"This..."
Takumi's request genuinely surprised both Hiruzen and Kurenai.
They had assumed that, given Takumi's character, he would accept any mission assigned without question.
"Choosing your own mission... There is no precedent for this." Hiruzen said, sounding conflicted.
The mission roster was, effectively, classified village intelligence. From it, one could deduce the precise movements of all the village's Shinobi. If it were leaked and enemies acted on that information, the results would be catastrophic.
However, after some thought, Hiruzen agreed. He truly wanted to nurture Takumi into a pillar of Konoha, so perhaps the boy had his own sound reasons.
"Very well. Come and look, then." The Hokage said, "I was planning to assign you a search and retrieval mission. I'm curious what you have in mind."
Takumi approached and began carefully examining the mission list.
[Find the tea shop's lost cat]
[Help the BBQ restaurant owner catch his cheating wife]
[Escort the casino owner's daughter on a trip to the Land of Hot Water]
...
The initial entries were mostly C-Rank or D-Rank missions, but further down, the missions became progressively more serious.
[Travel to Otogakure to investigate the disappearance of young children]
[Travel to the Land of Wind to scout Sunagakure's latest movements]
[Investigate troop deployments at 10 border fortresses in the Land of Earth]
[Assassinate the Mizukage's bodyguard, Ao]
[Assassinate the Sandaime Tsuchikage's son, Kitsuchi]
[Search for the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai]
...
For Takumi in his current state, he couldn't claim to have no chance of completing these missions, but his odds weren't high.
Assassination, deep-cover investigation... these were among the most extreme mission types. They tested a Shinobi's comprehensive abilities to the limit.
Infiltration, disguise, social engineering, deception, improvisation, combat prowess, escape capability... So many skills were indispensable. A single failure in any one area could lead to mission failure, with the worst outcome being his own death.
"So, have you chosen a mission you'd like to undertake?" Hiruzen asked patiently.
But Takumi's expression remained serious, "I'll think about it more at home. I'll give you my answer tomorrow."
After leaving Hokage's Office, Kurenai immediately caught up to him, her face a mask of disbelief.
"You... you're far too spoiled! In all the decades Sandaime-sama has been in office, only a handful of people have been allowed to choose their missions. Those individuals were either the Legendary Sannin, the White Fang of Konoha, or the Yondaime Hokage before he took office..."
Kurenai found it astounding. The others were all elite figures of Konoha, talents personally nurtured by Sandaime. But Takumi was a mere rookie. And he received the same privilege? Did he truly possess that much influence?
Takumi nibbled on a fingernail, replying quietly, "Have you read that essay I wrote?"
"Which one?"
"The one titled 'My Respected Sandaime Hokage-sama'."
"…"
Kurenai rolled her eyes dramatically. She hadn't read the essay, but the title alone told her everything she needed to know.
"That title reminds me of an essay Asuma wrote back in our Academy days. It was publicly praised."
"What was it called?"
"'My Hokage Father'."
"…"
Well, Takumi hadn't known Kurenai had this sarcastic side. It was somewhat endearing.
"Alright, enough joking. Have you decided on a mission?" She asked, growing serious, "This is our first mission together. We absolutely cannot fail."
Kurenai also placed great importance on this mission. Firstly, she had never taken a student on a mission before, so this would be valuable experience.
Secondly, she wanted to gauge Takumi's true capabilities. If possible, she wanted him to test his 'killing intent' in live combat, to see if it could truly shatter an enemy's will.
"I'm not sure. How about we go assassinate the Yondaime Raikage?"
Kurenai's face darkened, a vein throbbing on her forehead.
Thwack!
She punched Takumi squarely on the head.
"You brat! Are you messing with me?!"
…
Night.
After eating a quick dinner of fried rice outside, Takumi returned home. He sat on his bed, his expression grave as he thought things over.
The reason he hadn't chosen a mission immediately was simple: he felt none of them offered a high probability of returning unscathed. He possessed Fist Emperor skills, but not the associated footwork or refined combat techniques. This made him highly vulnerable to ambushes, putting him at a distinct disadvantage in close quarters.
As for long-range combat, that was an even bigger weakness. Takumi's Chakra Natures were Lightning and Water, but that was just the affinity.
He had no significant Chakra Reserve and no apparent talent for Ninjutsu training.
Forget powerful Lightning Release Ninjutsu, he couldn't even perform a basic, combat-effective Water Release Ninjutsu.
'On the surface, I might seem capable, but looking at the wider Shinobi World... I still have a long, long way to go.' Takumi muttered with a helpless sigh.
It seemed his final mission choice would depend entirely on what kind of life he could simulate tonight. The ideal outcome would be drawing another powerful talent and mastering a truly devastating skill.
Steeling his resolve, he opened the system interface and initiated a new simulation.
"System! Begin simulation!"
[Ding! Drawing a talent for you!]
The system's roulette wheel began to spin.
Three seconds later, the pointer stopped.
[Ding! Draw successful!]
[You have drawn the talent: Non-Human Entity (Black-Gold)]
Seeing this talent, Takumi's pupils constricted and he frowned slightly, 'What? This one again?'
If he remembered correctly, this 'Non-Human Entity' talent was essentially an 'experience card'.
Despite being the highest Black-Gold rank, the thing was practically useless for permanent power gain.
Why? Because with this talent equipped, Takumi would cease to be human for the duration of the simulation. He could only become an inanimate object or some other non-human entity.
"Whatever. Consider it a warm-up." He resigned himself, "Let's see what bizarre thing I turn into this time..."
He took a deep breath and commanded loudly in his mind, "Start simulation!"
[Starting simulation!]
[Equipped Talent: Non-Human Entity (Black-Gold)!]
[Generating scenes in real-time.]
[Please wait...]
After a series of hurried mechanical sounds, the system began the simulation. And Takumi, as if experiencing it firsthand, was plunged into a brand new life.
[You have become a piece of clothing. An Akatsuki's cloak.]
"?????"
Good grief. Right from the very start, Takumi was utterly dumbfounded.
'A cloak?! I had become a cloak?! It could go this far?!'
But amidst the sheer absurdity, a spark of excitement quickly ignited. Because becoming an Akatsuki's cloak... actually... wasn't so bad!
Imagine if it were worn by Konan...
---
FOR EVERY 50 POWER STONES, I'LL UPLOAD ONE CHAPTER