The next day, after the experiences of the day before, signs began to emerge that Gekkō Kumomi might well turn out to be the most worry-free team leader since the founding of Konohagakure.
First of all, in his Team Three, although two members had rather single-track skill sets—like him, both were pure combat types who fought with blades—the remaining member covered multiple specialized fields, including medical support, sensory abilities, and tracking.
What was more, Higashino Makoto's cooking skills were the best among the group. In future missions out in the field, they might even gain an extra asset in the form of a versatile cook.
And he would not hold them back either—he could be used as a primary offensive combatant.
Most importantly of all, for the first lavish meal that the team leader jōnin treated his adorable subordinates to, Gekkō Kumomi did not spend a single coin.
There had been two other people present at the time: Higashino Megumi and Uzuki Sakura. The two mothers, wanting to thank their senior for taking on the role of team leader for their children, competed with each other to pay the bill.
In the end, Uzuki Sakura achieved a decisive victory in this impromptu spending contest.
Gekkō Kumomi felt that his standing within the team had plummeted in a straight line; even the way his own son looked at him was like that of someone staring at a shameless miser.
In order to restore the glory of a team leader jōnin, he accepted the duty without hesitation and resolved to seriously plan out his team members' ninja paths, so that they could grow as quickly as possible into strong, qualified ninja.
At the same time, he intended to pass on all of his skills to Gekkō Hayate and Uzuki Yūgao. As for the other team member, he would be left to grow more freely—teaching some mission experience would be enough. As for ninjutsu and the like, that was completely beyond the scope of his abilities.
...
That morning, after completing his daily training, Higashino Makoto removed his weights, finished breakfast, washed up, and tied his forehead protector across his brow. He carefully checked his ninja tool pouch, then fastened the shoulder strap to his body—the weapon connected to it was something he would be using for a long time to come.
His right hand flashed like lightning as he drew a short blade from behind his left shoulder. He glanced at the two characters "Higashino" engraved on it, confirmed that everything was in order, sheathed the blade once more, and headed out.
When Higashino Makoto arrived at the training ground where the squad had agreed to meet up, Gekkō Hayate and Uzuki Yūgao were already there. Hayate still looked the same as always, while Yūgao had changed—she had switched into a tight-fitting outfit that was convenient for movement, and she also had a sword strapped to her back.
Because of their height, both he and Hayate used short blades, but theirs were a bit longer than Higashino Makoto's. Once they grew up, they would switch to standard-issue straight long swords—this was determined by the two families' combat styles.
Higashino Makoto did not need to switch. His attack range was not determined by the length of his blade; the quality of the blade mattered more, because it would make it easier for his techniques to activate smoothly.
The current heirloom blade was already very good. Although it was not forged entirely from chakra metal, it had great commemorative value.
If, in the future, he could use this blade to make a name for himself in the ninja world, maybe he could even earn the elegant nickname "Konoha's Little White Fang." Then he could have Kakashi call him his godfather!
Better forget it—just hearing "godfather" made it feel like there was a risk of getting stabbed.
Not long after he gave the two of them a simple greeting, Gekkō Kumomi appeared.
Uzuki Yūgao had a fairly straightforward temperament, and she immediately asked, "Hey, sensei, let's start the mission. Is the first step going to the mission desk in the Hokage Building's office hall?"
Gekkō Kumomi looked over the three of them, expressionless, but inwardly pleased, and replied, "You're right—but I've already accepted the mission, so we can start right away."
The little girl grew even more excited. "What kind of mission is it? Will there be fighting?"
"I understand your desire to contribute to the village, but unfortunately, you're just genin. You can only start with the lowest-level D-rank missions."
"Huh? But didn't Hayate-niisan do them already? Are you going to make him go through it again?"
Hayate was an honest person. "I don't mind. The two of you come first."
"Don't be naive. Genin have a mandatory requirement for D-rank missions—at least eight. Otherwise, you won't even qualify to participate in the chūnin exams."
After Gekkō Kumomi finished speaking, his expression became a bit gentler. "But considering we're currently in a wartime period and manpower is needed everywhere, I'm only giving you five days to complete at least twenty D-rank missions. If the time gets extended because you can't finish, then you can't blame me."
"No problem!" x2.
Inside and outside Konohagakure, there were many simple tasks that had not been assigned to dedicated staff, so they were all posted as D-rank missions. First, it let newly graduated genin get practice while also helping the team build coordination and deepen their bonds.
Another purpose was to give those genin with no hope of becoming chūnin a way to earn money and support their families.
If this were not the case, many long-serving genin would only know basic applications of chakra and have no other means of making a living. Konohagakure could not afford to support them for free; with nothing to do, they would simply starve—people like Might Duy in the past were an example.
As for squads with actual ability, completing some more training-oriented tasks to meet the required quota of low-level missions was sufficient.
Higashino Makoto understood this as well, but he still could not help making a sarcastic remark. "I'm fine with anything, as long as it's not looking for pet cats for a daimyō's family or some noble."
Gekkō Kumomi was a bit puzzled. "How could that be? Those people rarely come to Konoha."
In his words, there was no particular respect shown toward daimyō or nobles. Shinobi like him were relatively rare, though. The vast majority were still very deferential toward those high-born figures, carrying an unquestioning loyalty deep in their bones—utterly unworthy of the extraordinary power flowing through their bodies.
A thousand years of indoctrination in obedience had already stamped a stubborn ideological imprint into their minds, and Higashino Makoto often seemed out of place among them precisely because his thinking was not obedient enough.
Uzuki Yūgao: "So, what's our first mission?"
Gekkō Kumomi: "Find cats!"
Higashino Makoto: "???"
"Ahem." Seeing Higashino Makoto's bewildered expression, Gekkō Kumomi explained, "This used to be the responsibility of the Uchiha Clan, but most of their members are now on the eastern battlefield, so there isn't enough manpower to handle it."
"Not far from Konoha there's an abandoned town called Cat Fortress, and it's home to the ninja cat clan. They have an extremely close relationship with the Uchiha."
"At this time of year, cats are entering their mating season, so quite a few youngsters have run over to Konoha to fool around. After all, pet cats may not be ninja cats, but they're all very good-looking, aren't they?"
"You need to understand that ninja cats are different from ordinary cats, just like we ninja are different from ordinary people. The ninja cat clan is an intelligent race. In order for their offspring to inherit that intelligence, they do not allow members to mate with ordinary cats. They have a proper internal marriage system, just like humans."
"So they issued a mission to the village to capture all the youngsters currently in Konoha and bring them back."
Higashino Makoto was completely speechless. Damn it—now even ninja cats are engaging in racial discrimination?
Uzuki Yūgao: "If there aren't many of them, then it should be pretty easy."
Gekkō Kumomi took out a stack of photographs. "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. There are twenty-three in total, and they're all ninja cats that can use chakra. They're much faster than ordinary cats."
Uzuki Yūgao: "…"
Gekkō Hayate: "Sensei, wouldn't this mission be most suitable for members of the Hyūga Clan?"
"You're wrong, Hayate. The Hyūga Clan cannot casually activate their dōjutsu within the village. I think you all understand the reason."
Uzuki Yūgao: "Sensei, you did this on purpose, didn't you? There are so many of them, and they're all ninja cats—how long is this supposed to take?"
"That depends on your ability. This is a mission I selected specifically for you." Gekkō Kumomi smiled faintly, summoned an extra-large metal cage plastered with sealing tags from a sealing scroll, set it aside, then flashed over and sat on it, wearing an utterly unbothered expression.
It really had been specially selected. If it were not for knowing that someone possessed sensory abilities, this mission would never have fallen to them.
"Leave it to me!" Higashino Makoto reached out and took the photographs, carefully memorizing the appearances of the ninja cats, then handed them to Hayate and Yūgao to look over.
He expanded his perception, covering the entirety of Konohagakure, and very quickly marked one target point after another in his mind.
Uzuki Yūgao: "Makoto-niisan, how is it? Have you found them?"
"Found them!" Higashino Makoto promptly reported several locations. "There are quite a few cats gathered in these places. We'll split up. I'll handle the west and the north; you take care of the remaining two directions. After completing the mission, regroup here."
"Yes!" x2.
After confirming their directions, the three of them used Body Flicker and departed.
Ninja do not take ordinary paths—they routinely leap across other people's rooftops.
As Higashino Makoto moved from roof to roof, he thought about the mission and felt as though, after the higher-ups learned that he had sensory abilities, they had deliberately assigned this task to test him.
That way of doing things—one could only say it was very ninja.
All ninja villages adhered to strict principles of secrecy, and ninja were no exception. The village would not force you to fully disclose your abilities, but if you had special techniques, the village would keep them in mind. Through certain missions, it could roughly judge them without you ever needing to volunteer the information.
That was simply what ninja did.
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