"Teacher, were you just talking to Lord Minato?"
Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help asking about what had just happened.
"Heh heh, I was putting on an act. Otherwise, that brat Kakashi..."
Kyoichi shook his head and sighed.
Asuma thought for a moment, then nodded lightly in agreement.
Indeed.
That Kakashi guy was pretty difficult to deal with.
If he were Uchiha Obito and teamed up with Kakashi, he probably wouldn't be able to work with him either.
He was just too strange!
Shisui remained silent.
After walking a few steps, he asked, "Teacher, were you really on the same team as Kakashi before?"
"Mm. A year and a half ago, not long after I was promoted to Chunin, I received a mission and temporarily teamed up with him. Two teammates died on that mission."
"Why did that happen?"
Shisui was shocked.
Was the mission death rate really that high?
Kyoichi shook his head and didn't elaborate. Kurenai Yuhi quietly explained, "Kakashi went through some things and came to believe that a ninja's duty was to complete missions, so he would do anything for the mission..."
"I see."
After hearing that, Shisui froze for a few seconds before quickly understanding.
The White Fang's suicide!
He had been only one year old that year and had no idea what had happened. He had only heard about it after growing up, when clan members brought it up while criticizing the Third Hokage.
"All right. Forget Team 7. Starting tomorrow, First Squad will begin taking missions. Remember to gather at the building in the morning... Dismissed!"
The sooner they farmed missions, the sooner they made money.
Being a ninja wasn't easy. Everything cost money, especially chakra weapons, which were huge money sinks. Although Kyoichi now had the Thunder God Sword, that weapon wasn't suitable for Iaido.
So it was still better to save up some money.
"We're starting tomorrow?"
Asuma was puzzled.
Wasn't that too fast?
"Teacher probably wants us to build up our mission count quickly so we can take C-rank missions and above sooner."
Shisui guessed.
"That's possible. Sigh, the wars have continued without end in recent years. Teacher has really worn himself out for us. We have to train hard and live up to his expectations!"
"I've decided. Starting tomorrow, I'll run and exercise every day and improve my Taijutsu."
Kurenai Yuhi clenched her fist and cheered herself on.
Even if she couldn't become a Taijutsu expert like Lady Tsunade, she at least couldn't hold Asuma and Shisui back. She especially couldn't become an opening for the enemy like Rin had because of her poor Taijutsu.
"As for Teacher's side, I should probably focus on swordsmanship."
Shisui pondered for a moment before speaking.
Originally, he had still been struggling with the decision, but after witnessing Kakashi's Ninja Sword Technique just now, he felt there was no need to hesitate.
Ninjutsu?
Kyoichi didn't know Fire Release.
Shisui could either focus on Taijutsu or Sword Technique. Sword Technique was clearly the better direction for him, and besides...
Ninja Sword Technique and Phantom Sword Style might just suit him better!
"You're choosing swordsmanship? Then I'll focus on Taijutsu."
Asuma smiled.
He would focus on Taijutsu and train in Ninjutsu as a secondary discipline.
As for swordsmanship...
It wasn't his strong suit. He preferred short weapons.
"I'm not good at close combat. Taijutsu will only be a secondary discipline for me, so I won't hold everyone back. But something Teacher said to Rin today reminded me that both genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu have extremely high chakra-control requirements. Perhaps they can complement each other."
Kurenai Yuhi suddenly had an idea.
Teacher knew Medical Ninjutsu. She would focus on genjutsu, with Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu as secondary disciplines!
It seemed feasible.
The next day.
At the Hokage Building, by the time Kyoichi arrived, the three children were already there.
As for Minato Namikaze, he had sent a Shadow Clone over.
"Let's go. We'll head inside and claim our missions first."
Kyoichi yawned.
When he returned yesterday, he had specifically checked the System Panel. In the end, he had only earned an Earth Flow Wall.
But then again...
After thinking about it, that made sense.
Although this trip had taken a lot of time, he probably hadn't actually given much effective guidance.
Kakashi was single-minded and wouldn't be easy to turn around, while Obito...
Forget it.
That stupid kid wouldn't be able to change his way of thinking unless Rin was killed and he turned evil. He could figure it out slowly on his own. Personally guiding him had far too low a return.
Therefore.
After getting up this morning, Kyoichi had let go of all those thoughts. For now, his top priority was still managing his own subordinates well.
After entering the hall, the Chunin responsible for distributing missions was astonished.
"My lord, you are?"
"First Squad. We were just formed yesterday. Give us a D-rank mission. There should be a large backlog since no one's been taking them lately... This one, this one, and this one. Three missions."
They had only been assigned to squads yesterday, yet a squad had come to accept missions today?
And they were taking three missions in one go?
He stood there dumbfounded. Were they here to train or to make money?
"Is that not allowed?"
Seeing that he remained motionless for so long, Kanda Kyoichi couldn't help asking.
"It's not that it's not allowed, but D-rank missions are mainly... All right. Since Lord Kyoichi requested it, I'll assign these three missions to your squad."
After issuing the missions, Kyoichi nodded in thanks.
Only after leaving did Kurenai Yuhi ask, "Teacher, you took three missions?"
"Yes. Have you decided on the specializations I mentioned yesterday?"
"We have."
The three of them began explaining their chosen areas of focus.
After hearing them, Kyoichi nodded lightly, deeply gratified.
Just as he had expected!
Fortunately, his disciples weren't single-minded like Kakashi and Obito. Otherwise, he would have been furious enough to beat them to death, let alone teach them.
He picked up the three mission cards and said, "Perfect. You'll handle them separately. Shisui, chop firewood. Asuma, go help carry water. Kurenai Yuhi, you go catch a cat."
"Huh?"
The three of them stared blankly.
They were splitting up?
That wasn't how things had been before!
Hadn't they always acted together?
"What? Is there a problem?"
"Teacher, don't we usually go together?"
"Having you handle missions together is meant to train your teamwork. You would all deliberately coordinate with your teammates, and even your chosen specializations took the team into consideration. There's no need to use a D-rank mission to build teamwork. You might as well treat it as training."
Kyoichi smiled.
The Jonin leading the team got a share for completed missions.
A 996 job was a blessing. Having the three of them do one mission together would be a waste!
"I understand!"
Shisui's eyes lit up.
Chopping firewood would train his swordsmanship, carrying water would temper his physique, and catching a cat would train his speed...
Teacher's assignments had their own logic!
"If you understand, then there's nothing more to say. Go complete your missions. Shisui, Asuma, your missions aren't difficult. The only problem is Kurenai Yuhi. I'll follow her, and if things get too difficult, I'll step in to help."
"Yes, Teacher."
The three of them weren't stupid. They quickly understood the reason behind Kyoichi's arrangements.
Kurenai Yuhi's Taijutsu was the weakest.
But.
She specialized in genjutsu, and the Taijutsu requirements for that were nothing more than speed, reaction time, and stamina.
A cat was the most agile "enemy" among D-rank missions!
"Let's begin."
"Yes!"
The three of them split up.
Kyoichi followed Kurenai Yuhi at an unhurried pace.
He wondered whether he should imitate the future Kakashi and buy some entertainment products to look at casually. Otherwise, following these children around was genuinely boring.
But.
Jiraiya was still on the front lines, and his debut work, Tale of Perseverance Ninja, had not yet come out.
What a pity.
The cat-catching mission required them to leave the village, which was why Kyoichi had to follow her. However, D-rank missions wouldn't take them too far from Konoha, so they arrived soon enough.
Kurenai Yuhi wasn't fast, but she wasn't without advantages.
Her perception was powerful, and she also understood genjutsu.
As long as she used them properly, catching a cat alone wouldn't be difficult.
Before you continue