First C-rank Mission

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"What powerful spiritual energy. Is this really just impure Uchiha Clan blood?" Inoichi stared fixedly at Shunren. Through his "sensory vision," enormous quantities of black light poured from Shunren's body like a gushing well. It was an extremely rare Chakra nature-yin release.

Shunren raised Zangetsu high and poured all the Chakra in his body into it.

"He's actually this powerful. Sorry, but I'm not good at offensive or defensive Ninjutsu..." Inoichi raised both hands and formed a peculiar stance in front of himself. His right palm faced outward, his left inward, and his thumbs and index fingers met to form a rectangular gesture aimed at Shunren, who held the great blade aloft.

There were no fancy moves. Shunren simply gripped Zangetsu with both hands and swung with all his might!

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

"Ninja Art: Mind Body Disturbance Technique!"

"Whoosh~"

A pale blue, crescent-shaped blade of light slashed toward Inoichi with enough force to cleave Mount Hua in two, and then-

It swept past his side.

"Boom!" A granite monument in the distance was split cleanly in two, and a savage gash was left wherever the crescent had passed!

"Crack~" Cracks appeared in Zangetsu's black blade, and it dissolved like shattered porcelain. Shunren, his Chakra exhausted, collapsed to the ground.

Inoichi was completely unharmed. This was the strength of a Jonin!

His eyes kept straying to the deep gouge beside his feet, and Inoichi couldn't help exclaiming in amazement once more, "Even a Jonin would have to give that a wide berth. What a devastating slash!"

A real battle between ninja was about far more than brute force. Although Inoichi had no technique capable of defending directly against Shunren's strike, that didn't mean he had no way to deal with it.

The Mind Body Disturbance Technique, one of the Yamanaka Clan's secret Yin Release techniques, used the user's mind to disrupt an opponent's mind and actions. Even if the opponent remained conscious, it could make them do things they didn't want to do.

The instant Shunren swung his blade, Inoichi forcibly manipulated the hand gripping it, shifting it to the right and causing Shunren's Getsuga Tenshō to miss.

Shunren, Kurenai, and Shizune versus Inoichi—a battle in which Genin joined forces to challenge a Jonin-ended in the former's defeat without question. However, though they had lost the battle, they had passed the test.

All three had shown Inoichi their abilities well.

Inoichi was very satisfied, especially with Shunren.

"He firmly believes he has the ability to distort reality?" Inoichi gazed fixedly at Shunren, who lay on the ground, and smiled. "This kid's future is really something to look forward to. If I have a daughter someday, he'd make an ideal son-in-law... Hmm, just kidding."

The next day, at the Konoha Gate.

"Good morning, Inoichi-sensei."

"Yo~ Morning, everyone. You're all very punctual—you're even early."

The members of Team 9 had assembled.

"A C-rank mission right off the bat. Just what I'd expect from you, Inoichi-sensei. You're so diligent," Kurenai said excitedly.

"Normally, we should start with D-rank missions. A newly formed team needs some time to learn to work together..." Inoichi scratched his head and said apologetically, "The village has been a little short-handed lately, so even the newcomers have to take on some of the missions. I'm sorry."

Shizune said obediently, "It's all right, Inoichi-sensei. Please believe in us!"

Inoichi nodded. Indeed, if he hadn't acknowledged his students' abilities, he wouldn't have accepted a mission of this rank, no matter what.

He turned to Shunren and asked with concern, "Shunren, how are you feeling? You used up quite a bit of Chakra yesterday."

"Thanks to the restorative medicine Shizune prepared,

I've completely recovered after a night's rest." Shunren nodded to show he was fine. Inoichi's heart stirred. Chakra could indeed be restored with the help of certain medicines, but recovering spent spiritual energy was not so simple. Shunren had used up such an enormous amount of spiritual energy yesterday, yet he had recovered in just one night. That was far too fast!

"Thank you, Shizune."

"Uh, we're teammates in Team 9, and good friends too. You don't have to be so polite~"

Inoichi nodded inwardly: the team members also got along very well.

"This is the first mission Team 9 will carry out. We have to complete it in style!"

Kurenai was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Though a girl, she had a competitive streak in her bones that was no weaker than any man's.

Inoichi quietly observed the three from the side.

"Mm~ Let's all do our best."

Shizune had a gentle temperament and could often encourage the team. Her skill with concealed weapons and setting traps showed her dexterity. She knew how to prepare medicines and seemed to have a talent for Medical Ninjutsu.

Shunren said nothing, merely raising a hand in response.

Inoichi thought to himself, Shunren, the boy, was actually the most levelheaded member of the team. He possessed a maturity his peers couldn't match, and despite his young age, he could think things through independently. Given time, he could shoulder great responsibilities.

"Inoichi-sensei, could you give us a general idea of what this mission involves?"

Inoichi took out a scroll and patiently explained, "This mission was issued by the Land of Fire Chamber of Commerce. We're to wipe out a band of thieves hiding in the northern mountains. It's a C-rank mission. As I just said, a mission of this rank normally wouldn't be assigned to newcomers like you, but the village is short-handed right now, so it can't be helped."

"We're hunting down thieves, so does that mean there won't be any fighting with ninja?" The meticulous Shizune raised the most crucial question.

Inoichi gave Shizune an appreciative look and continued, "That's right. If it involved fighting ninja, the mission would be B-rank or higher."

"But we might run into rogue ninja, right?" Shunren added.

"So what? If we run into ninja, we'll just take them on! We're Konoha Ninja now!" Kurenai looked eager to try.

"Kurenai, don't be impulsive." Although Shunren was also a rookie when it came to being a ninja, at least his thinking was far better than that of the two little girls. "Remember our basic battle plan: I'll take the vanguard, and Kurenai and Shizune will support me."

"Hmph~ I know, you nag!" Kurenai said, sounding slightly displeased. Though she agreed out loud, her eyes darted about as she spoke. Clearly, when they actually ran into trouble, she wouldn't be so obedient. It was a typical child's temperament: tell her not to do something, and she would insist on doing it.

"It's because neither of us is good at close combat. Sorry, Shunren," Shizune said, troubled.