Baptism

Three months.

The most exciting thing Kitahara Kaede had done was help a villager find a cat that had run away from their backyard.

D-rank missions.

Weeding, hauling bricks, finding cats, clearing drainage ditches.

He knew the drainage ditches from Konoha's eastern district to its southern district better than he knew his own home.

Tsunade and Jiraiya broke first.

"I'm going crazy."

The Hokage's office.

Tsunade slapped the mission report onto the desk, loud enough for the whole hallway to hear.

"Teacher, did you forget we graduated three months ago?"

Hiruzen sat behind the Hokage's desk, his brush suspended in midair.

He wasn't just their teacher; he was also the Hokage. Having both roles meant these three students gave him an especially bad headache.

Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the windowsill, arms folded. "Teacher, honestly—if we keep this up, I'm afraid I'll end up roasting that cat."

"You've failed to catch that cat three times," Tsunade said, giving him a sidelong look.

"...It was too slippery!"

"You're too clumsy."

"Tsunade, you—"

"That's enough."

Hiruzen set down his brush and leaned back in his chair, an unlit pipe between his teeth.

His gaze passed over his two bickering students and settled on Kitahara Kaede, who stood at the back, leaning against the doorframe.

He didn't join in or try to stop them.

That was how this student always was—when he stayed quiet, he understood better than anyone what was worth waiting for.

Hiruzen sighed inwardly.

An eleven-year-old shouldn't be this mature.

"Fine."

Hiruzen pulled a file from the stack on his desk and tossed it in front of him.

Tsunade's eyes lit up, and Jiraiya jumped down from the windowsill.

"C-rank, an out-of-country mission."

"The Land of Birds." Hiruzen tapped his pipe. "A band of wandering samurai has settled in the southern border villages, harassing residents and robbing them. The lord of the Land of Birds has asked Konoha to drive them out."

"Wandering samurai?" Jiraiya rubbed his hands together. "How many?"

"Seven to ten. They have no ninjutsu, and rely mainly on swords."

Tsunade scoffed and flipped through the file, scanning it. "And this counts as a mission? I could handle it on my own."

"You're Genin." Hiruzen's tone turned level. "For an out-of-country mission, a Jonin must lead the team. An elite Jonin, Murakami Takuya. Meet at the South Gate this afternoon."

"Murakami Takuya?" Jiraiya tilted his head. "Never heard of him."

"There are plenty of elite Jonin you've never heard of." Tsunade had already reached for the mission order. "As long as we can set out, who cares who he is?"

Kitahara Kaede didn't move.

His gaze rested on the upper-right corner of the file.

Date of request—two and a half months ago.

Judging by the serial numbers, Konoha should have entered the mission into its system two months ago.

A C-rank eviction mission had been sitting around for two months.

The average wait time for a C-rank mission was no more than two weeks.

Either the pay was too low and no one wanted it.

Or something had made the people who accepted the mission back out.

He said nothing.

Tsunade turned around with the mission order in hand and waved it at him.

"Kaede! C-rank! Out of the country! No more cat-catching!"

She couldn't hide her grin, and her voice was a half-step higher than usual.

Kitahara Kaede looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah."

Tsunade rolled up the mission order and tucked it into her ninja pouch. "South Gate this afternoon. Don't be late."

"When have you ever known me to be late?"

Tsunade didn't answer. She turned and left, her ponytail swinging in a sharp arc.

Jiraiya ran after her, shouting about what gear to bring.

The office fell quiet.

Kitahara Kaede didn't leave.

Hiruzen looked at him.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"This mission has been sitting around for two months."

Hiruzen paused as he tapped his pipe, then smiled.

"That's why I assigned an elite Jonin to lead you."

Kitahara Kaede looked at him for two seconds.

He turned and walked to the door, pausing there.

"If the intel is wrong—"

"Kaede." Hiruzen interrupted him, his voice gentle but as steady as an old tree's roots. "This is your first real mission. There are some things a classroom can't teach you."

Kitahara Kaede fell silent for a moment.

"Understood."

He pushed the door open and left.

The hallway was empty.

Hiruzen struck a match, lit his pipe, and took a puff as the smoke drifted away.

"Takuya, keep an eye on them."

Outside the South Gate.

Kitahara Kaede crouched by the roadside and checked the contents of his ninja pouch.

Kunai, Explosive Tags, Military Ration Pills, bandages, smoke bombs.

He counted them, closed the pouch, and found he had enough.

Just as he fastened the strap, a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[Side Story Triggered: The First Baptism]

[Mission Objective: Complete the eviction mission in the Land of Birds.]

[Special Restriction: Tsunade's safety must be ensured.]

[Mission Reward: Based on completion.]

Kitahara Kaede's gaze lingered on "Special Restriction" for three seconds.

The last time a "Protect Tsunade" mission appeared was during a Ninja Academy exercise, when they encountered that rogue ninja.

That time, he'd broken two ribs, and a kunai had pierced his right hand.

The system never gave him a mission for no reason.

Wandering samurai, seven to ten of them, no ninjutsu.

He didn't believe it.

"Kaede—!"

Tsunade's voice came from behind him, followed by quick, hurried footsteps.

She ran over with an overstuffed pack on her back, even more excited than she'd been in the office—like a kid going on her first trip away from home.

Jiraiya followed behind, a huge bag slung over his shoulder, swaying as he walked.

Kitahara Kaede stood up and asked in confusion, "What did you pack in there?"

"Snacks, a change of clothes, medical supplies..." Tsunade counted on her fingers.

"I was asking you." Kitahara Kaede turned to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya puffed out his chest.

"A notebook."

"..."

"For writing down material! It's my first out-of-country mission. What if we come across some beautiful—"

Tsunade had already raised her fist.

"Finish that sentence."

"—beautiful scenery! Scenery! I mean scenery!"

Tsunade glared at him for three seconds, then slowly lowered her fist.

Jiraiya wiped away a bead of cold sweat.

The sentry at the South Gate watched the three kids, the corner of his mouth twitching.

A few minutes later, someone approached from inside the village.

He was in his early thirties, wearing a dark blue ninja uniform, with a Konoha Forehead Protector tied around his forehead and a short sword at his waist.

He made no unnecessary movements. His pace was neither fast nor slow, but he always placed his feet so he could immediately get between the three of them and any danger.

A veteran.

"Murakami Takuya." He stopped in front of them, sweeping his gaze over each of them and lingering half a beat longer on Kitahara Kaede.

"From now on, I'm your Jonin leader."

Brief.

No small talk, no smile.

Kitahara Kaede met his gaze for a moment.

Tsunade didn't care about any of that. Her attention was fixed on the road leading out of the village.

Three months of drainage ditches and fat cats—and at last, she was getting out of the village today.

"Let's go."

Murakami Takuya turned and took the lead down the road.

Tsunade followed, her steps quick and light.

Jiraiya jogged after them, still muttering about his notebook.

Kitahara Kaede walked at the back.

As he passed the South Gate's pillars, he paused and looked back at Konoha's gates.

Sunlight fell on the gate's plaque. The two characters for "Konoha" sat in quiet stillness.

He turned around and caught up with the others.

The Land of Birds was two days away.