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Before long, the water-carrying task was completed.
"Give me another mission!"
"Huh?"
Hamura was stunned, but upon meeting Jiraiya's gaze, he immediately assigned another D-rank mission.
This time, it was chopping firewood.
But once again, it didn't take long.
"Another one."
...
Half a month later.
"Lord Third, this really won't do! You have to make him stop. At this rate, we won't have any D-rank missions left!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Hamura went upstairs to complain to the Third Hokage.
It couldn't be helped.
It wasn't that he refused to assign missions, but in the past half-month, Jiraiya's team had already completed over half of the village's D-rank missions.
At this rate, in a few more days, the village's D-rank missions would be completely cleared out.
What would the other teams and regular genin do then?
Would they be left without income?
This was indeed a significant problem.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples in frustration, thinking it over.
Jiraiya's team was undeniably top-tier in terms of strength.
The team leader went without saying.
Among the members were Hatake Kakashi, already a chunin; Kurenai Yuhi, skilled in genjutsu; and Yoshimine Kyohiko…
C-rank missions wouldn't be a challenge for them.
"Next time, let them take C-rank missions."
"Yes."
Hamura sighed in relief.
C-rank missions…
It wasn't that he was unwilling to assign them, but the current situation wasn't entirely stable.
Although the nations had ceased war, true peace hadn't been achieved, and small conflicts still arose between them.
Not to mention—
There were also large numbers of rogue samurai and bandits roaming the land after the war.
Nowadays, undertaking C-rank missions was far more dangerous than in peacetime.
Hamura was only responsible for assigning missions; he had no authority to decide the rules for rookie teams accepting missions.
With the Third Hokage's approval, there was no need for him to push back any further.
...
[As the Hokage, you actively contribute to the village, and your efforts are widely recognized.]
[Reward: Water Release: Surging Waves leveled up by 1.]
Huh?
That morning, as Kyohiko waited at the Hokage Building for the team to assemble, he was momentarily bewildered.
What was this?
Where did this reward come from?
After frantically grinding D-rank missions lately, he had somehow earned an unexpected reward.
He glanced at his status panel.
[Name: Yoshimine Kyohiko]
[Age: 7]
[Kekkei Genkai]: None
[Skills]:
Transformation Technique (Proficient), Clone Technique (Proficient), Substitution Technique (Proficient), Body Flicker Technique (Master), Water Release: Surging Waves (Proficient), Water Release: Water Barrier (Skilled)
Over the past half-month, Kyohiko had mainly trained in taijutsu and two water-release ninjutsu, but all had only reached the "Skilled" level.
Now, Surging Waves had directly jumped to "Proficient."
A wealth of knowledge about the technique flooded his mind, including minor insights on chakra control and how to better utilize water-release chakra.
Surging Waves was a basic technique, not involving advanced nature transformation.
However—
The "Proficient"-level techniques could significantly reduce the chakra required for its execution.
Theoretically, the same amount of chakra could now produce 30% more water than before.
Not only that, but many water-release techniques shared common principles.
Especially Surging Waves and Water Barrier.
Their standard versions didn't involve profound nature transformations—as long as one grasped the basics of nature transformation and could produce water-release chakra, they could be performed easily.
Both techniques were like this.
Some of the knowledge accompanying the "Proficient" level of Surging Waves could also be applied to Water Barrier.
Kyohiko was secretly delighted.
This upgrade was huge!
While ninjutsu might become less useful in the late-game battles of the future, right now, he needed to focus on surviving the Third Shinobi World War.
At the level of ordinary shinobi, water-release techniques were extremely practical.
"Kyohiko-kun."
A soft female voice called out from behind, growing closer.
Kyohiko turned—
Kakashi and Kurenai were approaching rapidly, one after the other.
The three gathered.
"You're here so early?" Kurenai panted slightly.
"Not long ago. I was jogging past, so I decided to wait here." Kyohiko replied.
Kakashi hesitated, about to say something, but after a glance, he swallowed his question.
"Hahaha, you're all here early!" Jiraiya arrived.
He was holding two packs of popsicles, breaking them apart and handing one to each of them.
"Let's go. Time for today's mission. The sooner we finish enough D-ranks, the sooner we can take on higher-difficulty C-ranks."
Jiraiya had had enough of D-rank missions.
For ordinary teams, D-rank missions might help with teamwork and skill development, but for their team…
Yeah, no.
As a chunin, Kakashi already understood all the necessary principles—his issues were psychological, and Jiraiya didn't have a good solution yet.
Kyohiko—
This kid was the least of his worries.
Kurenai's only shortcoming was her ability, but if she were to lead the team, she still had a long way to go.
For them, only C-rank missions and above—where they would face rogue samurai, bandits, or even enemy shinobi—could truly teach them what they needed to grow.
If they weren't allowed to take C-ranks, then they'd just clear out all the D-ranks.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth in determination.
Entering the mission hall, he headed straight for Hamura.
"Give me—"
"Lord Jiraiya, the Hokage has approved your team for C-rank missions."
Hamura immediately reported.
Jiraiya grinned. "Oh? No more D-ranks?"
"No need. You've already completed enough D-rank missions. Please take a look at the C-rank missions instead."
Hamura smiled wryly, presenting the new mission board.
Kyohiko glanced at it.
So, the earlier reward must have come from their efforts.
Then, he turned his attention to the mission board.
Most of the listings were escort missions for merchant caravans.
The destinations—
Mostly the Land of Rivers, the Land of Waves, and other unstable regions. Missions heading toward shinobi nations like the Land of Earth probably wouldn't qualify as C-rank anymore.
"This one."
Jiraiya pointed at an entry—
"Travel to Tanzaku Quarters to protect a creditor during debt collection."
The corner of his mouth curled up.
"This mission. Where's the client?"
"This mission was posted just yesterday. You only need to go to the Aoi Flower House in Tanzaku Quarters and ask for a man named Matsuyama Kōji." Hamura answered.
He hesitated before adding, "However, the reward offered is almost at B-rank level. I suspect the debt collection won't be straightforward."
"No problem. As long as the pay's good, I'm fine with it. I know how to get to Tanzaku Quarters."
Jiraiya waved his hand, his face full of delight.
Kyohiko's expression turned strange.
Tanzaku Quarters—that wasn't exactly a wholesome place.
Shinobi who went there were at high risk of breaking the Three Shinobi Prohibitions.
It was hard not to suspect—
Their sensei's real motive wasn't the mission but rather a chance to enjoy himself for a while.
He couldn't help but grumble internally.
Kakashi and Kurenai remained expressionless, either unaware of Tanzaku Quarters' reputation or simply indifferent.
In any case, Jiraiya happily accepted the mission.
But just as they stepped out of the mission hall, a figure blocked their path.
"Lord Jiraiya, the Hokage requests your presence."
An ANBU operative.
Jiraiya sighed, nodded, and after a quick word to his team, headed upstairs.
"Kyohiko! Kakashi!"
While they waited, a voice called out from inside.
Kurenai's expression turned slightly complicated—
It was that eccentric again!
Might Guy.
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