Early the next morning, Training Ground 7.
When Tejima Shinichi arrived, Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū were already there. Both seemed a bit restless, pacing in place and constantly glancing toward the entrance.
"Shinichi!" Kobayashi Takeshi called out as soon as he saw him, his face filled with irrepressible excitement. "We're going to Hokage-sama's place to pick up a mission today! A real Ninja mission!"
"Finally, the day has come." Satō Yū also walked over quickly, her tone equally cheerful, her hands unconsciously clenching. "I wonder what kind of mission it will be."
Tejima Shinichi nodded in response.
His black hair under the headband fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, but the expression on his face was nowhere near as excited as his two teammates.
The process for rookie Genin... the so-called "beginning of a Ninja career" was most likely filled with trivial chores unrelated to Chakra or Ninjutsu —cleaning river trash, helping farmers harvest crops, or even looking after noisy children.
This wasn't an era of war; there weren't many urgent enemy reconnaissance missions or border conflicts.
What the Village needed was to hone the patience, cooperation, and absolute obedience to orders of the new Ninjas.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Tejima Shinichi's heart suddenly stirred, and he turned to look.
Almost simultaneously, Yamato's figure appeared silently behind them, leaning against the railing at the entrance of the Training Ground.
"Te-Teacher!" Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū were startled and shouted in unison, quickly standing at attention, their faces flushed with the embarrassment of being caught acting restless.
Tejima Shinichi greeted him calmly, "Yamato-sensei."
Yamato's gaze swept over the three of them, finally resting on Tejima Shinichi for a moment before he smiled and said, "Everyone's here. Let's go to the Hokage Building."
"Yes!"
Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū immediately responded and followed closely, their faces glowing once more.
Tejima Shinichi set off, walking at the back...
The Hokage Office.
The Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the three rookie teams standing in a row before him with a smile. When his gaze passed over Tejima Shinichi, he paused slightly, and his smile deepened.
"From today on, you are Ninjas who can stand on your own. The Village will entrust you with missions and trust in your strength." He picked up a mission scroll. "Now, let's begin the assignment."
"Team One, your mission is..." He pulled out a scroll. "Help the villagers clear the accumulated trash from the river."
"Yes."
Yamato stepped forward and took the scroll.
The excitement on Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū's faces froze instantly, and their shoulders slumped in unison.
"Clearing... trash?" The two looked at each other, both seeing obvious disappointment in the other's eyes... On the way to the river.
"How can it be clearing trash..."
Kobayashi Takeshi kicked a pebble on the road, sighing.
"I thought we'd at least get to go outside the Village to take a look..."
Satō Yū also muttered, looking dejected.
Hearing this, Yamato, who was walking in front, stopped and turned around, explaining patiently with a smile:
"Although I personally haven't fully experienced this stage, as far as I know, all newly graduated Genin go through this."
He paused and continued in that calm tone:
"D-Rank missions may seem simple, but they are the foundation for honing a Ninja's patience, meticulousness, and teamwork. Moreover, becoming familiar with every corner of the Village and understanding the daily lives of the villagers through these small tasks is itself a very important part of a Ninja's training."
This explanation was reasonable, causing the disappointment on Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū's faces to lessen slightly, replaced by an 'I see' expression.
But Satō Yū was more observant, catching the unusual part of Yamato's words and blurting out:
"Eh? Yamato-sensei, you just said... you 'haven't fully experienced this stage'? Why is that?"
At those words, even Tejima Shinichi, who hadn't been paying much attention, slightly shifted his gaze to Yamato's face.
Yamato's expression remained unchanged, as if he had just mentioned a trivial matter in passing.
"As for why I didn't participate in these..." He deliberately dragged out his words, teasing Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū's curiosity before saying with a smile: "...Well, it's a secret."
"Tch!"
This disappointing answer made Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū 'tch' at the same time, their newly piqued interest instantly vanishing.
Yamato looked at his two students, who had slumped their heads again, smiled, and turned to continue leading the way.
"Alright, don't overthink it. Focus on the mission."
...The cleaning work was tedious and time-consuming.
Tejima Shinichi created three Shadow Clones, making him extremely efficient.
Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū were initially unmotivated, but driven by Tejima Shinichi's high efficiency, they gradually got into it, working together to clear smaller debris and occasionally discussing in low voices when they fished out strange stones or shells.
Yamato watched from the side, nodding inwardly. Tejima Shinichi's leadership and efficiency were unquestionable, and the two civilian children had honest dispositions and could keep up with the pace... By the end of the day, Team One had efficiently completed four D-Rank missions, including cleaning the river, harvesting crops, and finding lost pets.
As the sun set, Yamato handed a small pouch of money to the three of them.
"This is the reward for today's missions, split equally according to the rules."
Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū couldn't wait to take their shares, weighing the pouches and listening to the crisp clinking of the coins inside. Smiles finally returned to their faces.
"Hehe, the first money I've earned myself!" Kobayashi Takeshi said excitedly.
"It feels... pretty good." Satō Yū also carefully tucked away the pouch.
Kobayashi Takeshi was already planning: "I'm going to try the new item at Ichiraku Ramen!"
Satō Yū thought for a moment: "I want to buy a new headband."
Seeing that Tejima Shinichi hadn't spoken, Kobayashi Takeshi nudged him with his arm: "Shinichi, what about you? What are you planning to do with all this money?"
Tejima Shinichi looked at the money pouch in his hand, then looked up at Yamato, who was about to announce the dismissal.
"Speaking of which," Tejima Shinichi said in a teasing tone, "I've heard from other teams that after passing the evaluation, the instructor usually treats their students to a barbecue to celebrate."
As he spoke, Tejima Shinichi's gaze fell on Yamato's face.
"As it turns out, we haven't had a group meal yet. How about... today, with this first payment, we treat you to a meal? What do you say... Yamato-sensei?!"
At those words, Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū's eyes immediately lit up, and they stared at Yamato in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.
Yamato was suddenly speechless, a hint of obvious embarrassment flashing across his face.
"This... Shinichi, it's not that I'm stingy." He tried to explain, his tone a bit dry. "It's just... I really have some things to do tonight..."
Looking at his three students, especially Shinichi's gaze that seemed to see through everything, and the clear expectation in the other two's eyes, Yamato cleared his throat and compromised:
"How about this: tomorrow! After tomorrow's mission ends, I'll personally take you to Yakiniku Q. My treat. How's that?"
"Great!" Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū almost jumped, agreeing in unison.
Seeing his goal achieved, Tejima Shinichi also nodded. "Then it's a deal."
"Mhm, dismissed." Yamato breathed a sigh of relief and waved them off.
The four left separately. Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū were still excitedly discussing tomorrow's barbecue, the atmosphere relaxed... Tejima Shinichi walked home alone, passing through a relatively quiet street.
The setting sun cast a long shadow behind him.
Suddenly—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three Ninjas wearing animal masks appeared without warning, forming a triangular formation and surrounding him in the middle!