Chapter 69: Making Trouble in the Mission Room
Renjiro also provided Kaito with deeper understanding of chakra shape manipulation and how to execute it more rapidly. It was precisely because of this advanced instruction that Kaito's learning speed for Earth Release C-rank techniques nearly matched his pace for Wind Release jutsu.
Training for combination techniques also continued progressing, and they could now execute combination jutsu much faster than before.
Regarding genjutsu resistance, Renjiro's Shadow Clone initially cast D-rank illusions on Hodaka and Kaito. Within several days, Kaito could dispel these basic genjutsu.
Renjiro's Shadow Clone then employed C-rank genjutsu on him, which he also broke within a few weeks, and was currently working on dispelling B-rank illusions. Hodaka, however, required a full month just to break D-rank genjutsu consistently.
Kaito's kenjutsu also made substantial progress.
All the foundational principles of samurai swordsmanship had been thoroughly taught to him by Renjiro. They'd now begun learning more advanced sword techniques.
Renjiro informed him that once he mastered these advanced forms, he would teach him the Flying Swallow technique—a ranged slash using wind chakra.
During these weeks, they completed 6 additional D-rank missions. The first involved bathing the dogs at the Inuzuka clan's kennel.
Renjiro jokingly told them they'd have to clean all the excrement in the kennel, terrifying Mieko into using Body Flicker to escape, but she was caught by the scruff of her neck by Renjiro and dragged back.
All three children breathed sighs of relief when they learned the actual mission.
The next mission was capturing that terrible cat Tora, who scratched Mieko's face and bit Hodaka multiple times.
Kaito finally understood why everyone struggled to catch this cat. It was an unusually cunning feline with remarkable stealth and misdirection abilities!
Even so, this mission wouldn't be particularly challenging, but Renjiro added a restrictive condition.
The genin weren't allowed to walk or run on the ground—only on walls and vertical surfaces. If no walls were available, they had to create earth barriers to manufacture such surfaces.
The subsequent mission was cleaning all emergency shelters throughout Konoha. Kaito suspected this was the village's method of making them memorize all shelter locations.
After that, they delivered messages to various clans and noble families throughout Konoha. Next came babysitting several children from the Yamanaka Clan. Finally, they performed agricultural labor on a civilian farm.
Kaito observed his teammates, recognizing they were fed up and on the verge of open rebellion.
Another difference Kaito noticed was that after the first mission, the remaining assignments weren't given to them by Hiruzen personally. Instead, they retrieved missions from the assignment room on the first floor of the Administration Building. Kaito thought to himself,
"Aren't all the missions in the original series assigned personally by Hiruzen Sarutobi? Why isn't that the case for us? Or rather, why was it the case for them?"
He contemplated this further and reached a conclusion.
"Either he only assigns the initial mission personally, or he assigns missions based on the team's political importance. Naruto is a jinchuriki, Sasuke is the last Uchiha and clan heir. And Teams 8 and 10 are all composed of heirs from prominent Konoha clans. I suppose he has a responsibility to ensure their safety personally."
One day, after morning training concluded, Mieko said to Kaito and Hodaka,
"Hey, I just saw some shinobi from other villages. It seems the Chunin Exams are being held soon. Do you think we can participate too?"
This immediately captured her teammates' attention. Hodaka said excitedly,
"I hope so! I really want to fight shinobi from other villages."
Kaito thought to himself,
"If I remember correctly, a squad needs to complete eight missions minimum to be eligible. I wonder if Renjiro intentionally arranged our schedule so we wouldn't qualify for the exams, preventing anyone from pressuring him to enter us."
Seeing Kaito lost in thought, Mieko asked,
"What are you thinking about?"
Kaito replied pragmatically,
"I've heard that the Chunin Exams are extremely dangerous, so I seriously doubt they'd allow us to participate so early in our careers."
Mieko replied indignantly,
"Hey! We're ready to take those risks."
Hodaka nodded emphatically and added,
"I agree completely. We're shinobi—how could we back down because of some danger?"
Kaito shook his head at his teammates' naivety. He replied,
"Yes, but our current mission assignments are still just babysitting children and cleaning shelters."
These words deflated their spirits considerably. They quickly devolved into a minor complaining session.
When Renjiro appeared, they regarded him with obviously resentful expressions, which made him frown and ask,
"What happened?"
Mieko and Hodaka simply grunted and looked in opposite directions.
Despite waiting several days, Renjiro still didn't inform them about the exams.
The next day, Hodaka informed his teammates, saying,
"I heard that Senju Terui and Hatake Rai will be participating in this exam."
Kaito asked with confusion,
"Wait, haven't they already participated previously?"
This time Mieko clarified,
"No, Hatake Rai didn't participate in the previous examination."
Kaito nodded and said resignedly,
"I see. I guess we'll have to wait until next year to participate."
Just then, Renjiro appeared, and Mieko quickly asked him directly,
"Sensei, can we participate in the Chunin Exams?"
Renjiro shook his head and stated,
"No, you're not ready yet."
Mieko protested,
"Why not? Sensei, we're ready!"
Renjiro denied it again firmly, saying,
"Whether you're ready or not is for me to decide. Don't ask again."
The next day, when they arrived at the mission assignment room, the chunin coordinator said,
"Team Renjiro, your next mission is babysitting a newborn infant..."
However, his words were interrupted abruptly. Mieko had finally had enough, and she shouted loudly,
"Hey! Why do you always assign us such ridiculous missions? What kind of shinobi spends all day taking care of children? Just hire a civilian babysitter for this!"
The chunin said with a stern expression,
"Little girl, you're just a..."
However, his words were interrupted again by Hodaka. He said with a determined expression,
"I agree with Mieko completely. This is a mockery of our capabilities."
Kaito observed Renjiro's reaction and noticed he was secretly amused. He thought to himself,
"It seems we should start accepting C-rank missions now. So I might as well contribute something."
The chunin had been interrupted twice and was growing angry. He said furiously,
"Now listen here, you brats, I..."
The unfortunate man was interrupted a third time. Kaito said seriously,
"Sir, are you aware that during our last mission, we were genuinely worried that Mieko would accidentally burn down the entire farm? Even though sensei can use Water Release techniques, it would still cause substantial property damage. I'm really concerned about what might happen if you assign us to care for a small infant today."
Understanding Kaito's implication, the chunin coordinator shuddered visibly. Renjiro also found this amusing. He thought to himself,
"Well, I originally planned for them to complete a few more D-rank missions. But if they can win this debate with the mission coordinator, I don't mind starting C-rank assignments immediately."
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