Konoha Year 33, early May.
The Fire Country's border was in chaos. The three-way conflict between the great nations had turned the Land of Rain into a wasteland. Countless families were destroyed overnight, victims of foreign shinobi battles they never asked for.
Unable to tolerate the devastation any longer, Hanzō of Amegakure made his decision. At the start of the year, he formally declared war on the Fire, Earth, and Wind Countries—the three forces he deemed responsible for plunging the Land of Rain into suffering.
At the Ninja Academy, eleven-year-old Nawaki, a fifth-year student, lit up with excitement when he heard that students from third year and above—meaning fourth and fifth years—were now allowed to graduate early.
He didn't notice the worry on his elder sister's face, nor on Orochimaru—the teacher who would soon take him as a disciple—and on Jiraiya, who stood silently beside her.
In wartime, early graduation was not a blessing.
"You can't throw students onto the battlefield! That violates Lord Tobirama's intentions!"
"This is for Konoha's survival! In wartime, we can't afford hesitation, Hiruzen!"
"Enough! I am the Hokage!"
"You'll regret this!"
In the Hokage's office, the familiar scene played out again—Shimura Danzō stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The two ANBU standing guard exchanged a silent glance.
"Close the door," Hiruzen said.
"Yes, sir." ×2
When the room quieted, Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe. Of course he understood the situation at the front. But how could he, as Hokage, send untrained children to die?
"White Fang."
"Hokage-sama."
A tall man with snow-white hair stepped into the room, wearing ANBU armor and a crimson-marked mask.
"This year's graduating class is large. Use this list and inform the Academy instructors of each student's assignment."
"Yes." Hatake Sakumo accepted the folder. But after a brief glance, he frowned.
One of the teams had… a genin listed as their supervising teacher.
That was absurd.
Sakumo wasn't yet the Hokage's Right Hand—just an ANBU captain—but he couldn't ignore it.
"Hokage-sama, there is something I would like to ask."
Hiruzen exhaled another puff of smoke. Sakumo held his breath, trying childishly to avoid the secondhand smoke.
"White Fang, did you notice something?"
"Yes." Sakumo pointed directly at the "mistake."
"Hokage-sama, this genin named Kaito… I don't recall him. And at eighteen, still a genin—clearly not a prodigy. Why assign someone like this as a team leader?"
Hiruzen chuckled softly, as if remembering something amusing.
He stood and walked to the tall office window, looking out at the village streets below.
"White Fang, if I'm not mistaken, you have never failed a mission."
"That is correct, Hokage-sama," Sakumo said, still confused. "But what does that have to do with this genin, Kaito?"
Hiruzen turned back around, confidence filling his expression.
"Because Kaito is the same as you."
"He also has a one-hundred-percent mission completion rate."
—
Second floor of the Hokage Building—Mission Assignment Room.
A black-haired youth stepped up to the counter, his cool features framed by wind-tousled bangs. In his arms, he carried a fluffy white kitten—clearly the pet of some noble household.
"Kaito, another D-rank done solo, huh? Impressive."
A chūnin in a flak vest gave him a thumbs-up.
Kaito simply nodded, waiting quietly for the noblewoman to arrive and reclaim her cat.
After two or three minutes, a lavishly dressed noble lady swept in and snatched the kitten into her arms. She thanked Kaito sincerely… then let her gaze wander across his face and build.
A rare sight indeed—a handsome young ninja.
Before leaving, she even whispered a question about whether he'd consider becoming her private guard.
"Sorry. I'm a Konoha shinobi," Kaito replied.
"What a pity."
She left, still slightly intimidated—civilian fear of shinobi never truly disappeared.
After she was gone, Kaito collected the mission reward: five thousand ryō.
Because he worked alone, without a team, his share was only two thousand.
Finding lost pets was the lowest-level assignment in Konoha. Normally, two to three genin would be sent together… but Kaito always finished them alone.
Just as he pocketed his reward, another chūnin hurried into the office holding a stack of documents. He noticed Kaito preparing to leave and called out:
"Kaito! Lucky you! The Hokage assigned you as a team instructor. If you do well, even if your strength isn't up to chūnin level, you might still get promoted!"
Kaito frowned.
The two thousand-ryō notes suddenly felt far less pleasant.
He had spent years carefully avoiding chūnin promotion.
Every exam, he intentionally performed just badly enough that even fresh graduates could beat him.
That was how he stayed a genin for so long.
In this regard, he and Might Duy were similar… except Kaito was far more diligent.
He took any D-rank he could find.
In six years, he had completed over a thousand missions.
And now they wanted him to lead a squad?
It sounded less like an honor and more like a way to push him toward the war-torn frontlines.
"Can I refuse?"
The room froze.
Every chūnin stopped sorting paperwork.
Even a jōnin squad delivering a mission report stared at him in shock.
Kaito realized he had drawn too much attention.
He quickly took the folder from the clerk and said:
"I'm kidding."
Then he turned and walked out without looking back.
The moment he left, the room erupted into laughter.
"Hahaha! Didn't think Kaito could joke!"
"He's always been a mission maniac. No way he'd turn down something that looks this challenging."
"Right! Didn't he swear after failing the chūnin exam for the sixth time that if he couldn't rely on his own ability to get promoted, he'd stay a genin forever? How could he be scared of becoming a sensei?"
Inside the Mission Room, the shinobi used lighthearted chatter to drown out the grim wartime news that arrived daily.
Meanwhile, outside the Hokage Building, Kaito kept his head low and moved quickly, returning home without attracting attention.
Once he was inside, he finally looked at the documents in his hand.
His expression darkened as he fell into deep thought.
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