After I returned to training with the team, Shisui went straight back to drilling us on coordination. He was always patient, pointing out mistakes clearly and suggesting practical solutions before running us through the exercises again. For all his reputation as an ANBU, he was surprisingly approachable, almost friendly, and without a doubt a very competent sensei.
On a fated morning, Sena, Kaen, and I found ourselves deep within the woods, running through one of his mission scenarios. The forest floor was damp from the previous night's rain, the smell of wet bark and earth heavy in the air. Shafts of sunlight pierced through gaps in the canopy, painting the clearing in broken patterns of gold and shadow. The task sounded simple when he explained it. Survive while outnumbered by enemy shinobi. In practice, it was relentless. Week after week, we had failed more times than I cared to count, and even with Shisui's patient, detailed instruction, frustration had started gnawing at us.
We stood back-to-back in a circle, the soft crunch of fallen leaves under our sandals, every direction crowded with shadow clones edging closer. Kaen's Sharingan spun with its eerie red glow, while Sena's polished smile, the one she always used to hide her nerves, had long since vanished after the chase that drove us into this corner.
"I'll cast a wide-range jutsu," Kaen muttered, his voice clipped. Surrounded on all sides, his tone carried both command and strain. His fingers blurred through seals faster than I had ever seen from him.
Before we could reposition, he exhaled a torrent of flame. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The fireball roared across the clearing, its heat rolling over us, scattering several clones into evasive leaps. Branches above shivered as sparks licked the air, and the acrid smell of scorched bark drifted through the smoke.
By now we were used to Kaen's rhythm, able to spot the small tells before he released a jutsu. Startled or not, we moved, leaping high as the fire swept beneath us. As I landed, a clone ducked under the flames and sprinted toward Kaen. My hand moved before I thought, a kunai flashing from my grip even as my fingers began weaving a seal. The clone lunged at Kaen with his blade, but my throw forced him to block. Steel rang, his charge slowed for a heartbeat, and that was all I needed. I flickered forward, lightning snapping to life at my fingertips, and fired a Current Shot. The crackling bolt tore into his legs, and the clone vanished in a puff of smoke.
Sensei had slowed his clones to mimic the average speed of enemies we would face on beginner's missions. Even so, I was certain he was still holding back. This was his version of restraint, and I suspected that it was still faster than most outlaws would ever be.
The sharp whistle of steel cut past my ear. Kaen had launched a kunai just over my shoulder to stop an attacker coming from behind me. On the opposite side, Sena mirrored him with quick precision, cutting down another that tried to slip in.
"Plan three, now," I called, my voice cutting through the chaos.
Sena reacted instantly, her movements smooth despite the sweat dripping down her cheek. Kaen grunted, irritation flashing in his eyes at having to follow my call, but he didn't argue. Both closed in toward me as Sena tossed a smoke bomb at our feet.
The clearing disappeared in thick haze. The smell of sulfur stung my nose, and shadows flickered at the edge of the smoke as clones rushed in. Their footsteps pounded closer. The moment they breached the veil, a volley of kunai flew outward, whistling through the fog and forcing them to duck low.
That was the opening I needed. My hands had already been weaving seals while Sena set the trap. Just as the first clones closed in, I slammed both palms against the damp earth. "Lightning Release: Arc Net!"
Chakra surged out from me in thin, invisible lines that spread across the ground. In an instant, sparks erupted, webbing the battlefield in light. The clones stumbled, caught in the lattice, and electricity surged through them. Their bodies locked up mid-step, paralyzed as smoke drifted off their forms. I cut the flow quickly, careful not to catch Sena or Kaen in the net, but even so we had only a heartbeat to finish it.
"Now!" I shouted.
The three of us burst out of the smoke in different directions. The forest filled with the clash of steel and crackle of chakra as we struck the immobilized clones. One by one, they vanished into smoke until the clearing fell quiet.
When the last clone disappeared, silence pressed in. My chest heaved. Kaen's Sharingan dimmed back to black, his shoulders rising and falling heavily. Sena wiped sweat from her brow, her breathing quick and sharp.
Then a voice drifted from behind us. "Not bad."
We all jolted. Shisui stepped out of the shadows, his movements so quiet that the forest itself hadn't seemed to notice him. If he hadn't spoken, I doubted we would have sensed him until a kunai touched the back of our necks.
This time, he was smiling. "You made me proud. Well done. I believe this is the first time you worked together this well."
I nearly let out a breath of relief. Weeks of failure had finally shifted, and for me it meant more than pride. My coin purse was thin, and missions meant pay.
Shisui's eyes softened as he continued. "With this level of coordination, you might be ready for..."
"Can we finally take C-rank missions and go outside the village to hunt Somone?" Kaen interrupted, his eyes still burning.
Shisui chuckled. "Not yet. For now this is enough to earn a D-rank mission within the village. Show me this level of teamwork in a few more scenarios, and then we will talk about the good missions."
Kaen's jaw tightened, but determination shone through his frustration. He wanted action, and more than that, he wanted to prove himself to his idol.
"Let's go, team," Shisui said, his tone light. "Time to get a new mission."
We followed him back through the forest, the air alive with birdsong and the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze. By the time we reached the Hokage's office, we have shifted from damp earth and trees to polished stone corridors.
At the mission desk in the Hokage's office, the air buzzed with the shuffle of sandals and the low murmur of shinobi waiting their turn. Stacks of scrolls and mission slips piled up on the counters, clerks scribbling notes in quick strokes as others argued over details. The smell of ink and old paper clung to the air. When Shisui appeared, the nearest clerks paused just long enough to trade stiff glances before plastering on their practiced smiles.
Their politeness was thin as rice paper, stretched over annoyance. After a pause that dragged just a little too long, one of them slid a scroll forward with a smile that looked more like a dare. The petty edge in it felt almost ominous, as if the mission itself carried hidden trouble.
Shisui cracked the seal, scanned the details, and looked back at us. "Alright, team. We have an escort mission. A merchant needs protection while moving his cart from one side of the village to the other. It will take a while since he is a civilian and moves slowly, but it should not be too difficult. Ready?"
Sena gave a bright, eager smile. "Ready, sensei."
Kaen groaned under his breath. "Sure."
My eyes only saw the reward amount and I felt my grin tug back into place. "I'm ready right now, sensei."
Shisui studied my enthusiasm with a suspicious look but nodded. "Good. Let's head toward the old market."
The moment I heard the name, my stride faltered. My eyes widened despite myself. Shisui noticed immediately. "What is it?"
I scratched my cheek, trying to play it off. "I… may have a bad relationship with some of the shopkeepers there... Maybe most of them."
Sena chuckled quietly. Kaen frowned in confusion. Shisui slipped me a simple wooden mask. "Wear this for now. But one day, you are going to tell me what happened between you and those merchants."
I looked away, unwilling to explain. The truth was embarrassing, a wound to both my pride and my stomach. Those greedy shopkeepers had refused to treat me like the special customer I deserved, insisting on charging me the same as everyone else instead of granting me unlimited discounts. The blood feud between us rivaled that of Madara and Hashirama.