Daily Missions

Although he despised the actions of the Konoha High Command, Uchiha Aozora still obediently gathered at the Hokage Building the next day.

He no longer wanted to concern himself with the contest between the Uchiha and the Konoha High Command. He had already said what needed to be said; how things developed from here depended entirely on Uchiha Fugaku.

He was merely a lowly Genin. He no longer wanted to worry on the Clan Head's behalf, nor did he want to worry on behalf of the Konoha High Command in the future.

After his reckless outing the day before yesterday, Uchiha Aozora returned home full of regret.

Before this, he had not participated in any major events since transmigrating, so the timeline in his memories had remained fairly reliable. However, after causing such a commotion at the Clan Meeting, Aozora no longer had any idea where the Shinobi World would head in the future.

If it caused the Uchiha to be wiped out ahead of schedule, he would truly have screwed himself over.

His fear of the future made him even more eager to increase his strength, and the safest, quickest way to improve now was to use the Heavenly Book to learn Divine Abilities.

Merit was immensely useful to the Heavenly Book, so obtaining Merit as soon as possible was something Uchiha Aozora had to consider.

Doing missions could earn him generous rewards and also give him a chance to obtain Merit Droplets. It killed two birds with one stone, so naturally Uchiha Aozora would not let the opportunity pass.

Seeing Uchiha Aozora so full of energy, Aburame Shibi was quite surprised.

He knew perfectly well how unfair that Relocation Plan was to the Uchiha Clan.

In his view, a young man like Uchiha Aozora might very well have exploded after hearing the Relocation Plan. Merely putting on a dark face would already count as good manners.

Doesn't Aozora know about the Relocation Plan? he thought.

Though curious, Aburame Shibi put on his sunglasses and acted as though nothing had happened, taking on a new D-Rank Mission for the three of them.

This mission differed from the one they had accepted last week. This time, they had to clean out a river channel.

Faced with the foul-smelling little river, the three felt like crying without tears. The mental defenses they had painstakingly built were once again shattered by Aburame Shibi.

Pinching their noses, the three prepared to grit their teeth and fish the trash out of the river.

Aburame Shibi was not completely heartless. Before they began retrieving the garbage, he first taught them how to tread water and hold their breath.

The method was good, but not everyone could learn every skill at a glance like Uchiha Aozora.

Uchiha Aozora steadily tread on the river's surface, held his breath, and easily scooped up piece after piece of garbage, tossing it onto the bank.

After practicing for a while, Inuzuka Aya and Gekko Hayate were too embarrassed to let Aozora handle the mission alone, so they too began unsteadily treading water and retrieving trash.

Before she had fished out more than a few pieces of garbage, Inuzuka Aya failed to hold her breath. Her powerful sense of smell struck again, and upon catching that overwhelming stench, she was instantly knocked unconscious by the smell.

If Aburame Shibi had not reacted quickly, she would have nearly drowned in that filthy ditch.

Gekko Hayate did not fare much better.

He had practiced holding his breath quite well, but his Chakra Control was poor. While retrieving trash in the river, he lost his footing and plunged straight into the water. After gulping down two mouthfuls of foul water, his frail body gave out, and he was sent directly to Konoha Hospital.

Before the mission had gone on for long, Uchiha Aozora was the only one left at the foul river.

With the other two dropping out due to illness one after another, Uchiha Aozora had no choice but to create Shadow Clones to speed things up. Relying on his powerful Chakra Control, he held his breath perfectly and stayed above the water, completing the arduous mission alone.

Though holding his breath made Uchiha Aozora immune to the stench while cleaning the river, his clothes were completely ruined afterward. No matter how he washed them, he could not remove that sour, foul odor.

Moreover, if he had not circulated scorching Chakra throughout his body to expel a considerable amount of toxins, Uchiha Aozora felt that he might have started to stink as well.

Even so, Uchiha Aozora was very happy, because the instant he finished cleaning the river channel, he received another three golden Merit Droplets.

He did not know whether they had come from Gekko Hayate and Inuzuka Aya's gratitude, or whether protecting the environment also earned Merit.

Before he had time to experiment, Team 3 seamlessly accepted their second mission the following day: catching a pet cat.

Over the next several days, Team 3 completed one mission each day, including delivering letters, searching for lost items, cleaning the Training Ground, and more.

Throughout the missions, Aburame Shibi continued to guide the three whenever the opportunity arose.

While catching the pet cat, he taught them how to track an enemy's trail, how to conceal themselves, and the techniques of teamwork.

While delivering letters, he taught them how to exert force during long-distance running, the proper timing for using Military Rations Pills, and how to conserve and use stamina.

While searching for lost items, he taught them how to observe and reason.

While cleaning the Training Ground, he taught them about the dangers of the battlefield, how traps were set, and the taboos of clearing a battlefield.

Moreover, if the three finished a mission early, Aburame Shibi would deliberately keep them behind to explain practical combat experience in detail, such as the timing for releasing ninjutsu and the rhythm of battle.

Though this week had been exhausting and they were still carrying out basic missions, Uchiha Aozora and the others no longer found them boring.

Under Aburame Shibi's careful instruction, the three felt fulfilled every day and discovered their own progress.

The afterglow of the Setting Sun spilled across the drifting white clouds at the horizon, dyeing them a fiery crimson.

Using a Shadow Clone to collect the last Explosive Tag they had detected, Uchiha Aozora finally let out a breath and said, "Looks like the Training Ground has been completely cleared."

Inuzuka Aya wrinkled her nose and sniffed. "There shouldn't be any other Explosive Tags."

Gekko Hayate raised the magnet in his hand. "All the scattered ninja tools have been collected too."

"Good! Then I declare the Training Ground cleaning mission complete."

"Let's head back and turn in the mission!"

"No need. There's no one left in the mission hall now!" Aburame Shibi suddenly appeared atop a large tree.

Aozora looked at the sky. It was already sunset.

Although there was still light, summer days were longer, and it had long passed six o'clock.

"You did well!"

After praising them, Aburame Shibi continued, "Although you have not yet encountered every D-Rank Mission, you have now completed every representative type of D-Rank Mission."

"From now on, you may choose your own missions."

"See you next week!"

With that, Aburame Shibi on the tree Hollowfied away like a phantom.

Seeing this, Uchiha Aozora sighed. "Sensei's Body Flicker Technique is really amazing!"

"Body Flicker Technique?" Inuzuka Aya looked at Aozora in confusion.

Aozora nodded. "That's right, the Body Flicker Technique!"

"The tree just trembled slightly. That was caused by Sensei's explosive burst of Chakra."

Hearing that, Gekko Hayate could not help giving Uchiha Aozora a thumbs-up. "Aozora, your perception is getting stronger and stronger!"

"Who knows whether he's just bragging!" Inuzuka Aya remained unconvinced.

Uchiha Aozora shook his head. Chakra erupted beneath his feet, and in the next instant, he appeared in the distance. After two or three more flashes, he vanished from their sight.

After a long while, Inuzuka Aya stiffly turned to Gekko Hayate and asked, "Was that the Body Flicker Technique he just used?"

Gekko Hayate's eyes were wide with shock as well. "Probably?"

The two looked at each other, and both saw disbelief in the other's eyes.