After finishing the surgery for Lee, Shinju returned to a peaceful ninja life.
Ino, probably worried that Shinju might skip meals because of training, would bring him homemade bento every few days.
But every time Ino came over with food, Shinju only exchanged a few polite words with her.
Eventually, even Naruto couldn't stand it anymore.
"Hey! You seriously can't tell how Ino feels about you?!"
Shinju scratched his head.
"What feelings? Isn't this just normal concern between classmates? Besides, I often help out at her family's flower shop anyway."
"Damn it! Are you really that dense? You can't tell that Ino likes you?!"
Naruto finally came right out and said it.
Shinju's face showed a string of huge question marks: (￢‸￢)?
"Are you running a fever or something? Why are you spouting nonsense these past two days? It's not like I'm super handsome or anything, so why would she like me?"
Shinju waved his hand dismissively.
In his mind, while his overall strength was decent, his looks were nowhere near the level of being called "super handsome." There was no way Ino would like him.
Besides, he was just a normal student — no way was he getting into any early romance.
So, regarding Naruto's claim that someone might like him, he neither believed it nor wanted to think about it any further.
A few black lines slid down Naruto's forehead. Shinju was the very definition of handsome but completely unaware of it!
From Naruto's perspective — and anyone else's — Shinju had sharp, defined features, sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a striking presence. Combined with his flowing red hair, the guy was basically radiating charisma.
He was ridiculously handsome.
"You…"
Naruto opened his mouth, ready to continue.
Knock knock knock…
The front door suddenly sounded. Naruto went to open it but still glanced back and warned Shinju,
"Anyway, if it's Ino, make sure you're nicer to her."
Shinju nodded confidently.
"Relax. If there's one thing I'm never short on, it's charm. ❛‿˂̵✧"
Naruto: "…"
Naruto opened the door, only to find that it wasn't Ino standing there.
"Huh? Shizune-san, what's up?"
Naruto greeted the woman at the door.
It had been over half a month since the last time Shizune came by.
Naruto guessed that this time, she was probably here about medical ninjutsu again and looking for Shinju.
"Come on in," Naruto said.
But Shizune waved her hand.
"No need. I'm just here to let you know — Hokage-sama wants Team 7 at her office right away."
"A new mission?!" Naruto immediately lit up.
Shizune shook her head.
"I don't know the details. Just hurry up and get over there."
After saying that, Shizune left.
Naruto instantly ran back in and grabbed Shinju's arm.
"Come on! Let's go find Sasuke! Granny Tsunade specifically called us in — it must be an important mission that only we can handle!"
"Another mission already? I was hoping to stay home and relax for a couple more days… "
Shinju looked completely unenthusiastic.
These past two days, Kakashi had been away on some unknown mission, leaving only the three of them behind to handle minor tasks every day — helping farmers weed their fields, helping ranchers milk their cows…
Frankly, the last thing Shinju wanted right now was another mission.
"Maybe it's a high-profile escort job for one of the feudal lords or something! Hurry up, let's go!"
Unlike Shinju, Naruto was brimming with energy, dragging him along as they ran.
Before long, Shinju used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Naruto straight to the small grove where Sasuke was training.
At that moment, Sasuke was exhausted and slumped on the ground, his shoulder curse mark throbbing from the intensity of his training.
When he saw Shinju and Naruto suddenly appear, he frowned in confusion.
"What are you two doing here?"
"No idea!" Naruto blurted out excitedly. "The Hokage called us in! It might be something big!"
...
Konohagakure — Hokage's Office
Thanks to the Flying Thunder God Technique, Shinju's team arrived even faster than Shizune.
"Granny Tsunade, you called us here so urgently — does that mean we've got an important mission?! (´◊ω◊｀)"
Naruto asked eagerly.
Tsunade smiled, nodding slightly, and retrieved a scroll from under her desk.
"This time, you're getting a B-rank escort mission. But depending on the circumstances, it could escalate to an A-rank."
"Since most of the village's jonin are already out on other assignments, it was decided to send the three of you. "
"And one more thing — the client specifically requested Shinju for this job."
"Who? Someone requested Shinju by name? Could this be a setup by another village?"
Sasuke asked warily.
Tsunade shook her head. "No, it shouldn't be. The client is actually an old friend of mine."
After Tsunade briefly explained the situation, Shinju remembered meeting one of Tsunade-sensei's friends before — a white-haired man named Wasabi Jirōchō from the Land of Tea.
Back then, that gentleman mentioned that their country held a major festival every four years, and he had invited Shinju to come guard the event…
"No time to waste. You three should head out immediately."
Tsunade waved them off.
...
Outside Konohagakure
"Awesome! No Kakashi-sensei this time — it's just us three on the mission!"
Naruto was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Doesn't this mean we've grown enough to handle things on our own?! ٩(๑ᵒ̴̶̷͈᷄ᗨᵒ̴̶̷͈᷅)و"
"Yeah, right," Sasuke said flatly. "Didn't you notice? The only reason we got this mission is because of Shinju."
"Luck's a part of strength too, you know! Besides, out of all the students at the academy, we were the only ones lucky enough to get teamed up with Shinju!"
Naruto spoke proudly.
The three of them walked for half a day before finally reaching the Land of Tea.
"There are still several dozen kilometers left before we reach Chakai Port, where the mission takes place. How about we rest for a bit first?"
Shinju suggested.
Sasuke and Naruto immediately agreed.
They stopped by a roadside teahouse and took seats inside.
From the moment they entered, Shinju noticed a strange guy wearing a straw hat constantly sneaking glances at them.
With his sharp chakra sensing, Shinju picked up that the man did have chakra — but it was very weak.
As they sat down, Naruto casually grumbled,
"Granny Tsunade's so unreliable… she didn't even tell us who we're supposed to be protecting. (ー_ー)!!"
"I heard the original target got attacked by assassins," Sasuke said.
"Assassins, huh? Sounds like this mission's gonna be more trouble than we thought."
Shinju nodded.
Just then, the strange straw-hat guy Shinju had been keeping an eye on suddenly stood up.
He walked over to their table, took off his hat, and revealed a somewhat immature face — he looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.
The boy spoke coldly. "The Land of Tea doesn't welcome shinobi. We don't need your help — especially from little brats like you! Get lost and go back where you came from!"
"What did you just say?! (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ)"
Naruto exploded instantly, the last person you wanted to insult in front of was a shinobi. He raised his fist, ready to swing.
But Shinju quickly held him back.
"Naruto, remember the rules — unless we're directly attacked, shinobi are not allowed to harm civilians."