The First Mission Begins

Three days later

Feng Xun and Minato arrived at the village gates fully armed, waiting for the first mission of their lives.

Yet as noon drew near, Tsunade, the Jōnin leading their team, still had not appeared.

Leaning against a tree, Minato looked puzzled. "Xun, why hasn't Lady Tsunade come yet? Did you get the time wrong?"

"That crazy woman probably overslept again," Feng Xun replied irritably.

Three days had passed since he last questioned his life choices. During that time, Tsunade had not only recovered her spirits, but had also assigned him a mission to investigate Amegakure.

At first, he had refused. This mission was clearly meant to help Amegakure, and reconnaissance missions generally did not involve combat, which meant he was unlikely to get any kills.

But one sentence from Tsunade later made Feng Xun want to leave immediately.

"This is an A-rank mission, and the reward is a full five hundred thousand."

What did five hundred thousand mean? In terms of points, that was five thousand points. Even if it had to be split among four people in the end, he would still get at least a hundred thousand, or one thousand points.

After all, all his previous savings combined had only amounted to a little over a hundred thousand.

And when Feng Xun learned that Tsunade could choose the members for this mission herself, he claimed the other two spots as well.

As they said, good things should not go to outsiders. How could he possibly leave such a great opportunity to someone else?

Therefore, he recommended Minato and Kushina to Tsunade.

Tsunade did indeed report it that way to the higher-ups, but an expected complication arose during the Third's approval process.

Since Kushina was the village's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki and had yet to become a Genin, the Third rejected Tsunade's request and selected someone from the candidates he favored instead.

"By the way, Xun, who exactly is this third person you mentioned?" Minato asked Feng Xun as he looked at his palm.

Feng Xun shrugged, looking as though he did not know either.

It was not that he had not asked Tsunade. It was just that she had forgotten who it was too. She only knew that it was some brat from the Uchiha Clan.

Seriously, how had someone with Tsunade's brain become a Jōnin?

Feng Xun had remained deeply puzzled by that to this day.

But speaking of the Uchiha Clan, the only Genin who was still fairly young... could it be Uchiha Ryu, the one who had sparred with his brother before?

Just as Feng Xun thought this, a black-haired youth in a black stand-collar jacket slowly walked toward them from a short distance away. His face was cold and expressionless. It was Uchiha Ryu, who had sparred with Minato before.

At this, Feng Xun could only sigh at how small the world was. He had actually guessed right.

After Uchiha Ryu approached, he did not even glance at Feng Xun. Instead, he walked straight past him, stopped in front of Minato, and said, "We meet again. I didn't expect to be carrying out this mission with you."

Minato first glanced at Feng Xun. Once he saw that his younger brother had no reaction, he smiled faintly. "Likewise. I didn't expect us to be on the same team for this mission."

As he spoke, Minato extended his hand toward him. "I look forward to your guidance."

However, Uchiha Ryu did not reach out his hand. Instead, he looked at Minato, his fighting spirit blazing. "I definitely won't lose to you again next time. During this mission, just follow behind me obediently."

Minato was somewhat embarrassed, but he did not react much. It was not because he was timid, but because he had absolute confidence in his own strength. He would show the other boy with facts that the one left behind would definitely not be him.

Minato might choose to swallow his anger, but that did not mean Feng Xun beside him would do the same.

What a joke. It was one thing for this brat not to give him face, but he would not even give face to the future Fourth Hokage? That was a little too much!

Feng Xun said disdainfully, "Yo! I only realized today that every single one of you Uchiha Clan people is so obsessed with saving face! If you can't do it, you can't do it. Why pretend to be something you're not?"

Hearing this, Uchiha Ryu turned around. After thinking for a moment, he said coldly, "I remember you're Namikaze Minato's younger brother. What, are you dissatisfied with what I just said?"

Feng Xun shook his head. "I wouldn't dare say I'm dissatisfied. I just think that it's one thing for all of you to have no manners, but you don't even know basic courtesy. I really don't know how your Uchiha Clan became Konoha's number one clan."

"Brat, are you looking for a fight?" Uchiha Ryu's expression darkened further.

"Bring it on. Do you think I'm afraid of you? Don't forget, it's two against one now." Feng Xun showed no fear whatsoever.

"What two against one? Mind counting me in?"

At that moment, a lazy voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

"Good morning, Lady Tsunade!"

"Greetings, Lady Tsunade!"

Minato and Uchiha Ryu immediately straightened up.

Only Feng Xun looked extremely displeased. "Hey, you crazy woman, can't you be on time? It's almost noon already."

"Xun! Call her Lady Tsunade!"

The moment Minato heard Feng Xun's form of address, his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly corrected his younger brother.

But no one expected that not only did Feng Xun fail to change his wording, Tsunade merely yawned as though she had grown used to it. Still half-asleep, she said, "Sorry, the village was too big. I got lost for a while."

Tch! Did she think she was the future Kakashi? Got lost? Even her excuse was this lousy.

Feng Xun pointed at the tuft of hair sticking up on Tsunade's head and ruthlessly exposed her. "Enough. Just looking at that mess of hair sticking up on your head tells me that you overslept."

"Huh? Is that so?" Tsunade still seemed unaware as she touched the stray lock standing upright on top of her head.

Then she sat down on the grass. Who knew where she pulled a comb from, but she handed it to Feng Xun, whose face was covered in black lines. "Then help me fix it!"

Faced with Tsunade's utterly matter-of-fact attitude, Feng Xun could not connect her to the woman who had been in such a terrible mood three days ago.

Come to think of it, the reason Tsunade had him comb her hair seemed to be his own fault.

The reason was that after that night, her hair had remained a complete mess. Unable to stand the sight of it, he had taken the initiative to comb it for her once.

But unexpectedly, Tsunade had become addicted to it. As Nawaki later put it, "Little Brother Xun is becoming more and more like a good wife."

Emmmm, it looks like this whole family sees me as a full-time "nanny."

With no choice, intimidated by Tsunade's usual tyranny, Feng Xun still walked behind her and began combing her hair.

As Feng Xun slowly combed Tsunade's hair, Minato and Uchiha Ryu beside them were both left somewhat dumbfounded.

Minato was fine, since Feng Xun had told him a little about it before, but Uchiha Ryu was completely thrown into disorder.

He could never have imagined that the important figure his clan elders had repeatedly warned him to treat carefully would act like this right in front of him.

"By the way, what was that two against one about just now?"

Tsunade, still enjoying Feng Xun combing her hair, suddenly asked.

Before Feng Xun could explain, Uchiha Ryu hurriedly said, "Nothing, nothing. We were just joking around."

If, after seeing this scene, he still dared to provoke Feng Xun in front of Tsunade, then he truly would not be far from death. He was a genius of the Uchiha Clan, not an idiot of the Uchiha Clan.