Within the borders of the Land of Fire,
there was nothing particularly strange happening,
except for the presence of a ninja—nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and imposing.
He wore only a simple coat,
but even at a glance, his mere presence inspired fear,
as if one were facing a supreme ruler.
"Why so depressed? It's just one failed mission—no big deal!"
Seeing his teammates' helpless and downcast faces,
the burly man waved his hand indifferently.
He seemed to be offering comfort,
but his words only made the team captain feel even more frustrated.
The team leader didn't seem angry despite the tone.
Indeed, the leader of Aoyama Ryūun's ninja squad
was none other than Hatake Sakumo,
known throughout the shinobi world as the White Fang of Konoha.
During the Second Great Ninja War,
he made his name with the Hatake Swordsmanship,
a style that shook the entire ninja world.
Every major village even issued an order:
if you encounter the White Fang of Konoha during a mission,
you may abandon the mission—it would not be considered a failure.
Such was his reputation, surpassing even that of most other elites.
"Heh heh!"
As for Aoyama Ryūun, facing Hatake Sakumo's death glare,
he didn't look the slightest bit ashamed—in fact, he grinned cheerfully.
Hatake Sakumo felt utterly helpless.
"Before I met you, my mission completion rate was one hundred percent!"
Sakumo wasn't particularly angry,
but the rest of the squad quietly took two steps away.
"Ah, mission completion rate? Mine's zero percent! Still a ninja, aren't I?"
Aoyama Ryūun's zero-percent success rate was, in its own way, a miracle.
Of course, that also had to do with the fact
that he never accepted low-rank missions.
"Zero percent mission completion rate—perfectly fine!!!"
To think that someone so reckless could make even the famously calm Hatake Sakumo lose his composure—
no one had ever seen Sakumo this angry before.
"Can you tell me why you attacked our client this time?"
Indeed, the mission hadn't failed because it was too dangerous.
On the contrary, it was a simple C-rank escort mission.
There weren't even any bandits on the road.
And yet, the mission still failed.
"Ha!"
Hearing the question, Aoyama Ryūun looked utterly confused.
"That old man wouldn't stop yapping—couldn't I just punch him?"
"You punched him?"
With one punch, the man was gone. Calling that 'just a punch' was an understatement.
The old man they were supposed to escort had been nagging non-stop.
Hatake Sakumo and the others were used to such situations—
they simply kept silent and minded their own business.
But Aoyama Ryūun couldn't take it anymore!
"I took this simple escort mission,
and that geezer just wouldn't shut up!"
And so—with one punch—
the client ceased to exist. Naturally, the escort mission failed.
Hatake Sakumo didn't even know how to respond.
The higher-ups had assigned Aoyama Ryūun to his White Fang squad
so that Sakumo could "mentor" him.
But now, Sakumo could only think—
Please, not me. I'm not qualified for this.
"I'm a ninja, so I have to endure that kind of nonsense?"
Ryūun scratched his head lazily, looking completely unconcerned.
"Of course!"
A ninja is someone who endures what others cannot.
Sakumo was utterly speechless.
If this man couldn't even understand that much,
how did he become a ninja in the first place?
"Then why become a ninja at all?"
"Obviously—to bully people!"
"Hah?"
Aoyama Ryūun's perfectly serious answer made Hatake Sakumo's mind short-circuit.
He looked bewildered, unsure if he'd heard correctly.
It sounded like something truly outrageous.
But Ryūun went on,
"The whole point of becoming a ninja is to look intimidating!
When you're a ninja, you can eat without paying—no one dares to say a word!"
"…"
"See? Makes sense, right?"