Meanwhile – Hokage Office
"Sarutobi!!!" Danzo's voice thundered through the office as he kicked the door open.
The ANBU stationed nearby merely shook their heads. They had long since grown accustomed to Danzo's unannounced entrances and knew better than to try stopping him.
"Are you going to let that kid get away with disrespecting you like that?!" Danzo's face was flushed red with fury.
"Danzo," Hiruzen replied calmly, his tone heavy with thought. "You weren't there. If you had been, you'd understand. The kid is strong. Too strong."
"Does that matter!?" Danzo roared, slamming his fist against the desk. "He lives in the Leaf Village—he should abide by its rules! Killing within the village walls cannot go unpunished!"
Danzo stared at Hiruzen before continuing.
"You're becoming soft, Hiruzen. That boy killed a fellow shinobi, and you letting him walk away doing NOTHING."
Hiruzen rose slowly from his seat, his eyes heavy but resolute. "And you're still the same—willing to throw away lives like shogi pieces if it suits your definition of order."
Danzo's single eye narrowed. "Order is what keeps this village alive. Mercy breeds weakness."
"And fear breeds rebellion," Hiruzen shot back. "We're not at war anymore, Danzo. The people look to us for guidance, not tyranny."
"He's dangerous."
"So are you," Hiruzen's expression hardened. "Danzo, I'm the Hokage. I will decide how to handle the village and its shinobi. Your concern is unnecessary."
Danzo's breath caught as his jaw tightened. "You're making a mistake. Just don't regret this decision."
With that, Danzo walked out of the office without looking back.
The ANBU also walk out and close the door, giving Hiruzen space.
***
The Next Morning
Kuro rose early, slipping into his morning routine with practiced ease. After washing up and getting dressed, he made his way to Kisara's room and gently shook her shoulder.
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
Kisara groaned, twisting under her blanket. "Just one more minute…"
Kuro smirked, already knowing how this would end. "You said that yesterday."
But Kisara didn't budge.
Shaking his head in defeat, he turned and walked out. Waking her was a battle best left for later.
As he entered the living room, Kuro paused as he looked at his parents. In Kigan's hands were a Leaf Village headband and a scroll.
"What are those?" Kuro asked, stepping closer and sitting on the edge of the couch.
"They're for you," Kigan said gruffly, tossing both the scroll and headband to him.
Kuro caught them mid-air, looking between his parents in confusion. "What?"
"The Hokage has decided to grant you Chunin status," his father replied. "That scroll—" he nodded toward it, "is your first mission. Directly from the Hokage himself."
Kuro stared at the scroll in his hands, brows narrowing slightly.
'The hell is that old man up to…' he thought, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Hiruzen didn't do anything without a reason, especially not after what he did.
He broke the seal and unrolled the scroll.
Mission Assignment:
Rank: D
Location: Land of Rivers – Southern Border Region
Objective: Patrol designated trade routes and relay any signs of enemy or rogue shinobi activity to the nearest outpost.
Duration: 5 days
Team Status: 4 Shinobi
Kuro frowned.
"A patrol mission?" he muttered. "And at the Land of Rivers?"
Kigan raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong with that?"
Kuro didn't answer right away. His fingers tightened around the scroll.
"D-rank missions don't usually involve border patrol—especially not in a region that has diplomatic ties with the Leaf Village," he said slowly. "And it's a four-man squad. Why not just send a team from the regular patrol corps?"
Kigan exhaled through his nose. "Maybe they want fresh eyes. Or maybe the old man wants to see if you can work with others."
Kuro's lips twitched in a half-smirk. "Or maybe he wants me watched."
Kokomi gave him a look. "Don't let your distrust cloud your judgment. Just do your job and come back safe."
Kuro stood, tying the headband loosely around his neck. "Tch. Fine. But if this turns out to be more than a border run…" He slung his pack over his shoulder. "I'm not playing nice."
With that, Kuro spends time with his family as his shadow soldiers periodically report back to him with news.
***
The Next Day
Kuro made his way toward the village gate just after dawn, the air still crisp and quiet. He had his headband tied loosely around his neck.
As he approached, he spotted three figures waiting. He knew it was his team as he could not see anyone else around.
Two boys and a girl.
One of the boys had a wide grin and messy brown hair. He leaned casually against the gate, twirling a kunai between his fingers without a care in the world.
The other stood with arms folded, sharp, spiky blond hair catching the early morning light. His expression was calm, but there was a cold intensity behind his eyes.
The girl, meanwhile, was pacing like a fuse about to blow. Her arms were crossed, one foot tapping rapidly against the ground, her brows knitted in pure irritation.
Kuro stopped a few feet away and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess… this is the part where I say 'I hope you're not my team' and then find out you are."
The girl whipped around, glaring at him. "You're late!"
"I'm on time," Kuro replied coolly. "You're just early."
She scoffed and muttered something under her breath.
The blonde guy gave a curt nod. "Name's Minato. This is Nawaki," he said, gesturing to the grinning one, "and the firecracker over there is Mikoto."
Nawaki waved lazily. "Yo."
Mikoto didn't bother responding.
Kuro crossed his arms, eyeing them each in turn. "Kuro. Let's just get this over with."
'Oh? So Hiruzen wanted to watch me using one of his future pawns.' Kuro thought, his gaze lingering on Minato. 'Smart move. Subtle, even. Maybe I should change the future. Let's see what Hiruzen thinks then.'
Nawaki stretched with a yawn. "Man, this is gonna be boring. Patrol missions are just walking in circles unless something tries to kill you."
'And there he goes, raising a flag.' Kuro thought, shaking his head slightly. He could almost feel the mission tipping into chaos before it even began.
Mikoto shot Nawaki a sidelong glance, her lips curling into a small, sarcastic smile. "Maybe we'll just have to make our own excitement, then. You know, like seeing how far we can push you before you break."
Nawaki chuckled, clearly unfazed by the jab. "Bring it on."
Minato glanced between them, his voice calm and neutral. "Let's focus on the mission first. After that, we can see how much we can annoy each other." He gave Kuro a sideways look, almost like he was challenging him to comment, but Kuro just shrugged, indifferent.
With that, they began walking toward the gates of the village, leaving the safety of the Hidden Leaf behind.
The land beyond the village was quiet—a patchwork of forests and rolling hills, broken only by the occasional dirt path where merchants and travelers might pass.
Kuro and the other gets to know one another along the way.
Nawaki, ever the easygoing one, was talking at length about some random anecdote from his past mission, but Kuro's attention wasn't on him. Instead, he kept his eyes on Mikoto, who seemed lost in thought. Occasionally, she would glance at him, her eyes narrowing slightly, but otherwise, she didn't seem interested in conversation.
That was until they passed a small stream.
"So, you're from the Uchiha clan, huh?" Kuro asked, breaking the silence. He hadn't expected it, but the faint hints of fire in Mikoto's sharingan-like eyes had made it clear.
Mikoto's footsteps faltered for a fraction of a second, and she shot him a sharp look. "What's it to you?"
Kuro smirked, undeterred by her biting tone. "I wasn't expecting an Uchiha on this mission. Thought you guys usually stay under the radar."
Mikoto's lips twitched, either in amusement or annoyance—it was hard to tell. "We don't all go around playing the part of the isolated clan. You might want to learn to keep an open mind."
Kuro nodded.
"Anyway," Mikoto added, a bit more quietly, "I'm here because I'm supposed to learn to be a real shinobi. But you can keep your distance, if you want."
Kuro raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry. I'm not here to get close to anyone. Just wanted to have some fun."
She gave him a brief glance before returning her attention to the road ahead.
Along the way, it was decided through a democratic vote that Minato would be the team leader, not the Kuro complained that someone else would do all the hard work.
They continued in silence, the quiet tension growing with every step. Minato, who had been walking in the lead, looked back at the pair of them. "We're almost at the border. It is too quiet."
Kuro kept his eyes focused on the horizon. "Yeah, too quiet."
As they neared the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, the silence grew even more unsettling. The air was still, the wind barely stirring the leaves of the sparse trees around them.
Minato's hand subtly moved to the kunai pouch at his side, his calm expression never faltering, but there was a sharpness in his gaze now. Nawaki, however, still seemed laid-back, whistling a tune, his eyes scanning the trees lazily.
Kuro already knew what was awaiting them. His senses were too strong for a mere shinobi to hide from him.
'Guess I need to tone down my senses. It would not be fun knowing things ahead of time, otherwise.'