The next day, in the administrative tent.
A bearded Jonin stood before a table, clutching a stack of mission assignnt ledgers.
The new recruits who had reported yesterday stood in two rows, waiting for their nas to be called.
"Akiyama, Kono, Sano—three-man cell, east sector patrol. Take your identification tags."
The three took their tags and filed out in single file.
"Inoue, Matsumoto—two-man cell, guard Watchtower Seven."
Two more departed.
"Nakata's four-man cell, supply line escort. Depart tomorrow morning."
The crowd in the tent dwindled group by group.
Kitahara Kaede stood in the furthest corner, arms crossed over his chest. From start to finish, his na was never called.
Once the final group had received their assignnts, the tent flap fell shut.
Only two people remained.
The Jonin closed the ledger and took a sip from his teacup.
Kaede waited a few seconds.
He wasn't sure if the man had overlooked him by accident or if it was intentional.
He stepped forward.
"Sir, where is my assignnt?"
The Jonin set down his cup and glanced at him. His gaze didn't linger on Kaede's face; it swept past him almost instantly.
The Jonin flipped through the ledger again, then closed it.
"There's nothing left for you. Go to logistics—kitchen help or hauling, either will do." He paused, adding, "Consider yourself lucky."
Kaede didn't move.
The daily wage for logistics was fixed; at most, he'd make a pittance a month. With a five-million Ryo deficit, he would be hauling crates for three lifetis at that rate.
"Is there any mission suited for ?"
The teacup stopped halfway to the Jonin's lips.
'I assign you to logistics and you're still picky?'
He appraised Kaede for two seconds, looking at him like a greenhorn who didn't know his own limits. Then, he looked down and flipped to the final few pages of the ledger.
These were the stray contracts that hadn't been claid yet. They were either too far, too dangerous, or both.
The Jonin pulled out a thin slip of paper, placed it on the table, and tapped it with his index finger.
"This one. Solo reconnaissance, southwest direction. Scout the movent routes of the Land of Wind penetration forces."
He looked up.
"Do you dare take it?"
There was a faint note of confirmation in his voice. He didn't actually believe Kaede would accept.
He had only produced this slip to make the boy see for himself what "suited" actually looked like. Once he saw it, he would go back to hauling crates obediently.
In the Jonin's experience, the only skill a Genin who had survived three total-party wipes possessed was the ability to stay alive. Logistics was perfect for that. He couldn't exactly plug the kid into soone else's combat squad and risk getting others killed.
Kaede looked down.
The reconnaissance range, the target area, the estimated number of enemy contacts, and the required intelligence reports were all clearly detailed.
In the bottom right corner was a stamped mission rank: C .
Situated between C and B rank, it was marked as recomnded for Chunin.
The reward column read: 150,000 Ryo.
Kaede processed every word on the page.
Solo reconnaissance.
No requirent for direct engagent, no need for team coordination. The core of the mission was infiltration, observation, recording, and extraction.
As long as his stealth was good enough, he wouldn't need to fight. It was a test of concealnt, environntal reading, and route planning.
Furthermore, once the mission was completed, even if soone questioned it, he would have a justification. It was logically sound for a Genin specializing in stealth and survival to complete a reconnaissance mission that didn't require combat.
And then there was the 150,000 Ryo.
He might have to work logistics for months to earn that much.
Kaede looked up.
"I'll do it."
The Jonin froze for a mont.
He thought he had misheard, or perhaps the boy had failed to see the mission rank.
"This is Chunin-level work. You're a Genin..."
"I'll do it," Kaede repeated.
Sa word, sa tone.
Silence filled the tent for a few seconds. The Jonin stared at him.
A Genin who lived like a coward didn't even blink when saying those words. It didn't seem like he was trying to show off, but it didn't seem like him, either.
The Jonin took the mission slip, hesitating.
By the rules, a Genin taking a mission above their rank required a Jonin's signature and a capacity evaluation report. But this was warti; manpower was scarce, and rules were often bypassed.
Besides—if the kid insisted on seeking death, why stop him? It wasn't as if he wanted to work in logistics anyway.
The Jonin slamd the official seal down and pushed the slip across the table.
"Sign it. Depart at dawn tomorrow." He paused. "Don't bla if you die out there."
Kaede took the mission slip, folded it, and tucked it into his tunic.
"Thank you, sir."
He turned and left. As the tent flap closed, the Jonin took another long drink of tea and shook his head.
...
Kaede stepped out of the administrative tent.
As he passed the new recruit barracks, several shinobi who had just been assigned to patrol teams were squatting by their tent entrance, chatting.
One of them noticed him and nudged the person next to him, whispering sothing in a low voice. The other shinobi looked back at Kaede with a subtle, complex expression.
Kaede ignored them and walked back to his own tent.
...
Evening.
The command tent.
Dan Kato sat at his desk, reviewing the daily summary of mission assignnts. Personnel, groupings, mission ranks, expected return dates.
He flipped through the pages; everything was within normal paraters. Then, he reached the final page.
His finger stopped.
Solo reconnaissance, C-B rank.
Personnel: Kitahara Kaede.
Rank: Genin.
Dan didn't speak imdiately. He pulled the page out, read it again, and then spoke toward the tent entrance.
"Bring in the officer responsible for today's assignnts."
...
The bearded Jonin walked in and saluted.
Dan didn't beat around the bush. He turned the summary page to face the man.
"Explain this."
The Jonin glanced down and imdiately knew what this was about. He told the truth—that Kaede refused logistics and insisted on taking a mission. He had offered the reconnaissance slip to discourage him, but the boy had accepted it instantly.
Dan remained silent for a few seconds.
"A Genin taking a Chunin-level mission requires the lead Jonin's signature and a capacity evaluation report during the assignnt process."
His tone wasn't harsh, but every word was precise.
"Did you conduct the evaluation?"
The Jonin opened his mouth to speak.
"If he dies on this mission, your seal is the one on this summary."
The Jonin's expression shifted.
Dan didn't scold him, but he spoke only the facts. During warti, personnel losses required accountability. If a Genin died while performing a Chunin mission, the assigning officer would be held responsible for negligence in the screening process.
It wasn't a question of whether the boy *could* do it; it was a question of whether the proper procedure had been followed.
The Jonin lowered his head, offering no excuse. Dan didn't pursue the matter further.
"Bring his personnel file."
...
Ten minutes later, Kaede's file lay open on the desk.
It was a single page.
Dan read from the top down.
Civilian orphan. Ninja Academy grades were below average. Graduated at age twelve.
Low chakra reserves, lacking in ninjutsu talent, mastered only the Three Basic Jutsu.
Instructor's evaluation: No standout traits, low combat capability, recomnded for transfer to logistics.
This kind of resu wasn't uncommon among warti reinforcents; Dan had seen countless like it.
But as he looked further down, his hand stopped turning the page.
Warti mission records.
First mission: Four-man squad, C-rank patrol. Total party wipe. Sole survivor: Kitahara Kaede.
Second mission: Four-man squad, C-rank escort. Total party wipe. Sole survivor: Kitahara Kaede.
The third instance: a four-man squad on a B-rank defense mission. They were ambushed by Sunagakure elites, and every mber was killed. Sole survivor: Kitahara Kaede.
Three missions.
Three squads.
Twelve people.
He was the only one who made it out alive.
Dan closed the file, his fingertips lingering on the paper for a few seconds. Then, he opened it again, reading more slowly this ti.
The three skirmishes had occurred in different locations, with enemy forces ranging from four to over a dozen. During that third B-rank defense mission, the combat strength of the Sunagakure elites was enough to overwhelm three or four standard Genin squads.
Among Kaede's teammates were Genin with two or three years of experience and a Chunin squad leader.
The entire squad had been wiped out. And yet, the weakest among them had survived.
Dan closed the folder without reaching a definitive conclusion. However, the na "Kitahara Kaede" had shifted from being just an insignificant replacent soldier's ID to a mark that demanded attention.
Dan reached out and placed the file in the pending tray at the corner of his desk. Then, he opened the next docunt.
User Comments
0 comments from readers