The System placed me at Chunin. But due to its high standards, you could say I was an elite Chunin. But this was not because I was strong. But that Call flame as a trump card. Without that, I was really just a chunn.
And the system just asked me to sacrifice all my aces and then some for this clan summoning. I could buy something worth millions of SS with this token. Yet it wasn't enough for this. Admittedly, the name Yamigami sounded cool. And god in name always meant strength. But still. How strong were they? And why would they agree to team up with me and my clan if even the Dragons considered me too weak? Did it have something to do with the timer?
I checked the description
Absolute loyalty.
Increase World Energy Transmission. (Chakra manipulation and volume for this plane of existence)
Increase Planar Energy Conversion (SS generated increased)
Increase the Call for you and your clan.
Huh, so they were an unofficial system update basically. And did everything have a call? How were they going to increase my clan's call?
I will need to think well on this. I still had 4 days.
I heard Rina call me. And I left the tree cover to meet up with my team.
The last bandit's body hit the dirt with a dull thud. Silence followed — except for the caw of a distant crow and Rina's long, suffering sigh.
"Please tell me," she said, sheathing her kunai, "that was the last one." Her expression mirrors that of someone being force-fed sugar for days. If the next bandit she fought was fifty years later, it would be too soon.
Ren wiped his blade clean. "Yep. That's the last of them. Bandit Camp Forty-Three, officially cleared."
"Forty-three," she repeated, the number tasting bitter. "Ren, I say this with all due respect to your special connections—"
Kagenori raised an eyebrow. "Careful, Rina."
She gave a sharp bow. "With all due respect, Lord Ren Bandit's Bane, we're shinobi, not pest control."
Ren chuckled. "Duly noted. I'll retire from my illustrious career of stabbing unwashed men for money."
Rina raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? Just like that?"
"Yep, Just like that."
Now even Souta and Sensei were interested. I knew the Hokage still approved all our missions and took personal reports about me from Sensei. He had stopped supporting, not watching. But my team was unaware of all that. I took absolute advantage of it to select missions I liked instead of Sensei. Which, because of the achievement, had all been bandits.
Rina relaxed her posture. "Good. Because if I have to clean blood out of my sandals one more time, I'm going to defect to the Yamanaka flower shop."
Even Souta cracked a smile at that. "You wouldn't last an hour surrounded by that much gossip."
"But seriously, are we really stopping this crusade?" Souta still didn't look convinced.
"Yeah, my objective was completed today, so..." In the fun banter, I accidentally spoke aloud my inner thoughts.
They all paused. "Objective?" Kagenori sensei questioned.
I chuckled awkwardly. "To free our land of fire from bandits?" My voice wasn't convincing even to myself.
Sure, for the next 5-6 years, no bandits will sprout in terror. But nobody believed after that slip of tongue.
"So there really was a purpose to this mindless crusade? You know, Ren, since we all helped you achieve this oh so important objective for over so many years now. I guess we deserve a little hint?" Rina put her hands on her waist and stared.
They all stared at me expectantly.
I was about to delect when I got an idea. I had already planned to use my token and card to gain the Yamigami clan Contract. This could serve as a backstory of me searching for a lost heirloom to get the clan to contract with me. Today's group had also been perfect. It had been operating for years. Cleverly skirting the border. It would make sense if I found something lost over 5-10 years ago.
"Actually, if all goes well. You all will know about it before the month is over. I need to report this to Hokage-sama first."
They were all stunned now. I figured informing Hiruzen about getting a clan contract would be nice. But after I said it, I realized. It must have sounded like this was a task from the Hokage himself. I didn't correct them. Let that old foggy take the blame for annoying the hell out of my team with bandit spam. I'll get a little less side eye.
-----
BBQQ. We had made it a habit of eating out after a mission.
Between bites, "So," Souta started, "the Chūnin Exams are coming."
That got everyone's attention.
"Already?" I blinked. "I thought we had at least a few months."
"Are we really ready?" Rina commented.
Kagenori shrugged. "I've taught you all I could. What is left is insect art. And practice and Chakra refining. Not much that I can do there."
"You three have the required missions logged — except…" he paused, glancing over his shoulder at Souta, "our esteemed Hyūga prodigy."
Souta frowned. "I'm short one?"
"By a single D-rank," Kagenori confirmed, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Unfortunate, really. We could fix that with something quick. Maybe gardening duty."
I snorted. "You want to send a Byakugan user to weed the Hokage's lawn?"
Rina smirked. "Fitting punishment for calling me dramatic during the last mission."
Souta gave her a deadpan stare. "You set the tent on fire."
"Ninjutsu is unpredictable."
"It was wind release practice!"
Their teacher coughed lightly. "Actually," Kagenori interrupted, "we might not have to choose. There's a standing D-rank request that's… available."
I eyed him suspiciously. "You said that like a man offering poisoned candy."
Kagenori's grin was wolfish. "The mission is simple. Retrieve one missing pet. Female, black fur, gold collar. Name: Tora the Second."
The silence that followed could've frozen a fireball mid-air.
Rina's face went pale. "That Tora? The same cat that stole the Hokage's hat last month?"
"The very one."
"Sensei," Souta said slowly, "isn't that the mission that eight different teams have failed this week?"
"Nine," Kagenori corrected cheerfully. "But I have full faith in my elite team."
Souta pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're an elite Chunin team doing D-rank cat retrieval."
"Hey," Rina grinned, "But why bother? We just got back. Let's take it easy."
Kagenori Sensei continued, "But I've heard that this is getting out of hand now. Genins can't catch it, and elites just ignore that particular quest as too much of a drag."
"Exactly my point. Let's learn from our peers." Rina grinned while Sensei looked at us helplessly.
Souta sighed. "You have already reported our acceptance, haven't you?"
Kagenori sheepishly muttered. "Lord Hokage had just received the complaints when I went in to report."
"He looked at me so earnestly that I couldn't say no!" Yeah, as if someone would offend that man over such a small matter.
"The Hokage assigning personal missions over a cat. What a day it is!" I chuckled.
Rina laughed. "Yeah, after all, what's the worst a cat can do?"
The four of them fell quiet as a distant, bloodcurdling screech echoed from somewhere in the village's direction — followed by the unmistakable sound of something exploding.
I blinked. "Was that…?"
Souta sighed with his byakugan open. "...Tora."