The First Baptism

Three months.

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

D-rank missions.

Pulling weeds, moving bricks, finding cats, clearing irrigation ditches.

He had become more familiar with the drainage ditches from the east to the south districts of Konoha Village than he was with his own home.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were the first to break.

"I'm going crazy."

Hokage's office.

Tsunade slammed her mission report onto the desk, her voice loud enough to be heard down the hallway.

"Sensei, have you forgotten that we graduated three months ago?"

Hiruzen sat behind the Hokage's desk, his calligraphy brush suspended in mid-air.

He was not just their teacher, but the Hokage; with both roles combined, he found dealing with these three students particularly headache-inducing.

Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the windowsill, arms crossed over his chest. "Sensei, I'll be honest—if we keep doing this, I'm afraid I might end up roasting that cat."

"You haven't even caught that cat after three tries," Tsunade shot him a sidelong glance.

"...That's because it's too slippery!"

"You're just too clumsy."

"Tsunade, you—"

"Enough."

Hiruzen set down his brush and leaned back in his chair, his pipe dangling from his mouth unlit.

His gaze drifted past the two bickering students and landed on Kitahara Kaede, who was leaning against the doorframe at the back.

He offered no agreement, nor did he try to intervene.

This student had always been this way—when he wasn't speaking, he knew better than anyone else what to wait for.

Hiruzen sighed inwardly.

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

"Fine."

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

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

"C-rank, mission outside the village."

"Land of Birds." Hiruzen tapped his pipe. "A group of wandering samurai has occupied a village in the southern border region, harassing the residents and stealing their wealth. The Lord of the Land of Birds has commissioned Konoha to send someone to drive them out."

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

"Seven to ten. No ninjutsu capabilities, primarily swordsmen."

Tsunade scoffed, flipping the file over and scanning it. "This is called a mission? I'm enough on my own."

"You are Genin." Hiruzen's tone leveled out. "For missions outside the village, you must have a Jonin leading the team. Elite Jonin, Murakami Takuya. Assemble at the South Gate this afternoon."

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

"There's a lot of Elite Jonin you haven't heard of." Tsunade was already reaching for the commission order. "As long as we can leave, I don't care who he is."

Kitahara Kaede didn't move.

His gaze fell on the top right corner of the file.

The date of the commission—two and a half months ago.

Based on the numerical order, Konoha should have entered this into the mission system two months ago.

A C-rank expulsion mission, left hanging for two months.

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

Either the pay was too low, so no one took it.

Or, there was something that made those who accepted the mission turn back.

He didn't speak up.

Tsunade turned around, holding the commission order and waving it at him.

"Kaede! C-rank! Outside the village! No more catching cats!"

She couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth, and even her tone was half an octave higher than usual.

Kitahara Kaede looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah."

Tsunade rolled up the commission order and stuffed it into her ninja pouch with a crisp motion. "South Gate this afternoon, don't be late."

"When have you ever seen me be late?"

Tsunade didn't reply and turned to leave, her ponytail swinging in a sharp arc.

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

The office fell quiet.

Kitahara Kaede didn't leave.

Hiruzen looked at him.

"Something to say?"

"This commission has been hanging for two months."

Hiruzen's motion of tapping his pipe paused for a second, then he smiled.

"That is why I arranged for an Elite Jonin to lead the team."

Kitahara Kaede looked at him for two seconds.

He turned to walk to the door, then paused.

"If the intelligence is wrong—"

"Kaede." Hiruzen interrupted him, his tone not heavy, but as steady as the roots of an old tree. "This is your first combat mission. There are some things that cannot be taught in a classroom."

Kitahara Kaede was 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, the smoke drifting away.

"Takuya, keep an eye on them."

Outside the South Gate.

Kitahara Kaede squatted by the side of the road, going through the items in his ninja pouch.

Kunai, explosive tags, military rations, bandages, smoke bombs.

He counted them, snapped the pouch shut—enough.

Just as he closed the strap, a line of text floated before his eyes.

[Triggered side quest: The First Baptism]

[Mission objective: Complete the Land of Birds expulsion mission.]

[Special restriction: Must ensure Tsunade's safety.]

[Mission reward: Calculated based on completion rate.]

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

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

That time, he broke two ribs, and his right hand was pierced by a kunai.

The system never popped up missions for no reason.

Wandering samurai, seven to ten, no ninjutsu capabilities.

He didn't believe it.

"Kaede—!"

Tsunade's voice came from behind, her footsteps hurried and fast.

She ran over with a bulging pack on her back, the excitement on her face even more intense than it had been in the office—like a child going on their first long trip.

Jiraiya followed behind, carrying a large bag on his shoulder, swaying as he walked.

Kitahara Kaede stood up and asked, puzzled, "What do you have in your bag?"

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

"I'm asking you." Kitahara Kaede looked at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya puffed out his chest.

"A notebook."

"..."

"For recording material! First mission outside the village, what if we run into beautiful—"

Tsunade's fist was already raised.

"Finish the sentence."

"—beautiful scenery! Scenery! I said scenery!"

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

Jiraiya wiped away a cold sweat.

The sentry at the South Gate looked at these three brats, the corner of his mouth twitching.

A few minutes later, a figure walked over from the direction of the village.

In his early thirties, wearing a deep blue ninja uniform, a Konoha forehead protector tied around his head, and a short sword hanging at his waist.

There were no wasted movements in his walk; his pace was neither fast nor slow, but he always positioned himself at an angle that allowed him to step in front of the three of them at a moment's notice.

A veteran.

"Murakami Takuya." He stopped in front of the three, his gaze sweeping over them one by one, lingering for a half-beat longer on Kitahara Kaede.

"From now on, I am your team leader."

Brief.

No pleasantries, no smiles.

Kitahara Kaede met his eyes for a moment.

Tsunade didn't care about that; her attention was entirely on the road ahead leading out of the village.

Three months of drainage ditches and fat cats, and today, she was finally heading out.

"Let's go."

Murakami Takuya turned and was the first to step onto the road.

Tsunade followed, her steps quick and light.

Jiraiya trotted to catch up, still muttering about his notebook.

Kitahara Kaede walked at the back.

As he passed the South Gate pillar, he paused for a step and looked back at the gates of Konoha.

The sunlight shone on the lintel, and the two characters for "Konoha" were very quiet.

He turned around and followed the team.

The Land of Birds, a two-day journey.