Why Can't I Say a Few More Words? [Seeking Collection and Flowers~]

"Although I also think this mission is ridiculous, since it's been assigned, we have to do our best to complete it. Let's get moving—don't let the teacher and the client down."

Clapping his hands, Hikaru gathered their attention and spoke loudly.

"No way!!!"

The moment Hikaru finished, Tsunade protested, refusing to do this mission no matter what. It was too disgusting, wasn't it?

"What about you two?"

Tsunade refused, and Hikaru wasn't surprised. He didn't say anything else, didn't even try to persuade her. Instead, he turned to look at Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru silently pulled out a bandage, offering that as his answer.

Though you'll go dark later, I'm giving you a thumbs-up now. Hikaru gave Orochimaru a mental nod of approval, then looked at Jiraiya.

"Well... this..."

Jiraiya glanced at Hikaru, then at the reluctant Tsunade, scratching his head vigorously, looking torn.

Hikaru didn't pressure him. With a faint smile, he said, "Don't feel pressured. If you're not up for it, I won't force you—and of course, I won't force Tsunade either. I'm just the squad leader, not the teacher. Whether you're willing to take on this mission is up to you."

"I might get scolded by the teacher, but I won't force anyone."

With that, Hikaru looked seriously at Jiraiya and Tsunade.

He, Uchiha Hikaru, had said what needed to be said. Whether they ultimately agreed to do the mission was up to Tsunade and Jiraiya's own decisions.

If they both nodded, that would be best. If not, Hikaru wouldn't say a word.

Even if the Third Hokage blamed him, Hikaru would accept it. This mission really was unbearable.

"I'll go, I'll go!!"

Jiraiya, who had originally wanted to skip it, changed his mind the moment he heard Hikaru's words. Disgusting or not, it was better than getting Hikaru chewed out by the Third Elder. This Jiraiya wasn't the type to let down his teammates and friends.

"Then let's set out!!"

With Jiraiya on board, Hikaru wasted no more time. He tied the headband around his forehead, covering it with his semi-long hair, put away the mission scroll, and led Orochimaru and Jiraiya toward the mission site.

"Hey!!! You, you... you're infuriating me!"

Seeing that Hikaru really had no intention of saying more, Tsunade puffed up in anger. If Hikaru had just pushed a little harder, she would have agreed. But no, this guy had to act like it was her choice whether to come or not.

Jiraiya didn't want to be the reason Hikaru got scolded, and neither did Tsunade. She also saw Hikaru as her closest, dearest friend. Would it kill him to say a few more words?

Stomping her foot in frustration, Tsunade watched Hikaru and the other two walk farther away, then finally chased after them. "Hey!! You three, wait for me!! Don't you dare run!!"

In the end, even though Tsunade was reluctant, she still followed. The squad's first mission had begun!!!

Headache...

At that moment, all four members of the squad had bandages wrapped around their faces, especially over their nostrils, wearing expressions of utter helplessness.

"Let's start."

Hikaru never dreamed his first mission would be cleaning toilets...

He really wanted to know how such a mission got posted. How was the reward calculated?

How much could you earn from scrubbing toilets?

Headache, still a headache. Besides calming his teammates, there was a whole series of headaches waiting for Hikaru. He even started to wonder if the teacher—no, the Third Elder—was deliberately messing with them.

The man he once called "Teacher," Hikaru now just called "Third Elder." Simple, efficient!!!

Could it be that this public toilet was contracted out by the Sarutobi Clan?

Hikaru seriously doubted that.

"Ugh... it stinks."

Tsunade caught the smell wafting from miles away and nearly threw up, her face full of grievance. But complaining was useless now—everyone was suffering the same.

Picking up a bucket, Hikaru moved first. As the squad leader, if he didn't take the lead, how could he expect the other three to volunteer?

"It stinks, it stinks!!!"

Jiraiya held his nose with one hand and carried a bucket with the other, muttering nonstop.

"Dammit, making me scrub toilets! That Third Elder is the worst!!"

Tsunade was grumbling too, while Hikaru and Orochimaru stayed silent, quickly hauling buckets and getting to work. If you had time to complain, you might as well just get it done faster and finish early.

Bottling up their frustration, the four of them ran back and forth with buckets, desperately working on their first mission. They couldn't let the squad lose its credibility. The only way was to push through and make sure the mission didn't fail.

So the client who posted the mission wouldn't have any complaints.

Someone actually spent money to post a mission for scrubbing toilets. Hikaru had nothing to say about that client.

But it seemed like most D-rank missions were like this—best suited for wanderers. Little money, but low difficulty too. One person could handle it.

Scrubbing toilets, weeding, picking up cow dung on farms, collecting trash, and so on—these low-level missions were exactly what wanderers liked.

As for cat-catching or dog-walking missions, those were a bit easier, at least better than scrubbing toilets or carrying a basket to pick up trash—provided the dog didn't poop.

Just thinking about these missions made Hikaru's scalp tingle. But what could he do? He had to keep going.

The first time or two, you'd get angry. After enough times, you just went numb.

"Ah!!! This stinks to death! I'm never scrubbing toilets again! What kind of crappy mission is this?!"