Land of Waves Mission Begins!

The sun was setting.

Training Ground Three had finally been mostly restored.

The cracks in the ground had been filled, the broken trees replanted, and the scorched marks washed clean with Water Release.

As for the rest...

Naruto was hugging a wooden post taller than himself, dragging it toward the edge of the training ground with a face full of despair.

"Teacher You!"

"This is already beyond a Genin's job description, isn't it?"

Uchiha You sat beneath the shade of a tree, holding a cup of tea without even looking up.

"A ninja's mission won't disappear just because it falls outside your job description."

"But isn't repairing the training ground a D-Rank mission?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and threw the wooden post to the ground.

"And we've already finished today's training!"

"Training and missions are two different things."

"Then when can we take real missions?"

Naruto's eyes lit up.

Sasuke and Sakura also stopped what they were doing and looked over at Uchiha You.

After becoming Genin, what they looked forward to most was naturally leaving the village and carrying out real ninja missions.

Especially Sasuke.

He was already impatient to prove his strength in actual combat.

Uchiha You set down his teacup and said calmly,

"Tomorrow."

Naruto froze.

"Tomorrow?"

"Starting tomorrow, you'll officially begin carrying out missions."

Naruto immediately grew excited.

"What mission is it?"

"Capturing rogue ninja?"

"Escorting a daimyo?"

"Or wiping out some bandit gang?"

Uchiha You glanced at him.

"Helping villagers find cats."

"..."

The smile on Naruto's face visibly stiffened.

"What did you say?"

"D-Rank missions."

"Finding cats?"

"Or pulling weeds, clearing irrigation canals, helping a noble's child find toys."

Uchiha You said evenly,

"These are the missions Genin encounter most often."

"I'm not doing it!"

Naruto shook his head so hard it looked like