"Tsk. Whether you immediately denied it or openly admitted to your weird hobby, either way, you could've put this embarrassing business behind you.
That way, the people teasing you wouldn't have had much more to say.
But who could've guessed that your hesitation and confusion would make things turn out like this..."
Kiba Inuzuka looked as if he'd suffered a devastating blow, like a total loser who'd lost at life.
Kazeka gave a scornful snort. His tone was contemptuous, with a hint of exasperation:
"Kiba, you're still nowhere near good enough. You need more training. Having a guy like you as my teammate is downright embarrassing!"
Of course, for all his mockery, Kazeka hadn't forgotten what he'd promised Kiba earlier:
"I'm free both afternoons, tomorrow and the day after. Which day do you want to bring Akamaru over?"
"T-tomorrow!"
Though he was clearly reeling from the blow, his determination still forced Kiba to give a faltering reply.
Seeing this, Kazeka paused in his steps as he was about to leave. A trace of approval finally appeared in his eyes:
"Hmph. You've been pushed to the brink, but you can still hold on like that. Maybe you're not a complete waste after all!"
"Kazeka, wait..."
Seeing Kazeka about to leave, Kurenai Yuhi hurriedly called out to stop him:
"What happened to Hinata?"
"It'd take too long to explain..."
Kazeka rolled his eyes.
"Just let Hinata explain it herself. I've still got experiments to run at my lab, so I'm heading back.
Hinata can let me know when our next mission is!"
"Thank goodness, my precious Little Tiger! I was worried sick!"
Inside the Hokage's office, a wealthy-looking woman held the cat in her arms and rubbed against it, showering it with affection and overflowing maternal love.
The Hokage, sitting behind his desk, had seen this scene many times before.
The woman was Madam Shijimi, wife of the Land of Fire's daimyo.
In the past, Little Tiger had always been terrified by Madam Shijimi's "affection," crying nonstop.
So whenever it got the chance, it would flee from Madam Shijimi's "clutches."
The woman and the cat were also regulars when it came to D-Rank missions.
But this time, things were completely different.
In Madam Shijimi's arms, Little Tiger wasn't struggling and crying like before. On the contrary, it was exceptionally well-behaved!
"How did you manage this...?"
As Little Tiger's owner, Madam Shijimi understood its condition better than anyone:
"I know Little Tiger doesn't like me petting it, but it's so adorable that I just can't help myself.
I never thought you'd actually solve the problem for me..."
Madam Shijimi pulled another wad of bills from her purse and held it out to Kazeka, who had caught Little Tiger earlier:
"Eighty thousand ryo. That's already the reward for a B-Rank Mission..."
As a qualified scientist, being able to tell the amount from the thickness of a stack of bills at a glance was an essential skill.
Kazeka raised an eyebrow. Ignoring the Hokage's hint, he tucked the money straight into his pocket:
"I'm afraid I can't accept this."
"Don't worry about it. You earned it. You still haven't answered my question, though..."
Madam Shijimi looked at Kazeka with curiosity:
"What exactly did you do?"
"To be honest, I just caught it like I normally would. I'm not really sure why things turned out this way..."
Kazeka scratched his head, a little puzzled himself. But while he couldn't figure it out, Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata, and Kiba exchanged glances.
Kazeka's method of catching the cat had been perfectly normal. But after he caught Little Tiger, he'd been planning to cut it open and dissect it to study why it had so much energy and such a strong physique!
The three of them found agreement in one another's eyes.
In Little Tiger's memory, Kazeka's twisted face, the scalpel in his hand, and the way he kept coming closer...
It was a nightmare the cat would never forget!
When faced with Madam Shijimi's "affection," it used to struggle desperately to escape, then cry when it couldn't get free.
But now, all it felt was boundless safety and warmth!
"All right..."
After Madam Shijimi left, the Third Hokage assigned another D-Rank mission to Kurenai Yuhi's Team Three.
And once again, the mission was to find a cat!
"Lord Hokage, why are we looking for a cat again...?"
Kiba immediately voiced his objection when he saw the mission. The Hokage patiently replied:
"Kiba, don't underestimate these D-Rank missions..."
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe.
"Sure, the pay is low and the work is tedious. But that's exactly why they help you build up experience.
Every Jonin gained experience by taking on a large number of D-Rank missions.
A ninja can keep improving their ability to stay alive precisely by paying attention to the details!"
"I understand all that. I want to learn from D-Rank missions too, but..."
Kiba hesitated, then pointed at Kazeka:
"Kazeka's different. He comes up with something new every time.
When we were looking for someone's runaway ox, he cut the cow's backside to see what would happen.
When we were searching for a dog, he was ready to cut off its balls for an experiment.
When we were helping someone weed their rice paddy, he tested a chemical and nearly got the client killed by rice plants that went berserk and grew out of control!
We have to rescue the people and animals Kazeka puts in danger, and then calm down the mission clients.
For Kazeka, these are just D-Rank missions. For the rest of us, every single one is an S-Rank mission!"
"Kiba, you traitor..."
Kazeka stared at Kiba in disbelief.
"The missions we're doing pay so little and waste so much time.
If I don't use them as an opportunity to conduct experiments, my research is going to fall seriously behind!"
"Kazeka, shut up!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Kazeka, eyes wide.
Ninjas had a great deal of freedom while carrying out missions, as long as they completed them.
And since Team Three was only taking on the simplest D-Rank missions, the Hokage hadn't been interested in learning the details of what they were doing.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi had never imagined Kazeka would have done so many outrageous things right under his nose!
In his agitation, Hiruzen even pulled out a tuft of his own whiskers. He stared at Kurenai Yuhi in astonishment:
"Kurenai, as the Jonin leader, didn't you try to rein in this lawless kid?"
"Lord Hokage, I've done everything I can to keep him in line. Unfortunately, I'm only a Jonin!"
Kurenai's meaning was clear: Kazeka was causing trouble beyond the limits of what she could handle. All she could do was try her best.
After all, even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage himself, was powerless against Kazeka. What chance did she have?
"What a headache..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took another puff from his pipe. He felt awful. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low, sullen voice:
"After reviewing the matter, the village has decided that Team Three has gained enough experience from D-Rank missions to qualify for higher-ranked assignments.
We are now assigning you a B-Rank Mission!"
Before you continue