Anko looked at the instantly petrified Ruichi, the gloating look on her face growing even stronger.
"Hey, Ruichi, are you okay?" she teased. "It's just a mission. Is there really any need to look like all your chakra's been sucked dry?"
She poked his stiff cheek with her finger, then deliberately stressed her words.
"You're a Genin of Konoha now. A Genin's job is to go on missions. What, are you planning to spend your whole life doing odd jobs at the ramen shop?"
Hearing that, the last bit of strength seemed to leave Ruichi's body. He slumped weakly into his chair.
Anko felt a secret sense of satisfaction—she had finally managed to deflate this lazy bastard.
Before, she'd only ever seen him either raking in money at his snack stall or lying flat and slacking off without a care in the world.
She herself had been under constant stress because of the Cursed Seal, and it was only after the Third Hokage personally stepped in to seal it that things finally settled down. Ever since then, she'd felt a bit… unbalanced.
Now the tables had turned. Let's see you slack off this time.
"Alright, don't look like you're half-dead," Anko said, waving a hand. "Get yourself ready these next couple of days. Once the notice comes down, we'll be heading out on a mission."
She was in an excellent mood. Standing up, she leaned forward and casually hooked an arm around Ruichi's neck, her figure clearly outlined beneath her trench coat.
"Kid, you've been pretty lazy lately. Want big sister to help you 'get back into shape' again?"
Her fingers lightly traced his cheek, and Ruichi felt his ears heat up.
As their bodies pressed together, the energy within Ruichi instinctively stirred, automatically sorting and harmonizing the residual Natural Energy inside Anko's body.
He took a deep breath, forcibly calming his mind and suppressing it. The energy retreated back into his body and went dormant.
Anko sensed it immediately. The smile on her lips deepened.
"Looks like little brother Ruichi has quite a few secrets…" she whispered into his ear.
Then she released him and left in high spirits.
Ruichi watched her retreating figure and let out a long sigh.
He knew it—his peaceful days were truly over.
…
Three days later.
Ruichi wore loose gray clothes resembling a ramen shop uniform, leaning against a thick tree trunk with his eyes closed, resting.
In front of him, two boys were arguing loudly.
"Ichi! Did you even look at the map I drew?" one of them snapped. "If we follow the ambush plan, we can catch that cat for sure—"
"Makire, do you think a cat is a ninja?" the other shot back. "Does it need an ambush? Just find it and chase it down. Done! With your armchair theories, when are you ever going to become a real ninja?"
Ichi had a sturdy build and slightly dark skin. He looked capable enough, but his boyish face was plastered with an expression that screamed I'm the best in the world.
Makire, on the other hand, had a sharp, thin face. He wore an oversized trench coat over a clean, neatly arranged outfit, and carried himself with a meticulous, scholarly air.
The two went back and forth, arguing nonstop, completely ignoring Ruichi, who was very obviously slacking off to the side.
"What do you know?" Makire pushed up his glasses, his tone tinged with arrogance. "Strategic planning is a core quality of an outstanding ninja! Do you think being a ninja is just about brute force? That's no different from being an idiot!"
"What's wrong with brute force?" Ichi retorted. "Catching the cat is what matters! That's way better than your flashy nonsense!"
"Enough. You two brats are already arguing before the mission's even started."
A voice—stern, yet playful—came from behind them.
Sensing the presence of a (Special) Jonin, both boys immediately fell silent, their bodies stiffening as they turned around.
"Anko-sensei!" Ichi and Makire shouted in unison, forcing awkward smiles.
Anko crossed her arms and looked at them with amusement. Her gaze swept over the two boys before finally landing on Ruichi beneath the tree.
"Ruichi, you little brat, slacking off as usual." She walked over and lightly kicked him. "Get up. Your teammates are about to start fighting, and you're not even trying to stop them."
Ruichi yawned and slowly sat up.
"Oh? Is it starting already?"
Honestly, he really didn't want to go on missions.
Sure, being a ninja could be lucrative—but that was only true for Chunin and above. For a Genin like him, missions were just time-consuming chores.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't refuse because of his status, he wouldn't have come at all.
Makire and Ichi exchanged confused looks as they studied Ruichi's lazy demeanor.
Both of them were so-called "elite graduates" who'd finished the Ninja Academy early, brimming with ambition to become real ninjas. Meanwhile, this guy looked like a piece of salted fish.
"Alright," Anko clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Since everyone's here, let's begin today's first mission."
She pulled a scroll from her chest, unrolled it, and read aloud in an exaggerated voice:
"D-rank mission! Capture the lost pet cat, 'Ah Hu'!"
Ichi was immediately fired up. "Easy! Leave it to me!"
He was eager to show off.
Makire pushed up his glasses as well, a sharp glint in his eyes. He was just as determined to prove himself.
Only Ruichi's expression twitched slightly when he heard the word cat.
Catching a cat was the most unpredictable D-rank mission there was.
If you were lucky, you'd be done in an hour and earn a few thousand ryo. If you were unlucky, you'd run around for one or two full days just to make barely a thousand ryo.
"Very good. You all seem motivated," Anko said, then looked at Ruichi. "What about you, Ruichi?"
"It's not a ninja cat—just a house cat," Ruichi replied lazily. "Since everyone has ideas, let's just put them to use."
Anko nodded. "Good. Then act independently. There's only one objective—catch the cat called 'Ah Hu' and bring it back to me."
"Yes!" Ichi and Makire answered in unison.
They glared at each other, then rushed off in opposite directions.
Ichi charged straight into the forest, trusting his intuition and speed. A small animal like a cat wouldn't escape once he locked onto it!
Makire, meanwhile, unfolded the map in his hands, muttering to himself as he carefully moved along the perimeter, searching for any traces the cat might have left behind. He believed the cat's activity range was limited—as long as he observed carefully, he'd find its hiding place.
And Ruichi?
He found another comfortable spot, leaned back against the tree, and was just about to close his eyes—
When Anko suddenly grabbed him, shaking him back and forth.
"So your plan is to just lie here?!"
"Isn't this giving the youngsters a chance?" Ruichi said calmly. "They need to suffer a bit to understand reality. Isn't that what you think too, Anko-sensei?"
"Hmph. Maybe." Anko snorted. "Though I think you just want to slack off."
She released him and lay down beside him instead.
"By the way… are you really thirteen? You always feel more like an uncle."
Ruichi's mouth twitched.
Because there's literally an uncle inside…
"Ahem. That's called maturity. Poor kids grow up early."
After a pause, he added, "Anko-sensei… is your body really okay? Back then…"
"No problem," Anko replied casually. "Hokage-sama personally took care of it."
As if recalling something, she suddenly reached out, grabbed Ruichi's face, and forced him to look at her.
"You brat," she said, staring straight into his eyes. "You did something back then, didn't you? Confess. Honestly."