When they heard the missions assigned to their respective teams, both Naruto and Chiharu's expressions fell in perfect unison with Shin's subtle grimace. The mundane nature of their first official mission as shinobi was nothing short of deflating.
"Hmph."
Though Sasuke maintained a more composed reaction than Naruto's earlier outburst of mockery, he couldn't resist a soft snort of satisfaction, the corners of his mouth lifting into the barest hint of a smirk. The tables had turned swiftly.
"Dad—"
Naruto gritted his teeth, casting a quick, irritated glance at Sasuke before turning toward Minato with protest written clearly across his face. Before he could voice his objections, however, Shisui swiftly retrieved the mission scroll from the Hokage's desk and placed a firm hand atop Naruto's head, effectively silencing him.
"Hokage-sama, we will complete the mission with utmost efficiency," Shisui declared with professional deference. He gave Naruto a gentle but insistent push toward the door, nodding to Chiharu and Shin. "Let's go, team."
Naruto's face was a portrait of disbelief. Throughout his years at the Academy, through all his daydreams of heroic ninja exploits, never once had he imagined that his shinobi career would begin with something as mundane as retrieving a lost pet. The disconnect between expectation and reality was jarring.
Nevertheless, under Shisui's authoritative guidance, he found himself being steered out of the Hokage's office before he could articulate his complaints.
"Move out," Kakashi instructed his own team with characteristic nonchalance. He accepted their mission scroll with a casual flick of his wrist, his single visible eye briefly scanning Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai before he gestured toward the exit. His tone was light but carried unmistakable authority.
"Sensei Shisui, why do we have to carry out such trivial tasks?!" Naruto demanded once they were outside the Hokage Building. Free from his mentor's restraining grip, his frustration bubbled over like a pot left too long on the stove.
Shisui paused, turning to face his students with an expression that had shifted from casual to solemn in an instant. The transformation was subtle but profound—this was the face of a man who had witnessed the harsh realities of the shinobi world firsthand.
"Naruto," he began, his voice measured and deliberate, "you should have learned in the Academy that a shinobi's primary duty is to follow orders. When the Hokage assigns us a mission, regardless of its perceived importance or difficulty, our obligation is to execute it with unwavering commitment."
His dark eyes held Naruto's gaze steadily. "If you cannot perform a D-rank mission with dedication and skill, what makes you believe you're prepared for higher-ranked missions with greater stakes? The path of a shinobi begins with mastering the fundamentals."
The weight of Shisui's words settled over Naruto. For a moment, he was silent, processing this perspective. Finally, after a thoughtful pause, he nodded reluctantly.
"I understand," he conceded, though his tone suggested his heart wasn't fully aligned with his words.
"Good," Shisui replied, his serious expression melting into a warm smile.
In this era of relative peace, Shisui had observed this same scenario play out countless times. Nearly all newly graduated genin experienced this disillusionment when confronted with the unglamorous reality of their early missions. The fantasy of immediate high-stakes adventures rarely aligned with the methodical progression of a shinobi's career.
Though Naruto might be impulsive and occasionally lacking in discipline, Shisui recognized the burning will within him—that inextinguishable spirit was precisely what made for a truly exceptional ninja. It simply needed proper channeling.
A sudden movement caught their attention as Kakashi's team emerged from the Hokage Building, heading directly toward the western district of the village to begin their agricultural mission.
Naruto's eyes locked onto Sasuke's retreating form, and instantly, a competitive fire reignited within him. "Even if it's just a simple task, I'll complete it faster than Sasuke!" he declared, suddenly filled with renewed determination.
"In that case," Shisui said with an amused smile, "let's first confirm our mission parameters."
He unfolded the mission scroll, displaying it so all three genin could see. The document contained a photograph of their target—an ordinary domestic cat with distinctive markings.
"Have you memorized the target's appearance?" Shisui asked after giving them a moment to study the image.
After they nodded in confirmation, he carefully rolled the scroll and tucked it away. Rather than immediately assigning tasks, he waited, curious to see how his team would organize themselves.
Shin was the first to speak, his analytical mind already formulating a strategy. "I'll use my Super Beast Scroll technique to conduct an aerial search," he suggested, glancing between Naruto and Chiharu. "You two could canvas the village on foot, asking residents if they've spotted the target."
"Right," Naruto and Chiharu agreed in unison, seeing the logic in this division of labor.
All three looked to Shisui for approval. The jōnin nodded, pleased by their quick collaboration. "Very well. Disperse!"
In three simultaneous blurs, the team vanished from the spot, each member moving with purpose toward their assigned search areas.
Several hours later, as the midday sun reached its zenith, Kakashi's team arrived at the Hokage's office to report the completion of their mission. When the office door swung open, they found Team Shisui already present, having just delivered their own mission report.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto called out, arms crossed over his chest in an unmistakable posture of triumph. "What took you so long? We finished our mission ages ago!"
Sasuke offered no verbal response, but his face cycled through various shades of frustration, clearly battling with his pride. The unspoken competition between them was palpable in the air.
After Kakashi formally submitted their mission report, Sasuke stepped forward, approaching Minato's desk with determination etched into his features.
"Hokage-sama," he addressed Minato formally, "are there additional missions available? We're prepared to take on another assignment immediately."
"There are," Minato confirmed, his expression thoughtful, "but I recommend that your team takes the remainder of the day to rest and recover."
"It's still early, and I'm not fatigued," Sasuke insisted, his voice steady with resolve. "I request another mission."
"Your personal assessment isn't the only factor to consider," Minato replied diplomatically. "A mission isn't assigned to you individually but to your team as a collective unit."
He shifted his gaze beyond Sasuke to where Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai stood waiting. The unspoken question hung in the air.
"I'm not tired at all, Hokage-sama!" Sakura promptly volunteered, raising her hand with enthusiasm that was clearly influenced by her desire to support Sasuke's wishes.
"I can continue as well," Sai added with characteristic detachment, his expression neutral.
"In that case," Kakashi interjected, stepping forward to stand beside his students, "Team Kakashi formally requests another mission assignment."
Not to be outdone, Naruto glanced at his own teammates, seeking their silent approval. Upon receiving affirmative nods from both Shin and Chiharu, Shisui stepped forward as well.
"Team Shisui also requests an additional mission, Hokage-sama," he stated formally.
"Just watch," Naruto declared, fixing Sasuke with a challenging grin that stretched across his whiskered face. "We'll finish the next one before you even get started!"
"Don't be so certain," Sasuke retorted, finally breaking his silence. Something in Naruto's relentless provocation had ignited a competitive flame within him that could no longer be contained by his usual cool demeanor. His dark eyes burned with newfound intensity.
In this manner, three months passed with remarkable speed.
Throughout this period, driven by the fierce rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto, the mundane D-rank missions available to Konoha's genin teams were completed with unprecedented efficiency. The two young shinobi transformed even the most tedious tasks into opportunities to outperform one another, inadvertently setting new records for mission completion rates.
By the time eight weeks had elapsed, Konoha faced an unusual predicament—the village had run out of D-rank missions to assign. Every stray pet had been returned, every garden weeded, every fence painted, and every delivery made.
Both Naruto and Sasuke had separately approached Minato, petitioning for higher-ranked missions that might better challenge their developing skills. Despite their persistent requests, the Hokage remained steadfast in his refusal. The progression from D to C-rank missions followed a structured timeline that even his own son could not circumvent.
However, idle genin teams were an inefficient use of village resources. A solution presented itself when Konoha and Kirigakure announced their joint hosting of the upcoming Chūnin Exams. The newly graduated teams were promptly assigned as support personnel for the event, tasked with various logistical duties to ensure the examinations proceeded smoothly.
This arrangement served multiple purposes: keeping the genin productively occupied, exposing them to the structure and challenges of the Chūnin Exams they would likely participate in next year, and subtly reinforcing the diplomatic alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure through shared organizational responsibility.
In addition to their work with the Chūnin Exams, the teams continued to handle what few miscellaneous tasks emerged within the village.
One such task brought them to the Hokage's office on this particular afternoon.
"Oh my precious darling! I was absolutely beside myself with worry!"
Team Shisui stood in awkward silence, watching as an extraordinarily rotund middle-aged woman clutched a visibly distressed cat to her ample bosom. The woman's fleshy cheeks quivered with emotion as she repeatedly nuzzled her face against the unfortunate feline, who seemed to be contemplating the life choices that had led to this moment of misery.
"That's the second time this cat has escaped in three months," Chiharu whispered to her teammates, her eye twitching slightly. "Now I understand why."
"If that was my owner, I'd make a break for it too," Naruto muttered under his breath, arms crossed behind his head in his characteristic pose of casual discomfort.
"I find myself in complete agreement," Shin added with an uncharacteristic smile that bordered on sympathetic—perhaps the most human expression his teammates had witnessed from him yet.
"Hokage-sama, please accept the payment for this mission," the woman said, presenting Minato with an envelope while maintaining her suffocating grip on the increasingly resigned-looking cat. "Your village's shinobi are simply invaluable!"
"You're too kind, madam," Minato responded with a diplomatic smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Even the composed Fourth Hokage seemed slightly discomfited by the woman's excessive display of affection toward her pet.
With a final crushing embrace of her captive companion, the woman waddled out of the office, leaving behind an awkward silence and faint trail of cat fur.
"I give it a week before that cat makes another escape attempt," Naruto predicted, his lips curling into a grimace that quickly gave way to his usual energetic demeanor. He turned to his father with renewed determination in his blue eyes. "Dad, do you have any other missions for us?"
"Not at the moment," Minato replied, organizing the paperwork on his desk.
"Then please, assign us something more challenging next time," Naruto pressed, his brow furrowed with earnestness. "I'm really getting tired of these D-rank missions."
Minato's expression softened as he regarded his son. "Don't worry. There simply aren't any suitable missions available right now. You've all worked diligently these past months, and that dedication hasn't gone unnoticed."
He leaned back slightly in his chair, a subtle gesture of reassurance. "Take some well-deserved rest. I'll notify your team when a more appropriate mission becomes available."
"I just don't want to chase any more runaway pets or weed any more gardens," Naruto insisted, his eyes narrowing slightly in emphasis.
"Of course," Minato assured him with a knowing smile. "You've accumulated sufficient experience with D-rank missions. The next assignment I give your team will present a greater challenge—you have my word."
"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement at the prospect of a meaningful mission at last. With renewed energy, he turned toward the door, ready to depart from the Hokage's office.
As Team Shisui made their way down the corridor toward the building's exit, they unexpectedly encountered a group of shinobi dressed in the distinctive attire of Kirigakure. The timing suggested they were part of the delegation for the joint Chūnin Exams.
Among them stood a tall, imposing figure who appeared to be their leader. As they passed, the man's gaze—sharp and assessing as a predatory hawk—settled briefly but intensely on Shisui.
The momentary exchange carried an undercurrent of something beyond mere curiosity—a silent recognition, perhaps, or something more calculated. Then, as quickly as it had occurred, the moment passed as both groups continued on their respective paths.