Chapter 24: From D-Rank Missions to B-Rank Missions
The next day...
This time, Asuka wasn't awakened by the familiar weight on his chest.
He pulled a pillow over his head and kept his eyes tightly shut, intending to sleep a little longer.
Last night had been exhausting.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Scrape! Scrape! Scrape!
The kitchen echoed with the sounds of chopping vegetables and spatulas striking pots.
Crash!
Then came the sound of a bowl shattering.
Asuka pulled the pillow off his head, sleepily shuffled into the kitchen, and looked at Yūgao, who was bustling about inside.
"Actually..."
"If you're getting up this early..."
"You could just make instant noodles."
"No!"
Yūgao Uzuki wiped the sweat from her forehead and firmly rejected the suggestion.
Leaning against the wall, Asuka yawned before taking a deep sniff of the aroma filling the room.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"You've worked hard."
"What's for breakfast today?"
"I think I smell tomatoes and eggs."
"Scrambled eggs with tomatoes?"
Yūgao looked at the tomatoes in the pan.
They had long since lost their original shape and become a mushy paste.
She instantly fell silent.
She really had intended to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
For some reason...
The tomatoes had dissolved into a paste instead.
After a long pause, she stirred the pan a couple of times with the spatula and replied uncertainly,
"Tomato... egg drop soup."
"Not bad."
"It's been a while since I've had soup for breakfast."
"I'm going to wash up first."
"After breakfast, I'll take you three out on a mission."
With that, Asuka turned and left the kitchen.
Is there really that much difference between tomato egg drop soup and scrambled eggs with tomatoes?
One's a thick soup.
The other's a thin soup.
That's about it.
...
When Asuka returned after washing up and saw the bowl of tomato egg drop soup on the table...
He fell silent.
He couldn't see a single tomato.
After fishing around with his spoon a few times, he took a sip without hesitation and immediately praised it.
"Yūgao..."
"You're really meticulous."
"You even blended the tomatoes first."
"When I make this, I just chop them up and stir-fry them."
"Is... is it really that good?"
"Mhm!"
"Mhm!"
Asuka nodded repeatedly.
As long as someone else cooked for him...
Whether it tasted good or bad...
He would always say it was delicious.
Praise was never the wrong answer.
It was just...
A little sweet.
---
Konoha Village.
The park.
Asuka strolled leisurely along the path to help digest breakfast while explaining today's mission to the three students following behind him.
"Today's mission isn't difficult."
"It's a D-rank mission."
"Character Investigation."
"A villager is about to get married."
"Lately, he's begun feeling that his girlfriend has been acting strangely."
"He wants us to investigate her character..."
"And determine whether she's suitable for marriage."
"A character investigation mission tests your tracking skills..."
"Information-gathering skills..."
"And interrogation skills."
Before he could continue, Iruka suddenly raised his hand.
"Sensei."
"What do you mean by interrogation skills?"
"Ah."
"That."
Asuka thought for a moment before gesturing toward the Military Police headquarters.
"Interrogation is the ability to get the answers you want from the interrogation subject."
"The Great Memory Restoration Technique is one of the techniques commonly used during interrogations."
"It's also fairly simple to learn."
Yūgao searched through everything she knew.
She had never heard of the Great Memory Restoration Technique before.
Judging by the name alone...
It sounded incredibly advanced.
A-rank?
Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked,
"Sensei..."
"What exactly is the Great Memory Restoration Technique?"
"The Great Memory Restoration Technique?"
Asuka stopped walking and turned toward the three students.
After organizing his thoughts, he explained,
"The highest form of it..."
"Is the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique—"
"The Mind Body Switch Technique."
"Its lowest form..."
"Is taijutsu."
"That's right."
"The same taijutsu you practice every day."
"So..."
Several veins bulged on Hyūga Hanahana's forehead.
Looking at him with her Byakugan activated, she asked flatly,
"So interrogation..."
"Literally means beating people up?"
"You could say that."
Asuka nodded.
He pulled a scroll from his pocket, unrolled it, and began reading aloud.
"Assaulting a civilian without authorization..."
"Twenty days in detention."
"A fine of 100,000 ryō."
"You pay all of the victim's medical expenses."
"And you're prohibited from accepting any missions for three months."
"You can't just beat up civilians."
"What if they confess..."
"And then complain to the Hokage afterward?"
"You'd be the one in trouble."
"When your teacher dealt with troublesome scoundrels back then..."
"I always gathered the evidence first."
"Only then did I beat them until they confessed."
"Even if they complained to the Third Hokage afterward..."
"He couldn't say a word against me."
"Alright."
"That's enough mission advice."
Handing the mission scroll to the three students, Asuka clapped his hands.
"Dismissed."
Whoosh!
The moment he finished speaking...
The three exchanged glances.
Then immediately leaped into the nearby trees and disappeared into the village.
Watching them leave...
Asuka clasped his hands behind his back as he gazed nostalgically at the drifting clouds overhead.
Back when he handled missions like this...
Whenever he encountered adulterers or people betraying their families...
He always gathered the evidence first.
Only then would he begin the interrogation.
Most people like that clung desperately to the hope that they could bluff their way through.
That was when the Great Memory Restoration Technique truly shined.
With his superb Medical Ninjutsu...
Combined with the Great Memory Restoration Technique...
Completing these missions felt like eating ice-cold watermelon on a sweltering summer day.
Refreshing.
Thinking about that, Asuka stretched out on a park bench, pulled a medical textbook from his bag, and leisurely began flipping through it.
The closer his Medical Ninjutsu came to the limits of this world's medical knowledge...
The more curious he became about Tsunade's greatest mystery.
Her childhood photos clearly showed that she had been flatter than a coffin lid.
Yet...
In an astonishingly short period of time...
She had undergone an incredible transformation.
Although his Medical Ninjutsu wasn't quite on Tsunade's level...
The gap wasn't insurmountable.
There had to be some great secret behind it.
If he uncovered that secret...
It would be like discovering a fortune.
---
Meanwhile...
Yūgao Uzuki, Hyūga Hanahana, and Iruka had already arrived at the mission site.
The assignment itself wasn't difficult.
The client had already provided his girlfriend's daily schedule.
All they needed to do was track her...
Observe...
Record...
And interrogate her if necessary.
It was such an easy mission that they could practically complete it with their eyes closed.
"Hanahana."
"Don't lose sight of her."
"Understood."
Seeing the veins bulging around Hanahana's eyes...
Yūgao knew the Byakugan was active.
She turned toward Iruka and whispered,
"Iruka."
"Go ahead to the bathhouse she visits."
"If she goes there today..."
"Rent the room next to hers."
"Then wait for us."
"Understood."
Iruka immediately left ahead of them.
Not long afterward...
The mission target arrived at the bathhouse carrying a basket of bathing supplies.
"...Hmm?"
Alone?
Watching her walk into the women's bath...
Iruka frowned.
According to the mission report...
She had recently developed severe mysophobia and spent several hours every morning at the bathhouse.
She had also become unusually close to a mysterious stranger.
That was precisely why her boyfriend had commissioned the investigation.
"Hey!"
At that moment...
Yūgao and Hanahana arrived.
Looking at the bewildered Iruka standing in the lobby, they quietly asked,
"Did she go into the mixed bath?"
"No."
Iruka shook his head.
Still looking confused, he pointed inside.
"She went into the women's bath."
"The women's bath?"
The two girls blinked simultaneously.
"You didn't see wrong?"
Iruka shook his head.
He had watched her lift the curtain and walk straight inside.
That was exactly why he had remained waiting in the lobby.
Just then...
Hanahana suddenly raised a finger and began calculating.
"The mission pays 5,000 ryō."
"After the village's commission..."
"We receive 4,000."
"Sensei takes 1,000."
"That leaves 1,000 for each of us."
"A women's bath ticket costs 150 ryō."
"Since Iruka can't go in..."
"Yūgao and I each spent 150."
"You've contributed the least."
"Even among teammates..."
"We should settle accounts clearly."
"Otherwise it'll lead to disputes."
"...Huh?"
Iruka scratched his head.
Then suddenly understood.
He pulled 100 ryō from his pouch and handed 50 to each of the girls before bowing.
"Thank you for your hard work."
---
After entering the bathhouse...
Yūgao looked around at the thick steam before lowering her gaze to the basket in her hands.
She hesitated.
"Is this... really okay?"
"Oh, relax."
Hanahana waved dismissively.
"We're completing a mission while enjoying the hot springs."
"Besides..."
"I have a feeling today's mission won't end smoothly."
"The client believes she's involved with a mysterious stranger."
"But she entered the women's bath."
"That stranger..."
"Is most likely a man."
"...Alright."
After thinking it over...
Yūgao agreed.
She set down her basket and placed her hands on her clothes.
Just as she was about to undress...
Voices drifted from the private bath next door.
"You're so naughty."
"Let's go to your place afterward."
"Not here?"
Hearing the distinctly masculine voice...
Hanahana froze halfway through removing her top.
Without a word...
She calmly put her clothes back on.
An icy aura spread from her body.
Seeing Hanahana pick up a kunai and head toward the next room...
Yūgao frowned.
"Do you need a kunai?"
"No."
Hanahana gripped the weapon tightly.
"We cannot tolerate perverts sneaking into the women's bath."
With that...
She shoved aside the curtain and stepped directly into the neighboring private bath.
"Ahhh!"
A piercing scream echoed through the room.
Hanahana expressionlessly glanced at the mission target, who hurriedly covered herself with a towel.
Then...
She looked toward the other person.
A woman?
...No.
A Transformation Technique.
With the Byakugan activated...
A Hyūga could see the chakra flowing inside a person's body.
Watching the unfamiliar chakra network beneath the disguise...
Hanahana's expression darkened.
A ninja.
"Who are you?"
The mission target glared at her.
Hanahana tightened her grip on the kunai.
"I'm a ninja hired by your boyfriend."
"My mission is to investigate your recent suspicious behavior."
"You actually have a boyfriend?"
The disguised ninja stood up in shock.
"No."
"Don't listen to her nonsense."
"It's just a boyfriend."
"I'll break up with him immediately."
With that, she walked directly in front of Hanahana and scoffed.
"Now go back and tell your client..."
"He doesn't have a girlfriend anymore."
"Your mission is finished."
Hanahana's eyelid twitched.
She looked at the mission target.
Then at the disguised ninja behind her.
After silently offering the client a moment of sympathy...
She shook her head.
"This is no longer about your boyfriend."
"It's about the person behind you..."
"Who illegally entered the women's bath."
She stared at the disguised ninja.
Who had already gotten dressed...
But still hadn't dispelled the Transformation Technique.
"Show me your identification."
"Identification?"
The woman turned toward her companion in surprise.
"Do you have something like that?"
"I thought you hadn't gotten one yet."
"...?"
Hanahana frowned.
"No identification?"
"So you're unregistered?"
"N-No!"
The disguised ninja hurriedly waved his hands.
"Ninja-sama, please listen—"
Before he could finish...
The woman interrupted angrily.
"What do you mean 'unregistered'?"
"Why do you make it sound so terrible?"
"He wanted to register."
"But your people refused."
"You said he was from another country."
"That his paperwork was incomplete."
"So you wouldn't process it."
"N-No!"
The disguised ninja broke into a cold sweat.
"Ninja-sama, please let me explain."
"He's an unregistered foreign national?"
Hanahana nodded thoughtfully.
She calmly pulled another kunai from her pouch.
"Then you'll probably have to accompany the Konoha Military Police Force for questioning."
"Please don't arrest me!"
"I'm a merchant."
"I came to Konoha for business."
"Why are you wasting your breath explaining to her?"
The woman frowned impatiently.
"Just let her arrest you."
"Haven't you already sold all the gold you secretly brought into Konoha?"
"Your money's been completely laundered."
"What are you afraid of?"
"Let the Military Police investigate."
Money laundering?
This guy's definitely suspicious.
"You launder money too?"
"Come with me."
"We're going to the Military Police."
Seeing Hanahana's expression grow colder...
The man hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"N-No..."
"Ninja-sama..."
"Please let me explain."
"Let's not involve the Military Police."
"Why are you so annoying?"
The woman cut him off again.
"What are you scared of?"
"We're not going anywhere."
"Especially not the Military Police."
She jabbed a finger toward Hanahana.
Then turned back toward her companion.
"Didn't you say you were a ninja?"
"She's a ninja too."
"So why are you afraid of her?"
"Hidden Sand and Konoha are both among the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
"What are you afraid of?"
"...?!"
Hanahana stared blankly.
She rubbed her increasingly stiff cheeks before asking uncertainly,
"...You work for Sunagakure?"
"N-No!"
"I don't work for Sunagakure."
The man's forehead was drenched in sweat.
Years ago...
He had met this woman by chance.
This time, he'd intended to obtain a new identity in Konoha.
Running into her had given him an idea.
If he could marry her...
He would gain a perfectly legitimate identity within Konoha.
The safest cover imaginable.
To ensure she couldn't betray him...
He had even revealed his true identity.
After all...
Neither of them could afford the crime of colluding with a foreign ninja.
Furthermore...
His hypnosis had made her become completely infatuated with him.
He'd overdone it.
The hypnosis had been far too effective.
Now she blurted out everything without thinking.
"What work?"
"He's just a ninja from the Hidden Sand."
"The shinobi world is at peace now."
"He only came to Konoha this time because—"
"Shut up!"
The man roared.
Then slapped her across the face.
Damn it!
It started as nothing more than trespassing into the women's bath...
Now everything's exposed!
At that moment...
Yūgao also drew a kunai and stepped beside Hanahana, staring vigilantly at the Sand ninja.
This mission...
Had completely spiraled out of control.
It now involved a foreign ninja who had secretly infiltrated the village.
No matter how she looked at it...
This definitely wasn't a D-rank mission anymore.
...Had it just become a B-rank mission?
---