Making Things Happen, Preparing for Their First C-Rank Mission

Ever since the Kurama Family had sent over those Genjutsu materials, Taiichi had one more thing to occupy himself with. His days in the hospital were finally no longer quite so boring.

Over the remaining two days, Taiichi learned the two Genjutsu included in the materials—Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death and Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.

What delighted Taiichi was that learning those two Genjutsu successfully unlocked Yin Release Nature Transformation.

[Congratulations, learned Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death Lv1 (0/100)]

[Congratulations, learned Illusion: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique Lv1 (0/100)]

[Congratulations, learned Yin Release Nature Transformation Lv1 (0/100)

Learning these three skills not only made up for Taiichi's shortcomings, but also allowed his highest attribute, Spirit, to be put to use. It not only strengthened his combat power, but also broadened his tactical options.

On this day, Taiichi's injuries had finally healed almost completely. After Tsunade's professional examination, he was finally discharged from the hospital.

The moment he stepped through the hospital gates, Taiichi looked at the azure sky, the bustling streets, and the crowds flowing back and forth. It felt as if he had been reborn. Never before had he felt that life could be so wonderful.

I never want to stay in this hospital again! Taiichi silently thought as he looked back at the hospital entrance.

Outside the hospital, his teammates were all waiting for him. Seeing Taiichi come out, they all smiled. Yohei Uchiha was the first to run over, his voice arriving before he did. "Taiichi, over here! We came to pick you up!"

Saori Furukawa followed as well, leaving Captain Yamaguchi standing off to the side, silently watching the three team members talk.

"Taiichi, it's great that you're out! We can finally do missions together again." Yohei paid no attention to the setting, speaking so loudly that even passersby turned to look.

"Yeah. Once I get myself sorted out today, I can take on missions tomorrow." Taiichi agreed. A few days in the hospital had practically left him rusty from head to toe.

"Taiichi, shouldn't you rest a little longer?" Saori quietly reminded him from the side.

"It's fine. D-rank missions are all routine work; there's nothing dangerous about them." Taiichi looked at Saori and smiled. "Besides, Saori, aren't you all here too? I can't be the one holding everyone back!"

"R-Right! You have us! I'll help you, Taiichi, so don't worry!" Yohei declared, throwing an arm around Taiichi's neck. "Come on, Taiichi. Captain Yamaguchi said he's treating us to snacks to celebrate your discharge!"

"Really?" Taiichi looked toward Captain Yamaguchi, who was standing in the distance. "Yohei, did you talk the captain into treating us because you wanted Three-color Dango?" Taiichi joked.

"No way~~" Yohei's little face reddened as he hurriedly waved his hands in denial.

Saori, standing beside them, covered her mouth and giggled. Seeing that, Taiichi immediately understood. He had guessed right after all.

The three chatted and laughed as they walked over to Captain Yamaguchi, then headed with him toward the snack street.

Over the following days, Taiichi's life finally returned to peace.

Team 8 continued increasing their mission count at a pace of one D-rank mission every two days. The rest of their time was spent either training individually or taking part in group drills under Captain Yamaguchi's guidance.

From time to time, Captain Yamaguchi also taught the three of them a few training techniques.

It was worth mentioning that after Taiichi's relentless pestering, he had finally learned the Shadow Clone Technique from Captain Yamaguchi.

Fortunately, having learned his lesson from the Water Clone, Taiichi did not dare push himself too hard. Each day, he only created one Shadow Clone for swordsmanship training. Even so, dispelling the clone every night left him exhausted. At times like this, he truly envied Naruto's physique. The guy was as tough as a cockroach.

Two leisurely months passed like this, until someone finally snapped.

"Ah~~ Captain Yamaguchi, another D-rank mission? We've been doing D-rank missions for two whole months!"

The complaint echoed throughout the entire Mission Hall, and everyone turned toward the source of the sound. They all wanted to see which reckless fool dared make such a commotion in the Mission Hall.

After all, the Mission Hall was not only frequented by countless shinobi; it was also Konoha's public face to the outside world. Every client who came to Konoha to commission a mission had to handle it through the Mission Hall.

Yohei's shout had embarrassed them beyond the village, but when everyone saw who was making the noise, they merely smiled and paid it no mind.

The reason was simple: Team 8 had become somewhat well-known in Konoha.

As a team made up of Ninja Academy graduates, they were considered quite diligent in completing missions. Other graduate teams still needed to devote a great deal of time to training, while this team was either made up of "experts" who had graduated early or clan shinobi. Their overall level was a cut above the other teams.

More importantly, their team had a very different kind of Uchiha. Other Uchiha shinobi usually acted cool and aloof, rarely interacting with other shinobi. Yohei Uchiha was the complete opposite. Compared to Obito's goofy nature, Yohei was downright easygoing and loved making friends.

In just two months, he had become familiar enough to chat with every staff member in the Mission Hall. He was undeniably a social butterfly.

At that moment, Yohei also realized he had caused trouble. He repeatedly waved his hands in apology to everyone looking over. Naturally, Taiichi and Saori, standing beside him, bowed in apology as well before dragging Yohei into a corner.

"Captain, Yohei has a point. We've been doing D-rank missions for two months already. We're familiar with everything we need to be familiar with. With our strength, can't we take on higher-rank missions?" Although he had dragged Yohei aside, Taiichi still had to stand with him on the matter of choosing missions.

Saori rubbed the tips of her index fingers together and softly said, "I want to do higher-rank missions too."

Seeing that his team members all had the same request, Captain Yamaguchi readily agreed. Even if they had not said anything, he had planned to take on a C-rank mission within the next few days to let them gain some experience.

He simply had not expected Taiichi and the others to be so patient. Even the impulsive Yohei had only voiced his objection today.

"You can, but there is one thing you must remember. C-rank missions are different from D-rank missions. C-rank missions have a high chance of involving combat." Captain Yamaguchi spoke sternly, and the three of them nodded again and again.

"Also, while the people you fight are usually ordinary people or Samurai, the danger cannot be compared to a D-rank mission. You must follow orders during a mission. Do not act on your own." This time, Captain Yamaguchi looked directly into Yohei's eyes as he spoke.

"Mm~ mm~ mm!" Yohei nodded nonstop, but after a moment, he sensed something was off. Looking around with an aggrieved expression, he said, "Captain, you aren't talking about me, are you?"

Taiichi and Saori both snickered beside him. Captain Yamaguchi did not answer. "All right, come with me and let's see which C-rank missions are suitable."

The three followed excitedly. Bringing up the rear, Taiichi secretly gave Yohei a thumbs-up, making Yohei chuckle foolishly.

If Yohei had not said anything today, Taiichi would have brought it up himself. Continuing to do such missions would neither provide more training nor make good use of their time. The Third Shinobi World War was not far off. Taiichi needed to increase his strength as soon as possible so he could protect everyone better.

At the mission counter, Captain Yamaguchi carefully flipped through the mission slips. Taiichi and the other two stood beside him on tiptoe, trying to peer at the scroll. They could not help it—they were still too small. Even Yohei, the tallest among them, only reached Captain Yamaguchi's shoulder, let alone eight-year-old Taiichi.

"Captain, Captain, what about this one? Exterminate bandits." Yohei pointed at one of the missions from the side.

"No. Too dangerous. This is your first C-rank mission, so we'll choose something simple." Captain Yamaguchi rejected it without mercy.

"Then this one, this one~~ and that one too~~" Yohei continued chattering away.

Finally, Taiichi pointed to a mission. "Captain, what about this one?"

At the same time, Masasuke Yamaguchi pointed at a mission and said, "This is the one."

The two had actually chosen the same mission. They looked at each other. "Taiichi, not bad. Tell me why you chose it."

Taiichi scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "First, it's nearby, in the neighboring Land of Rivers. Second, it's an escort mission. The goods are only a large shipment of supplies, just in considerable quantity. There is some danger, but it wouldn't be worth hiring shinobi specifically to intercept a Konoha escort team over such goods. This kind of mission is very suitable for a new team like ours."

Masasuke Yamaguchi smiled and nodded in praise. "Your analysis is correct. It's well organized, and you considered everything you needed to."

"You must remember that from C-rank missions onward, intelligence becomes increasingly important. You need to learn how to analyze the information you need from seemingly simple matters. It concerns your future growth and safety." Captain Yamaguchi gave them this earnest instruction.

Taiichi and the other two nodded frequently, knowing that Captain Yamaguchi was teaching them from experience.

After choosing the mission, Masasuke Yamaguchi led the three of them through the procedures to accept it. They also received the mission certificate and permits to leave the village.

Outside the hall, Captain Yamaguchi waved the mission certificate in his hand. "Go home today and prepare everything you need. Don't leave anything out. This is your first mission outside the village, so make sure nothing goes wrong. All right, gather at the village gate tomorrow morning at eight. Dismissed!"