Bluffing

Konoha.

"Will this enthusiasm only last a few days before they realize the Will of Fire is an illusion?"

Tobitake Tonbo stood on a rooftop, watching the trio search for a cat.

The three had been fired up by the Will of Fire, but he dared to guarantee that after a few more days of D-rank Missions like this, they would become as impatient as Naruto and the others of the next generation.

It was not as though he did not want to take on some higher-level missions.

Since the Fourth Hokage's death, mission resources provided by other nations had indeed been declining.

That included the Land of Fire. It had only eased somewhat over the past year under the Third Hokage's rule.

There were not as many missions as people imagined, and even fewer suited to a rookie team like theirs.

"Mm, I should take this seriously and teach them more, so they do not get bored."

As their captain, he could receive 30 percent of the team's mission rewards. He could not let them stop working.

So once the three little ones grew tired of it, he would give them a few rewards to keep them going.

It was absolutely not for that 30 percent bonus.

Still, this job was really easy. As long as he supervised the three properly, money would come in like collecting rent. Heh heh.

Below them—

"Damn it, where did that cat run off to?" Mibu Shinobu lifted a wooden barrel and peered inside.

Nothing.

"Hey, how could there possibly be a cat in there? Be more serious!" Iruka was speechless when he saw him flipping over barrels.

Their mission this time was to find a cat—a cat belonging to an elderly noblewoman, one said to have kept her company for decades.

They had already been searching for half the day, yet they had only occasionally spotted its droppings on rooftops.

He was beginning to doubt whether that cat even existed.

"Hey, Captain, are you sure that cat actually exists?" Iruka shouted at Tobitake Tonbo on the roof.

Tobitake Tonbo pointed at his head. "Use your brains. Where are the tracking techniques you learned in school?"

"Do not tell me you forgot them the moment you graduated. If you cannot even find a cat, what will you do when faced with more difficult missions? The outside world is full of clever, treacherous ninja."

The captain's mockery hit right where it hurt. The three of them were top students—how could they possibly tolerate that?

Unwilling to accept it, the three racked their brains and brought out everything they had learned in ninja intelligence class.

All to slap their captain in the face.

Tobitake Tonbo shook his head.

He had thought that after testing them at the training ground, he had begun to expect something from them. Judging from their combat performance, they were far better at team battles than Naruto's generation.

But now it seemed that aside from combat, where practical application was involved, they were far behind in the other, more important aspects of being ninja.

Tobitake Tonbo took out paper and a pen from his bag and wrote everything down.

It included the three's strengths, weaknesses, and some thoughts on how to train them.

Since he had become their squad captain, naturally he had to fulfill his duties. He would not be as perfunctory as Kakashi had been in training Naruto and Sakura.

Even Sasuke, in his opinion, had only been taught the Chidori.

Kakashi had not even taught him the basics until several years later.

So he would learn from those mistakes.

As an outstanding employee, one could not let the boss realize just how exceptional one was, but one also could not remain unnoticed. Moderation was key.

Afternoon came.

The three finally found the cat. Drawing on Iruka's store of knowledge, they used the cat's habits and the information provided by its owner to track it down.

But they were also covered in dust and grime.

Still, they were delighted.

They stood before Tobitake Tonbo, straight-backed as they waited for his praise.

"Sigh!"

Tobitake Tonbo suddenly let out a sigh.

He had wanted to force-feed them some memories so they could study them by example, but in the end, he held himself back.

Not everyone had his ability to process memories. To ordinary people, they would only be a burden. Only knowledge acquired through one's own effort and time truly belonged to them.

When Iruka and the other two saw him sigh, the smiles on their faces vanished.

"Captain, did we do too poorly?" Iruka looked at the sun overhead, then recalled everything they had done that day. He felt awkward.

It really did seem as though they had performed rather badly.

The other two were the same. They had been hoping for praise.

"No, you did great." Tobitake Tonbo did not discourage them.

"Really?"

That only made the three feel worse. They were top students, after all, and once they calmed down and analyzed themselves, they had enough self-awareness to know whether they had done well.

"Of course. Although you were indeed awful at the beginning of this cat-finding mission, you gradually began applying the knowledge you learned at the Academy later on. That was very good.

"Mibu Shinobu's sharp perception, Iruka's intelligence analysis, and Shiso's powerful ability to act—they were all excellent."

Tobitake Tonbo gave them a thumbs-up.

But his words did not make the three happy. They were still somewhat dejected.

"What is wrong?"

"But it took us so long to realize it. Does that mean we are too useless?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Just like you said, Captain, it took us so long just to find a cat. If we had to find those cunning ninja from enemy villages, how could we possibly find them?"

Smack!

Tobitake Tonbo slapped them on the heads. "You little brats, it is only your first day on missions. What, you already want to fly?"

"Do you know Kakashi, the Copy Ninja?"

"You mean Senior Kakashi, who graduated early at the age of six?" the three little ones asked.

Tobitake Tonbo said, "That is right, him. When he first graduated, he did the same things you are doing now."

The three's eyes lit up. So that was how it was?

"And he searched for cats too. It took him most of the day back then, which means he was about the same as you."

Their eyes shone even brighter.

"And there is one thing he was worse at than you." Tobitake Tonbo paused there.

Actually, he did not know whether Kakashi had ever done such things, but that did not stop him from bragging. Besides, seeing through lies was a necessary ninja lesson. Even if they exposed him, he would have an excuse, so he continued boasting.

Iruka hurriedly asked, "What was it?"

"The Will of Fire. Why did it take him half a day to find the cat? Because he had no team spirit and looked down on his teammates' abilities. He searched for it all by himself.

"So his Will of Fire was inferior to yours—far, far inferior.

"Remember this: cooperating with your companions is the greatest thing of all."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

When they heard that Senior Kakashi, who had already become a Jōnin, was inferior to them in the Will of Fire, blazing fighting spirit immediately ignited in the three's eyes.

It was as if all their earlier dejection had vanished without a trace.

"Then, Captain, how do you know so much?" Teksen Shiso asked curiously.

"Because he and I were classmates, so I know a little more." Tobitake Tonbo said.

"Eh, then how old are you, Captain?" Mibu Shinobu suddenly asked.

The other two came to their senses as well and carefully looked Tobitake Tonbo up and down.

They had previously thought their captain was quite old, since he was tall and slender. His self-introduction about dreams had made them forget to ask, but now they were suspicious.

"Haha, I am two and a half years older than you."

"Eh? Then should we call you big brother?"

"Be serious. Call me Captain."

"Then, Captain, did you do these missions right after graduating too?"

"No, no. Your captain was much more badass than Kakashi. The moment I graduated, I joined the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War, and within half a year, I had already made tremendous contributions."

Tobitake Tonbo raised a finger and wagged it.

"Amazing."

The three gazed at him with admiration in their eyes.