In the Land of Lightning, Kumogakure, inside a simple apartment, Kuroki Ryosuke suddenly opened his eyes. He swiftly reached for the weapon beside him, then scanned the room for enemies. After staring blankly for a long moment, he finally came to his senses.
"So it was a dream."
Kuroki touched the back of his neck and found it drenched in cold sweat. He decided to take a shower first.
After bathing and getting dressed, Kuroki headed to the Mission Assignment Office.
His rare vacation had not yet ended, but Kuroki was already bored. He had few friends in the village. So-called vacation was nothing more than sleeping and eating every day.
The team he had led had encountered an uncontrollable escalation during their previous mission. Its difficulty had risen from A-rank to S-rank. Though they completed the mission, they lost two teammates. The village had given him an extended leave, but Kuroki intended to end it early today.
Sometimes, vacation was harder to endure than missions.
The team had not yet been replenished. He would just pick a solo mission. Anything would do.
In the crowded Mission Assignment Office, Kuroki spotted a strange mission.
Mission Rank: (D)
Mission Reward: 200 ryo
Mission Details: Go to the Orphanage on the western side of the village. Lead and accompany a child around the village for one day. Mission credentials must be verified.
For details, please consult the person in charge of the Orphanage.
"Is 200 ryo for real? Would that even cover one meal?" Kuroki found it strange.
This had to be a new low for D-rank mission rewards...
"Forget it. I'll just use it to kill time." In the end, Kuroki accepted the mission.
Yet when he arrived at the Orphanage with the mission document, he began to regret it.
Dozens of children were playing noisily in the yard, and Kuroki felt his mind go blank.
He suddenly felt that this was an excellent place for an ambush. Even the most skilled ninja would have their heads buzzing here.
"Teacher Morita, when is Brother Dada coming back?"
"Yeah, yeah! Dada hasn't come by in days!"
"Teacher, is Dada sick?"
Several children surrounded Morita Keiko, asking about the person they cared about.
"Dada has something to do outside the village. You need to wait patiently. I'm sure he'll come play with you once he's back!" Ever since Dada left the village, the children at the Orphanage had asked about him every day. After patiently explaining, Morita Keiko noticed Kuroki Ryosuke standing nearby.
"Are you here to accept a mission? Please, come inside." Morita Keiko skillfully led Kuroki into the courtyard and found a quiet corner. Along the way, the children they passed looked at Kuroki with longing in their eyes, leaving him rather confused.
"This should be your first time accepting a mission from the Orphanage. Would you like me to explain it?"
"I'd appreciate that." Kuroki nodded.
"I read your mission summary. You're an outstanding jonin with no disciplinary record. The children are all here. Your mission is to take one of them for a walk around the village. You must bring the child back to the Orphanage before nightfall, and you may not leave the village. Here is the 200 ryo fee." Morita Keiko handed Kuroki a pouch of coins.
Kuroki weighed it in his hand. It felt light as air. As expected of a mere 200 ryo. It was probably just enough for a meal, with a little left over.
"What do I need to do with them?"
Morita Keiko smiled. "There are no additional requirements. Take them around, let them eat something nice, or even just let them play in the park all afternoon. As long as you stay in the village, keep the child safe, and don't let them go hungry, that's enough. The children are all very well-behaved. Not many people accept these missions yet, so they're really looking forward to going out."
Kuroki looked at the group of children secretly peeking at him, unsure what to think.
"Would you like me to recommend someone? A few of them are quite mischievous. If you take them out, I'm afraid you'll get quite a headache."
Kuroki thought it did not matter, but then he spotted a small figure with brown hair.
"That brown-haired child is..."
"Uemaru. Ninomiya Uemaru. He's rather shy. If you choose him, you may find it difficult as well," Morita Keiko answered.
"Ninomiya..." Kuroki recalled a blurry image of someone's brown-haired back.
"Captain, I heard you have a son now? Have you picked a name?"
"Uemaru. I'm planning to name him Uemaru."
"Huh? Isn't that the name of your sword...?"
"Heh heh, Uemaru has saved me many times. I want to leave that kind of luck to my child."
"Then Sister-in-law will probably get mad, hahaha."
Kuroki emerged from his memories. The little boy before him was looking at him timidly.
Captain Ninomiya... It felt so long ago, even though it had only been seven years? Or six?
Back then, he had only just become a chunin.
Everyone in the team had been so close back then. But when had it started?
When had he stopped wanting to get close to his teammates, stopped daring to make new friends?
The teammates who had died on the previous mission were people whose names he merely knew. At the time, he thought that was just right. No one would miss anyone else, and when danger came, they could rightfully put the mission first.
He had not contacted his former friends for years. So Captain Ninomiya had died too?
Then what about the child's mother?
Kuroki did not dare think any further.
"If possible, I'll take that child..."
"Certainly, please wait a moment." Morita Keiko prepared to take the mission document back to the office.
She also wondered whether Young Master Dada was doing well at this moment.
If he knew that his reforms at the Orphanage had already achieved considerable results, would he be happy?
Dada was very unhappy.
No one would be happy after falling unconscious twice in one day.
Before he even opened his eyes, Dada felt as though his body had just been forged in fire, then thrown into an ice bucket.
It felt as though every inch of him had turned to slag.
No... I'm only six. I don't want to become a scumbag. I can still be saved.
The clearer his thoughts became, the worse his physical discomfort grew. Still, Dada struggled to open his eyes. What greeted him was an unfamiliar ceiling.
"You're awake? Does anything hurt?" The one speaking beside the bed was the Third Raikage.
Everything hurts right now. It hurts so much I want to pass out again.
"Water. Father, I want water."
Meizi immediately brought over a bowl of water. It eased Dada's burning throat somewhat, but his body needed more water and food.
In the end, Dada ate enough food for three adults before he felt much better. Though his cheeks were sunken and he looked as miserable as Sanji stranded on a deserted island, he had regained some vitality at least.
From A, Dada learned that he had been unconscious for three days. After he passed out at the critical moment, Yotsuki Ki carried him to safety, sparing him from being caught up in the battle between the Third Raikage and Torifu Akimichi.
According to Yotsuki Ki, the ground in that area had sunk several meters. Trees had snapped apart, and it would probably take more than a decade for the place to recover. Torifu Akimichi had grown to nearly a hundred meters tall at one point, yet he had become thin as skin and bones.
But Torifu Akimichi had still died in the end. Even after exhausting every means at his disposal, he was ultimately no match for the Third Raikage.
After all, his father was someone who fought tailed beasts barehanded. In this era, aside from Madara Uchiha, who knew where he was hiding, Father should have no equal.
If he was a little bolder, even that old Madara might not be...
No, no, that was too arrogant. He still had to show the old rose of the battlefield some respect.
"The ones who escaped were chased to the border of the Land of Fire. Unfortunately, we only caught one..."
Oh! Of course, if they caught them all, wouldn't everything be thrown into chaos...
Wait!? They caught one?
Before you continue