D-Rank Mission

Konoha, mission assignment office.

"D-rank mission: help the flower shop owner move cargo. Reward: 3,000 ryō."

"D-rank mission: babysit the Akimichi family's three-year-old for a day. Be careful to prevent him from swallowing things he shouldn't. Reward: 2,500 ryō."

"D-rank mission: find the Fire Daimyō's wife's lost pet cat, 'Tama'. Features: pure white, blue eyes, gold bell on its neck. Reward: 5,000 ryō."

Matsumoto Ryūichi slammed the mission scroll onto the table, eyeing his three new subordinates with a solemn expression.

"This one. We're finding the cat."

Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki leaned in to read the mission details, while Uchiha Ryūha remained where he stood, his gaze sweeping across the bustling mission hall.

Ninjas of all stripes came and went; most genin were sullenly hauling cargo or leading crying children.

Chūnin hurried by, while jōnin instructors stood among their small groups.

As for non-instructor jōnin?

Uchiha Ryūha only saw two.

A very ordinary morning.

"The Daimyō's wife's cat..." Haruno Kazuya scratched his head. "This kind of mission sounds like a real pain. Cats are fast and love to squeeze into corners."

"And with a reward this high, it must be really hard to find," Fujiwara Itsuki added honestly.

Matsumoto Ryūichi gave a cold snort. "That's exactly why I chose it. D-rank missions aren't for you to play around with; they are for training your foundation—namely, team coordination. Especially some people," he glanced pointedly at Uchiha Ryūha.

"Don't think that knowing a few flashy genjutsu makes you a ninja. If your basics aren't up to par, you'll die the moment you hit the battlefield."

Uchiha Ryūha adjusted his glasses and didn't respond.

He could guess what this mediocre jōnin was thinking; he suspected the Third Hokage, that old man, had a hand in this too.

It couldn't be helped; his performance during the graduation exam had been a bit too prominent.

Even when he went to the Police Force, he was ambushed by someone from Shimura Danzō's faction. The Uchiha clan was still far too sensitive.

"Let's go. The cat was last seen in the noble district southeast of the Fire Capital, twenty miles from here."

Matsumoto Ryūichi turned and walked out. "Haruno Kazuya, you're responsible for gathering intelligence. Fujiwara Itsuki, keep watch. Uchiha Ryūha—"

He paused, his tone cold. "You're responsible for carrying the cage and the bait. Also, once the cat is found, you are responsible for capturing and guarding it. This is the most basic manual labor. Any problems?"

"Yes, sensei." Uchiha Ryūha replied calmly.

Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki exchanged a look.

They both heard the targeting in their teacher's words, but no one dared to say anything.

The three of them collected the cat-catching tools: a large bamboo cage, a bag of dried fish bait, and a pair of thick leather gloves.

Uchiha Ryūha silently strapped the cage to his back and hung the bag of dried fish at his waist.

The bamboo cage was heavy, and the dried fish gave off a fishy stench.

Combined with those old, worn-out gloves, he truly looked like a lackey.

Some genin nearby cast sympathetic glances, while a few Uchiha clansmen saw them from afar and wore expressions of schadenfreude.

"Look, that's Uchiha Ryūha, the one who was showing off so much earlier. Today, he's been sent off to catch a cat."

"So much for a genius. In the teacher's eyes, he's just another one doing grunt work."

"Jōnin Matsumoto is famous for being strict. That kid is in for a rough time."

Uchiha Ryūha turned a deaf ear, following half a step behind Matsumoto Ryūichi, as if the gossip had nothing to do with him.

Fire Capital, southeast noble district.

Here, the courtyards were deep, the walls were high, and the streets were clean yet deserted.

The Daimyō's wife's cat, "Tama", had been missing for three days. The fact that they spent a large sum of money to hire ninjas to find it showed how precious it was.

"According to eyewitness descriptions, the cat was last seen in this area. It likes to roam on rooftops and walls, is skittish, and is very fast."

Haruno Kazuya held a small notebook, reporting the information he had gathered.

"Split up and search," Matsumoto Ryūichi ordered. "Haruno Kazuya, Fujiwara Itsuki, you two are a team. Search from east to west. Uchiha Ryūha, you're on your own. Search from west to east. Remember, focus on the rooftops, walls, and treetops. If you find any traces, don't act rashly. Send a signal."

"Yes!"

Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki leaped onto the perimeter wall and began a careful search.

Uchiha Ryūha, carrying the cage on his back, strolled leisurely through the alley, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings with apparent casualness.

In reality, his spiritual pressure perception had already spread out silently, covering a hundred-meter radius like a spiderweb.

Ten seconds later, he stopped and looked up at the roof of a residence to his front left.

There, a snow-white cat with sapphire-blue eyes sat perched.

It was lazily basking in the sun on the ridge of the roof, the golden bell around its neck glinting in the sunlight.

Found it.

But Uchiha Ryūha did not signal, nor did he act immediately.

He set down the bamboo cage, took a piece of dried fish from his pouch, placed it in his palm, and then...

He released the complete suppression of his own aura.

A trace of extremely subtle, soothing spiritual pressure drifted slowly toward the cat.

At the same time, the ability of Kyōka Suigetsu activated silently.

There was no Shikai this time, only a highly refined manipulation of the senses.

In the cat's perception, the dried fish in Uchiha Ryūha's hand emitted an incomparably alluring scent.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryūha's own aura became gentle, harmless, and even carried a sense that invited the cat to draw near.

On the roof, the white cat, Tama, twitched its ears and fixed its sapphire eyes on Uchiha Ryūha.

After hesitating for a few seconds, it stood up and leaped gracefully from the roof.

Walking with elegant steps, it reached Uchiha Ryūha's feet and rubbed against his trouser leg.

Then, it hopped into the open bamboo cage and curled up on the soft cloth lining.

It squinted its eyes comfortably and began to enjoy the dried fish Uchiha Ryūha offered.

The entire process was devoid of any struggle, as if it were returning to its own home.

Uchiha Ryūha closed the cage door and locked it.

The whole ordeal took less than a minute.

He lifted the cage, looked at the white cat inside contentedly licking its paws, and pushed up his glasses.

Then, he began his "performance."

He deliberately circled the alley a few more times, jumped between several rooftops, and even pretended to accidentally knock over a trash can to create some noise.

He even used his spiritual pressure to force a few beads of sweat onto his forehead and adjusted his breathing to sound slightly labored.

Only when it was nearly over did Uchiha Ryūha dispel the hypnosis of Kyōka Suigetsu.