The sky was pristine blue, and the clean, bright sunlight illuminated the streets brilliantly.
"M-Mamoru-kun, thank you f-for what you said yesterday." Hinata lowered her head, her hands nervously clasped in front of her, her voice so soft it almost dissolved into the air.
"I told you, you don't need to be so polite with me." Mamoru glanced at the girl beside him and waved his hand.
Her overly obedient personality made him feel like he was bullying her even if he just wanted to tease her a little. It was quite boring.
"Hinata, if you ever have any troubles in the future, you can always come to me, your teacher." Kurenai gently stroked Hinata's hair, her tone mild.
"..."
Shino involuntarily stopped, the corners of his eyes and lips twitching imperceptibly beneath his sunglasses.
Did something happen that he didn't know about?
Why did it feel like the distance between them had suddenly closed?
What was this feeling of loneliness, of being excluded, as a member of Team 8?
Could it be... he was being bullied at work?
Kurenai retracted her smile and said, "Today marks our team's first official mission execution. Everyone must take this seriously."
Hinata replied softly, "Yes."
After walking a few steps, Mamoru noticed Shino wasn't beside him and looked back. "What's wrong, Shino?"
Shino adjusted his sunglasses, trying to keep his tone calm. "Nothing."
Mamoru suddenly leaned closer, as if smelling something interesting, a mischievous grin appearing on his face.
"Hmm? Could it be..."
"Are you feeling lonely?"
Shino coughed violently, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Cough, cough, cough..."
"Who is lonely?"
"Hahaha..."
Mamoru laughed heartily, turned around, and quickly caught up with Kurenai and Hinata ahead.
He called out, "Shino says he's lonely by himself and needs us to show him more companionship!"
Shino immediately lost his composure, rushing forward to try and cover Mamoru's mouth. "I did not! Don't talk nonsense!"
Mamoru deftly dodged him. "Don't be shy."
The two chased each other down the street, drawing glances from passing villagers.
—
A short while later.
The three members of Team 8 followed Kurenai to the Mission Assignment Office. The spacious, empty hall was brightly lit, with a row of long office desks neatly arranged.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, and two staff members sat behind the desks.
"Kurenai, you're here?" Hiruzen put down the scroll in his hand, raised his eyes, and gave a gentle look.
"Hokage-sama." Kurenai stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"This is the team you're leading, right?" Hiruzen's gaze, steady as a mountain, slowly swept over the three children, each with a different demeanor.
"Yes. I brought them today to familiarize them with the mission assignment and handover process."
Kurenai turned sideways and introduced them from left to right, "Uchiha Mamoru, Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino."
"Yo, old man." Mamoru casually raised a hand in greeting.
For the past few years, the old man had personally delivered his living expenses, and they met almost every month, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
"Hmph, you brat, still so disrespectful." Hiruzen pretended to be displeased, but a subtle smile flickered in his eyes.
"Idiot, how dare you speak to Hokage-sama like that?" Kurenai frowned slightly and scolded him.
Hinata also looked at Mamoru worriedly, her small hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.
"Kurenai, don't worry about it." Hiruzen waved his hand, his pipe held between his fingers. "This kid and I are old acquaintances."
"Understood." Kurenai finally relaxed, giving Mamoru a covert glare.
"Well then, the first mission for Team 8, led by Kurenai, is..."
Hiruzen put the pipe back in his mouth, searched through the piled documents on the desk for a moment, pulled out a piece of paper, and read, "Help move cargo, or go to the neighboring village to help harvest wheat, or maybe..."
"Wait." Mamoru suddenly interrupted.
He realized how low-level Genin missions truly were, only consisting of trivial tasks like these.
"Is there a problem?" Hiruzen raised his gaze above the documents.
"Are there any... hmm, missions involving finding objects or pets?" Mamoru asked.
His idea was simple. Since they had to start with D-rank Missions, they should choose the area their team was best at. Otherwise, what was the point of forming a Reconnaissance Team?
Hiruzen searched through the files again, his finger running over a stack of papers. "Let me see... Finding the pet sweetie. I remember putting it here."
He pulled a photo from a stack of documents on the desk. "Found it."
"This is your mission: find the pet named sweetie shown in this photo." Hiruzen handed over the photo.
Mamoru stepped forward and took the photo.
Just one look and—
"Pfft!" He couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Ahaha... this thing is called sweetie? That's damn hideous! No, I can't, I'm dying of laughter!"
"Is it that funny?" Kurenai asked, frowning in confusion.
"See for yourself." Mamoru clutched his stomach and handed the photo over.
Kurenai took it, and immediately couldn't help but laugh.
Hinata and Shino, unable to contain their curiosity, also leaned closer, their eyes falling upon the image.
Even the quietest and most shy Hinata couldn't help but laugh the moment she saw it clearly. Realizing her lapse in composure after laughing, she quickly covered her mouth, though the amusement in her eyes was unmistakable.
No expression could be seen on Shino's face behind his sunglasses, but his constantly twitching body showed that he was struggling immensely to hold it in.
The photo showed a fierce little crocodile, but its attire was anything but fierce. A white silk ribbon was wrapped around its head, tied into a cute bow. Heavy purple eyeshadow was smeared around its eyes, and even its four limbs and tail were adorned with lace-fringed decorations.
"The owner is a genius." Mamoru exclaimed sincerely.
"Idiot, don't make fun of the client." Kurenai suppressed her laughter and glared at him sternly.
"Hinata, Shino..."
Mamoru pulled the photo back from Kurenai's hand, turned, and walked toward the door, holding up the photo. "Let's go, time to find sweetie."
Hinata and Shino quickly bowed to Hiruzen, then jogged to catch up with Mamoru. The three figures disappeared behind the door.
"How do you feel about leading newcomers for the first time?" Hiruzen looked at Kurenai, who remained standing, and picked up the pipe on the desk again.
Kurenai smiled. "It's a bit different from what I imagined. Although there's one particularly mischievous fellow in the team, they are all excellent, good children."
"Is that so." Hiruzen smiled meaningfully as the smoke slowly drifted away.
Kurenai bowed in farewell. "Well, I should be going. If I don't keep an eye on that kid, I don't know what kind of trouble he'll stir up."
Hiruzen nodded. "Go on."
(End of Chapter)
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