D-class mission? No, S-class mission!

"Tch, whether it was a timely denial or openly admitting his perverted hobby, either would have let this embarrassing situation pass quickly.

This way, those who teased you wouldn't be able to do so excessively.

But I never expected that because of your hesitation and helplessness, things would turn out like this..."

Looking at Kiba Inuzuka, who seemed to have suffered a massive blow and looked like a defeated dog in life.

Kazeka let out a disdainful snort, a hint of "I can't believe you're not trying harder" mixed with his contempt.

"Inuzuka, your training isn't sufficient yet. You still need to practice. Having a guy like you as my teammate is truly embarrassing!"

Of course, while he was mocking, Kazeka didn't forget what he had promised Inuzuka.

"I'm free tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. When do you want to bring Akamaru over?"

"Tom... Tomorrow!"

Despite being in immense turmoil, the persistence in his heart still made Inuzuka respond with difficulty.

Seeing this, Kazeka paused slightly in his steps as he left, a hint of satisfaction finally showing in his eyes.

"Hmph, pushed to the brink and still showing such persistence, you're not a complete waste after all!"

"Kazeka, wait..."

Seeing Kazeka about to leave, Kurenai Yuhi hurriedly called out to stop him.

"What's going on with Hinata like this?"

"It's too troublesome to explain..."

Kazeka rolled his eyes.

"Let Hinata explain it to you herself. I still have experiments in my lab, so I'm heading back.

Just have Hinata notify me about the next mission time!"

"Oh, my dearest Little Tiger, I was so worried!"

In the Hokage's office, a plump woman hugged the kitten in her arms, nuzzling it affectionately, radiating a strong maternal love.

The Hokage behind the desk had seen this scene many times before.

This woman was the wife of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Madam Shijimi.

In the past, Little Tiger was often terrified by Madam Shijimi's "affection," shedding tears constantly.

Therefore, it would escape Madam Shijimi's "claws" at every opportunity.

This pair, one person and one cat, were regulars for D-rank missions.

But this time, the situation was completely different.

In Madam Shijimi's arms, Little Tiger not only didn't cry and struggle as before but instead became extremely docile!

"How did you do it..."

Clearly, Madam Shijimi, as the owner, understood Little Tiger's situation the best.

"I know Little Tiger resists my petting somewhat, but it's so cute, I can't help myself.

I didn't expect you to actually solve this problem for me..."

Madam Shijimi pulled out another stack of bills from her bag and handed it to Kazeka, who was holding Little Tiger.

"Eighty thousand ryo, this is already the reward for a B-rank mission..."

As a qualified scientist, being able to judge the amount by the thickness of the bills upon first touch was a necessary skill.

Kazeka raised his eyebrows and, ignoring the Hokage's hint, pocketed the money.

"I'm truly sorry about this."

"Don't worry about it, it's what you deserve. You haven't answered my question yet..."

Madam Shijimi looked at Kazeka curiously.

"How exactly did you do it?"

"To be honest, I just captured it normally. I'm not really sure why this happened..."

Kazeka scratched his head, also somewhat confused. But while he couldn't figure it out, Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata, and Kiba Inuzuka exchanged glances.

Kazeka's so-called capture was normal, but after catching Little Tiger, Kazeka had intended to dissect it to study why it had such vigorous energy and physical fitness!

The three of them found agreement in each other's gazes.

In the kitten Little Tiger's memory, Kazeka's perverted face, holding a scalpel and approaching menacingly, was a nightmare it would never forget in its life!

Faced with Madam Shijimi's "affection," it had desperately resisted and escaped in the past, crying when it couldn't break free.

But now, it only felt boundless safety and warmth!

"Alright..."

After seeing Madam Shijimi off, the Third Hokage assigned another D-rank mission to Kurenai Yuhi's third squad.

And just like before, this mission was to find a cat!

"Lord Hokage, why is it still a cat-finding mission..."

Upon seeing the mission, Kiba Inuzuka immediately showed his displeasure. Seeing this, the Hokage responded carefully:

"Kiba, don't underestimate these D-rank missions..."

The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe:

"Although the rewards aren't much and they're tedious, it's precisely because of this that you can accumulate enough experience.

Every Jonin has gained experience by going through countless D-rank missions.

Ninja can continuously improve their survival skills by paying attention to details!"

"I understand what you're saying, and I want to gain experience from D-rank missions, but..."

Kiba Inuzuka hesitated for a moment before pointing at Kazeka:

"But Kazeka is different. He always comes up with new tricks:

When helping someone find a runaway ox, he'd first slash its butt twice to see;

When on a mission to find a dog, he'd prepare to experiment by cutting off its testicles;

When helping someone weed rice paddies, he'd even use a potion, almost causing the mission giver to be killed by the wildly growing, rampaging rice!

We have to save the people and animals endangered by Kazeka, and also appease the mission givers.

What's just a D-rank mission for Kazeka are practically S-rank missions for us!"

"Kiba, you traitorous teammate..."

Kazeka looked at Kiba Inuzuka in disbelief:

"The missions we're taking now have low rewards and waste time.

If I don't conduct experiments during missions, my research progress will be severely delayed!"

"Kazeka, shut up!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened as he glared at Kazeka.

When ninja are on a mission, as long as they complete it, they have a lot of autonomy.

Especially since the third squad was only undertaking the simplest D-rank missions, the Hokage wasn't interested in knowing many details.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi never expected that due to his oversight, Kazeka had done so many absurd things!

In his excitement, Hiruzen Sarutobi even pulled out a strand of his beard. He looked at Kurenai Yuhi in surprise:

"Kurenai, as the Jonin leader, didn't you think about managing this lawless kid?"

"Reporting, Lord Hokage, I've tried my best to manage him, but unfortunately, I'm only a Jonin!"

Kurenai Yuhi's meaning was clear: Kazeka's ability to cause trouble had completely exceeded her limits, and she could only do her best.

After all, if even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, couldn't do anything about Kazeka, then she was even more helpless!

"A troublesome kid..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took another puff from his pipe, feeling completely unwell. After a long silence, he finally grumbled:

"After deliberation by the village, it's determined that the third squad has accumulated sufficient experience with D-rank missions and meets the requirements for higher-level missions.

We are now assigning you a B-rank mission!"