Back at the vilge.

  "Sensei, what were you talking about with Lord Minato just now?" Yūhi Kurenai couldn’t help but ask, curious about the earlier exge.

  "Heh, just putting on a little show. Otherwise, that brat Kakashi…" Kyoichi shook his head with a sigh.

  Asuma thought for a moment and then nodded lightly in agreement.

  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 in and was assigo a mission where we formed 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 eborate further. Kurenai whispered to expin, "Kakashi went through some things. He believes that a ninja’s duty is to plete the mission at all costs, so he sometimes…"

  "I see."

  Shisui thought for a moment before it clicked.

  The White Fang i!

  He had been just a year old at the time and hadn’t uood anything, only hearing bits and pieces as he grew older and heard members critig the Third Hokage.

  "Alright, fet about Team Seven. Starting tomorrow, Team One will officially begin taking on missions. Be at the Hokage Office early in the m. Dismissed!"

  The soohey pleted missions, the soohey could make money.

  Being a ninja wasn’t easy, and everything oney—especially chakra-infused ons, which were expehough Kyoichi had the Sword of the Thunder God, it wasn’t suited for iaido teiques.

  So, saving up was still necessary.

  "Starting tomorrow?" Asuma looked puzzled.

  Isn’t this a bit fast?

  "Sensei probably wants us to plete more missions quickly so we qualify for k missions sooner," Shisui specuted.

  "That might be it. Sigh, with the stant 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 tthen my taijutsu!"

  Kurenai ched her fists iermination.

  Even if she couldn’t bee a taijutsu powerhouse like Lady Tsunade, she couldn’t g behind Asuma and Shisui—or, worse, bee a weak link like Rin, whose poor taijutsu often made her a target.

  "I think I’ll focus osu," Shisui said thoughtfully after a moment.

  Previously, he’d hesitated, but after witnessing Kakashi’s bde teiques earlier, his doubts vanished.

  Ninjutsu?

  Kyoichi didn’t teach fire-style teiques.

  For Shisui, it was either taijutsu or swordsmanship. Swordsmanship clearly suited him better. Besides…

  Teiques like kenjutsu and illusionary bde teiques might fit him even more.

  "If you’re choosing swordsmanship, I’ll stick to taijutsu," Asuma said with a smile.

  His pn: focus on taijutsu, with ninjutsu as a sedary skill.

  As for swordsmanship…

  It wasn’t his strength; he preferred short ons instead.

  "I’m not good at close bat. I’ll train in taijutsu just enough not t the team down. But what Sensei said to Rin earlier reminded me—genjutsu and mediinjutsu both require precise chakra trol. Maybe I draw some es there."

  Kurenai’s eyes sparkled with a sudden realization.

  Her teacher knew mediinjutsu. She could major isu while supplementing it with taijutsu and mediinjutsu. It seemed like a solid pn.

  ---

  The m…

  At the Hokage Office, Kyoichi arrived to find his three students already waiting.

  He sent a shadow e to cover for him at Minato’s group.

  "Let’s go. Time 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 iion took time to show results. Kakashi’s stubbornness wasn’t something that could be resolved quickly. As for Obito…

  Fet it.

  That kid wouldn’t ge unless Rin was killed to push him into the darkness. Otherwise, no amount of teag would get through to him.

  Better to focus on his own team for now.

  Ihe mission hall, the in in charge of assigs looked surprised.

  "Sir, you’re here for…?"

  "Team One. Formed 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 eam taking on missions just one day after f? And three at that?

  The in was stunned.

  Were they here to train or just to rake in money?

  "Is that a problem?" Kyoichi asked when he saw the maate.

  "N-no, it’s not a problem. It’s just… Alright, since you’re requesting it, here are three missions for your team," the in finally said, handing over the assigs.

  Kyoiodded 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 pns, and Kyoiodded in satisfa.

  As expected!

  Thankfully, his students weren’t as stubborn as Kakashi or Obito. Otherwise, he might’ve lost his temper aed to smag seo them instead of teag.

  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 catg a cat."

  "Uh…"

  The three stared bnkly.

  Separate tasks?

  "Any objes?"

  "But Sensei, aren’t missions usually done as a team?"

  "Team-based missions are for f teamwork. But since you’ve already sidered 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 ineffit. With three missions, they could train and earn more at the same time—a true blessing of a 996 work ethic!

  "Uood!"

  Shisui’s eyes lit up.

  Chopping wood trained sword teiques, fetg water built physical endurance, and catg 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 uood the logic behind Kyoichi’s assigs.

  Kurenai, being the weakest in taijutsu, had the most to gain. For her, who specialized isu, this task erfeproving her speed, rea time, 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 sidered pig up some eai for himself—like how Kakashi would ter carry around books. Babysitting these kids could get tedious.

  But…

  This era didn’t even have Jiraiya’s debut ales of a Gutsy Ninja.

  What a shame.

  Sihe cat-catg mission required leaving the vilge, Kyoichi apanied 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 profi genjutsu made solo cat-catg manageable if she used her abilities wisely.

  Gcell