emotion.

"Mission! Mission! All you care about is the mission! Reiko fell off a cliff, and you were right next to her. You turned a blind eye and continued with your mission!" The boy retorted angrily. "Are you saying that companions are less important than mission? You're a cold-blooded monster!" His anger intensified, distorting his face and darkening his expression.

The girl, having just recovered from the terrifying ordeal, looked at the white-haired boy with a face full of apprehension, hoping for an explanation.

"A ninja's priority is always the mission. My actions were not wrong," the white-haired boy said calmly. "Ninjas must maintain emotional stability at all times. Your outburst violated the fifth rule of ninja conduct. If you don't control your emotions, it will be easy for the enemy to exploit your weaknesses, leading to mission failure and even your death."

Despite the accusations and scolding from his teammate, the white-haired boy remained composed, pointing out the dangers of emotional instability in their line of work.

AN : You can read chapters published ahead by supporting me (3$) on my p@treon account - p@treon.com/noviceauthor777

Currently, I have published 40 extra chapters in P@treon. The extra chapters are going to increase in the next few days. Please support me.