The Journey of Growing Up

"It stinks!"

Why should we accept this kind of work?

Naruto brandished the tongs he used to pick up trash, feeling frustrated and on the verge of tears.

"Naruto, you idiot, stop swinging those pliers around! You've splashed dirty water all over my clothes."

Sasuke angrily began to curse.

"What does it matter? Sasuke, you're being too stingy. It's just a piece of clothing. Besides, this clothing has been stained with so much fumes for so long, it'll definitely need to be changed and washed when we get back. What's a little dirty water?"

Naruto's eloquent rebuttal Sasuke.

Watching the two working on the river, Shuyuan sincerely said, "It's so great to be able to work in two groups with these two idiots and take turns!"

"Uh-huh!"

Suzuran nodded affirmatively. No young girl doesn't love beauty. This terrible working environment is already bad enough; adding two idiots fooling around in the garbage dump only makes things worse... well, let's just say it's unbearable.

It's been a month since graduation.

During this month, the members of Team 7 were busy with D-level tasks such as searching for lost pets, cleaning up river debris, and helping to drive away wild boars from the fields.

Life was nothing like the exciting and eventful life I had imagined; the mundane and boring days made me feel listless.

"Shisui- sensei, are all ninja missions this simple and boring?"

Shuyuan watched as Shisui fed the crows Shisui and couldn't help but ask.

"·····"

Shisui smiled but didn't answer immediately. He tore the half-slice of bread in his hand into pieces and threw it on the ground, attracting a swarm of crows that crowded together and jostled for it.

"You waited so long to ask, your patience is much stronger than Naruto's and Sasuke's! A week ago, Naruto and Sasuke asked me similar questions."

"Then what is your answer, teacher?" Shuyuan pressed.

"The answer... Ninja missions are indeed this monotonous, at least D-rank missions are basically all like this. I know that with your strength, you can handle B-rank missions, let alone B-Rank Mission, but there are rules in the ninja profession."

Shisui looked at Shuyuan and Suzuran and smiled, "No matter how strong you are, you're still just Genin. If you want to take on higher-level missions, you need enough experience, which means a high completion rate of D-rank missions. Only then can you gain the trust of clients when you take on higher-level missions."

The delegation and acceptance of missions are not unilateral decisions. When a mission is delegated, the ninja village will consider whether to accept it based on the circumstances. The delegation party also has the right to know about the ninja accepting the mission. If there are any objections, the ninja can be replaced. Simply put, it is a two-way selection process.

"However, we've completed 52 D-rank missions in the past month, and with this garbage-collecting mission, that makes 53. I've already accepted a C-rank mission, and I'll meet the client at the Hokage Building tomorrow. If the client has no objections, then we'll..."

"Really? Shisui- sensei, you're not kidding, are you?"

Before anyone knew it, the two noisy people had gathered around. Naruto's eyes were practically gleaming with excitement, while Sasuke appeared calm, though Shisui couldn't hide his rapid heartbeat.

"Haha! A C-rank mission! My legend is finally about to begin!" Naruto laughed heartily, his excitement overflowing.

"Idiot, you'd be lucky if you didn't drag the team down during the mission," Sasuke said sarcastically, as usual.

"Hmph, it's not certain who'll hold us back! This isn't something you can decide."

Naruto was in a good mood and didn't argue with Sasuke.

"Alright, I'll explain this to you in detail later. Now, don't forget what you need to do!"

Urged on by Shisui, the group had no choice but to suppress their curiosity and continue the monotonous and tedious task of picking up trash.

"Naruto, why don't you use Shadow Clone to pick up the trash? Didn't you use Shadow Clone to finish it when you helped weed the fields before?"

Shuyuan stood on the shore, watching Naruto busily working, and asked.

"Huh? Absolutely not! The stench that builds up when I deactivate the Shadow Clone will kill me!"

Naruto shook his head vigorously, refusing firmly.

The Uzumaki Clan.

Otome is currently organizing and collecting manuscripts. She has recently become obsessed with researching the different types of ramen and plans to compile a book that details all kinds of ramen.

Therefore, they enlisted the help of Kushina, who is a ramen enthusiast.

After Naruto graduated and became Genin, Kushina suddenly found herself with a lot of free time.

My husband is busy with work and often doesn't eat at home. Now my son also eats out with his teammates, and only eats at home once every few days.

Being alone in the empty house was incredibly boring, so he immediately accepted Otome's invitation.

She has recently begun to consider whether to resume her identity as a ninja. For Naruto's sake, she devoted herself to being a housewife, spending twelve years surrounded by pots and pans.

Now that Naruto has grown up, and he'll get married in a few years, she won't have to worry about him anymore. Whenever she thinks about this, she feels depressed and upset. She needs to find something to distract herself.

"Otome, it seems Naruto and Shuyuan are going abroad on a mission tomorrow."

"Really? Shuyuan has reached this stage too!"

The Otome's gaze remained fixed on the pile of manuscripts on the table.

"Hey, Otome, aren't you worried? They're leaving the Land of Fire, what if they encounter danger? Minato and Katsuki, those two idiots, have so many enemies..."

"..." Otome had to shift her attention from the manuscript to Kushina, and sighed with a troubled expression. "Kushina, this is unavoidable. The children chose this path themselves. All we as parents can do is try our best to guide them, not tie them to our sides."

"Besides, we were rushing to the battlefield when we were only ten years old. Naruto are just going on a mission, so their safety is very high. Moreover, their instructor Jonin Shisui, will be fine."

Otome's confident statement gave Kushina a strong boost of confidence.

Although he was saying this to comfort Kushina, it was also what he truly felt. It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried about Shuyuan, but she knew very well that this was a step she would eventually have to take.

Young birds always have to leave the nest, break free from the protection of their parents' wings, and embark on their own journey.

"Have you grown up?" Kushina rubbed her sore eyes, fighting back tears, and continued to help Otome organize the manuscript.

"By the way, Naruto and Shuyuan haven't come back yet! How did you know they went abroad on a mission?"

Suddenly remembering this, the Otome asked, puzzled.

"You mean this? I asked Rin to keep an eye on Naruto; she knows someone who works in the Mission Request Department."

Kushina said casually.

Otome blinked. This... was clearly overprotective, but she only thought it to herself and didn't dare to say it aloud.

Outside the window, the crimson sunset was as brilliant and dazzling as a raging fire, occupying most of the sky.

Tomorrow will be another beautiful day! A perfect day to go out. (To be continued)