Chapter 111: Peaceful Mission Days
After their celebratory meal, the three kids of Team One returned to their respective homes.
Among them, the most anxious was Murakoshi, the father of Kajiyama Ri. Aware that his son might be chosen as Ishiro's disciple, he had been waiting nervously for days. Murakoshi was already getting old. With his son's talent being only average, his highest hope had been for Ri to one day match him and reach the jōnin level in adulthood.
But now everything had changed. If Ri could become a jōnin's disciple right after graduation, and with his father's support, Murakoshi believed his son would have a great chance to surpass him.
Murakoshi hadn't taken any missions recently, staying home to wait. As soon as Ri returned, he immediately asked, "Did that gentleman take you as his disciple?"
Ri was about to share the good news anyway, so he nodded excitedly and told his father all about Ishiro's promises—then pulled out the scroll Ishiro had given him.
Unlike his son, Murakoshi understood the true value of ninjutsu. Ishiro's pricing was extremely generous. Any cheaper, and it'd basically be free. But if ninjutsu were given freely, students might not treasure it. Worse, they could become overly reliant on their teacher.
Murakoshi's wife asked about Ri's teammates and whether they needed lunch for tomorrow. Ri told them about the special dietary provisions Ishiro had prepared, and Murakoshi was deeply moved. He had climbed up with nothing but talent and determination, so he knew how precious such things were—especially for a civilian-born ninja. Ishiro's generosity showed his sincerity in teaching.
Unlike Ri's lively homecoming, Kawakita returned to an empty house. Both his parents were lower-ranked shinobi, often sent on missions without control over their schedules. He was used to being alone.
He took out the scroll with dietary materials, cooked his own dinner, and began studying the swordsmanship manual Ishiro gave him. That night, he made himself a strict daily training plan—starting the next day.
Meanwhile, Tomoe had the liveliest home of all. Besides her parents, she had a younger sister and both grandparents living with her. Knowing she'd officially become a ninja that day, they had all gathered to celebrate.
When Tomoe told them she had been chosen by a jōnin, the whole household lit up like New Year's Day. While they didn't understand the details of the ninja system, they knew the difference between a chūnin and a jōnin. To them, Tomoe had barely scraped by as a ninja—getting a jōnin teacher was a miracle.
Her younger sister, also a student at the academy, was stunned. She had heard the rumors about a jōnin coming to pick disciples—but thought it only applied to the elite class. She never imagined it would involve her "ordinary" sister. Afterward, she kept pestering Tomoe to retell everything the jōnin had said.
…
The next day, Team One officially began taking missions—starting with D-rank missions to accommodate Tomoe, the weakest among them.
D-rank missions were tasks even regular people could handle. Their first job was fruit-picking for a wealthy landowner near the village, who owned a large orchard. In the Land of Earth, fruit was a luxury item.
The landowner felt regular workers were too slow, so he posted the task to Iwagakure.
When Ishiro arrived with his three rookie students, the landowner didn't mind their youthful appearance—he was clearly used to working with ninja. He explained the rules, watched the kids pick a few fruits, then left them alone once satisfied with their methods.
As a jōnin leader, Ishiro didn't need to participate directly—just supervise and collect the reward. So once his students got started, he went to a nearby stream and continued studying how to upgrade his Water Pressure Line technique.
Though appearing immersed in his own work, Ishiro never stopped observing his students. To him, Team One was more promising than most realized.
None of the three had exceptional innate talent—Tomoe's was actually below average. But each had their own strengths. They might never become well-rounded "six-path" warriors, but with proper guidance, they could excel in their fields.
However, there was one problem that bothered Ishiro—the team dynamics.
Kawakita was quiet and reserved from years of solitude. Tomoe, though naturally talkative, felt inferior compared to her teammates and rarely spoke. Kajiyama Ri, who came from a better household, was more open—but still hesitant due to unfamiliarity.
Altogether, Team One felt a bit too quiet.
As team leader, Ishiro had to do something about it. After watching them work individually for a while, he called out:
"You're being inefficient like this. You need to learn to cooperate. Kajiyama—organize the team. Work together to get the job done faster."
Then he walked off toward the stream, leaving them to figure it out.
The three were still somewhat intimidated by Ishiro, so they followed instructions without complaint. They began discussing who would pick, who would carry, and who would sort.
That first conversation broke the ice.
Perhaps realizing Ishiro's intention, Kajiyama was the first to chat about funny incidents from the academy. Laughter followed, and the three quickly began to bond.
Watching this from a distance, Ishiro felt genuinely pleased. Kajiyama was definitely a good pick—leading his teammates into teamwork was worth praise on its own.
By the end of the day, the orchard was cleared. Thanks to their ninja stamina, the job was easy. Even Tomoe, the weakest of the three, had no problem keeping up.
Though it was a long day, none of them were truly tired. The landowner had originally planned to serve lunch—but Ishiro brought their prepared nutrient meals, which ended that idea quickly.
In the ninja world, strength came first. Right now, building a solid foundation was vital for all three students. Tomoe and Kawakita, especially, needed nutritional support for physical growth.
Kawakita's sword training required energy. Without it, he wouldn't be able to maintain his regimen. Since Ishiro had taken them in as disciples, he was not going to skimp on resources.
Back in the village, Ishiro assigned the mission report to the students and said they would take turns writing it. Kajiyama would go first.
To Ishiro's amusement, they didn't see it as a chore—but rather as a sign that he trusted them.
He smiled, remembering the days when Kitsuchi had tricked him into thinking the same thing.
That night, Ishiro returned to continue his own jutsu development. The three students also went home and trained for another 2–3 hours before bed. The next morning, they would all be up early for physical training.
And so began their peaceful routine: one D-rank mission a day.
In the calm before the storm of war, Ishiro experienced a rare period of stability and peace.
After more than ten missions, Ishiro noticed the kids were now very comfortable with each other, so he decided to take a day off and test their strength—then provide individual guidance.
First came a sparring match.
Facing three genin, Ishiro easily handled them using only taijutsu. He didn't even bother with ninjutsu or Shunshin.
It didn't take long for him to force out all their "trump cards."
When the fight ended, Ishiro looked at the three of them and sighed. Their battle techniques were… basic.
Most of their offense came from kunai and shuriken. Kawakita at least had a sword—but it wasn't refined. Kajiyama only knew Water Wall, and had zero offensive jutsu. Tomoe hadn't even fully mastered the basic Three Body Techniques.
After a short rest, Ishiro began personalized guidance.
Kajiyama was the easiest. Ishiro was a Water Style specialist, so even without teaching him new jutsu, he could help streamline his hand seals, improving efficiency.
Next was Kawakita. Ishiro took out the same wooden dummy he had used years ago to test chakra blade control. He had Kawakita perform a series of drills to better understand his own strengths. Ishiro also promised that once his fundamentals were solid, he would teach him a C-rank kenjutsu technique.
The most difficult—yet also easiest—was Tomoe.
Her foundation was too weak. It would take time just to improve her physical condition, and without that, learning jutsu would be incredibly slow.
But because her skills were so basic, anything Ishiro taught her made a big difference. Whether it was the theory behind sensory ninjutsu or refining the Three Body Techniques, Ishiro's casual pointers saved her weeks of trial and error.
From here on out, their training had truly begun.
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