My efforts over the past month had borne fruit — two C-rank jutsus.
Suiton: Mizu Kabe — the Water Wall — and Raiton: Shogeki, or Lightning Shock. You already know the Water Wall, so let's skip the obvious. Shogeki was new to me: lightning-nature chakra condensed into the hand and released in a short burst. A taser, essentially. Disrupting chakra flow, causing brief paralysis — simple but effective.
For the next month, I focused on perfecting these and the academy basics. Maybe it was my old world's education, but I picked them up fast — too fast. Within a week, I'd understood every principle and hand seal.
But I couldn't use any of them.
My chakra had expanded far beyond what I could control. Even Clone Jutsu slipped from my grasp. All I could do was use small chakra circulation to enhance strength or reflexes. Still, between taijutsu drills and kenjutsu training, I felt confident enough to call myself Genin material. Besides, with an enhanced physique, I was a physical fighter anyway.
So I decided to risk it — time to take a mission.
The mission board at the Hokage Tower was overflowing with scrolls. But almost every one of them required a team of three or more. When I asked about solo missions, the clerk behind the counter smiled sympathetically and pointed me to a tavern down the street.
"If you're looking for a team, try Takeshi's Castle."
I almost laughed. Really? Is a demon masked man going to chase me and mash black paint on my face if I get caught in there? The girl raised an eyebrow —Clearly, she pegged me for a weirdo. Still, I went.
Takeshi's Castle wasn't much of a tavern. Dim lighting, the scent of sake and oil lamps, and low murmurs from tables full of shinobi. Every head turned when I entered. The older ones glanced once and dismissed me. The younger ones stared for a heartbeat longer — then went back to their drinks.
I quietly ordered a fruit juice and sat down.
Minutes passed. People came and went. I realized I had no idea who to approach and how. Half an hour later, frustration got the better of me, and I finally decided to try.
I approached a nearby table of three.
"Excuse me, I overheard you're planning an escort mission. Are you looking for an extra member?"
They all turned toward me like I'd just sprouted antlers. The oldest among them sighed.
"Do you see a kunai, kid?"
"…What?"
He tapped the edge of the table. "If a team's recruiting, they put a kunai there. See? That means one open spot. Shuriken means Chunin-level. No sign, no spot."
I glanced around. Sure enough, each table had a few kunai or shuriken laid out like a code. I nodded sheepishly.
"Got it. thanks"
"Fucking newbies," he muttered, irritated by the interruption.
After a few rejections, I found a table with a single kunai. Seated there was a girl with messy brown hair — and beside her, a creature that could only loosely be called a dog. The beast was nearly my height, more wolf than hound. One look at the fang markings on her cheeks told me everything.
Inuzuka.
"Hey," I said, trying to sound confident. "I see you've got an open slot."
She looked up. "You're sharp. I'm Inuzuka Rina, and this is Hyuga Souta. We're short one for a bandit extermination. Haven't seen you before — which year are you from?"
She clearly took me for a standard shinobi. "Non academy, logistics to proper."
She looked at me in confusion, then proceeded to nod. "I see." She didn't.
Her companion had short blue hair, a calm demeanor, and black sunglasses. I was quite surprised to find these guys from 'named clans' short of a member. Better luck for me, I guess.
My eyes hadn't rested on his glasses for more than a second, but still the Hyuga spoke.
"Byakugan makes me a target," he said flatly. Fair enough. Perceptive guy. But I guess that was expected.
A Hyuga and an Inuzuka. Not bad company for a first mission. I'd been hoping for something low-risk like an escort, but bandits weren't exactly a bad place to start. If I had to learn to kill, better risk them than enemy shinobi.
"I'm Kurosawa Ren," I said, bowing slightly. "Kenjutsu specialist. I'd be honored to join you."
Rina looked at Souta, who shrugged. "Fine. We're already late. Even if he's dead weight, it's just bandits."
Charming. But I couldn't argue — I hadn't proved anything yet. And he was from a noble well well-established clan.
We finalized the mission at the Hokage Tower. Departure: dawn tomorrow, East Gate.
-----
Back home, I found myself surrounded by four pairs of worried eyes — Haruto, Reina, Sayo, and Daichi.
"I don't get it, sir," Sayo said, crossing her arms. "Why take the risk?" Despite being only a year younger than me, she insisted on calling me sir. It was equal parts flattering and uncomfortable.
Haruto, now tall and built for his age, chimed in. "If it's money, we can hold off on missions for a bit. We've got enough from the harvest. And the girls are learning. Soon we will have more tag makers ."
I didn't want to pop his innocent bubble and say that it will take at least 3-4 years before they actually manage to make the tags. These kids hadn't gone through the gauntlet of the asian academic system like me. And they had no real control over their chakra. Moreover. If merely 4 out of the 40 trainees, truly showed talent for Fuinjutsu. It would be a bumper harvest.
"It's not just money," I replied, stretching my neck. "Experience matters. I can't lead a shinobi clan if I don't act like a shinobi. Going out to fight is our literal job description."
They still didn't look convinced. Haruto's jaw tightened. Reina clutched the edge of her shirt. Sayo pouted, muttering something about reckless idiots.
I smiled faintly. "Relax. It's a C-rank. I'll be back in a week."
Of course, deep down, I knew it wasn't that simple. But if I were going to carve a place for the Kurosawa Clan, I couldn't just hide behind paper seals and clever words. I was now wholly committed to increasing the clan's power. I had grown attached to it. If what I was building here had to survive, it needed to be strong. And for it to be strong, I had to be strong.
Tomorrow would be my first step — the first mission.
And maybe, the first real test of whether I truly belonged in this world.