A Time for Missions

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Following the address on the mission sheet, Issui arrived at Auntie Yoshino's front door.

"Coming, coming..." Hearing the knock, Auntie Yoshino hurried out and opened the door, only to find a little boy standing there. What was he doing here? Surely he wasn't begging for food? She had heard that lots of orphans had recently flooded into Konoha. (Auntie, your imagination is running wild.)

"I-I accepted your mission. Here, this is the mission sheet. I'm Issui Kanna, a Genin, but you can just call me Issui. Looking after a baby, right? No problem. Well, leave it to me. I'm sure you'll be satisfied," Issui said sincerely, handing Auntie Yoshino the mission sheet.

"G-Genin? You've got to be kidding. They sent a little kid like you on this mission? I can hardly feel comfortable leaving my child with you!" Dark lines appeared across Auntie Yoshino's forehead.

"Please have faith in my abilities. Well, even though I'm only eight, I'm already a full-fledged ninja," Issui said helplessly, waving his hands.

"Th-then all right, kid. You watch Kojiro for me today. If anything goes wrong, I'll protest to Lord Third," Auntie Yoshino said helplessly. Although this kid was a genius ninja, could he really take good care of a baby? This was ridiculous. He was only eight. Good grief. Forget it, she'd let him try...

"Well, that's more like it. Trust me, it'll be fine," Issui said nonchalantly.

"Come on, you'll be watching Kojiro here at my house today. Here's his bottle, here are his diapers, and here are his toys. You just need to take good care of him until I get back this afternoon. If you're hungry at noon, eat the rice balls on the table. Kid, make sure you take good care of him. I'm off..." Auntie Yoshino said helplessly, with no choice but to leave Kojiro with him.

"Uh, well, all right. I've got it all down, so don't worry," Issui said confidently.

Auntie Yoshino rolled her eyes. I'm not reassured at all. I just don't have a choice...

After Auntie Yoshino left, Issui's ordeal began...

"Wah... wah... wah..." Kojiro felt the wetness on his bottom and burst into tears from the discomfort.

"Coming, coming. Damn it... you wet your pants again, you little bastard. If you weren't younger than me, I would've beaten you up already." Issui felt like he had entered hell. This little brat was simply too hard to deal with. He had already changed his diaper several times, and though he had originally wanted to train in the yard, it looked like he wouldn't have the mind for it. This brat was an absolute little terror. He had even peed all over Issui once, leaving him stinking. With no way to go home and change, Issui could only dry his clothes with his body heat...

"Wah... wah... wah..." Kojiro woke up again. He felt hungry, so all he could do was cry. Then cry he would...

"Coming. You didn't pee? Ah, well, it's already noon. You must be hungry. If you're hungry, nod. What? Good grief, you don't understand me? If you don't understand, you should've said so earlier. Well, why am I even talking to you? Here, drink your milk. Ah... why are you biting my hand? You're still biting... finally, it's over. Kid, you've got quite a bite. That hurt..." Issui was finally free. Kojiro had finally eaten and drunk his fill and drifted off to sleep.

Leaning against Kojiro's cradle, Issui could finally rest. He couldn't eat the rice balls anymore, either. While changing a diaper earlier, he had accidentally tossed it onto them, so he had no choice but to go hungry.

In his previous life, Issui had watched Team 7's miserable D-rank missions, and now he finally understood what they were like. At the moment, his greatest wish was to go home, lie down in bed, and get a good sleep.

"Oh, kid, I'm back. Kojiro was well-behaved, wasn't he? Oh, he just fell asleep? Haha, you're an excellent ninja. I'm very satisfied. You can go home now. If I need help again, I'll come find you." Auntie Yoshino was delighted as she looked at the sleeping Kojiro. She hadn't expected this kid to actually take good care of him. He really was a genius ninja.

"Great, you're finally back, Auntie Yoshino. Well, goodbye. Though it'd be best if we never met again. Oh, heavens..." Finally free, Issui walked home with his head hanging low.

"Hey, Issui, congratulations on becoming a ninja! Keep at it, young man! Come train with me! Ah, youth, so full of uncertainty..." Seeing Issui with his head hanging low, Might Guy proclaimed his personal creed.

"Ah, it's you, Senior Guy. I'm not suited to you. You'd better go find Senior Kakashi instead. Goodbye, I'm going home. I'm so tired..." Issui groaned weakly.

"Boo... hoo... hoo... He really is a hot-blooded youth! It must be the result of training! Ah, today I'll run a thousand laps around the village before dinner! If I can't finish, I'll do a thousand push-ups... Ah, youth..." Tears streamed down Might Guy's face once more, and he ran out of sight in an instant, presumably to undertake that 'hot-blooded' training...

When Issui got home, he rushed into his room, stripped off all his clothes and threw them aside, then fell asleep sprawled on the bed.

"Honestly, Issui-kun, you're too... too..." Looking at Issui lying naked on the bed without a shred of decorum, Hinata blushed. The sight of the boy's * body made her heart pound. She had no choice but to take the clothes Issui had thrown on the floor and wash them, covering him with a blanket along the way. (I'm jealous, ah.)

When Issui woke up the next day, he realized he had made a huge fool of himself. It was a habit from running in his previous life: he would come back and go straight to sleep naked. He would have to change that habit. Little Hinata had seen him this time, but if someone else saw him, it wouldn't be worth it. If it were a beauty, that would be fine, but what if it were someone like Sister Phoebe? Wouldn't that be a terrible loss?

"Hinata, help me get some clothes. I was exhausted yesterday. Damn it, I'm never looking after another baby again..." Issui muttered.

"Coming. Here. You looked really tired yesterday, so I didn't wake you for dinner. But the way you were yesterday..." Hinata still wanted to tell Issui not to be so shameless again. Fortunately, Father hadn't seen him, or else...

"Aha, just this once. Well, I was simply too tired. Thank you so much, Hinata. You even covered me with a blanket. I'm so happy." Issui looked delighted and felt a little like crying. From his previous life until now, no one had ever cared for him like this. His lonely previous life had now found fulfillment. He could only work hard to make Hinata happy. Love went both ways, and possessing this precious, true love filled Issui's heart with warmth.

"Mm, it's nothing, Issui-kun. You've always been helping me too. I'm full of confidence in myself now. Here, I made these rice balls. Eat up. I saved them for you, Issui-kun. They're a little cold, but I kept them in my pocket the whole time." Hinata smiled faintly and handed Issui several rice balls.

"Mm, not at all. These are the warmest rice balls. They're the most delicious rice balls I've ever eaten..." Moved to tears, Issui stuffed the rice balls into his mouth with tears in his eyes. Mixed with his tears, they tasted a little salty, but a warm current flowed through his heart.

"Ah... Issui-kun, why are you crying? Don't cry. Ninja aren't allowed to cry..." Hinata gently wiped away Issui's tears as she spoke.

"No, I'm going to cry, because I'm... so happy... so happy I don't know what to do... so happy I'm overcome with longing... so happy I'd pledge my life and death... so happy I..." Issui hugged Hinata around the waist and cried loudly, as though he wanted to pour out all his love.

"..." Hinata had wanted to push Issui away, but the sincere feelings he revealed made her relax, and she could only stroke his head.

"All right, I'm fine. I'm just... just happy, that's all. Don't worry. I have to start doing those kinds of missions again today. Honestly, when will I get to do some escort missions?" Issui gave a wry smile and pulled himself out of Hinata's embrace. Honestly, he was a transmigrator, yet he had fallen so low that a little girl was comforting him. How unprofessional.

"Here are your clothes. I washed them yesterday, and they're dry now. Why did they have a strange smell?" Hinata asked with a frown.

"Ah... right, I worked up a 'sweat' on my way home yesterday. I ran too fast. It won't happen again. You get on with what you're doing; I'm going out on a mission..." Issui hurried out of the house. Whew, luckily Hinata didn't realize it was pee, or I'd have died of shame. I'm never taking a mission like that again.

After leaving the house, Issui suddenly bumped into someone. Once he had helped the person up, he discovered it was Neji Hyuga.

"I'm terribly sorry. You're not hurt, are you?" Issui asked apologetically.

"Hmph, don't think you're so great just because you joined the Hyuga Main Family. You're just an outsider. It was decided from the start. Even though you've become a ninja, you'll always be an outsider. That's something destined never to change," Neji Hyuga said coldly.

Just as I thought, Neji Hyuga and his theory of fate. All right, I certainly am an outsider, but I never wanted to become a Hyuga. I'm still a Kanna. I only joined the Hyuga because Hinata is here.

"All right, say whatever you want. But you're still a kid, and I'm already a Genin, even though you're older than me. I'm going on a mission, so move!" Issui didn't dislike Neji. He had only developed this personality after the Caged Bird Seal was placed on him and his father died. In truth, it was the self-talk of someone who wanted to defy fate but was powerless to fight it.

"Ah, weeding? Did I become a ninja just to do this kind of work?" Issui helplessly protested the mission the Third had given him.

"Even the most powerful ninja started here. Your current experience isn't sufficient for missions beyond your abilities." The Third took a puff of his pipe and spoke gravely.

"All right, I'll go do it. Sigh, what a hard life." Issui had no choice but to do as ordered.

"Ah, picking... picking up... trash? Can't you give me a more normal mission?" Issui's brow twitched as he struggled to suppress his raging temper.

"Even the most powerful ninja started here. Your current experience isn't sufficient for missions beyond your abilities." The Third took a puff of his pipe and spoke gravely.

"F-fine. Th-this is the last time I'm giving in..." Issui slapped his forehead as he left the Hokage's office.

Miserable missions in progress...