The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across Training Ground Eight as Hideaki surveyed his three exhausted students. two months of intensive training had transformed them from academy graduates into something resembling actual genin.
"Alright, Team 8," Hideaki announced, clapping his hands together. "That concludes our basic training period. You've made a good progress so far."
Nobue straightened despite his obvious fatigue, maintaining his clan's respectable posture even with sweat dripping down his face. Hana slumped against one of the Haimaru brothers, who looked equally worn out from the extended conditioning exercises. Hikaru simply sat on the ground, too exhausted to care about appearances.
"Does this mean we're finally ready for missions, Hideaki-sensei?" Hana asked, though her usual enthusiasm was tempered by exhaustion.
"Small missions, yes," Hideaki confirmed with a nod. "I think you're ready to start taking on some actual responsibilities for the village."
Each Jōnin instructor had the authority to determine when their assigned genin team was ready for mission work. Some teams required only weeks of preparation, while others needed months before their supervisor felt confident in their abilities.
"We'll start doing some real work between training sessions," Hideaki continued. "Nothing too challenging at first—just opportunities to put your skills to practical use in real situations."
D-rank missions most likely, Hikaru thought.
"When do we start?" Nobue asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Tomorrow morning. Report to the Mission Assignment Desk at eight o'clock," Hideaki replied. "Get some rest tonight—you'll need it."
The walk home felt longer than usual, Hikaru's legs protesting with each step. By the time he reached the front door, he was practically dragging himself forward.
"Welcome home, Hikaru-kun," Ayako called from the kitchen as he stumbled through the entrance. "How was training today?"
"Exhausting," he mumbled, letting his equipment bag drop to the floor before collapsing into the nearest chair. "Hideaki-sensei is really pushing us hard."
"Well, at least you're back in one piece," Ayako said, settling into the chair across from him. "We had another busy day today as well at the restaurant. Your old classmate seemed to really enjoy the food when they came."
"Tomorrow we start taking actual missions," Hikaru said, straightening in his chair.
"Actual missions?" Ayako's expression shifted to concern. "So soon?"
"Probably D-rank missions only," Hikaru assured her quickly. "No combat expected. Just civilian services like deliver some mail."
"Just promise me you'll be careful," Ayako said, worry evident in her eyes.
"I promise, Onee-chan," Hikaru said softly. "We'll be working as a team, and Hideaki-sensei will supervise everything."
The next morning, Team 8 gathered at the Mission Assignment Desk on the first floor of the Ninja Academy. The administrative area buzzed with activity as chūnin clerks processed paperwork and coordinated assignments.
"Team 8 reporting for first mission assignment," Hideaki announced to the clerk behind the main desk.
The chūnin consulted a thick ledger filled with handwritten entries. "First assignment for new genin team," she murmured, running her finger down the page. "Here we go. D-rank mission: Lost pet recovery, submitted two days ago."
She handed Hideaki a scroll containing the mission details. "Client is Tano-san, elderly civilian residing in the residential district. Her cat Mochi escaped during the night and hasn't returned home. Last seen near the market area."
"A cat?" Hana asked, her face falling as she stared at the mission scroll. "We trained for months to chase a cat?"
"Hey, like I said, a small mission to check your teamwork in a real situation," Hideaki replied with a casual shrug. "Tano-san is counting on us, and who knows? Might be more interesting than it sounds."
D-rank missions were the entry level of Konoha's assignment system, designed specifically for new genin teams to gain experience with real responsibilities. The tasks seemed simple but required genuine shinobi skills—tracking, coordination, and reliability that ordinary civilians couldn't provide. These missions formed the economic foundation that supported more critical village operations.
"Payment is ten thousand ryō upon successful completion," the clerk continued. "Standard rate for D-rank missions ranges from five thousand to ten thousand ryō, depending on complexity and client circumstances."
Nobue crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed. "This seems like work for civilian, not shinobi."
"Maybe," Hideaki said with a grin, "but civilian don't have your fancy eyes, Hana's tracking pack, or Hikaru's sensor abilities. Could be you'll surprise yourselves."
They made their way to lady Tano's residence, a modest house in one of the older sections of the village. The elderly woman who answered their knock appeared frail but determined, her eyes red from worry and lack of sleep.
"Oh, thank goodness," she said, clasping her hands together. "Are you the ninja team sent to find Mochi?"
"Yes, Tano-san," Hideaki replied with a respectful bow. "This is Team 8. We'll do everything possible to locate your cat safely."
Lady Tano led them inside, showing photographs of a plump orange tabby with distinctive white markings around its face. "Mochi is very shy around strangers," she explained. "Two nights ago, something scared him badly—maybe a loud noise from the street. He ran outside when I opened the door to check what was happening, and I haven't seen him since."
"Where exactly was he last spotted?" Nobue asked.
"Yoshida-san from two streets over saw him near the market district yesterday morning," Tano replied. "But when she tried to approach, he ran away toward the residential area. Several other neighbors have reported brief sightings, but he keeps moving."
She handed Hana a small toy mouse that smelled strongly of cat. "This is Mochi's favorite. Maybe it will help your dogs track him?"
"That's perfect," Hana said, accepting the toy. "The Haimaru brothers will be able to follow his scent from this."
"He's probably hiding somewhere during the day and only coming out at night to look for food," Tano added. "The poor thing must be so frightened and hungry by now."
The team made their way toward the market district, passing through areas where various shops and stalls created a maze of potential hiding spots for a frightened cat.
As they reached the search area, Hideaki stopped and addressed his team. "Alright, this is where I step back. You three handle the mission yourselves—I'll be monitoring your progress from a distance, but I won't interfere unless there's real danger."
Before leaving them to handle the mission independently, Hideaki pulled out a small pouch containing three tiny communication devices.
"Almost forgot," he said, handing each of them a small earpiece. "Standard genin team communication gear. These will let you coordinate when you're spread out during the mission."
Hana examined the small device curiously. "How far do these work, Hideaki-sensei?"
"About two hundred meters range," Hideaki replied. "Plenty for most D-rank missions. Just press the side to transmit, release to listen. Try to keep chatter to mission-essential communication only."
The three genin fitted the earpieces, testing the connection with brief words. Hikaru's voice came through clearly in the others' ears as he said, "Testing, can everyone hear me?"
"Loud and clear," Nobue responded, adjusting his earpiece for comfort.
"This is so much better than hand signals," Hana added, grinning as the technology worked perfectly.
"Much better than hand signals when we can't see each other," Nobue observed, clearly approving of the tactical advantage the communication gear provided.
"Time to see how you work together on the real mission," Hideaki continued with a smile. With that, he used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared, though they could sense he was still somewhere nearby, watching.
"Before we start," Hikaru said, looking at his teammates, "should we decide on leadership for this mission?"
"Leadership?" Nobue asked, raising an eyebrow with a slight frown.
"Well, now that Hideaki-sensei isn't directing us, we need to figure out how to work together on our own," Hikaru explained. "What if we rotate who's in charge? Use rock-paper-scissors to decide the order, then switch for each mission."
Hana perked up with interest, bouncing slightly on her feet. "That's actually not bad! Fair way to do it."
Nobue glanced between his teammates, then shrugged. "Why should leadership be decided by chance? I have always command and make decision during our past training. My Byakugan gives me the best overview of any situation."
"That's only for training," Hikaru replied calmly. "We are doing real mission now, and If we always follow the same person, some of us never get to learn leadership skills. Besides, different missions might need different approaches."
"And it's not like this is a life-or-death situation," Hana added with a grin. "We're chasing a cat, not fighting enemy ninja. What's the worst that could happen?"
Nobue's jaw tightened, but after a moment of internal struggle between his pride and practicality, he let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. But when we get real missions that actually matter, we should reconsider this arrangement."
"Alright then," Hikaru said, holding out his fist. "Rock-paper-scissors for first, second, and third."
After a quick round, the order was established: Nobue first, then Hana, then Hikaru for the third mission.
Nobue stepped forward, clearly pleased to be in command. "Right. This should be straightforward. Hana, have the Haimaru brothers pick up Mochi's scent trail and track him down. Once we get close to the general area, I'll use my Byakugan to pinpoint his exact location. Then we coordinate to corner him without scaring him further."
The coordinated method slowing showing everything they had learn from their training—using each person's strengths to help the team reach its goals. Just like their exercises with Kōzaru, they would need to work together rather than as individuals.
Hana knelt beside the Haimaru brothers, allowing them to sniff Mochi's toy thoroughly. "They've got the scent," she announced as the nin-ken began moving purposefully through the streets. "Trail's still fresh—he definitely came this way recently."
The pack led them through several blocks, past market stalls and around residential buildings, their noses close to the ground as they followed the invisible trail. The Haimaru brothers moved with confidence at first, but after about ten minutes of tracking, they stopped near a cluster of shops and began circling in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Nobue asked through the communication device, watching the nin-ken's frustrated behavior from his position across the street.
"The scent trail splits here," Hana reported, her voice coming through clearly in their earpieces. "It goes in three different directions. Maybe even four."
Hikaru studied the area around them—market stalls, residential doorways, small alleys between buildings. "He's been moving around a lot. Probably looking for food or shelter during the day, then changing hiding spots when people try to approach him."
Nobue activated his Byakugan, the veins around his pale eyes becoming more noticeable as his visual range expanded. "I can scan about seventy meters in all directions now," he said through the comm. "I can see several cats scattered throughout the district, but at this distance, it's hard to tell which one matches Tano-san's description."
"We need to get closer," Hikaru suggested through his earpiece. "But if he's been spooked by people trying to catch him for two days, a direct approach won't work."
"This is going to be much harder than we thought," Nobue muttered, his voice carrying clearly through the communication system.
Hikaru closed his eyes and extended his sensor abilities, his range now reaching nearly one hundred meters. After a moment of concentration, he opened them and spoke into his communicator. "I can sense a small chakra signature about sixty meters east. It feels scared and and on a move—it might be our target."
"Confirmed," Nobue's voice came through their earpieces as he reactivated his Byakugan and focused in the direction Hikaru indicated. "I can see him now. Orange tabby with white facial markings, hiding behind some crates near a fish vendor's stall. But there are civilians walking around the area—if we approach directly, he'll definitely run."
Hana's voice crackled through the comm system. "The boys are ready to track, but we need a plan that doesn't involve chasing him all over the village."
"Let's try coordination like our formation exercises," Nobue suggested through the communication gear, his mind engaging with the problem. "We don't chase him directly—we guide his movement toward a controlled area where we can corner him safely."
The strategy reminded Hikaru of their training with Kōzaru, where they'd learned to work together to achieve objectives rather than competing individually. "Like all our formation exercises—the stealth mission, the scouting drills, the coordination challenges," he said into his earpiece. "We position ourselves to influence his choices rather than force him."
"Exactly," Nobue's voice confirmed through the communicator. "But we'll need to be patient and coordinate perfectly. One wrong move and he'll disappear."
Just as they began moving into position, Mochi suddenly ran out from behind the boxes and ran toward a completely different area of the market district.
"There he goes!" Hana's voice shouted through their earpieces as the orange blur disappeared between two vegetable stalls.
The Haimaru brothers immediately gave chase, but by the time they reached the vegetable stalls, Mochi was nowhere to be seen.
"Lost him," Hana reported through the comm, breathing hard. "He's fast for a house cat."
"Troublesome cat he is," Hikaru said into his communicator, watching Nobue scan the area with his Byakugan again.
"Let's try again," Nobue's voice came through their earpieces, frustration evident in his tone. "Standard tracking isn't going to work with a target that spook easily and keep moving."