A month after Aoi joined the team, the group had been training extensively.
Raito was growing extremely fast when completely focused on improving his skills. His skills were the exact same as they were the month before. However, he was perfecting them; every week, he chose to test himself against whatever jonin he could find. His shurikenjutsu was unmatched in the village, same as his kunai technique was. Most jonin found it a very fun activity to battle the kid. While they still washed the floor with Raito, they appreciated the slight workout.
Raito had managed to incorporate his dojutsu and even wrote it down and detailing its specifics. The dojutsu had been named the Hikarigan, and he'd managed to learn how to see chakra and light at the same time. However, he'd separated the two abilities into two different eye stages and then combined the two.
He'd then consulted his teammate, Karasu, about his contract. Learning about natural chakra, he'd vowed to learn about how to see nature chakra in his surroundings.
Deciding that the second to final stage would be something revolving nature chakra, light, and regular chakra, he planned out all five stages. Using the large chakra reserves he'd been gifted by being in his clan, he spent many days practicing taijutsu and shuriken jutsu while using the first, second, and third stage of his Hikarigan.
Karasu, on the other hand, had been taking solo missions. Dato, unlike most other villages, allowed their genins to take C rank missions solo, as long as they had completed 10 C rank missions previously. Which was not hard, as genin teams only did C-ranks, the academy students were given the chores known as D-ranks. This system gave the civilian population a look at their future protectors before they even became shinobi.
He'd completed 8 C-rank missions. While he had not sharpened his skills in the same way as Raito, he'd gotten a lot better in tough situations. Especially without Raito to bail him out, or a sensei for that matter. Karasu, however, was gaining fame throughout the smaller surrounding nations during this month, as he'd yet to lose a single battle against enemy shinobi. Crow's eye was becoming a genuine fear in villages like Otogakure and Takigakure.
Aoi had spent her entire time doing surgeries and practicing her medical ninjutsu. With her dojutsu's muscle-seeing capability, she'd become extremely precise. She'd become one of the best medical ninjas who were not jonin in the village. She'd also practiced her lightning jutsu and managed to create a new jutsu that was devastating. Her chakra control had become so refined, Raito said she could be on par with a chunin-level Arashi clan member. They were known for their extreme chakra control and large chakra reserves in the village.
Aoi also managed to go on two joint missions with Karasu in which she displayed her usefulness repeatedly. Able to heal people on the go, even while in movement, she was perfect for a mission partner. Her lightning jutsu saved Karasu's life once, and while he would never admit it, he was jealous of whoever already had the girl's attention.
This was the team that had been gathered in Yokage's office. Raito had a bored expression that had begun to cement itself as his only physical expression. Karasu had his smile on his lips as he listened to the Yokage. Aoi's face displayed extreme shock.
"...So, ultimately, team 13, you need to hunt down this Arashi clan missing nin. He's probably an A-class threat, and if you fail, well, don't. I don't want you to step back into this village until you have eliminated him. His goal is to give this information to the rising mercenary group known as the Akatsuki."
Karasu grinned. He'd heard of the group through whispers here and there, and he nodded. Raito nodded, his hand lazily pressing against the nape of his neck. Aoi nodded and looked at her two teammates, who seemed unsurprised by the mission.
So she asked, "Yokage-same, how do you expect us, genin, to complete this?"
"This is a test I'm giving to all genin squads to go to the chunin exams. Also, don't forget that you have the two strongest genin in the village."
Aoi nodded and waited for the Yokage to continue.
"Depart as soon as possible. Keep me updated through your crows, Karasu."
The genin team nodded and left Yokage's office. They headed out of the mudbrick building, and all of them, already being prepared, left the village. They'd be back within the fortnight.
---
With team 13 of Dato, they were relaxed as they entered the first village on their checklist on where to find this ninja. The town was small, and clearly had only appeared recently as there was no planning in how the houses had been built. This was the organic organization that appeared in all new towns, the kind that would eventually be called a historic district.
As they walked through the gate into the village, Raito's face did not change. Karasu secretly released one of his crows to survey the village from above. Aoi looked around the village with excitement.
She said, "I heard from my dad that they have an excellent hot spring here. Apparently, my mom visited here before she got pregnant with my baby brother."
Raito's face remained bored, and he simply watched his surroundings. There were kids with dirt on their faces, running around and playing tag. The adults were either behind the trader's carts selling goods or in front, buying said goods. It was just like every other town Raito had visited before, nothing special.
Karasu replied, "Then you should go. Raito and I will find us a place to stay for the night."
Raito nodded, as if he was mourning the loss of someone important.
Aoi's face fell, and she said, "No. I'll just go with you guys to find a place to stay."
Karasu rolled his eyes. The trio walked through the village until they found a suitable location to rest. Raito immediately went to find a place to buy weapons. Aoi went with him and Karasu stayed in their room.
Karasu was in their room when he had an idea. If there was one thing he loved more than anything, it was having information. Why not create the greatest informational system ever? So he began to draft himself one. He wanted a spy network, so perfect that only a few people knew it truly existed.
With Raito and Aoi, the two eventually found a rundown weapons shop. They opened the creaky door and saw a former shinobi missing an arm. Raito nodded to the dark-haired man, and they explored the man's options. There was not much, but it was endearing to think the man even had a shop in such difficult times.
Aoi found herself some senbon and a few storage seals. Raito was still looking as Aoi checked her stuff out. The girl went deeper into the badly lit shop to find Raito. She found the boy in the back, looking at the bookshelves. Raito was studying the book names to see if he could find one on the art of Fuinjutsu. He was looking here, as back in Dato, they had not acquired any ninjutsu books, nor did they even have a library.
Raito managed to find a single book on that and then another book on kenjutsu. He then bought an extremely cheap blade, not planning on actually using it in battle.
It was a small chokuto that had a nice sheath that could easily be strapped to his back. In total, his order totaled 5,000 ryo, and it hurt his bank account more than he'd be willing to admit.
The two teammates left the small shop, making the man a little bit richer. They walked the city and returned to their hotel room. As Raito reached to open the door, he heard a scream from Karasu.
"Don't open that door! Give me just a second!"
Raito whispered to Aoi, "Maybe he found a girl for himself. One that actually-"
He was cut off by the door, almost hitting him in the face. Raito turned to his friend and teammate, who had a grin and a black ink smudge on his face.
Karasu said, "I apologize, there was a mess in here. Didn't want y'all seeing that."
Raito simply raised an eyebrow and walked past his teammate. The team proceeded to have dinner at a small restaurant and sleep. By 6 am, the team was already gone, having long left the comfort of the town, headed deeper into Iwagakure territory. Their target was five years older than the team, having been born during the Third Great Ninja War.
The trip was simple; Raito didn't speak, and the other two spoke very little to one another. The group reached the next town on their checklist and saw the remnants of a battle. Shifted ground, scarred trees, artificially created clearings. All signs were clear, but it was even clearer that the battle had long been over.
This town was larger, and it was evident that they were unbothered by the fight the ninjas had had earlier. Tens of roads scattered out from the town as if it were some sort of beast. Which was starkly different from the previous town, with its singular road in and out. Raito and the group walked in, stripping themselves of their headbands. However, that was when Karasu felt a group of chakras approaching. Turning, the team beheld an entire group of Iwa anbu, their blades ripping towards them.