Karin stretched a little, the soreness in her body and the mental weariness still lingered in her mind.
She looked over at the bunch of kids she had under her.
A claimed half-god being, some girl that's a full 'god' as per Orochimaru's words, and a kid that seemed to not have much emotions and wasn't normal either from ROOT.
She sighed.
"Sensei, can I learn adamantin-"
"AFTER THE MISSION!" Karin quickly replied out of frustration.
"YES!" Kouga clenched his fist in excitement.
She led the team for their first official mission, leading the way into the Hokage building. The building was connected to all important infrastructures.
"This is the Mission Assignment Desk. Unless the Hokage himself called and assigned a mission for you, this is where you will take missions. You should know missions are divided based on the scope, skill requirement and even risk level. For Genin rank, generally you can only do D and C rank missions. Everyone on the team needs to complete at least 10 D rank missions with good ratings to be eligible to take C rank missions."
Kouga listened to Karin's explanation while nodding multiple times. He was very excited for his first mission, wondering what adventures he would encounter.
Karin went ahead to register her Team 15.
"Karin-san, since your team was full of sensors, I think that your team can start with this one."
Karin took the paper from Miss Suika, nodding slightly.
"Okay. We will take this one."
The staff quickly stamp it and hand the paper back to Karin.
"What is our mission sensei!" Kouga was really excited.
"It's a tracking and search mission. I will explain outside." She said seriously as she raised her glasses.
Kouga's expression turned serious, already taking his first mission as an objective to be completed perfectly.
"Lady Guji had lost her most beloved pet. She left her window open accidentally and her cat disappeared yesterday. Now we need to find it."
"What…" Kouga was dumbfounded.
"What what? This is your first mission. It's natural. Complete it fast if you want to do C ranked missions." Karin was waiting for Kouga to complain more and say some nonsense. But contrary to her expectations, Kouga was quiet.
Kouga's soul deflated instantly. Yet he didn't complain.
"Okay. Let's finish it quickly…! Then we can do more missions and do C rank soon."
His punctured spirit returned back somewhat.
"Good mentality." Karin smiled slightly.
"Now, what is the first thing you should do?" Karin crossed her arms.
"First… information. Sensei, let us take a look at the file."
"Go ahead."
Karin stepped aside, letting the three read the information together.
"Hm… So her address is here." Kouga muttered.
Itto already took out a map and made a cross on an area.
"Wow. You even had a map ready!"
"We have to be sufficiently prepared." Itto said calmly.
"First, we need to see the location where the cat was lost. Then we need samples to find its tracks." Kouga assessed.
"Go on." Karin just let them do their work.
The trio head to Lady Guji's home. Her house was really big and luxurious. Even more than Tsuyu's own home. But it's more because she didn't need a big house, not that she couldn't afford it.
Knock knock.
A middle aged lady with swollen eyes and pale expression opened the door.
"Good morning aunty. We are the team assigned to find your cat."
"Oh… thank God you are here! Please, find him quickly. I am so worried…"
"Don't worry Lady! We will definitely find him! But first, we need any items belonging to him to track him down. And more pictures of him."
She wiped the tears with her sleeves.
"I have some of his pictures and clothes. Wait a moment."
In a moment, she came back with a piece of pink clothes with gems all over.
Kouga was speechless after seeing it. Those were definitely real. He took a look at the pictures.
"Woah… he looks so tough."
The orange cat looked gruff and fierce, his fur looked rugged and rough, a long scar covered one its eyes as he bared his fangs. Though his pink dress and the golden tiara destroyed his image.
"Now we have the information… we can begin searching."
Kouga looked at the team members, before everyone nodded.
Kouga sniffed it carefully, trying to remember the specific scent. He tried to use his eyes to see any residue of chakra, but it's not here.
Itto spread his insects to find the nearest cats.
Mika on the other hand held the cat's picture, using her Byakugan as she searched for cats in the entire Konoha. But Konoha was big, and there's thousands of cats…
It was like trying to find a specific puzzle piece from thousands.
She frowned slightly, but regardless, she scanned only for orange cats. Then check its right eye for the scar.
Kouga summoned ten shadow clones and spread 5 Nuekko, split from Nue's main body to search all over Konoha.
His real body led the way with general direction, sniffing the cat's track. While Itto and Mika would specify any group of cats in their direction. Karin was quite impressed they work well together. They come across tens of orange cats at this point, but none were the target.
In a matter of an hour, a shadow clone poofed itself away and sent the information.
"Orange, rugged looking, scar on right eye!" Kouga was excited.
"Mika! Southeast direction! One of my shadow clones should be chasing it!"
Mika nodded. The veins around her eyes popped as she used her Byakugan. She locked onto Kouga's shadow clone, and then onto the orange that he's chasing.
"This way…" She opened a black portal almost casually. Itto was shocked. Karin already knew and wasn't surprised.
The group went through and instantly arrived at the bustling market of Konoha. An orange cat was running away madly from Kouga's shadow clone.
"I will stop him!" Kouga flickered and stood in front of the cat.
Earth Release: Dome of Earth!"
"HOLD ON!" Karin screamed to stop Kouga but it was too late. The ground shook, the people panicked and screamed as a large dome of earth erect from the ground trying to trap the cat. A stall was overturned, causing cries from the unfortunate man. But to everyone's bewilderment, the cat was like a shadow, he jumped and spun in the air to escape right on the gap above before the dome could close up.
"HOLY SH**! How!?"
Kouga quickly rushed to chase it. His hands didn't stop weaving. Earth Release: Grappling Earth! Earth Release: Earth Barricade! Earth Release: Swamp of the underworld!
The cat ran even madly, rushing in between crowds and even buildings, almost too intelligent and too fast. But he could never escape the tracking of Kouga, Mika and Itto.
"What's wrong with this cat!" Kouga felt so frustrated.
"Kouga! Stop!!!" Karin shouted.
Kouga didn't seem to hear. The seal Gozu Tenno on his back spread to cover his body, using Nue as an intermediary to use Wood Release.
Wood Release: Binding Vines! Numerous vines grew and rushed towards the cat. Just before the vines could tie him, the cat showed its claws and swung them. A sharp gust of wind unleashed from its claws, cutting the vines cleanly almost magically.
"Ninjutsu??" Kouga had his mouth agape. Even Karin was dumbfounded.
"That's nin-neko! That's not a normal cat at all!" Karin used Mind Eyes of Kagura to see its chakra. It's definitely a ninja cat!
Kouga's eyes turned even fiercer. Shadow Clone jutsu! 2 shadow clones summoned to help him.
Earth Release! Wood Release!
Multiple jutsu was launched. Citizens screamed. A tea shop owner was dunked in swamp mud. A pensioner's rooftop exploded into vines.
After minutes… Mika found a chance and opened a portal right when the cat jumped, making it land right onto Mika's hands through the portal.
"Let me go humans!" The cat actually spoke, trying to claw its way out of Mika. But her seemingly gentle grip was like an unmovable mountain.
"Mission complete. Let's hand him over to the client." Itto said calmly.
"Yosha! We finally caught him! Not so hard huh~?" Kouga glared at the cat.
"Tch. I am a real shinobi cat! Why do I have to stay cooped up with that old woman! It's humiliating!" The cat definitely had his own story.
"Hey we received the task. No hard feelings mister." Kouga had a smug expression looking at him.
"You…! KOUGA!" Karin felt her scalp go numb. Kouga was startled from Karin's sudden outburst.
"LOOK AROUND!" Karin pointed behind her back.
As the trio looked, what they saw was scenes of ruined roads with earth mounds and walls vandalising everything, stalls overturned, buildings covered with earth and vines. The people were scared and shed tears of grievances.
"Eh…? Ehe… Karin-sensei, the cat was too fast." Kouga stuck his tongue out, feeling silly.
"Oh… oh… I am fainting…"
"Eh? Karin sensei? Sensei!"
***
In Tsuyu's office, she read the report written by her subordinate on Kouga's first mission. Her expression was unreadable.
The cat retrieval mission had turned into what the Hokage's assistant called "an urban restructuring catastrophe."
14 buildings damaged 3 street vendors relocated by forceMultiple roads were restructured causing blockade and disruption of activities1 swamp manifestation inside a public bathhouse
And at the center of it; Kouga.
Her only son and her pride.
Tsuyu's eyelids twitched. Once.
"…Didn't I teach him moderation?" She muttered, questioning herself.
She closed the report slowly.
Then paused.
Her lips pressed into a straight line, re-thinking back. The lesson. Yes.
"Even a tiger must use all its claws and legs when catching a rabbit, if it doesn't wish to fail."
It had made sense at the time. And clearly, Kouga understood the lesson…
She stood, her expression remained in her usual composure. But perhaps I should've added a clause about not setting the jungle on fire while catching said rabbit.
Tsuyu hummed and took stacks of notes from a safe.
Sasuke read the report on the complaints from the police department, and then the mission report by Karin.
"A shinobi cat…. It should at least be a C level mission. No injuries… but the damage…" Sasuke sighed. Didn't Tsuyu teach him moderation?
Shikamaru took a look at the report, letting out a snorted laughter. "Hah. What a drag. Quite unexpected coming from Tsuyu's son."
A black portal opened right on top of Sasuke's desk. A thick brown envelope fell with a loud thud.
Sasuke looked at the note stuck to it.
"For structural repairs and civilian inconvenience." - Tsuyu
Sasuke was dumbfounded as he took a look inside, seeing the thick stacks of bills.
"Haha. It reminded me of our older days. At least someone actually paid for it." Shimakaru laughed a little.
"I am sure we never had been this chaotic…"
"Nah. I remember how Naruto caused problems back then."
Sasuke had a slight smile remembering the times when they just graduated. How Naruto always made simple missions turned into a big deal. Like when he sent tens of shadow clones around Konoha and pestered every civilian there were. Someone was asked by Naruto's shadow clone ten times and broke down seeing him again and again.
"Okay, I have to agree..."
***