After the three of them finished their self-introductions, Kimoto Tōichi smiled and said,
"Alright, that's enough for today. Tomorrow morning, meet me here again. I'll be taking you to accept your first mission."
Without giving them any chance to respond, he vanished on the spot.
Yamada Jumoku and Motonoya Toko were both stunned.
They stared blankly at the now-empty spot where their teacher had been just seconds ago.
Yoruha sighed helplessly and shook his head.
"Looks like our teacher's not exactly the reliable type either."
"Anyway, Yamada, Toku — see you both tomorrow."
Since Tōichi had left, Yoruha saw no reason to linger.
But just as he was about to walk off, Yamada Jumoku called out to him.
"Hey, Yoruha, wait up! Today's our graduation day — and our first day as a team! Shouldn't we celebrate a little?"
Before Yoruha could answer, Motonoya Toko quickly chimed in,
"Yeah! Let's go eat some grilled meat. My treat, how about it?"
"Yoruha, we don't really know you that well yet," Toko added with a smile, blinking her beautiful eyes at him.
That look alone made it hard for Yoruha to refuse.
"Uh… well, if you insist, Toko. I'll trouble you this once."
He had already guessed she came from a wealthy family, but still felt a little awkward letting her pay.
After all, in Konoha, a proper barbecue meal wasn't cheap — not like a bowl of ramen.
Yamada Jumoku laughed.
"Don't worry about it, Yoruha. Toko's father is one of Konoha's richest men. Her monthly allowance is equal to the reward from a B-rank mission!"
"Jumoku, if you keep saying stuff like that, you're paying for yourself," Toko said coldly.
Apparently, she hated people talking about her wealth.
Yamada laughed nervously.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop. So, Yoruha — what do you say? Want to go?"
Yoruha was a little surprised to hear how rich Toko really was.
He had guessed she was well-off, but not that well-off.
A single B-rank mission paid anywhere from eighty thousand to two hundred thousand ryō.
Even taking the lowest amount, eighty thousand, her monthly allowance was enough to buy over a thousand bowls of Ichiraku Ramen.
Yoruha's own monthly living expenses were only about five thousand ryō —
and even that was enough for a comfortable life.
Toko's pocket money alone was at least sixteen times his entire budget.
Yoruha twitched the corner of his mouth and thought,
"The wealth gap really is terrifying."
Still, since someone was offering him barbecue, he wasn't about to say no.
"Sure," he said with a small smile. "Let's go."
They went to Konoha's most famous barbecue restaurant — a place where ninjas often gathered to eat and relax.
Just as they walked in, a familiar voice called out,
"Yoruha! Over here!"
Yoruha turned toward the sound —
it was Ino and her team.
He glanced at Toko, as if to ask what she wanted to do.
Toko smiled.
"Looks like you and Ino are pretty close, huh?"
Yoruha replied casually,
"Met her only today, actually."
He didn't understand why Toko was asking that,
but Yamada Jumoku, standing beside them, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"Don't tell me… Toko's jealous?"
Yoruha didn't know her well enough to notice, but Jumoku did — Toko was gentle, yes, but she also had a sharp tongue and a temper hidden behind her calm smile.
When she heard Yoruha's answer, Toko smiled sweetly.
"Then let's sit with them."
Yoruha didn't think much of it,
but Jumoku was starting to sense trouble.
I just hope this barbecue doesn't end in chaos… he thought helplessly. Though that might be too much to ask.
The three joined Ino's table.
Sure enough, Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji, and their instructor Asuma were all there.
When Yoruha sat down next to Ino, Toko immediately slipped into the seat between them.
She smiled politely.
"Ino, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you here."
Ino glanced at Toko. The two actually had a decent relationship.
Back in the Academy, Toko had been one of the few girls who wasn't obsessed with Sasuke, so Ino had never viewed her as a rival.
And since Toko's family was one of the wealthiest in Konoha, the two had always gotten along well enough.
Still, today Ino felt that something about Toko was… different.
Shikamaru and Jumoku noticed it too.
Yoruha sat beside Jumoku, while Shikamaru made introductions.
"Yoruha, this is our teacher — Sarutobi Asuma."
Yoruha, Jumoku, and Toko all stood up immediately.
"Hello, Asuma-sensei."
They all knew who he was.
Even without the title of "Third Hokage's son," a Jōnin Elite was someone deserving of utmost respect.
Elite Jōnin were among the strongest in any village — in smaller villages, such a ninja could easily qualify as a Kage-level leader.
Even in Konoha, there weren't many of them.
Seeing the three of them being so respectful, Asuma waved his hand quickly.
"No need to be so formal. Sit down, relax."
After they did, Asuma looked helplessly at his own team.
"See, kids? Look how polite your classmates are. You could learn a thing or two."
But Shikamaru's team barely reacted.
All three came from powerful ninja clans — the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka families — so while they respected Asuma, they weren't overly deferential.
After all, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio's lineage was no weaker than the Sarutobi clan.
Ino ignored Asuma completely, her eyes fixed on Yoruha.
"Yoruha, how did your team finish so quickly? Didn't your teacher test you?"
Her leaning past Toko to talk made Toko visibly annoyed, though she didn't show it.
Everyone turned their eyes to Yoruha, curious.
After all, even though they'd graduated and become genin, each team still had to pass their instructor's field test — and if they failed, the teacher could send them straight back to the Academy.
Yoruha explained simply,
"Our teacher's test was pretty straightforward, so it didn't take long."
But before he could say more, Yamada Jumoku jumped in,
"That's not true! Our teacher's test was terrifying — Toko and I almost died!"
Just remembering it made him shiver.
It had been that horrifying — at one point he'd genuinely thought he was going to die.
His words piqued everyone's curiosity.
Asuma frowned slightly.
"Who's your instructor, exactly?"
He had gone into the classrooms before Tōichi had arrived, so the two had never met.
"Teacher Kimoto Tōichi," Jumu replied.
Asuma blinked in surprise, frowning.
He couldn't recall ever hearing of a Jōnin in Konoha by that name.
"Kimoto Tōichi? I don't remember anyone like that among Konoha's ninja…"
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Advance chapters at Ko-Fi (currently at Chapter 100)
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27