The next day, the entire squad had gathered in Training Ground 19. Yogi looked at his squad and said seriously, "Today is a very important day for you. The first mission experience is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, like giving your first kiss or going to a brothel. A shinobi's life is quite short and miserable. You are going to be experiencing that starting from today."
Yogi glanced around and noticed that Hyori and Inumaki looked affected by his speech; their stoic faces showed some seriousness, while Shinra just looked a bit excited.
Shinra looked at his teammates and thought, 'I wonder how they would react when they find out what D-rank missions actually imply. As for myself, even if I have to cut down grass or shovel some dirt, if it pays me well, I will do it.'
Yogi, who was satisfied by their reactions, said, "Lord Hokage himself will give our first mission. I forgot to tell you, but our meeting is scheduled to be in exactly five minutes. If you are unable to reach the Hokage office by that time, we will have to give up on the mission, so good luck."
Yogi formed a hand seal and flickered away, leaving his squad in the middle of the field. Hyori and Inumaki followed behind him quickly. Shinra stood alone in the field and wondered if he should pull a Kakashi, then followed behind them.
In exactly five minutes, Shinra had arrived in front of the Hokage building, with his entire squad already stationed there. "You are late," Hyori frowned. "No, he is right on time. Let's go." Yogi entered the building, and following behind him was his squad.
They had to wait a few minutes before someone escorted them to the door. Upon entering the Hokage's office, Yogi bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Third." The three of them followed behind and did the same.
Hiruzen looked at the squad and thought, 'Team 8 with Yogi as their sensei. Each of them has shown very promising traits. I can only hope that Yogi will be able to draw their potential out.'
He looked at the stacks of paperwork on his desk and pulled out a paper. He looked at it and said with a straight face, "It seems that Tora has escaped once again. It will be your mission to catch him and bring him back. You will need to meet up with Madam Shijimi first to confirm the situation; the details are written in here."
Yogi took the paper from Hiruzen and hid it in his pouch. "We will make sure to complete the mission, no matter the cost." Hiruzen blew a puff of smoke from his pipe and played along. "Konoha depends on you."
Exiting the Hokage building, Hyori asked, "Who is this Tora, sensei? And why did it seem like he escaped regularly?"
Yogi stopped in his tracks and turned around. "This Tora is one of Konoha's most vicious criminals. He had been captured by many legendary figures throughout the years; this includes the Sannin and even the late Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato."
Hyori and Inumaki looked rather shocked. An enemy that was captured by the legendary Sannin and the Fourth Hokage and managed to escape—would they be able to complete the mission?
"So, Sensei, who is this Madam Shijimi?" Shinra asked. He already knew the mission's content but didn't want to break the serious atmosphere. According to his memories, she should have been the wife of the Fire Daimyo. As for why she is not staying in the Fire Capital with her husband, he doesn't know that much.
"That is our employer and the last person who was in contact with Tora," Yogi answered vaguely.
They arrived at the estate located near the civilian district, a place far more extravagant than most residences in Konoha. The grass was trimmed with almost obsessive precision, a koi pond reflected the afternoon sun, and even the stone pathways looked recently polished. Two guards stood by the gates, and after Yogi presented the mission slip, they were granted immediate entry without resistance.
Hyori observed the surroundings carefully. "…This criminal lives here?"
Yogi cleared his throat. "High-profile target."
They were escorted inside, and the moment the sliding door opened, a loud wail echoed throughout the house.
"Toraaaa! My precious Toraaaa!"
A heavily dressed middle-aged woman rushed toward them, her expensive robes dragging behind her. Tears streaked down her powdered cheeks as she clutched a handkerchief dramatically. "You're the shinobi sent to retrieve him, aren't you? Please, you must bring him back safely! He's my sweet baby!"
Inumaki's expression stiffened slightly. Hyori blinked once. Shinra remained silent.
Yogi stepped forward with a solemn expression, as though accepting a life-threatening assignment. "Madam Shijimi, please describe what happened."
"He escaped again!" she cried. "He scratched the maid, knocked over my perfume shelf, and leapt out through the garden window! This is the fourth time this year!"
There was a brief silence.
Inumaki and Hyori slowly turned their gaze toward Yogi, who was trying his best not to burst out into laughter. They both realised that they had been duped by their sensei, but they still had to complete the mission.
Inumaki was the first to respond. "Do you have anything that carries his scent?"
Madam Shijimi immediately gestured to a servant, who returned moments later holding a small bundle of silk garments.
Shinra's eye twitched faintly; he had caught something in between the silky clothes.
'…Is that underwear?'
Inumaki accepted them without hesitation and crouched down beside Yoshimaru. The ninken sniffed the fabric carefully, and after a few seconds, Inumaki leaned in to confirm the scent himself. Hyori watched the entire scene in silence, while Shinra found himself staring at the ceiling, processing the reality of the "vicious criminal" captured by the Sannin and the Fourth Hokage.
Once Yoshimaru barked sharply and tugged forward, the team excused themselves and left the estate. The moment the gates closed behind them, Hyori finally spoke. "It's… a cat."
"Yes," Yogi answered calmly.
"A cat," she repeated.
"A very dangerous cat," he replied with a grin.
Shinra exhaled quietly. 'So this is the legendary repeat offender. But to be captured by the Sannin, then Minato, and later on Naruto—how old is this cat? Could it be a ninja cat?'
Yoshimaru began tracking immediately, leading them toward the eastern side of the district. They moved across rooftops instead of streets, treating the pursuit with the same coordination they had shown in training. Inumaki would occasionally pause to ensure the scent remained fresh, while Hyori activated her Byakugan to scan the surrounding area.
They eventually reached the eastern market district, where minor chaos was already unfolding. A fish vendor shouted in frustration as several freshly laid fish were scattered across the ground. Civilians complained loudly while a flash of orange fur darted beneath a wooden cart.
"There," Hyori said sharply.
Shinra reacted first, moving to block off the narrow alley exit, while Inumaki and Yoshimaru circled from the opposite side. The orange cat arched its back and hissed aggressively, its eyes sharp and alert. For a brief second, Shinra almost felt genuine killing intent.
The cat suddenly leapt, claws extended. Shinra twisted his body instinctively, but the animal still managed to tear through the edge of his sleeve before rebounding off a wall with surprising agility. Hyori lunged forward in an attempt to pin it down, but it slipped past her at the last second, moving unpredictably.
Inumaki appeared at the exit of the alley, waiting for the cat to come his way.
With nowhere left to run, the cat attempted one final leap—only to be intercepted midair by Shinra, who tackled it cleanly and pinned it down with both his hands.
Silence followed.
Shinra stared at the restrained ball of fur. 'Captured by the Sannin.'
Yogi approached with his hands behind his back, nodding in approval. "Well done. Clean coordination."
They returned to the estate shortly after. Madam Shijimi burst into tears once more the moment she saw Tora safely restrained, clutching the cat to her chest in relief.
"My sweet baby! Did those scary shinobi hurt you?"
Tora responded by scratching her cheek.
"Ah! He's still energetic!"
The mission was completed, but they still had to go back to report. They went back to the Hokage building and submitted their mission report. On the way out, Yogi handed each of them five thousand Ryo and said, "The mission this time was quite generous with its rewards. Normally, D-rank missions range around ten thousand Ryo. This mission was twenty-five thousand Ryo, and since I am the team leader, I take 40%, while you split the remains between yourselves."
Although Yogi didn't do anything during the mission, Shinra didn't mind the current split; it was still better than his monthly allowance when he was in the academy.
"Shinra, I have already spoken to my acquaintance, and he agreed to teach you Fuinjutsu. Meet him tomorrow at this address." Yogi handed him a slip of paper that contained the address.
'Finally, I can start learning Fuinjutsu. Though I do wonder who this acquaintance of Yogi-sensei would be.' Shinra returned home, and after relaxing a bit, he noticed that the sun was still up and decided to continue training alone.