The evening before our mission, I hit the market district for last-minute supplies. The vendor stalls were bathed in golden sunset light as I picked through fresh vegetables and spices.
"Back again, Shinji-kun?" the elderly vegetable seller smiled. "Two visits in one day is unusual, even for you."
"Mission tomorrow," I explained, selecting some plump shiitake mushrooms. "Need food that travels well but doesn't taste like cardboard."
Next came the weapons shop, where I restocked my kunai and shuriken. The owner, a retired chunin missing three fingers, nodded approvingly at my selections.
"First mission?" he asked, wrapping my purchases.
"That obvious?" I replied.
He chuckled. "Everyone overpacks their first time out. Better too much than too little."
After adding wire, explosive tags, and smoke bombs to my haul, I headed home to pack and crash early.
…
My alarm screamed at me like a banshee. I slapped it quiet and groaned into my pillow. The sun wasn't even fully up, which was a crime against humanity in my book.
'Five more minutes,' I bargained with myself.
Then I remembered—first mission with Team 7 today.
"Crap," I muttered, rolling out of bed.
I shuffled to my bathroom, avoiding the mirror. Nothing worse than seeing your own zombie face first thing in the morning. Cold water splashed against my skin, and I felt marginally more human.
'Food first, then double-check packing,' I decided, heading for the kitchen.
I pulled ingredients from my fridge, moving with the easy confidence of someone who knew their way around a kitchen. Rice balls were practical for travel, but mine weren't going to be boring. I mixed in umeboshi, grilled salmon, and a special blend of seven spices I'd perfected. Then I wrapped them in bamboo leaves with a technique that would keep them fresh longer.
Next came my special travel bento: smoked fish with a citrus-soy glaze, pickled daikon cut into flower shapes, and tamago rolled with herbs. Even on the road, I refused to eat like a savage.
I double-checked my gear from last night: kunai, shuriken, wire, explosive tags, smoke bombs—all the basics were packed and ready. My water canteen was freshly filled and sealed.
A knock at my door interrupted my mental checklist.
"It's open," I called.
Minato's blond head poked through the doorway, his trademark smile already in place despite the ungodly hour.
"Morning, Shinji! Ready for your first mission?" His cheerfulness was almost offensive this early.
I grunted in response, which Minato correctly interpreted as "Come in, but don't expect conversation until I've had tea."
He laughed, settling at my kitchen table while I poured two cups of green tea.
"You know," he said, accepting the cup I handed him, "most people would be excited about their first real mission."
I sipped my tea and raised an eyebrow. "Most people are idiots."
"Fair point," Minato conceded with a smile. "But still, C-rank already? That's impressive for a new team."
I shrugged. "Tsunade-sensei seems to think we can handle it."
"Speaking of senseis," Minato said, "Jiraiya-sensei is running us ragged. We're heading out for a mission today too."
"My condolences. That old man probably makes you stop at every hot spring along the way."
Minato tilted his head slightly, looking confused. "Hot springs? No, but he does have me take these strange detours sometimes. Says it's for 'research'..." He shrugged. "But he's an amazing teacher when he's actually focusing."
"Mm," I hummed noncommittally, drinking more tea.
"He's definitely... unique," Minato said with a thoughtful expression. "Brilliant with seals though. I'm learning a lot."
"How's Kushina?" I asked, changing the subject. "Any word on her 'special training'?"
Minato's face fell slightly. "Nothing specific. I tried asking around, but they said she was unavailable. It's… weird."
"She's tough," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "Probably breaking her instructors' spirits as we speak."
That got a smile from him. "You're right. Nobody keeps Kushina down for long."
We finished our tea in comfortable silence. I packed the last of my food while Minato watched.
"That looks way too good for field rations," he observed, eyeing my bento.
"Life's too short for bad food," I replied. "Want one for the road?"
Minato's eyes lit up. "Seriously? That would be amazing."
I handed him one of my extra bentos, which he accepted like it was made of gold.
"You're the best, Shinji," he said with genuine gratitude.
"Remember that next time you see me," I joked. "Now get going before your sensei thinks you've been kidnapped."
"Good luck on your mission," he called as he headed for the door.
"You too," I replied. "When we both get back, ramen at Ichiraku? Your treat."
"You're on!" He grinned before disappearing through the window.
After Minato left, I did one final check of my gear, strapped on my weapon pouches, and locked up. The streets of Konoha were just coming alive, shopkeepers sweeping their storefronts and early risers heading to work.
The cool morning air felt good against my face as I walked to our meeting spot. My muscles warmed with each step as I stretched out the stiffness of sleep.
I spotted Tsume first, sitting cross-legged in the grass with her ninken puppy, Kuromaru. The tiny wolf cub was wrestling with her fingers, his fluffy tail wagging furiously.
"Morning, Tsume," I called.
She grunted in acknowledgment, not looking up from her puppy. Very Inuzuka of her.
Mikoto arrived a moment later, her Uchiha-perfect posture making me feel like a slouch by comparison.
"Good morning, Shinji," she said with a small smile. "Ready for the mission?"
"As I'll ever be," I replied, offering her one of the rice balls I'd packed. "Breakfast?"
Her eyes lit up as she accepted it. "Your cooking is always amazing. Thanks."
Tsume's head snapped up, her nose twitching. "I smell food."
I tossed her a rice ball too, which she caught one-handed without disturbing Kuromaru.
"You're less annoying than usual today," she commented between bites.
"High praise coming from you," I said dryly.
Mikoto hid a smile behind her hand. "He did bring food, Tsume. That has to count for something."
"I guess," Tsume conceded, finishing her rice ball in record time.
A puff of smoke announced Tsunade-sensei's arrival. Unlike many jonin who seemed to make tardiness a personality trait, Tsunade was punctual to a fault.
"Good, you're all here," she said, hands on her hips as she scanned us. "Alright, listen up. Our mission is straightforward but not without potential risks."
We gathered closer as she unfolded a map of Fire Country, our mission gear already strapped to our backs.
"We're escorting a group of farmers and loggers from this village," she said, pointing to a location about a day's journey from Konoha, "to a settlement near the border of the Land of Rivers. They're helping establish a new settlement there."
"Why do they need ninja escorts?" Mikoto asked.
"Precautionary measure," Tsunade answered. "The route passes through some remote areas, and there have been reports of traveling merchants being robbed in the region."
"How many people are we escorting?" I asked.
"Twelve adults, five children," Tsunade replied. "They'll have carts and livestock, so we'll be moving at civilian pace."
Tsume groaned. "So, like, super slow."
"Consider it endurance training," Tsunade said with a scary smile that promised suffering if we complained further.
"What's our formation?" Mikoto asked, changing the subject.
Tsunade nodded approvingly at the question. "Shinji will take point. Tsume and Kuromaru, on the right flank—your tracking abilities will help spot any approaching threats. Mikoto, on the left. I'll take rear guard."
I nodded. The formation made sense—putting the sensor types on the flanks and the heavy hitter in the back, where she could respond to threats from any direction.
"Treat this as a potential combat situation," she continued. "While we're not expecting trouble, stay alert. This is a C-rank mission because there's always a possibility of encountering hostile elements."
"So we might see some action after all," Tsume said, looking more interested now.
"Or we might have a boring, uneventful escort mission," Tsunade countered. "Either way, you'll be ready."
She looked us over one more time. "Any questions before we head out?"
We shook our heads.
"Good. Let's move out then."
As we walked toward the east gate, I noticed Mikoto watching me with curious eyes.
"What?" I asked.
"You seem different today," she said. "More focused."
I shrugged. "First real mission. Figured I should at least pretend to take it seriously."
"Hmm," was all she said before turning away, but I caught the hint of a smile.
The morning sun had fully risen by the time we reached the gate, bathing Konoha in warm golden light. Merchants were setting up their stalls nearby, and the usual buzz of village life surrounded us.
Tsunade was talking with the gate guards while we waited. I leaned against the massive wooden gate while mentally reviewing our route.
"Nervous?" Mikoto asked, coming to stand beside me.
"Nah," I replied honestly. "Just thinking."
"About?"
I glanced at her, then at Tsume who was busy roughhousing with Kuromaru a few feet away.
"This is real now," I said quietly. "Not academy exercises or training. Real missions, real dangers."
Mikoto nodded. "Does that bother you?"
I thought about the Kumo-nin I'd killed less than a week ago, their blood still fresh under my fingernails.
"Not as much as it probably should," I admitted.
'What I'm more worried about is the timing,' I thought, watching a hawk circle overhead. 'Kumo agents infiltrating the village, border tensions rising... If my timeline's right, we're getting close to what will become the Second Shinobi World War. And C-rank missions have a funny way of turning into complete dumpster fires when political tensions are high.'
I glanced at my teammates, both so young and focused on the mission at hand rather than the larger picture. Tsume scratched behind her ninken's ears, completely absorbed in their secret paw language. The pup yipped and rolled onto its back, making her smile as she rubbed its belly. A knot formed in my stomach. From what I remembered, her generation wouldn't remain innocent much longer. The war hadn't been officially declared yet, but the signs were all there if you knew where to look.
Mikoto didn't get a chance to respond as Tsunade returned, gesturing for us to follow.
"Alright, Team 7," she said. "Let's move out."
As we passed through the gates, I glanced back at Konoha—the village I was technically supposed to be loyal to.
"Oi, Shinji! Stop daydreaming and keep up!" Tsume called from ahead.
I rolled my eyes but picked up my pace. "Yes, your highness."
…
The sun climbed higher as we traveled, beating down on our backs like an angry god with a grudge. We'd been walking for hours along the dusty road leading east from Konoha, trees giving way to rolling farmland.
"I'm bored," Tsume announced for the third time in an hour. Kuromaru yipped in agreement from his perch atop her head.
Tsunade-sensei's eyebrow twitched. "If you have enough energy to complain, you have enough energy for training."
I shot Tsume a look that screamed 'now you've done it,' but she just grinned, completely missing the danger.
"Training?" Mikoto perked up.
"Chakra control," Tsunade said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out... leaves?
'Oh no,' I thought. 'Not the leaf exercise.'
"Each of you, take one." She handed us each a broad maple leaf, its edges already curling in the heat. "I want this leaf stuck to your forehead until we reach the village."
I plucked a leaf from her palm, twirling it between my fingers. 'Basic chakra control exercise. Might as well half-ass it.'
"And Shinji," Tsunade added, giving me a look that could probably crack stone, "if you think about doing anything less than your absolute best, I'll make sure you regret it."
How the hell did she know what I was thinking?
"Wouldn't dream of it, Sensei," I said, plastering on my most innocent smile.
"Good." She nodded. "Now, place the leaves on your foreheads and keep walking. Drop it, and you'll do twenty push-ups on the spot."
We did as instructed. The exercise itself was child's play—I'd mastered this back in the Academy. I channeled a thin stream of chakra to my forehead, attaching the leaf with just enough force to keep it in place without crumpling it.
Mikoto handled it with typical Uchiha grace, her expression calm as she walked. Tsume, on the other hand, was scowling in concentration.
"Too much chakra, Tsume," Tsunade called out. "You'll burn the leaf if you keep that up."
"I know, I know," Tsume grumbled, adjusting her output.
We continued walking for another few minutes before Tsunade produced more leaves.
"Time to level up," she announced.
I caught the two leaves she tossed my way and placed them on my forehead. This required splitting my attention three ways, but it was still relatively simple. Just had to maintain a steady chakra flow to three contact points.
"Looking good, team," Tsunade said as we walked. "Especially you, Mikoto. Nice, steady control."
Mikoto nodded slightly, careful not to disturb her leaf. "Thank you, Sensei."
Tsunade suddenly appeared beside me, studying me with narrowed eyes. "Your control is... surprisingly better than I expected, Shinji."
I shrugged. "Just got lucky, I guess."
"Hmm." She didn't look convinced. "Let's see how lucky you are with this."
She slapped two more leaves onto my cheeks without warning.
"Maintain all five," she instructed, "while I do the same to your teammates."
Soon we were all sporting five leaves each on our foreheads and cheeks. Tsume was swearing under her breath, her face scrunched in concentration. Kuromaru, trotting beside her, looked up with what I swear was amusement.
"This is stupid," Tsume growled.
"Is it?" Tsunade questioned. "In battle, you need to maintain focus on your chakra even while moving and responding to threats. Your jutsu's effectiveness depends on your control in chaotic situations."
I had to admit she had a point. Most shinobi lost their edge when forced to multitask.
"What's next?" I asked, actually getting into the exercise now. "Toes? Knees? I could balance one on my nose if you want."
Tsunade smirked. "Since you're so eager..."
She produced five more leaves, but instead of distributing them to everyone, she handed them all to me. "Back of both hands, top of both feet, and one for the back of your neck. That's ten leaves total. Just for you."
Mikoto and Tsume looked relieved they weren't getting the same treatment.
'Okay, this might actually be challenging,' I admitted to myself.
I stopped walking to apply the new leaves, concentrating to establish the correct chakra flow to each point. The trick wasn't just sticking the leaves—it was using exactly the right amount of chakra for each one. Too little, and they'd fall; too much, and they'd crumple or burn.
Once I was set up, looking like a walking tree in autumn, Tsunade gave me a satisfied nod.
"Good. Now keep walking."
The forest path was reasonably flat, but even small dips and rises became challenges when trying to maintain ten separate points of chakra contact. I found myself adjusting my flow with each step, making micro-corrections to keep everything in place.
Mikoto was handling her five leaves so well, moving like she'd practiced this since birth. Tsume, meanwhile, was having a rough time. Two leaves had already fallen from her cheeks, earning her forty push-ups that she knocked out while cursing creatively.
"This is actually good training," I admitted to Tsunade as we walked side by side. "Though I'm guessing there's more to it."
Her smile turned predatory. "You catch on quick."
Without warning, she flicked a small pebble at my forehead. I instinctively dodged to the side while focusing on maintaining my chakra connection to all ten leaves.
"Nice," she smiled. "Most genin would have either lost their leaves while dodging or gotten hit trying to keep them in place."
"Like I said, lucky," I replied, though I was actually a bit proud of that save.
She turned to the others. "From now on, I'll be randomly throwing pebbles at you. Dodge them without losing your leaves."
"That's not so hard," Tsume said confidently, just before a pebble whizzed past her ear, causing her to jerk in surprise and drop a leaf.
"Twenty push-ups," Tsunade called cheerfully. "And that was just a warning shot."
For the next hour, we walked through the forest while she pelted us with tiny projectiles. Mikoto started incorporating subtle twists and sidesteps into her movements. Tsume eventually got better at anticipating the attacks, though her more aggressive dodges often cost her a leaf or two.
"Not bad," I said to Mikoto after she smoothly evaded three pebbles in quick succession.
"Thanks," she whispered back. "This is similar to—"
A pebble came flying toward her face and she dodged, but the quick movement dislodged her cheek leaf. She frowned in frustration.
"Twenty push-ups," Tsunade called out cheerfully.
As Mikoto dropped to the ground, I couldn't help but smirk. "Better luck next time."
"I saw that smirk, Shinji," Tsunade said. "Your turn."
I suddenly found myself facing a barrage of six pebbles coming from different angles. I twisted, ducked, and sidestepped five of them, but the last one forced me into a roll that knocked the leaf off my neck.
"Twenty push-ups," Tsunade said, barely containing her amusement.
"Fair enough," I muttered as I dropped down.
By midday, we were all getting pretty good at the exercise. Even Tsume could maintain all her leaves while dodging, though she still struggled when Tsunade increased the speed and frequency of the projectiles.
"Time for the next exercise," Tsunade announced, clapping her hands together as we unwrapped our lunches. "Team drill."
She explained the new rules: a free-for-all pebble war where we'd all target each other simultaneously. The goal was still to knock off each other's leaves.
"And," she added with a wicked grin, "the one who loses the most leaves by the end of the day gets their face drawn on while they sleep tonight."
Tsume's lunch hit the dirt. "Now we're talking!" She dropped to her knees, fingers digging through the ground like claws, scooping handfuls of pebbles into her pockets.
I cursed under my breath, abandoning my half-eaten rice ball. Lunging toward a patch of gravel, I stuffed my pockets until they bulged.
Across from me, Mikoto didn't rush. She set her chopsticks down carefully, then picked through the stones around her, testing each one against her palm before slipping it into her pouch.
"You have five minutes to gather your weapons," Tsunade said, watching us with amusement. "Choose wisely."
I scrambled around the clearing, selecting pebbles of different sizes and weights, all small enough not to actually hurt if they connected.
"I've got some really good ink that doesn't wash off for days," I said casually to Mikoto as we crossed paths during our pebble hunt.
"You wouldn't dare," she narrowed her eyes.
"Guess you'd better not lose then," I shot back with a grin.
Tsunade clapped her hands. "Eat quickly. We start in fifteen minutes."
We wolfed down our lunches, and soon we were standing in a clearing, leaves attached and ready for combat.
"Begin!" Tsunade called.
The air immediately filled with flying pebbles as we all launched our attacks simultaneously. I ducked under Tsume's first volley while sending a trio of perfectly aimed pebbles toward Mikoto's leaves. She managed to dodge two of them, but my third pebble clipped the edge of her leaf right by her cheek. The leaf spun out of control and drifted to the ground.
We continued like this, trading volleys and honing our world-renowned leaf-yeeting skills as the sun moved across the sky. The exercise lasted for hours. By the time we reached the halfway point to our destination, we were all exhausted but had significantly improved our chakra control.
Mikoto sat cross-legged, breathing hard, missing more than half her leaves. I tried not to smirk as I counted mine - still had most of them intact.
Clear winner. Tsume was definitely getting her face drawn on tonight.
As we set up camp for the night, Tsunade pulled me aside.
"Your chakra control is exceptional," she said bluntly. "Have you ever considered medical ninjutsu?"
I blinked in surprise. "Not really." Then I glanced at her, genuinely curious. "Are you offering to teach me?"
She raised an eyebrow. "I might be. With control like yours, you could become quite skilled. Something to think about."
I nodded, more interested than I wanted to admit. Medical jutsu weren't flashy, but they were practical. And if my memory served, they could be weaponized in the right hands—Tsunade's hands, specifically.
"I'd be stupid to turn down training from Tsunade-hime," I said with a half-smile. "Let me know when we start."
She blinked, clearly not expecting me to agree so quickly, but nodded approvingly before walking away.
That night, as Tsume snored softly, Mikoto and I sat by the fire keeping watch.
"So," I whispered, pulling out a brush and ink set from my pack, "ready to help me with Tsume's new look?"
Mikoto tried to look disapproving but couldn't quite hide her smile. "She did lose fair and square."
"That's the spirit," I grinned.
As we crept toward our sleeping teammate, I paused, studying the red fang markings already adorning her cheeks.
"You know," I whispered to Mikoto, "looking at those tattoos, I have to wonder if it's even necessary to add more paint. Seems like the Inuzuka already beat us to it."
Mikoto stifled a laugh behind her hand. "Are you chickening out, Shinji?"
"Not a chance," I replied, uncapping my ink with a flourish. "I'm just saying, it's like vandalizing a wall that's already covered in graffiti. The artist in me is conflicted."
We inched closer. Tsume lay sprawled on her back, mouth hanging open, snoring like a chainsaw with a clogged engine. I dipped the brush and hovered it just above her forehead.
"What are you thinking?" Mikoto whispered. "Whiskers? A unibrow?"
"I'm feeling inspired," I murmured, my brush making the first careful stroke. "Something that really captures her... personality."
Just as I completed an elaborate swirl across her cheek, Tsume's hand shot up and grabbed my wrist like a vise. Her eyes snapped open.
"I was wondering how long you'd take," she growled, lips curling into a feral grin.
My brush dropped. "You were awake the whole time?"
"Inuzuka sleep with one eye open, idiot." She snatched the ink from my hand and lunged.
I dove sideways on pure instinct. Tsume sailed past me — and crashed straight into Mikoto, who'd been crouched right behind me.
"Shinji!" Mikoto shrieked as they tumbled into the dirt.
I scrambled away, watching Tsume pin Mikoto to the ground. "Sorry!" I called, not feeling very sorry at all.
"Traitor!" Mikoto squirmed as Tsume straddled her waist, already dipping the brush.
"Smart is the word you're looking for," I corrected from my safe spot behind a tree.
The next morning, Tsunade took one look at Mikoto—her face now decorated with lopsided fangs, crooked whiskers, and "SLOW" written across her forehead—and had to turn away to hide her laughter.
"Interesting makeup, Mikoto," she managed. "Very... unique."
Mikoto glared at her reflection in the river, scrubbing viciously at the marks.
"Don't worry," I said, patting her shoulder. "It should fade in a week. Maybe two."
Of course I was lying. That cheap ink would never have lasted more than a few scrubs with soap and water.