The next morning, Karma stood outside Hashirama-sensei's office with a mission scroll in his hands.
He looked at it again.
Then at Hashirama.
"C-rank?"
Hashirama smiled.
"Yes."
Karma's eyes immediately brightened.
"Finally."
Hashirama laughed.
"I knew you'd be happy."
Karma opened the scroll.
"Investigate reports of missing travelers along the eastern forest route. Locate them if possible and deal with any criminals responsible."
He nodded.
"Sounds simple."
"It should be."
Karma looked at him.
"Should?"
Hashirama shrugged.
"Most C-rank missions are straightforward. But you're going to learn something important."
"What?"
"Not every mission is solved by fighting."
Karma sighed.
"I know."
Hashirama smiled.
"Good."
He pointed toward the doorway.
"Ren is waiting for you."
Karma turned.
Ren Kurama stood outside, arms crossed.
"Ready?"
Karma nodded.
"Let's go."
As they left the village, Karma glanced at Ren.
"So what's your specialty besides genjutsu?"
"Tracking."
Karma's eyes sharpened.
"Tracking?"
"Among other things."
"I thought you were mainly a genjutsu specialist."
"I am."
Ren smiled.
"But being a shinobi means knowing more than one thing."
Karma nodded.
That made sense.
The eastern forest route wasn't particularly dangerous.
Several travelers had disappeared over the previous two weeks.
No bodies.
No ransom demands.
No obvious signs of combat.
The mission was considered C-rank because there was no evidence of enemy shinobi.
They reached the forest before midday.
Ren stopped.
"Start here."
Karma looked around.
"What am I looking for?"
"Tracks."
Karma crouched.
He immediately noticed footprints.
Several people had passed through the area.
Karma followed them with his eyes.
"Three people."
Ren didn't answer.
Karma looked up.
"What?"
"Keep looking."
Karma frowned.
He examined the ground again.
"There are more."
"How many?"
"Six."
Ren nodded.
"Good."
Karma stood.
"They went east."
Ren pointed toward the trees.
"Show me."
Karma followed the trail.
Footprints.
Broken branches.
Disturbed leaves.
It was obvious.
Too obvious.
Karma stopped.
"This feels wrong."
Ren smiled.
"Why?"
"Everything is too easy to follow."
"Good."
Karma looked around.
Ren walked past him.
"Don't look at the footprints."
Karma blinked.
"Why?"
"Because someone wants you to."
Karma's expression changed.
He looked at the surrounding forest instead.
Ren continued.
"Real tracking isn't about finding a trail."
He pointed toward the footprints.
"Anyone can follow those."
Then he pointed toward the vegetation around them.
"The question is whether the trail is real."
Karma crouched again.
Ren continued.
"Look at the grass."
Karma examined it.
"Some of it's bent."
"Some?"
Karma looked closer.
He noticed something.
"The footprints are fresh."
"Yes."
"But the grass around them isn't."
Ren nodded.
"Exactly."
Karma stood.
"Someone made these tracks after the grass had already recovered."
"Probably."
"So they're fake."
"Likely."
Karma smiled.
"Why create a false trail?"
"To make people follow it."
Karma nodded.
"That's annoying."
Ren laughed.
"Welcome to tracking."
They moved away from the false trail.
Ren slowed down.
"Now find the real one."
Karma began searching.
He looked at the soil.
The vegetation.
Broken twigs.
Leaves.
Nothing.
He moved farther.
Then stopped.
There.
A small branch had been broken.
But unlike the others, it had been broken recently.
Karma touched it.
"Someone came through here."
Ren nodded.
"Why?"
"The break is fresh."
"Anything else?"
Karma looked down.
A faint mark was visible in the dirt.
"Someone dragged something."
Ren crouched.
"Good."
They followed the subtle signs.
Not footprints.
Not an obvious trail.
Small inconsistencies.
A crushed leaf.
A broken branch.
A patch of disturbed soil.
A stone moved slightly from its original position.
Karma's eyes gradually sharpened.
'This is completely different.'
He had always relied on his extraordinary perception.
He could see things other people missed.
But Ren was teaching him something else.
How to determine which things mattered.
After another hour, they reached a small clearing.
Ren raised his hand.
Karma stopped.
"Someone was here."
Ren nodded.
"How many?"
Karma looked around.
"Two."
"Three."
Karma frowned.
He examined the clearing again.
Then noticed a faint depression near the edge.
"Four."
Ren smiled.
"Good."
Karma looked at him.
"How did you know?"
"Different weight distribution."
Karma looked toward the ground.
"You're reading the soil."
"And the vegetation."
"And the direction they approached from."
"Exactly."
Karma smiled.
"I want to learn this properly."
Ren nodded.
"Then stop trying to see everything."
Karma frowned.
"What?"
"You're good at noticing things."
Ren pointed toward the clearing.
"But that can become a weakness."
Karma listened.
"You see ten details at once. That's useful."
Ren crouched.
"But a shinobi needs to know which one matters."
Karma looked at the clearing again.
He understood.
Seeing everything wasn't enough.
He needed to understand what the enemy wanted him to see.
They continued deeper into the forest.
Eventually, they found another trail.
This one looked real.
Ren stopped Karma.
"Before you follow it, tell me what you think."
Karma examined it.
"Three people."
"Why?"
"The footprints are uneven."
He pointed toward the soil.
"One person is heavier."
Ren nodded.
"Good."
"Someone is carrying something."
"Why?"
"The person's stride is shorter."
Ren smiled.
"Good."
Karma continued.
"They're moving toward the river."
Ren nodded.
"Let's see if you're right."
They followed the trail.
After nearly an hour, they reached the river.
Karma stopped.
The trail disappeared.
He frowned.
"They crossed."
Ren nodded.
"How do you know?"
"Water."
Karma examined the opposite bank.
Then shook his head.
"No."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
Karma pointed upstream.
"They didn't cross here."
"Why?"
"The water would have washed away the tracks on the opposite bank."
Ren smiled.
"Good."
Karma looked farther upstream.
There.
A small piece of torn cloth caught on a branch.
"They crossed there."
Ren nodded.
This time, Karma smiled.
"I got it."
"You did."
They crossed the river.
Not long afterward, they found an old abandoned cabin.
Smoke rose faintly from behind it.
Ren gestured for Karma to stay low.
Karma nodded.
They approached carefully.
Inside the cabin were four men.
And three missing travelers.
The travelers were alive.
Tired.
Bound.
One of the criminals stood near the door.
Karma looked at Ren.
Ren nodded.
Karma moved.
A burst of Lightning Release carried him forward.
His sword struck the man's wrist.
The weapon fell.
Ren moved simultaneously.
His genjutsu caught another attacker before he could react.
The remaining two reached for their weapons.
Karma's Shadow Clones appeared around them.
Within seconds, the criminals were restrained.
The fight had barely lasted.
Karma looked at the prisoners.
They weren't shinobi.
Just criminals.
He walked toward the captured travelers and cut their bindings.
"You're safe."
One of the men nodded weakly.
"Thank you."
Karma looked around the cabin.
There were several bags.
Food.
Clothing.
Personal belongings.
Things taken from previous victims.
His expression darkened.
"How many people have you done this to?"
One of the criminals remained silent.
Karma looked at him.
"How many?"
The man laughed.
"Why does it matter?"
Karma's eyes became cold.
"Because I'm asking."
The man looked away.
Ren stepped between them.
"We'll deal with them when we return."
Karma stared at the man for another moment.
Then turned away.
The mission was complete.
The criminals were captured.
The missing travelers were alive.
No serious injuries.
No difficult enemy.
Exactly what a C-rank mission was supposed to be.
But Karma had learned more today than he expected.
On the journey back, Ren walked beside him.
"So?"
Karma looked at him.
"So what?"
"What did you learn?"
Karma thought for a moment.
"That footprints lie."
Ren smiled.
"Sometimes."
"That obvious trails can be fake."
"Yes."
"That the things people don't notice can be more important than the things they do."
Ren nodded.
"And?"
Karma looked ahead.
"That being able to see something doesn't mean I understand it."
Ren smiled.
"Now you're learning."
Karma glanced at him.
"You've done this for years?"
"Yes."
"It shows."
Karma looked toward the forest behind them.
He had always believed his greatest advantage was his ability to learn almost anything.
Today had reminded him of something.
There were things that couldn't simply be copied after seeing them once.
Experience had to be earned.
And Ren had years of it.
Karma smiled.
'Good.'
'Then I'll learn that too.'