Accepting a Mission

"Have you heard? That kid Xiu graduated from the Academy early yesterday."

"Huh? Seriously? Isn't he only six?"

"It's true. My son was patrolling the streets yesterday when he heard it from one of the Academy teachers."

"Wow—that's impressive. Another genius has emerged from the clan."

Early the next morning, news of Uchiha Shu's early graduation had spread throughout the entire village.

Uchiha Shu walked along the streets of the clan compound, utterly indifferent to the gazes cast his way. Even when whispers reached his ears, he remained unmoved.

It was only graduating from the Ninja Academy. As someone with cheats, he wasn't about to get smug over something so trivial.

In fact, if he wanted to, he could take out those few detestable old bastards in the upper ranks at any time. It wasn't as though he lacked the ability.

But crude slaughter only numbed people. Only mental torment truly made one's blood race!

Xiu was a very proud person. As long as the other side still operated within the rules, he disliked taking the initiative to solve problems through violence. It made him feel cheap, as if he had flown into a rage from humiliation because he couldn't beat them.

Compared to that, he preferred backing them into a corner bit by bit, watching them leap over the wall in desperation and become forced to break the rules themselves, before crushing them with absolute power!

Watching their futile struggles and savoring the despair in their eyes—if he could strike at their weak point and destroy them both physically and mentally, the feeling would be even more exquisite!

"Morning, Xiu~"

Izumi and Aunt Hazuki were already waiting at the entrance to the clan compound.

Uchiha Hazuki had changed into a Chunin flak jacket. Her long black hair was tied in a high ponytail, making her seem a little less gentle and a little more capable.

Izumi wore a black training outfit. Unlike her mother, her mixed heritage gave her hair a slightly brownish tint, and her long hair hung loose as always.

"Good morning, Aunt Hazuki," Xiu greeted her.

"Xiu—what about me?" Izumi sidled up beside him in dissatisfaction.

Xiu pushed her face away in disgust. He had discovered that Izumi seemed to like this sort of thing.

Has my secret as an S-type sadist been exposed?

"Did you eat breakfast properly?" Hazuki asked with concern.

"Yeah, I ate."

Xiu nodded. He had seen online in his previous life that if someone still had not eaten breakfast by nine in the morning, their body would automatically absorb the feces in their intestines.

In other words, skipping breakfast was the same as eating shit!

From then on, he had developed the good habit of eating breakfast.

The group made their way to the Hokage Building, where Kurenai Yuhi had already been waiting for them.

After completing their ninja registration, Xiu received his own ninja forehead protector.

He had wanted to tie it around his arm like Shikamaru did, but his six-year-old arm was too thin, and it kept slipping down. Left with no choice, he wore it on his forehead like Izumi.

"Xiu looks so cool!" Izumi had already put on her forehead protector and stared unblinkingly at him with her large eyes.

Uchiha Hazuki looked at him fondly and gently patted his head.

Kurenai Yuhi gave him a once-over and nodded as well.

To be fair, the kid really did look flawless. Shame he had a mouth.

Xiu glanced at Kurenai. "We can accept missions now, right? Don't go assigning me some D-rank mission to catch cats and walk dogs."

Kurenai looked helpless. She knew Xiu would react this way. "What's wrong with catching cats and walking dogs? Everyone starts with D-rank missions."

At that, Uchiha Shu raised an eyebrow. "What? Did everyone graduate early at six?"

"You arrogant little brat..." Kurenai's mouth twitched. "So what kind of mission do you want?"

"Starting from C-rank. No escort missions. Search missions, subjugation missions, patrols—anything's fine," Xiu said casually.

He had asked Shisui about it. Escort missions were the most troublesome kind, often taking ten days to half a month. If they ran into a difficult client, there would be a mountain of bullshit to deal with, while the pay was merely average.

As for search missions, they simply weren't suitable for their team. Those were generally assigned directly to the Reconnaissance Unit.

Subjugation missions were much easier. All he had to do was steamroll everything with his super strength. If things went quickly, they might even be back by nightfall.

But Xiu's favorite was still patrol missions. Though they also took quite a bit of time and the pay was fixed, as long as they encountered no enemies, they only needed to set up a few traps and circle along the border. It was practically outdoor camping.

If Kurenai had not been around, Xiu had originally planned to team up with old Maruboshi Kosuke, the strongest Genin.

After all, who wouldn't want to enjoy a bowl of fresh fish soup beneath the stars in the wilderness?

He had also watched so many outdoor construction videos in his previous life that he had always wanted an opportunity to put them into practice.

"You really know how to pick them... Fine, I'll try to get one for you."

Kurenai had a headache. After being a ninja for so long, how could she not understand Xiu's thoughts?

It was just that missions this good weren't available every day. Border patrol missions in particular were generally assigned directly by the Hokage Office.

Konoha had two ways of accepting missions. One was to take them voluntarily at the Mission Building, with the Hokage deciding whether a team was suitable and how much the mission should pay. These were mostly civilian commissions.

The other was what they had just discussed: missions assigned directly by the Hokage. However, those were compulsory military orders.

Soon, after waiting in line for a while, they were summoned to a spacious reception hall.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and several staff members sat behind a long table. When he noticed Xiu's forehead protector, he could not help showing a pleased smile.

"Not bad, truly handsome... The Uchiha really do produce handsome men and beautiful women. The forehead protectors suit you very well."

"You're too kind!" Izumi said, slightly embarrassed by the praise as she gave a small bow of thanks.

Uchiha Shu let out a soft snort, and a rare smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Everyone knew that if a girl called you handsome, you might not actually be handsome.

But if a man sincerely called you handsome, then you were definitely handsome enough to strike straight at his heart.

Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi was too old. If it had been someone his own age, that praise would have carried even more weight!

"Speaking of which, what do you have in mind for your first mission?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi held a pipe in his mouth as his hands flipped through a stack of documents on the table before him.

After thinking for a moment, Xiu stated his requirements. "At least C-rank, border patrol, beautiful scenery, mountains and water. Of course, having a sea would be even better."

Were you making wishes here, brat?

"Starting right off with C-rank? Still, I suppose you certainly wouldn't be willing to start with D-rank missions. With the members of your team, C-rank should be manageable."

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed. "The borders are fairly peaceful at the moment, so there are no relevant missions for now. If something suitable comes up later, I'll assign it directly to you."

"That said, I do have a mission here that suits you. Although it's only C-rank, the reward meets B-rank standards!"

"What mission?"

"A clothing company needs models of all ages."

Xiu gave a derisive laugh and was about to refuse when two hands suddenly landed on his shoulders.

Turning his head, he saw Uchiha Izumi and her mother standing behind him on either side, watching him with smiling eyes.