Walking out of the Hokage's office, Captain Aburame Shibi handed the mission scroll to Might Guy beside him.
While Guy skimmed through the document, Shibi addressed the team, his tone calm but authoritative:
"After we're dismissed, everyone go home and prepare the ninja tools you'll need for combat."
"This mission isn't particularly complicated, but I expect everyone to be fully prepared."
"Especially you, Satoru—this will be your first mission, so make sure you double-check your preparations."
"Ninja tools, a few changes of clothes, and a reasonable amount of money."
"If all goes smoothly, the mission should take three to five days. Prepare accordingly."
Shibi was meticulous by nature, and it was only natural that his concern focused on Hyuga Satoru—the newcomer setting out on his very first mission.
Although Satoru now held the rank of Special jonin, he had no actual mission experience. As the youngest member of the team, he was the one Shibi worried about the most.
It wasn't that Shibi doubted Satoru's strength or thought his power didn't live up to his title—rather, he felt the boy was simply too young. When truly faced with blood and death, he feared Satoru might falter.
He'd seen this before—brilliant academy graduates who, once on a real battlefield, were paralyzed by fear, unable to bring out even half their true strength.
And those students had been eleven or twelve. Satoru was even younger…
Still, no matter his concerns, Shibi knew this was a path every ninja had to walk.
Besides, he had no say in Satoru's assignment. The mission was personally chosen by the Fourth Hokage and approved by Hyuga Hiashi. Even if Shibi objected, it would make no difference.
All he could do now was keep a close eye on Satoru during the mission and help him stay calm—emotionally and mentally.
As Shibi spoke, the scroll passed from Guy's hands to Uchiha Shisui, and finally to Satoru.
It was Satoru's first time holding an official mission scroll, and curiosity shone in his eyes as he began reading carefully.
The scroll was much more detailed than the summary Hokage Minato had given them earlier.
It described the target group—a band of rogue ninja—in full detail. Attached to the report were ability charts for three missing-nin, once Konoha shinobi themselves.
Since they had once served the village, their records still existed in Konoha's archives.
Seal, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Intelligence, Strength, Speed, and Stamina.
Konoha assessed a ninja's capabilities across these eight categories, allowing others to quickly grasp their strengths and weaknesses—and to more accurately gauge the power balance between allies and foes.
Each category was scored out of ten. For most ninja, this system was sufficient—only a handful ever surpassed those limits.
The scroll included the three defectors' ability charts.
All three were fairly balanced overall, with the highest total score at 36, and the other two at 34 and 32.
The scroll also listed their mission records back when they were still Leaf ninja.
Satoru skimmed through the data—the trio had completed mostly D- and C-rank missions, over fifty in total. They'd even done a few B- and A-rank missions, meaning they weren't inexperienced.
Considering they'd survived the brutal Third Great Ninja War, Satoru mentally adjusted his expectations upward.
In a life-or-death fight, their actual power would likely exceed what was shown on paper.
But what surprised him was the mission location at the bottom of the scroll.
"Garan City?" he muttered.
"Wait, aren't these guys bandits? Why would the target be inside a city?"
In his mind, bandits should've been holed up in the mountains, raiding caravans and villages—not hiding in a populated town.
Could it be that this city was frequently attacked by them?
"The location is correct," Shibi explained. "A month ago, this group wiped out an entire village—nearly two hundred people."
"They probably sensed they'd be hunted down and went into hiding."
"The village received a tip from locals—that's how we learned they're hiding in Garan City."
"The details are at the end of the scroll."
Satoru nodded silently, skipping to the end. Sure enough, he found the intel Shibi mentioned.
"A village massacre…"
A group of murderous outlaws. Satoru couldn't help but sigh inwardly—he felt himself taking one more step into the world's darkness.
Three chunin-level rogue ninja—no longer backed by Konoha's power structure—had still managed to slaughter an entire village.
The destructive power of missing-nin against civilians was terrifying. In the shinobi world, ordinary people were as fragile as grass.
And with the Third Great War still raging, how many more rogue ninja like them must be wandering the lands?
How many villages and innocents would they destroy just to survive?
It was… unimaginable.
Living in Konoha, Satoru had never truly felt the world's chaos and danger. But now, catching a glimpse of its darkness firsthand, he found it deeply unsettling.
"Everyone clear on the mission objectives?"
"We meet at the village gate in two hours. Don't be late."
After Satoru finished reading, he returned the scroll to Aburame Shibi, who tucked it into his coat and gave his final instructions.
Once the team nodded, Shibi called out a brisk "Dismissed!" and quickly departed.
Satoru didn't linger either—in the next instant, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back to his room at the Hyuga residence.
He packed a few changes of clothes and his ninja tools into a backpack, then slung it over his shoulder and stepped out.
Just then, Hanako, who shared the adjoining room, must've heard his movements. Holding baby Hinata, she came out to check. Seeing Satoru at the door, she looked surprised.
"When did you get back?" she asked.
"Are you heading out already?"
"I heard from your father yesterday—you're leaving the village today for your mission."
"Leaving so soon? Won't you stay for lunch first?"
Hanako glanced at the pack on his back, concern written across her face.
"There's no time for lunch," Satoru replied with a small smile. "The team's meeting at the gate soon—and I still need to stop by the clan storehouse to pick up some explosive tags."
He reached out and wiggled his fingers playfully in front of baby Hinata's eyes, making her giggle and grab at them before he quickly pulled his hand back with a grin.
Watching her son tease the baby, a soft smile warmed Hanako's face. Then she said gently,
"Be careful out there, all right?"
"The mission's success doesn't matter—what matters is that you come back safely."
Her tender words made Satoru's heart stir. After a short pause, he nodded firmly.
"Don't worry," he said.
"I'll be careful—very careful."
"And my teammates are reliable. We'll be fine."
...
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