Seven in the morning, Team 2 once again stood in front of Itachi. He silently took their mission reports, sealed them into a scroll for later reading, and gestured with a small motion of his hand. "Follow me."
They walked through the village quietly until they reached the Hokage Tower. Noticing the puzzled expressions on the genin's faces, Itachi spoke in his usual calm, steady voice, "We're taking another mission today."
'I hope this helps them… just as Hokage-sama suggested,' Itachi thought as they entered the building and headed toward the mission notice board.
Kazeo glanced at his teammates and noticed the tired looks on their faces. 'Looks like they didn't get much sleep last night… not surprising, they must had nightmares. First kills are never easy. And if we keep doing things like yesterday's, their innocence might vanish completely.'
Itachi reviewed several posted E and D-rank missions before quietly selecting one. After signing off and receiving the mission's official scroll from the attendant, he turned without another word and motioned for the genin to follow.
Curious about what kind of mission they were heading into, the genin followed Itachi at full speed. Soon, all four of them arrived in front of a large wooden gate, with a massive paw mark carved into its center.
Daichi tilted his head and asked, "Sensei, did someone from here lose their dog or a kid? Like last time?"
Itachi shook his head, his tone even and unreadable. "No. This mission is different. It will require complete cooperation and full effort from all three of you. And… it's important for the village."
Daichi's eyes lit up with feigned excitement. "What is it then? Are we going outside the village this time?"
Itachi looked at him, seeing through the forced enthusiasm. He didn't comment on it—only confirming inwardly that the Hokage had been right. These three needed this mission more than he thought.
A few moments later, the gate creaked open, and a young woman stepped out. She was followed by seven dogs of all sizes — some the size of calves, others barely reaching a knee. Most of them were dirty, fur matted. Only a few looked cleaner.
The woman smiled brightly at them, a large towel draped around her neck. "Morning! I'm Inuzuka Hana. You must be the team assigned to help me today."
Itachi gave her a polite nod and turned to his team. "You'll spend the day assisting Miss Hana with her duties. This is your mission."
And with that, he disappeared by flickering.
Kazeo stared at the dogs, then at Hana, then back at the paw-marked gate. 'So we're in the Inuzuka compound… with Kiba's sister… and from the looks of it, we're here to wash dogs.'
His eye twitched.
'What the fck? Shouldn't we be training?'
Daichi asked, shifting uncomfortably as he looked at the pack of dogs around them, "Miss Hana… what exactly do we have to do? Sensei didn't really explain anything."
Hana gave them a bright smile, her voice full of energy. "Oh, nothing too complicated! Just help me give these little rascals a proper wash. They've gotten dirty from patrol duty. You'll just need to scrub them clean and brush out their coats — I'll show you how it's done."
The words hit Ren and Daichi. They stared at the mud-caked dogs in front of them, blinking as they echoed in disbelief, "Wa… wash the..m?"
But before either of them could protest, the dogs — clearly excited — began barking and nudging them forward, practically herding the three genin into the compound with determined paws and wagging tails.
It took a while, and a lot of internal screaming for Ren and Daichi to come to terms with the fact that their second mission, after graduating from the elite class and having killed criminals just yesterday, was to... wash dogs.
Eventually, the group arrived at a large bathhouse, where ten more dogs were already waiting, some lounging lazily, others bouncing in place.
Seeing the long faces of his teammates, Kazeo rolled his shoulders and spoke up, "Come on, guys. It's just ten or fifteen dogs. Let's finish fast and head home."
That did the trick — at least a little. Daichi and Ren looked at each other, exhaled, and nodded faintly.
Noticing the small change, Hana gave them an approving nod. "That's the spirit! You're looking more alive now. Alright, watch carefully — I'll show you how it's done. After that, you can take over."
The trio nodded again, resigned but attentive, and Hana stepped forward, choosing one of the larger dogs who looked more like a mini-wolf than a dog. With practiced ease, she lathered its coat, speaking gently to it as she worked, rinsed, and brushed it into a fluffier version of itself.
After washing the first dog, Hana clapped her hands and looked at the trio. "Alright, your turn. Just follow what I did — be firm but gentle. They're good boys."
With a bit of hesitation, all three genin stepped forward and began washing the dogs. It was surprisingly easier than expected — just like she said, none of the dogs bit, barked, or growled. They had even patted a few beforehand to test the waters, and that small interaction was enough to calm their nerves.
Daichi was paired with a golden-furred ninken named Maru. Things were going smoothly until the moment he rinsed off the shampoo.
The very next second, Maru lunged playfully and tackled him straight into one of the water tubs.
"Whoa—hey! I'm supposed to clean you, not join your bath!" Daichi yelped.
A tsunami of water crashed around them as Maru shook himself vigorously, sending suds, fur, and muddy droplets flying in every direction. Daichi sat in the tub, soaked, his jaw slack.
For a heartbeat, he just stared.
Then… he laughed.
It bubbled out of him before he could stop it. And when he turned his head and saw Ren standing stiffly with his own dog — his face half-covered in shampoo and eyes wide — he laughed harder, a real laugh this time, like a weight lifting off his chest.
Three hours passed like that. With teamwork, chaos, and a surprising amount of laughter, they managed to wash twelve dogs in total. After drying their hands and wiping their faces, they made their way toward the exit — only to freeze as a new batch of dirt-caked dogs padded into the bathhouse.
Kazeo blinked. Ren stared. Daichi dared to ask, "Um… Miss Hana, the mission's over now, right?"
Hana gave a playful smile, one hand on her hip and the other resting on a damp towel slung over her shoulder. "Over? Who told you that? Didn't Itachi say you'd be working the whole day?"
The genin exchanged horrified glances.
She chuckled at their expressions. "Come on now, you've barely made a dent. These pups still need scrubbing before they can get back on patrol. Let's go — rinse, lather, repeat!"
They didn't argue much and got back to scrubbing the new batch of dogs. By the time this round was cleaned, it was already lunch hour. A fresh group of handlers entered the bathhouse to take over, and Kazeo's team was finally given a break.
Lunch was mostly meat-heavy — hearty and filling — and the trio devoured it until they were stuffed.
Daichi leaned back, arms stretched, and let out a content sigh. "Ahhh… nothing beats eating after hard work and crashing right after."
Kazeo patted his stomach with a lazy smile. "True..."
They were just beginning to settle into their food comas when Hana's voice rang out.
"Alright, boys! Break time's over — let's move! The freshly washed pack needs food now too." She stood with her hands on her hips, towel still slung over her shoulder. "Grab your food bags and start filling their bowls — they're hungry and cranky!"
Groaning in sync, the three genin got to their feet and went back to work.
Kazeo was given the hyperactive bunch — five tiny, wild ninken pups that had no concept of personal space or patience. One was chewing on his sandal, another was tugging at the hem of his pants, and a third had its whole snout buried in the food pouch.
"Alright, alright, calm down, there's enough food for everyone! Hey! No—don't eat the soap! That's not food! Wait—why is there soap here?!"
He eventually gave up trying to stay upright and just sat down cross-legged. The pups immediately swarmed him — jumping over his legs, nudging into his arms, licking his face until he couldn't stop laughing.
A soft, genuine smile crept onto his face as he whispered, "This… really isn't so bad."
After feeding the dogs, the team was once again assigned to wash another batch. This time, Ren got paired with a sleek black hound named Kuro — a dog that looked a little too smug for comfort, like it knew exactly how to test him. Its sharp eyes held a glint of mischief, and its posture practically screamed, 'Try me.'
Ren narrowed his eyes. "Sit."
Kuro blinked. Then yawned.
"I said sit."
Kuro turned around, walked to the corner… and casually peed.
Ren stared. "...You bastard."
Daichi nearly slipped on a soapy tile, cackling. "H-he peed right after you told him to sit!"
Ren glared at him before sighing in frustration.
Seeing his struggle, Hana called out from the side with a knowing grin, "Don't go commander-mode on Kuro. He doesn't listen to threats. You gotta treat him with patience — calm tone, steady hands, and a little kindness. Trust me, he'll come around."
Slightly embarrassed, Ren followed her advice — speaking gently, no sudden movements, no Sharingan flash. To his surprise, Kuro slowly sat down and even nudged his palm.
'So… I just needed to be calm?'
The dog let out a satisfied huff, laying his chin on Ren's leg. For the first time in the day, a small, genuine smile formed on Ren's lips as he gave the dog a soft pat.
Little incidents like these popped up with all three of them. Kazeo had to fish a shampoo bottle out of a pup's mouth mid-sprint. Daichi ended up drenched again when two huskies decided to wrestle beside the tub. But instead of frustration… they laughed.
And just like that, the tension of yesterday melted a little more.
While rinsing down the last dog of the day, Kazeo glanced over and asked, "Hey… did either of you visit the library?"
"Nah," Daichi replied, scrubbing a soapy husky's back. "I've been trying to learn Body Flicker. Don't have the energy to cram more scrolls on top of that."
Ren shook his head. "I was planning to go today. After this long day's over."
Kazeo let out a small chuckle but didn't speak for a few seconds, then he smiled and said, "You should go. You'll find out something new."
"What's new?" Daichi asked, curiosity piqued.
Kazeo shrugged, eyes gleaming with amusement as he said while remembering yesterday's events. "Just go. Better if you find out yourself."
[A/N:- Thank you Michael Cepl for supporting me on patreon.
You can also read extra chapters on patreon.
I think previous chapter became a little dark, so I have to add this.
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