---
The Hokage building stood tall at the heart of the village, its curved roof casting a wide shadow over the busy streets. For most, entering this place was a matter of pride—standing before the will of fire itself. For Kirito, it was a formality, one he wanted to finish quickly.
He moved through the bustling hallways silently, his new headband tied loosely around his neck, drawing the occasional glance from shinobi who passed him. His sharp eyes memorized every hallway, every locked door, every guard stationed at the stairwells. Information was power, and even in moments like this, he was always collecting it.
At last, he entered a small room where a chunin sat with a camera and a stack of forms.
"Name?" the chunin asked, not looking up.
"Kirito," he answered evenly.
"Stand there. Don't blink."
The flash was quick, leaving a brief white haze in his vision. The chunin scribbled something, slid the form into a folder, and stamped it with the official Konoha seal.
"There. Your ninja identification is complete. You'll be added to the records as a genin of the Hidden Leaf. Missions can now be taken from the assignment desk downstairs."
Kirito gave a slight nod and turned on his heel without another word. He had no interest in lingering.
---
The mission assignment desk was crowded with other fresh graduates, many still buzzing with excitement. Kirito pushed through them quietly, reaching the counter where an older chunin greeted him with a tired smile.
"New genin, huh? Well, let's start you simple. A D-rank mission." The chunin shuffled through a pile of scrolls before holding one out. "Painting over graffiti on a wall. Report back when it's done."
Kirito took the scroll, glanced at the details, and suppressed the faint curl of his lips. This is what they think a shinobi should do?
The others eagerly rushed off with their missions—walking dogs, pulling weeds, helping merchants. Kirito, however, had no intention of wasting his time.
Once he reached an alleyway out of sight, he formed a single hand seal. In a puff of smoke, a perfect shadow clone appeared.
"You know what to do," Kirito said. The clone nodded and vanished toward the wall described in the scroll.
Meanwhile, the real Kirito leapt to the rooftops, disappearing into the forest beyond Konoha's walls. His time was better spent training, refining, preparing for the future. Missions like these were distractions, but with clones, they became a convenient cover. The village would see him as an obedient genin, while in truth, every second was invested in his real path.
---
That evening, his clone dispelled, flooding him with the brief, dull memory of painting the wall and returning the report. The mission had been marked complete, and his record as a genin had officially begun.
Sitting cross-legged in his dimly lit apartment, Kirito considered the events of the day. The headband on his table gleamed faintly in the candlelight.
He was now a recognized shinobi of the Leaf.
But unlike his classmates, he carried no childish dreams of becoming Hokage or chasing glory.
His ambitions were rooted in survival, strength, and secrets.
The village could keep its missions.
He would take everything else.
Tomorrow, his real work would continue—the search for a lab, the pursuit of knowledge hidden from naive eyes.
Tonight, however, he allowed himself a rare moment of stillness. Not rest, not joy, just stillness. The kind that came before a storm.
---patreon.com/Shadow079