Taking on a mission

"Mang, why do I feel like you're so popular?"

When they reached the entrance of the Hokage Building, Naruto Uzumaki suddenly asked Luo Mang, who stood beside him.

"Everyone along the way said hello to you, but when they looked at me, their eyes were full of hatred."

"Uh..."

Luo Mang raised a hand to his chin, hesitating. But to other people, an adopted child was little different from an orphan from another village.

Who knew where he had come from? With their distrust of outsiders, Luo Mang had received plenty of cold looks and eye rolls too. It was just that most people were normal.

As for Naruto's situation, he felt it was more likely that either the Third Hokage or Danzo had spread the word.

It might have been for his protection, or it might have been for selfish reasons. Either way, for his life to end up like this was really... hard to put into words.

"I don't know either."

Luo Mang shook his head gently. Without waiting for Naruto to press him, he went straight on to answer his second question.

"I've heard the rumors about you."

"Then why do you still..."

Naruto Uzumaki looked both awkward and shocked. He opened his mouth and asked Luo Mang.

Since the other boy wasn't repulsed by him, Naruto Uzumaki had assumed he didn't know the rumors. He had wanted to get on good terms with him first and become friends, never expecting that he already knew everything.

"Having another teammate makes missions easier. Let me show you the ropes, and don't forget me once you become a ninja."

Luo Mang shrugged. Just as he was about to lead Naruto into the Hokage Building, someone happened to walk out.

With half his face covered, gloomy eyes, and wrinkles deep enough to trap a mosquito on the other half, his identity wasn't hard to guess.

He really hadn't expected to see Shimura Danzō here.

As Danzo came out, he casually lowered his gaze. That single glance made Naruto tremble, as though something terrifying had set its sights on him.

Luo Mang paid him no mind and offered no greeting. He simply pulled Naruto into the Hokage Building. Ignoring him would do.

Shimura Danzō frowned, deepening the wrinkles on his already creased face, and turned to look. All he saw was a retreating back.

Hmph. Don't let me uncover what you're after, he thought, before turning and leaving as well.

Naruto Uzumaki clearly hadn't recovered yet. His body was still trembling.

"Wh-who was that just now?"

"No idea. Maybe one of Lord Hokage's guests."

Luo Mang shook his head. How could he possibly tell him? If he said it out loud, he'd be arrested the next second.

On the ground floor of the Hokage Building, just to the left of the entrance, was a noticeboard displaying available missions, with their ranks clearly marked.

There weren't many people in the Hokage Building, even counting the two of them who had just entered. It looked rather deserted.

That was normal, though. The Hokage personally handled the real, assigned missions. Who would bother with these D-rank and C-rank missions?

By the time they reached the noticeboard, the easygoing Naruto Uzumaki had recovered and stopped dwelling on what had just happened. He looked excitedly at the sheets of paper posted on the board.

"This is where we pick up missions."

"Wow!"

Naruto Uzumaki looked around like a curious little kid.

"Which mission are we taking, Luo Mang?"

"Let me see."

Luo Mang rubbed his chin as he studied the mission notices.

"They're all physical jobs like weeding, hoeing fields, and repairing houses. They might be a little tough for the two of us."

"Just pick one that pays well. This time, the main point is to help me learn how to pick up missions and do them."

Naruto was optimistic rather than picky, offering his suggestion with a smile.

"All right."

With this bundle of boundless energy beside him, Luo Mang didn't refuse. After a quick comparison, he chose the house-repair mission.

"Okay, watch how I do this."

Once he had picked it out, he spoke to Naruto beside him.

"Okay."

Just as he reached the mission registration desk, someone came down from upstairs.

Naruto's face lit up when he saw him.

"Grandpa White-Beard, what are you doing here?"

With his hands behind his back and his back slightly hunched, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly descended the stairs, chuckling as he looked at Naruto Uzumaki.

"Hehe, shouldn't I be asking you that, little Naruto?"

"Haha, I made a new friend! I'm following Luo Mang around to do missions, and I can earn money from it."

As he spoke, Naruto glanced awkwardly at Luo Mang, afraid he might deny it. But Luo Mang said nothing of the sort.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had clearly come downstairs with something else in mind. Luo Mang slid the mission slip across the desk for the clerk to process, then turned and nodded to him in greeting.

"Oh, taking on a mission with your new friend?"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, his gaze swept over Luo Mang, but he looked away after only two seconds.

"Well, school is on break. Getting some experience is good. Once you become a ninja, you'll be doing missions like these all the time."

Naruto puffed out his chest and patted it.

"Yeah! Once I become a ninja, I'll take missions and earn loads of money. Then I won't have to eat instant noodles every day. I'll eat ramen every day instead!"

A bead of sweat ran down Luo Mang's forehead at that. What a grand ambition...

After registering for the mission, they left and headed toward their destination. Naruto skipped along, brimming with anticipation.

Luo Mang didn't say much. Whatever else he might be, Naruto was the future savior of the world. Teaching him properly couldn't hurt.

As for getting too close to the savior making it easy to die, surely it wasn't that bad? After all, hadn't Iruka survived to the end? He had even become his godfather.

But Hinata was already his now, so who would Naruto end up with? Sakura? Forget it. Whoever it was had nothing to do with him. Surely he wouldn't end up being the godfather?

That would be utterly ridiculous...

"Brother Mang, do you think the client who posted that mission might reject me because of who I am?"

After all his skipping, the worries came. Remembering the villagers' cold stares and mocking remarks, Naruto was honestly still a little afraid.

"And my Clone Technique is still a bit..."

"Hehe, hardly anyone takes D-rank missions anyway. If they don't want us, we'll just leave. We're taking missions to earn money, not to put up with abuse."

Luo Mang told him directly about his own experiences taking missions. After all, he was young.

At most, he was a precocious kid. When he went to accept jobs that required plenty of strength, people often rolled their eyes at him.

Luo Mang had no twisted urge to insist on changing their opinions. They could think whatever they wanted. He was there to earn money, not get worked up.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even need to eat. Anger alone would fill him up.

"As for the Clone Technique, take your time. If you can't use it, don't. We shouldn't need ninjutsu, and even if we do, I'll handle it. Just lend a hand. This mission is mainly to teach you. Next time, you can take odd jobs like searching for things or weeding. There aren't many, but they do exist."

Luo Mang gave him an encouraging look. He didn't want his own teammate backing out before they had even started.

Naruto Uzumaki nodded and quickly took deep breaths, psyching himself up.