Can the First Mission Not Involve Catching a Cat?

The next day, after yesterday's experience, there were signs that Yugao Gekko might be the most hassle-free Leading Jonin since Konoha's founding.

First, in his Third Squad, while two members had relatively narrow skill sets—pure combat types like him who just swung blades—the remaining one covered medical, Sensing, tracking, and other specialized fields.

Even Higashino Makoto's cooking was the best among them, so maybe on future missions in the wild, they'd gain a versatile chef.

And he wouldn't hold them back either; he could serve as a main attacker.

Most importantly, as the Leading Jonin treating his cute subordinates to their first lavish meal, Yugao Gekko didn't even spend a single coin.

Two others were present at the time: Higashino Megumi and Uzuki Sakura. Both mothers, grateful that a Senior had become their children's Leading Jonin, fought over who would pay.

In the end, Uzuki Sakura claimed the Great Victory of this spending spree.

Yugao Gekko felt his status in the team plummeting, even his son's gaze toward him seemed to label him a shameful miser.

To restore the glory of a Leading Jonin, he took it upon himself to seriously plan the ninja path for his team members, helping them grow into strong, qualified ninjas as quickly as possible.

At the same time, he'd teach everything he knew to Hayate Gekko and Uzuki Yugao. As for the other member, he'd just let him run wild—teach him some mission experience, but ninjutsu and such were completely beyond his ability.

That morning, after finishing his daily training, Higashino Makoto removed his weights, ate breakfast, washed up, tied his forehead protector to his brow, carefully checked his ninja tool pouch, then strapped on the harness that held the weapon he'd use long-term.

His right hand shot like lightning behind his left shoulder, drawing a short blade. He glanced at the "Higashino" engraved on it, confirmed everything was fine, sheathed the knife, and headed out.

When he arrived at the Training Ground where the team had agreed to meet, Hayate Gekko and Uzuki Yugao were already there. Hayate looked the same as always; Yugao had changed, her clothes swapped for a form-fitting style suited for movement, and she carried a blade on her back.

Due to height issues, both he and Hayate used short swords, but theirs were longer than Higashino Makoto's. When they grew up, they'd switch to standard Straight Long Swords, determined by their families' Combat Styles.

Higashino Makoto didn't need to switch. His attack range wasn't dictated by blade length; the quality of the sword mattered more, making techniques easier to execute.

His family's heirloom blade was fine now. Though not forged entirely from Chakra Metal, it held great sentimental value.

If he could make a name for himself in the Shinobi World with this sword, he might even earn the nickname "Konoha White Fang." Then he could make Kakashi call him Godfather!

Then again, forget it. "Godfather" sounded like it came with a risk of being stabbed.

He'd barely exchanged greetings with the two when Yugao Gekko appeared.

Uzuki Yugao, being straightforward, immediately asked, "Hey, Teacher, should we start the mission? First step is going to the mission desk in the Hokage Building's main office, right?"

Yugao Gekko looked over their gear, his face expressionless, but inwardly satisfied. He Responded, "You're right, but I've already picked up the mission. We can start directly."

The Little Girl grew more excited: "What kind of mission is it? Will there be fighting?"

"I understand your spirit to contribute to the village, but unfortunately, you're just Genin. You have to start with the lowest-level D-Rank missions."

"Huh? But hasn't Hayate Brother already done those? Are you making him go through it again?"

Hayate was honest: "I don't mind. Focus on you two."

"Don't be naive. Genin have a mandatory D-Rank Mission Quota—at least eight. Otherwise, you won't even qualify for the Chunin Exam."

After saying this, Yugao Gekko's expression softened slightly: "But considering we're in a War Period and manpower is needed everywhere, I'll give you just five days to complete at least 20 D-Rank missions. If you can't finish and need more time, don't blame me."

"No problem!" x2.

Inside and outside Konoha, many simple tasks weren't assigned dedicated staff; they were all posted as D-Rank missions. One reason was to let newly graduated Genin practice while building team synergy and deepening bonds.

Another was to give Genin with no hope of becoming Chunin a chance to earn money and survive.

If not for this, many veteran Genin who only knew basic chakra applications and had no other livelihood skills would starve—Konoha couldn't support them for free. Like Might Duy in the past.

As for capable teams, they just needed to complete enough low-level missions to meet the quota.

Higashino Makoto understood, but still grumbled, "I've got no problem, as long as it's not finding pet cats for the Daimyo's family or Aristocrats."

Yugao Gekko was puzzled: "How could that be? Those guys rarely come to Konoha."

His words didn't show much respect for the Daimyo or Aristocrats, but ninjas like him were rare. Most were very deferential to those nobles, with an ingrained, baseless loyalty that didn't match the extraordinary energy flowing through their bodies.

A thousand years of ninja obedience had hammered stubborn ideological brands into their minds. Higashino Makoto often stood out for not being obedient enough.

Uzuki Yugao: "So, what's our first mission?"

Yugao Gekko: "Find cats!"

Higashino Makoto: "???"

"Ahem!" Yugao Gekko looked at Higashino Makoto's question-mark face and explained, "This used to be the Uchiha Clan's responsibility, but most of their Clan Members are on the eastern battlefield now, so they don't have enough people to handle it.

Not far from Konoha is an abandoned town called Empty City, where the Ninja Cat Clan lives. They're very close to the Uchiha Clan.

Right now is the season when cats go into heat, so quite a few little ones have run over to Konoha to fool around. After all, pet cats, though not ninja cats, are pretty, right?

You need to understand, ninja cats are different from ordinary cats—just like we ninjas are different from Commoners. The Ninja Cat Clan is a sentient species. To ensure their offspring inherit intelligence, they don't allow members to mate with ordinary cats. They have a proper marriage system, just like us humans.

So, they sent a mission to the village to catch all the little ones in Konoha."

Higashino Makoto could barely hold back his sarcasm. Even ninja cats were practicing racial discrimination now?

Uzuki Yugao: "If there aren't many, it should be simple."

Yugao Gekko pulled out a stack of photos: "Well, sorry to disappoint you. There are 23 in total, and they're all ninja cats that can use chakra. They're way faster than regular cats."

Uzuki Yugao: "..."

Hayate Gekko: "Teacher, wouldn't the Hyuga Clan be the most suitable for this mission?"

"You're wrong, Hayate. The Hyuga Clan can't casually open their Byakugan inside the village. I think you all know why."

Uzuki Yugao: "Teacher, are you doing this on purpose? There are so many of them, and they're all Ninja Cats. How long are we supposed to chase them?"

"That depends on your skills. This is a mission I specially picked for you." Yugao Gekko smiled faintly, summoned an oversized metal cage sealed with paper from a Sealing Scroll, set it aside, and sat on it with a look that said he couldn't care less.

This really was specially chosen. If he hadn't known about someone's Perception Ability, this mission wouldn't have fallen to them.

"Leave it to me!" Higashino Shinichi reached out, took the photo, carefully memorized the Ninja Cats' appearances, then handed it to Hayate and Yugao to look over.

He spread out his perception, covering all of Konoha, and quickly etched each target's location into his mind.

Uzuki Yugao: "Makoto, how is it? Found them?"

"Found them!" Higashino Shinichi quickly gave them a few locations: "A lot of cats are gathered in these spots. We'll split up. I'll take the west and north. You two handle the remaining directions. Meet back here when the mission's done."

"Got it!" x2.

After confirming their directions, the three of them vanished in an instant.

Ninjas don't take the ordinary path. They're always hopping across other people's rooftops.

As he leaped through the air, Higashino Shinichi thought about the mission. It felt like the higher-ups had learned about his Perception Ability and assigned this specifically to test him.

That style of doing things—very ninja-like.

Every Ninja Village strictly follows confidentiality rules, and ninjas do too. The village won't force you to fully disclose your abilities, but if you have a special skill, they'll keep it in mind. Then, through missions like this, they can roughly gauge it without you ever having to volunteer the information.

Ninjas—this is what they do.