B-Rank Mission?

Although it was just a formality, it was already very late. By the time Akaseki and Minato left the Anbu headquarters, dawn had broken.

Neither of them went home. Instead, they headed straight to the Hokage Building. It was May 1, the day Team 7 regrouped for missions after three days off.

"By the way, how's Kushina's injury?" Akaseki asked with concern.

"It's nothing serious. She just needs time to recover," Minato said, finally relaxing.

As they spoke, Ranwu arrived.

"Good morning. How was your time off these past three days?" Ranwu greeted Akaseki and Minato.

"Hahaha... I made a little bit of progress." Thinking about her reaction when she saw his "2+1" later, Akaseki couldn't help grinning.

Ranwu: ...

Wasn't I asking about your time off?

"You really... didn't rest at all, did you?" Ranwu said helplessly, looking at the workaholic of Team 7.

Then she wrinkled her nose and asked in confusion, "You two... didn't come here from home, did you?"

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but their state of mind and neat clothes gave her the impression that the two of them had been "on the road" all night.

"Of course... we spent our time training!" Akaseki certainly wasn't going to tell her the truth. He and Minato had been told to keep it confidential, so he immediately put on a smug expression and asked, "Did you have a good rest these past three days?"

"Why are you acting like you're the only one who trained?" Ranwu rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh? Want to spar?" Akaseki asked at once.

"I hope your stamina's improved. Last time, you were done after a few minutes," Ranwu shot back.

Akaseki and Ranwu had sparred before, of course.

In taijutsu alone, Ranwu couldn't beat Akaseki, but...

When they went all out, Akaseki could usually keep her pinned down while his eyes were active. Most of the time, though, he couldn't turn that advantage into a decisive victory. As soon as his eyes' active period ended, Ranwu would immediately turn the tables and pin him down.

As Akaseki and Ranwu traded barbs, Jiraiya's voice rang out. "Looks like you all enjoyed your time off. You're full of energy!"

"Teacher Jiraiya, let's take an easy mission today! Then I can teach this guy a lesson," Ranwu suggested.

"It doesn't have to be that easy. It won't take long to teach this little girl a lesson!" Akaseki chimed in.

"You're the one who can't last long!" Ranwu retorted.

Watching the two face off, Jiraiya pretended to be troubled. "Oh? Is that so... I was thinking of taking you on a B-Rank Mission today, but it seems you're not interested..."

At that, Akaseki and Ranwu immediately stopped arguing and turned to Jiraiya, their eyes shining. "A B-Rank Mission? Teacher Jiraiya, we can really take one?"

Generally speaking, B-Rank Missions involved fighting ninja from enemy villages or rogue ninja...

They were usually led by a Jonin, with Chunin as the main force and Genin at most helping out.

Although Team 7, the squad that graduated in the thirteenth class, had Jiraiya as their Jonin instructor, the usual practice was for the instructor to focus solely on teaching. Akaseki and the others had no chance of getting involved in a B-Rank Mission.

"Yeah, but don't get too excited. You're only going along to provide support, so think of it as a chance to get a feel for things... Of course, if you don't want to, I can take a D-Rank Mission first," Jiraiya said, enticing them with the prospect.

"We want to!" Akaseki and Ranwu shouted in unison.

"Huh? I thought you still wanted to fight," Jiraiya said, looking troubled.

"No, no..." Ranwu hastily denied it.

Akaseki hooked an arm around Ranwu's neck. "We're all friends! What's there to fight about?"

Minato just smiled from the side.

"Is that so... Then come upstairs with me," Jiraiya said, satisfied.

B-Rank and A-Rank Missions weren't taken by pulling a notice off the board. They had to be collected from a special window on the second floor... Hm? Jiraiya kept going up to the third floor?

"Teacher Jiraiya, where are we..." Akaseki asked in confusion.

"This mission was assigned by the Third personally," Jiraiya explained.

Akaseki and Ranwu grew even more excited. A mission assigned by the Hokage had to be something special!

Jiraiya knocked and entered the Hokage Office. Akaseki and the others followed him in. As soon as they stepped inside, Akaseki spotted another Jonin there, someone he knew: Torifu Akimichi.

Torifu Akimichi had the characteristic layer of fat shared by the Akimichi Clan, and his face was particularly round...

That was also a sign of Torifu Akimichi's deep mastery of the Akimichi Clan's secret techniques!

Akaseki knew Torifu Akimichi not only because of his striking build, but also because Torifu was a teammate of Kagami Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan. The two were very close.

Of the six members of the Second Hokage's bodyguard unit when the Second Hokage was ambushed, Third Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu were all old-timers. Kagami Uchiha and Torifu Akimichi, on the other hand, were both young, barely in their twenties, and were among the promising young generation the Second Hokage had focused on cultivating!

Unfortunately, the Second Hokage's death had come too suddenly...

If he had lived another three to five years, Kagami Uchiha and Torifu Akimichi could at least have become "Hokage advisors."

Akaseki shifted his gaze to the people beside Torifu Akimichi and saw three young men around his age, though a little more mature...

Akaseki knew them, of course. They were a year ahead of him, but he'd seen them countless times during his five years at the Ninja Academy.

They were Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Choza Akimichi—the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Thinking of Jiraiya's earlier words about "providing support," Akaseki and the others understood that the four of them being there was no coincidence...

Besides the Third, another man sat in an advisor's seat nearby: Shimura Danzō, who looked unpleasant enough to put anyone off.

"Jiraiya, you're here too," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, smiling at Jiraiya.

"Lord Hokage, Advisor Shimura, Jonin Akimichi." Jiraiya knew to use people's titles while on duty, and he greeted Torifu Akimichi as well.

"Jonin Jiraiya." Akimichi merely nodded solemnly. He wasn't exactly unfriendly, but he seemed rather stern.

That was different from the Torifu Akimichi Akaseki remembered...

Back when Akaseki had been in the Uchiha Clan, he hadn't made much of an impression, so Torifu Akimichi didn't know him. But Akaseki had seen Torifu visit Kagami Uchiha a few times, and he'd thought Torifu was supposed to be much more amiable.

Still, it was understandable...

After all, less than half a year had passed since they'd been ambushed in the Land of Lightning and the Second Hokage had died.

"Torifu, Jiraiya, I've already discussed this mission with you. Since you've decided to go, let me explain the details more thoroughly..." Hiruzen Sarutobi began slowly.