Chương 38: Can Our First Mission Not Be Catching a Cat?

The following day, indications suggested that Yunmi Gekko might become the most worry-free leading Jonin since the founding of Konoha. Firstly, although two members of his Team 3 were specialized combatants who, like him, relied on blades to cut down enemies, the remaining member handled professional duties such as medical treatment, sensory detection, and tracking.

Furthermore, Dongye Zhen's culinary skills were the best among them; in the future, when out on field missions, they would likely have a versatile chef at their disposal. Moreover, he wasn't dead weight and could be utilized as a primary attacker. Most importantly, as the leading Jonin treating his adorable subordinates to their first luxurious meal, Yunmi Gekko hadn't even spent a cent. Two other people had been present at the time: Hui Dongye and Sakura Uzuki.

To thank their senior for serving as their children's sensei, the two mothers had fought over the bill. In the end, Sakura Uzuki won the great battle of "scattering coins." Yunmi felt his status within the team plummeting, and even his own son looked at him as if he were a disgraceful miser. To restore the glory of a leading Jonin, he felt duty-bound to seriously plan the ninja path for his members, allowing them to grow into powerful, qualified shinobi as soon as possible.

Simultaneously, he intended to teach his skills to Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki. As for the other member, he would leave him to his own devices, teaching only mission experience; as for ninjutsu, that was entirely outside his own capabilities. In the morning, after completing his daily exercise, Dongye Zhen took off his weights, ate breakfast, and washed up. He tied his headband around his forehead and carefully inspected his ninja tool pouch.

Then, he buckled on his shoulder strap, which was connected to the weapon he would use long-term from now on. With a lightning-fast motion of his right hand, he drew the short sword from behind his left shoulder, glanced at the character for "Dongye" engraved upon it, confirmed everything was in order, and sheathed it before heading out. When he arrived at the training ground designated as the team's rendezvous point, Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki were already there.

Hayate looked the same as always, but Yugao had changed; her clothes were now a tight-fitting style convenient for movement, and she also carried a blade on her back. Due to their height, both she and Hayate used short swords, though theirs were slightly longer than Zhen's. When they grew older, they would switch to standard straight longswords, a choice dictated by their respective family combat styles. Zhen didn't need to switch.

His attack range wasn't determined by the length of his blade; the quality of the sword was more important, as it allowed his techniques to be launched more smoothly. This heirloom blade was perfect as it was; although not forged entirely from chakra metal, it held significant sentimental value. If he could make a name for himself in the shinobi world with this blade, perhaps he could earn the nickname "Konoha's Little White Fang"—at which point he could tell Kakashi to call him "Godfather"!

On second thought, the title "Godfather" sounded like it carried a high risk of being stabbed in the back. Not long after he exchanged brief greetings with the two, Yunmi Gekko appeared. Yugao, being straightforward by nature, immediately asked, "Hey, Sensei, let's start the mission. Is the first step going to the mission desk in the Hokage Building's main hall?" Yunmi looked at the trio's attire. Though his face remained expressionless, he was secretly satisfied.

He replied, "You're right, but I've already picked up the mission. We can start immediately." the young girl became even more excited.

"What mission is it? Will there be combat?"

"I appreciate your spirit of wanting to contribute to the village, but unfortunately, you are only Genin. you can only start from the lowest-level D-rank missions."

"Eh? But didn't Hayate-niisan already do them? Do you really want to make him go through it again?" Hayate was an honest soul.

"I don't mind. The focus is on the two of you."

"Don't be naive. There is a mandatory quota for D-rank missions for Genin—at least eight. Otherwise, you won't even have the qualification to take the Chunin Exams." Having said that, Yunmi's expression softened slightly.

"However, considering we are currently in a state of war and manpower is needed everywhere, I am giving you only five days to complete at least twenty D-rank missions. If the time is extended because you can't finish, you can't blame me." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"No problem!" x2. Inside and outside Konoha, there were many simple tasks for which no dedicated staff were arranged. These were all posted as D-rank missions. One purpose was to give graduated Genin practice while allowing them to develop team synergy and deepen their bonds. Another function was to give those Genin with no hope of becoming Chunin a chance to earn money to support their families.

If not for this, many long-term Genin who only knew basic chakra applications and had no other survival skills would have no way for the village to support them. Without work, they would starve, much like Might Duy once did. As for talented squads, they only needed to complete a few training-oriented tasks to reach the quota for low-level missions. Zhen understood this, but he still offered a quip: "I have no problem either, as long as it isn't finding a pet cat for the Daimyo's family or some noble."

Yunmi didn't quite understand.

"How is that possible? Those people rarely come to Konoha." In his words, there was no hint of excessive respect for the Daimyo or nobles. However, ninja like him were relatively few; the vast majority were still very respectful toward those "great people," harboring an irrational loyalty in their bones that felt completely unworthy of the transcendent energy flowing through their bodies. A thousand years of ninja obedience education had stamped a stubborn "mental seal" into their minds.

Zhen often felt out of place among them because his thoughts weren't obedient enough. Yugao Uzuki: "So, what is our first mission?" Yunmi Gekko: "Finding cats!" Dongye Zhen: "???"

"Ahem!" Yunmi looked at Zhen's bewildered face and explained, "This was originally a task handled by the Uchiha clan, but most of their clan members are currently on the eastern battlefield, and they don't have enough manpower to manage it. Not far from Konoha, there is an abandoned town called Sora-ku, where the Ninja Cat clan lives; they are very close with the Uchiha. At this time of year, it happens to be the cats' mating season, so quite a few little ones have come to Konoha to fool around.

After all, while pet cats aren't Ninja Cats, they are quite pretty, aren't they?

"You must understand that Ninja Cats are different from ordinary cats, just as we shinobi are different from ordinary people. The Ninja Cat clan is an intelligent species. To ensure their offspring inherit that intelligence, they do not allow members to mate with ordinary cats. They have a formal marriage system, just like us humans. Therefore, they posted a mission for the village to capture the little ones in Konoha and bring them back." Zhen was beyond words.

Good grief, even Ninja Cats are starting to practice racial discrimination? Yugao Uzuki: "If the number isn't high, it should be simple." Yunmi Gekko pulled out a stack of photos.

"Then you're in for a disappointment. There are twenty-three in total, and they are all Ninja Cats capable of using chakra. Their speed is much faster than ordinary cats." Yugao Uzuki: "..." Hayate Gekko: "Sensei, shouldn't this mission be most appropriately handled by the Hyuga clan?"

"You're wrong, Hayate. The Hyuga clan cannot simply activate their Byakugan within the village without cause. I think you all understand the reason." Yugao Uzuki: "Sensei, are you doing this on purpose? With so many of them and all being Ninja Cats, how long will it take to catch them?"

"That depends on your ability. This is a mission I specifically selected for you," Yunmi Gekko said with a slight smile. From a sealing scroll, he summoned a massive metal cage with sealing paper stuck to it. He set it aside and, in a flash, sat on top of it, looking like a "dead pig unafraid of boiling water." This really was specifically selected. If he hadn't known someone had sensory abilities, this mission wouldn't have fallen to them.

"Leave it to me!" Zhen reached out and took the photos, carefully memorizing the appearance of the Ninja Cats before handing them to Hayate and Yugao to browse. His sensory perception expanded, covering all of Konoha, and he quickly memorized each target point in his mind. Yugao Uzuki: "Zhen-niisan, how is it? Did you find them?"

"I found them!" Zhen quickly called out several locations for them.

"These places have quite a few cats gathered. We'll split up. I'll handle the west and north; you two handle the remaining two directions. Meet back here after the mission is complete."

"Yes!" x2. Having determined their directions, the three left with a Body Flicker. Ninja don't take the common path; they spend their daily lives leaping across the rooftops of other people's homes. As he leaped, Zhen thought about this mission. He felt that once the higher-ups knew he had sensory abilities, they had specifically assigned this mission to test him. This way of doing things, one could only say, was "very ninja."

Every shinobi village adheres to strict confidentiality principles, as do the ninja themselves. The village won't force you to fully disclose your abilities, but if you have a special technique, the village will take note and then use certain missions to form a rough judgment. You don't even need to disclose it yourself. Ninja—that's what they do.