…
Compared to the drainage district and warehouse sector, the library felt almost unreal.
Quiet.
Clean.
Orderly.
The large building is centrally located and is accessible by all members of the village, its polished wooden exterior carrying an atmosphere of calm sophistication.
Tall windows reflected the afternoon sunlight while several civilians quietly moved in and out carrying books and scroll cases.
The moment Hideki saw the entrance, his expression nearly turned emotional.
"…Civilization."
Sora adjusted his glasses calmly beside him. "Please try not to embarrass us inside."
Hideki immediately looked offended. "Why are you acting like I'm the problem?"
"You screamed at fish earlier."
"They were suspicious."
Murakami walked past them without comment and pushed the library doors open gently.
A soft chime echoed overhead.
The cool scent of paper, ink and old book drifted through the air almost immediately.
Compared to the sewer canals from earlier, the difference was so extreme that even Murakami found the contrast slightly amusing internally.
Inside, rows upon rows of shelves stretched across the building while librarians and assistants moved quietly between sections organizing materials.
Several civilians glanced toward the trio briefly after noticing their forehead protectors before quickly returning to their reading.
Near the reception desk stood an elderly woman with silver-streaked hair tied neatly behind her head.
The moment she noticed Sora approaching with the mission scroll, her expression brightened considerably.
"Oh thank goodness," she sighed. "The Genin are finally here."
Sora handed over the mission assignment politely. "Team Kaito reporting for archive assistance duty."
The woman nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes. We've fallen terribly behind lately."
Hideki leaned slightly toward Murakami and whispered, "Why does every mission giver look desperate when they see us?"
"Because no one else wants these missions," Murakami answered honestly.
"…Fair."
The librarian began explaining quickly.
Several archived documents had been moved recently due to storage restructuring, but improper sorting had caused multiple sections to become disorganized.
On top of that, a shipment of historical records needed transportation between archive rooms.
"It normally wouldn't be difficult," she admitted, "but some of the scrolls are extremely delicate."
Sora's eyes immediately sharpened with focus.
This was clearly more suited to him than rat extermination.
"I understand," he said calmly. "Please explain the classification system."
The elderly woman paused briefly before smiling in relief.
"Oh, wonderful. You're a smart one."
Hideki pointed at himself immediately. "I'm smart too."
Neither Sora nor the librarian acknowledged that statement.
Murakami's gaze quietly swept across the massive archive hall.
Thousands of scrolls.
Thousands.
This was different from the academy library.
His sensory perception instinctively picked up the subtle chakra signatures lingering around several restricted sections deeper within the library.
Sealing formations.
Observation barriers.
'Interesting.' he thought amused.
"You," the librarian suddenly said while pointing toward Hideki, "will help transport document crates."
Hideki deflated instantly.
"Of course I will…"
"And you," she continued while turning toward Murakami carefully, "may assist with upper archive retrieval."
Murakami nodded once.
That was probably because he looked the least likely to accidentally destroy something.
Sora, meanwhile, had already begun organizing misplaced scrolls with alarming efficiency.
The work itself proved surprisingly peaceful.
Hideki carried heavy archive boxes between rooms while grumbling quietly under his breath the entire time.
Sora sorted documents meticulously using the library indexing system with almost frightening concentration.
Murakami handled retrieval work silently.
His movements through the towering shelves were smooth and nearly soundless as he climbed ladders, located requested materials and returned them with precise efficiency.
At one point, even the librarians began quietly watching him.
"…He moves like an archivist ninja," one assistant whispered.
"I don't think that's a real thing," another whispered back.
Hours passed gradually in this manner.
Unlike the earlier missions, this one carried almost no tension.
No smell.
No fighting.
No sewer water.
Just silence and paperwork.
Hideki eventually looked like his soul was leaving his body anyway.
"How," he whispered painfully while carrying another crate, "are books heavier than weapons?"
"Because knowledge is weighty," Murakami replied calmly while stepping past him.
Hideki stared blankly.
"…You definitely made that up."
"I did."
Sora sighed from nearby shelves. "…Why does that somehow annoy me more?"
For the first time since they began the missions for the day, the atmosphere around the trio relaxed completely.
No danger or pressure.
Just simple work.
And strangely enough…Murakami didn't dislike it.
Why?
Because during the course of organizing and retrieving materials throughout the library, Murakami had gradually discovered something unexpected.
This place was a goldmine.
At first, he had only intended to complete the mission efficiently.
But the deeper he moved through the archive sections, the more interesting materials he began encountering.
History records and old conflict reports dating back to before the Shinobi village founding.
Foundational chakra theory texts.
Medical reference books discussing the human chakra pathway system.
There were even advanced texts covering the interaction between physical energy and spiritual energy in chakra creation.
Murakami's interest rose almost immediately.
He came across some familiar ones he'd seen in the academy library, but they seem to hold less information in comparison to the ones in the library.
(A/N: There is the Academy Library for academy students. The Village Library for the villagers in general. And the Archive Library for Shinobi.)
Then came the shinobi theory sections.
Ninjutsu theory.
Taijutsu principles.
Genjutsu interference mechanics.
Basic Fuinjutsu construction theory available to the general shinobi population.
Even though most of it covered only common-grade concepts Murakami already understood, simply seeing how the shinobi world academically approached these subjects still held value.
After all, understanding how others understood chakra was equally important.
Quickly scanning through them, he found that some theories were incomplete, others, inefficient.
But several ideas genuinely caught his attention.
Particularly the sections discussing chakra molding stability and elemental transformation ratios.
Murakami took note of that and continued his task.
At one point, Murakami had even paused before an old locked archive shelf containing partially damaged parchments.
One of them immediately caught his attention.
[Senjutsu.]
The word alone had been enough to stop him briefly.
Unfortunately, after carefully opening the ancient looking parchment under supervision, Murakami realized most of the contents were nearly unreadable.
The writing style resembled an archaic variation of Japanese kanji so old and condensed that even with his accumulated knowledge, he could barely decipher fragments of meaning.
Natural…
Balance…
Harmony…
Energy…
That was all he managed to interpret before the librarian politely informed him the document was restricted from extended handling due to its condition.
Murakami nodded and placed it back. Even so, he had memorized the shelf location and will definitely be coming back.
Beyond shinobi subjects, he also discovered entire sections dedicated to civilian systems.
Economics.
Agriculture.
Logistics and Infrastructure planning.
Land development.
Storage management.
Population distribution.
Things most shinobi likely ignored entirely.
Murakami, however, found them unexpectedly valuable.
Strength alone did not sustain a hidden village.
Systems did.
Food.
Trade.
Transportation.
Resource management.
All of it formed the invisible foundation supporting the military power shinobi proudly stood upon.
Without those systems, even the strongest shinobi village would eventually collapse inward.
And because of that, Murakami found himself genuinely interested in staying longer even after the mission ended.
Not because of duty.
But because he wanted to come back and read.
By the time the sun began its slow descent toward the western skyline, the trio stood near the reception desk as the elderly librarian reviewed their work one final time, moving between sections with visible satisfaction.
"All documents accounted for," she confirmed as she returned. "And the archives are finally in order again."
Sora gave a small, respectful nod. "We followed the classification system exactly as instructed."
"Yes, yes," she replied warmly. "I can tell. You've been very helpful."
Hideki, still holding the last empty crate, looked like he had survived something far more exhausting than it should have been. "…Can I go lie down now?"
Murakami glanced at him. "You didn't sustain injuries."
"That's not the point."
After the final formalities were completed and the mission completion seal was stamped onto their scroll, the trio exited the library together.
Outside, the evening air felt lighter than it had in any of their previous locations.
No sludge, pest or dust.
Just quiet streets and fading sunlight.
Murakami adjusted his sleeve slightly as they walked. His mind, however, was not entirely on the mission anymore.
The archive sections.
The senjutsu parchment.
The chakra theory volumes.
He mentally marked them for later retrieval.
"Hey," Hideki groaned beside him, stretching his arms. "I think I understand now why people say paperwork missions are the worst."
Sora pushed his glasses up calmly. "They aren't the worst. They're just mentally draining instead of physically dangerous."
"That sounds worse."
Murakami didn't join the conversation, but he listened.
Eventually, the familiar silhouette of the Hokage Administration area came into view.
They came to the same meeting point earlier in the morning and came to a stop there.
Hideki immediately dropped onto the ground. "I am never carrying another archive crate again in my life."
Sora stood beside him, arms folded. "…You'll carry worse things eventually."
"Don't say that like it's comforting."
Murakami leaned lightly against the railing, gaze drifting across the village streets.
People were returning home, and shinobi were still moving across rooftops.
'Can they not just walk?' Murakami idly thought.
Life continued as normal.
For them, the day had been exhausting but productive.
Just then, a faint wind passed, brushing past the trio followed by a subtle shift in the air.
Murakami's eyes narrowed slightly.
Sora noticed it a second later and straightened.
Hideki slowly lifted his head. "…He's here."
A soft rustle of leaves, then Kaito appeared, as casually as ever, stepping into view like he had always been standing just out of sight.
Hands in pockets.
Expression lazy.
"Hm," he said, eyes scanning them briefly. "You're all still in one piece."
Hideki pointed immediately. "That's your standard of success?!"
Kaito ignored him.
"Report," he said simply.
Sora straightened first. "All three missions completed successfully. No casualties. No complications beyond expected workload."
"Good."
Kaito's gaze shifted to Murakami next.
Murakami gave a small nod. "Efficient execution. No significant threats encountered."
Kaito hummed lightly, then looked toward Hideki.
"…I survived," Hideki added.
"...That counts," Kaito deadpanned.
Then, after a short pause, he nodded once.
"Good work."
He reached into his pocket, adjusting something unseen, then glanced at the trio again.
"You're dismissed for today."
Hideki immediately exhaled like his soul had been released. "Finally…"
Sora relaxed slightly, though still composed. "Understood."
Murakami straightened from the railing.
Kaito turned slightly as if preparing to leave.
"Same time tomorrow," he added over his shoulder. "Don't be late."
And then he vanished.
No buildup. No warning… Just gone.
Silence settled for a moment.
Hideki stared at the empty space. "…I swear I'm going to learn that one day."
Sora began walking first. "You'll need chakra control first."
"Rude."
Murakami remained still for a brief second longer, gaze drifting across the village once more. He'd missed the opportunity to pick on Kaito-sensei's experience, but there will certainly be other opportunities.
Then he turned.
"Let's go," he said calmly.
And the trio finally split off from the meeting point, disappearing into Konoha's evening streets as the day's missions came to a close.
-_-_-_-_-_-_
Like it? Add to library! Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
But y'all still don't🙂↔️... Anyways, I'ma be writing and posting on my patr@on page for a while. Interested individuals can check it out here. I've got 10 extra chapters there.
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