"Hey! You've done a great job managing the dōjō, Kirito!" With her usual exuberant cheer, Tenten slapped Kirito's arm in praise. Her straightforward personality made her open and honest with everyone.
"Yeah, just doing my job." Kirito replied casually.
"Say, Kirito~" At some point, Tenten had dropped the polite "-kun" suffix altogether. Now she addressed him as naturally as she would Lee or Neji, a sign that she already considered him a true friend. "Wanna come on a mission with our team?"
"A mission?" Kirito blinked. "What kind? And strictly speaking, I'm not even a genin, I don't have the right to accept missions."
"A B-rank mission. We're escorting the Princess of the Land of Fire to the daimyō's estate. Hokage-sama personally assigned Guy-sensei to lead it!" Tenten said with pride.
Kirito frowned. "A B-rank? Aren't those supposed to be reserved for chūnin or higher? Why would Hokage-sama let genin like you join?"
Tenten raised a finger and waved it with a sly smile. "Technically, yes. Escorting a VIP is classified as B-rank, but in this case, the actual difficulty is more like a C-rank. The destination is within the Land of Fire, so the risk of encountering enemy shinobi is very low. And the princess already has her own elite guard. We're just there as a diplomatic gesture... and maybe as guides."
Kirito nodded. That explained the unusual classification. But the real problem still remained, he wasn't even a genin.
Reading his thoughts, Tenten continued, "Relax. You're not going as a shinobi. You won't be officially recognized by the village. You'll be going as a representative of Konoha's number-one weapons shop, my personal invite, as our team's weapons specialist."
"Ah… I get it." Kirito caught on immediately. He even guessed why Tenten had gone out of her way to invite him. "But that 'weapons master' title? Let's drop that."
"Too much humility is just annoying, you know." Tenten's expression grew uncharacteristically serious. "You can tell a weapon's durability, flexibility, forging material, and traits with a single touch. You can wield over a hundred types of weapons like it's second nature. If that doesn't qualify you as a master, then what does?"
Kirito shrugged, not confirming nor denying it. It wasn't something he could explain easily, it was a gift from the system, and he wasn't interested in revealing it.
Tenten didn't press. Instead, she leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "I got intel. Apparently, while constructing a manor on a noble's estate in the Land of Fire, there was a cave-in... and they discovered a massive underground cavern. There are traces of rare mineral ores down there. You get what I'm saying, right?"
"Rare ores? I see… prime materials for forging exceptional weapons." Kirito narrowed his eyes just as a system prompt echoed in his mind:
[Mission Received: Collect Rare Mineral Ore]
[Mission Type: Hidden Plot]
[Mission Rank: C]
[Reward: Attribute Points]
Kirito, of course, had no reason to refuse. "Alright. I'm in."
…
At the Konoha village gate, the team gathered: Guy-sensei, Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Kirito.
"Ohhh! So Kirito-kun is the one Tenten invited! Excellent! Before we depart, let's do 500 push-ups together for youth!" Lee gave a dramatic thumbs-up. "Also, thank you again for the last mission!"
"Eh... don't overdo it. I just got lucky." Kirito smiled awkwardly, overwhelmed by Lee's enthusiasm.
"Luck doesn't make an upper-level jōnin retreat," Neji muttered coldly.
Kirito shrugged and said nothing.
Tenten waved it off. "That's just how he is. Try getting any real answers out of him, it's like pulling teeth."
"Yes, yes, I humbly apologize for my uncooperative personality," Kirito said with mock helplessness.
Off to the side, Guy gave Kirito a long, thoughtful look. In his heart, he silently observed:
Hyūga Kirito… the boy from the Hyūga branch family who was born without the Byakugan… who knows neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu... yet bears a calm, cheerful smile even when mocked as a failure…
His posture, his lean muscles, the tension in his frame, it all told Guy one thing: this boy trained hard. Every day. Without rest.
He remembered what the Third Hokage had told him before they left: "Keep a close eye on Kirito. Observe everything. If you get a chance, test his strength."
Observation, done. Guy nodded mentally. Now, how should I test him?
Guy rarely received personal requests from the Hokage. He was honored, energized. Fired up. If this was the Hokage's mission for him, then he'd execute it perfectly! For the sake of his youth!
…
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Tower, the Third Hokage himself was watching through his crystal ball.
His aged gaze settled meaningfully on the boy standing among Guy's team.
"Hyūga Kirito… Just how far have you come?"
Sitting high above the village, the Third Hokage oversaw all. He leaned back in his chair, taking a long drag from his pipe, exuding the air of a man with everything under control.
But what happened next nearly made him choke.
Guy, having pondered for a moment, decided to act.
"Kirito-kun."
"Hm?" Kirito turned his head instinctively toward the voice.
But Guy had vanished.
Fwsh! The sound of wind cutting through the air whistled past Kirito's ears.
Without thinking, Kirito's reflexes kicked in. A faint flash of golden light appeared at his feet.
[Passive: Swift Boots Activated]
"Whoosh!"
Guy reappeared behind Kirito, aiming to catch him unaware.
But Kirito was already gone.
Ten meters away, Kirito stood still, puzzled. "Guy-sensei? What are you doing?"
"Aha, nothing, nothing!" Guy scratched his head, laughing awkwardly. "Hokage-sama asked me to test you secretly, so I thought I'd go for it!"
"Whoa! So it's a secret mission from the Hokage?! As expected of Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted with admiration, hugging him on the spot.
"…You do realize it's not a secret anymore, right?" Tenten deadpanned.
But Neji… Neji was frozen in place, eyes wide in shock.
He had just witnessed Kirito dodge Guy-sensei's speed, something even most chūnin couldn't do.
Just what level is this guy…?
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters