The mission sheet for clearing rubbish from the river lay flat on the desk.
Nawaki looked utterly miserable, as though he had swallowed an entire unripe persimmon. Resentment and reluctance were written all over his face.
He grabbed the mission sheet and read it over three full times, checking the client, location, and instructions word by word to make absolutely sure he had not misread anything.
Then his head snapped up, his eyes wider than saucers.
"Clear floating debris from the upper reaches of the Naka River? And it's only D-rank?"
Nawaki slapped the mission sheet onto the desk with a sharp smack, his voice rising in indignation.
"Orochimaru, we went on loads of high-level missions with you before we even graduated. We even fought tough battles like wiping out pirates in the Land of Whirlpools."
"Now that we've finally graduated, we're back to playing house with D-rank missions? What was the point of working ourselves half to death to graduate?"
Orochimaru leaned languidly against the mission assignment counter, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes quietly reflecting Nawaki's disgruntled face.
Unhurried, he patiently waited for Nawaki to finish venting before speaking.
His tone was absurdly calm, as though he were soothing an agitated test subject.
"To participate in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams, you must complete the required number of missions. A fixed proportion must be low-ranking ones."
"The Third made that rule, not me."
"However impressive your unofficial achievements, however highly the Anbu rates you, none of it appears in the mission office's records."
"Without enough missions on record, you won't even get an application form for the Chunin Ninja Exams."
"Either keep complaining about wasting time or set off now and clear the river before dark. Your choice."
At the mention of the Chunin Ninja Exams, Nawaki's throat bobbed, and