We approached the village sometime after the noble had already arrived. During the ride, Shisui and I went over the training plan again, step by step. The cart driver stayed tense the whole way, eyes fixed on the treeline like something might leap out at any second. We reassured him more than once that everything was under control, but his grip never loosened on the reins.
Before the gate came into view, Shisui sent a few shadow clones ahead to summon Sena and Kaen. By the time our cart reached the Hokage's building, both of them were there. Sena stood near the entrance, bright and composed, with a hint of pride she tried to hide behind a polite smile. Kaen looked like he was ready to punch a wall. He hated being pulled away from the fight again, and his chakra simmered with the kind of heat that makes people do reckless things.
I breathed out slowly. My role wasn't exactly glorious either. I had spent most of the time keeping a barrier steady around a decoy cart while jonin-level jutsu ripped the landscape apart. Falling debris, torn earth, shockwaves that shook my bones. I had also seen what Shisui could really do when he stopped holding back, and I never wanted to be standing opposite him.
Shisui did not pause on the steps or in the hall. The ANBU stationed at the door of the Hokage's office recognized him immediately, opened it without a word, and we walked straight in.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, pipe in hand, watching the village through the window. He turned as we approached, a faint smile touching his face.
"Shisui and Noa. It is good to see you both return safely. Report."
Shisui bowed his head a fraction. "Lord Hokage, your suspicion was correct. We were intercepted by a team of six genin, four chunin, and one jonin."
Behind me, Kaen's anger flared for a moment before he forced it back under control. Progress.
"Noa maintained the barrier around the decoy cart," Shisui continued, his voice steady. "The enemy believed the noble was still inside, which kept them focused on completing their mission rather than retreating. I engaged them soon after. We captured the jonin, and he has already been transferred to the T&I division for interrogation. The rest were killed in battle. They carried self-erasure seals designed to trigger if their chakra remained inactive for a set period, but Noa managed to suppress them and prevent any loss of intelligence."
Hiruzen listened without interrupting, then nodded once. "Excellent work." His eyes settled on me. "And well done, Noa. It is rare for a combat team to include a sealing specialist, and rarer still for one to perform that calmly under direct threat. You kept the barrier stable in a situation as tense as this."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," I said.
He drew on his pipe and exhaled a thin ribbon of smoke. "I will inform the Fire Daimyo of this continued success. The noble described the escort as a rare and exceptionally pleasant experience, and praise like that carries weight at court. Negotiations for the new trade routes have been progressing smoothly thanks to the noble's positive report. As a result, there will be a steady flow of contracts to guard merchants along those routes. Your team's reputation will grow from this. Combined with your record on previous missions, it has left a strong impression on the Fire Daimyo, who now knows your team by name."
He tapped the pipe lightly against the ashtray and looked us over. "Several jonin and chunin teams have already heard about the possibility of a new stream of missions following your success. Fame of that sort is useful, but it also carries weight. Expectations will rise, and so will attention. Not all of it will be friendly."
Shisui inclined his head. "Understood, Lord Hokage. We will continue to serve to the best of our ability."
"I have no doubt," Hiruzen said, a small smile returning. "Rest for now. New assignments will come soon. Be ready."
We bowed and withdrew. Sunlight cut across the office as he turned back to the window, the smoke from his pipe catching the light and fading slowly into the air.
Outside, Kaen muttered about wasted potential. Sena answered with a calm, patient smile that usually made him bristle. This time he did not look angry. He looked off-balance, like he could not decide whether to stay annoyed or keep watching her. Maybe that long trip with her had changed something. I said nothing and followed them down the steps.
Fame sounded nice until you remembered that in the shinobi world it mostly made you easier to find.
As we reached the street, Shisui spoke without breaking stride. "Go home, rest, and prepare for the next mission." His gaze shifted to me. "And do not overdo your training."
I nodded.
He glanced at Sena. "Remind him."
Sena's laugh was quiet and pleased. I could not tell if I felt more tired or insulted. Kaen scowled at the exchange for reasons I decided not to investigate. We split at the crossroads.
At home I found Genta stretched across the floor, fake crying, while his father sat beside him trying not to smile.
"You are being too harsh with your training, Father," Genta complained, clutching his side like he had been mortally wounded.
Takemura's eye twitched. "You asked me to push you to reach Noa's level. Now you complain."
"I said Noa's level, not the Hokage's," Genta shot back.
I laughed, and both of them turned.
"Noa!" Genta sprang up. "You are alive. Finally. That mission took forever."
I slid down beside him, too tired to sit straight. "It was rough. I did not fight, but I was stuck in the middle of a battle I had no business being near."
Takemura's amusement faded. "How bad?"
"Bad enough," I said. "More chunin. One jonin."
Takemura went still. "A jonin?" Concern replaced everything else. "Are you all right?"
"I am. Shisui-sensei handled it. He was terrifying."
Relief loosened his shoulders. "That fits. Shisui is among the strongest in the village."
Genta looked like someone had told him the mountains moved. "First a chunin, now a jonin, and we have not even done a single C-rank yet." He turned to his father. "You should talk to our sensei. We are falling behind."
Takemura sighed. "Your sensei decides when you are ready. Interference helps no one. From what I have seen, C-rank missions are not far off."
"That is not soon enough," Genta grumbled, then swung back to me. "Tell me how a jonin fights. I want details."
"They are monsters," I said. "Speed that looks unreal, chakra control that makes everything they do look effortless, jutsu that tear the ground open, genjutsu you do not see coming. It is a different tier."
Genta's eyes lit up. "So what did you do?"
"I stayed alive," I said. "It seemed like the right choice."
He groaned. "You are impossible."
"I will take impossible over dead," I said.
Takemura's mouth tugged upward. "That is the correct lesson."
Genta kept pushing for specifics. I had nothing more to give, and even if I did, most of it was not mine to share. After a while he ran out of questions and slumped back with a sigh.
A knock sounded at the door. Sena and Shizuru stepped in together.
I closed my eyes for a heartbeat. "Round two."
Takemura stood, amusement back in full. "I will leave you to it," he said, and slipped out.
"You faced a jonin?" Shizuru asked the instant she saw me.
"I did not fight a jonin," I said, deadpan. "I held a barrier and tried not to get flattened."
"So you were not in danger," she said, skeptical.
I scratched my cheek. "That depends on what you consider danger."
Her stare said the answer was not good enough. I turned to Sena. "Why are you spreading things again?"
She lifted a shoulder, eyes bright with mischief. "Our side of the mission was very calm. This is my payback for you hoarding the excitement again."
I stared at her. "I almost died and you call that hoarding."
"I call it balance," she said, smiling like the sun.
Shizuru stepped closer, worry outweighing her annoyance. "Are you actually fine?"
"I am fine," I said. "No injuries. No damage. We completed the mission. That is all."
She let out a long breath, relief smoothing her shoulders. I reached for a few rice balls from the tray and flicked them at Sena. She dodged easily and laughed, which was somehow even more infuriating.
Genta leaned forward again, voice suddenly serious. "Come on. Tell us everything. Do not hold back."
"I cannot," I said, and spread my hands. "Classified."
Genta and Shizuru groaned in unison and glared at me. Sena did not know the full story, which did not stop her from smiling like a fox and beginning to narrate what little she had heard, decorating the gaps with guesses that made Genta's jaw drop and Shizuru pinch the bridge of her nose.
I let the noise wash over me, the warmth of home settling around the edges of my exhaustion. We had made it back. The village looked the same, but the ground beneath my feet felt different now. I knew I had to move faster. Monsters on that level weren't rare in this world, and I needed to be ready for the day my luck decided to test my will to live.