Hokage's Office
"After the Curse Mark was reinforced, has your chakra control been smooth?"
The Third Hokage asked.
Uzumaki Renka replied sincerely,
"Thank you for intervening, Hokage-sama. Without you, I'm afraid I'd never have been able to use ninjutsu at all."
"So far, chakra circulation hasn't shown any abnormalities. It's just that when I overuse chakra, the Curse Mark shows faint signs of agitation."
With his pipe held between his lips, the Third Hokage studied the scroll in his hand with a serious expression. After a while, he set it down and nodded.
"That's good. First, congratulations on graduating from the Ninja Academy. From this moment on, you are a shinobi. The village's safety will be entrusted to you."
"Heh, thank you, Hokage-sama," Renka said with a smile.
"May I ask which jōnin will be my instructor?"
The half-year of intensive self-training was over. What he needed now was to quickly convert his strength into real combat power.
This world was far too dangerous. He needed a clear understanding of his own position so he wouldn't place himself in mortal danger—and under those circumstances, having a teacher was the safest choice.
As far as he knew, upon becoming a genin, a jōnin was usually assigned to lead a three-man cell—both to protect their lives and to temper them through real missions.
The Third Hokage removed his pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and tapped the desk lightly.
"There aren't many students your age who've just graduated from the Academy. Most jōnin in the village already have their own teams…"
"How about this—I have a list of jōnin currently in the village, along with their addresses. You can go ask whether any of them are willing to take you into their squad."
Renka was momentarily speechless.
At his age, graduating really was an awkward position.
Normally, someone his age would already be at least a chūnin, if not a jōnin. Because he enrolled late and graduated quickly, he ended up in a strange gap where no jōnin had room for him.
After thinking it over, he nodded.
"That could work. But what if none of them agree? I can't just not go on missions forever."
The Third Hokage smiled.
"I hear you have some connection with Anko. If no one is willing, once Anko returns from her assignment, you can join her team. In the meantime, I'll allow you to carry out solo missions."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I have no further questions."
"I've also heard you've been training taijutsu outside the village every day these past few months," the Third Hokage added gently.
"Remember to balance work and rest. Don't overstrain your body."
Renka didn't know whether the Third Hokage had noticed something. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
Suppressing his unease, he answered calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Hokage-sama. Renka understands. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Mm. Go."
—
Thank goodness my nerves are solid… otherwise he might've seen through me.
After leaving the office, Renka slowly exhaled the tension he'd been holding in. He realized his forehead was damp with sweat, the warm breeze cooling it slightly.
"In the end, it's still a lack of confidence—my foundation isn't strong enough yet."
He looked up at the vast blue sky, dotted with drifting clouds. The noise of the bustling village filled his ears—voices, birds, dogs.
Renka's gaze hardened.
"This world is dangerous… but it's also incredible."
"I'm going to survive in this world."
Once he had his resolve, Renka acted immediately. He'd always been decisive.
With the list the Third Hokage gave him in hand, he went from door to door.
...
One Hour Later
"…Damn it! Just how unwanted am I?"
"None of them want to teach me! At this rate, when am I ever going to learn higher-level ninjutsu?!"
Standing outside the home of the final jōnin on the list, listening to the dull sound of the door shutting, Renka had about ten thousand curses he wanted to unleash.
After a moment's thought, he turned back toward the Hokage's office.
---
Hokage's Office
"Hmm? Didn't you just leave?"
The Third Hokage looked up in mild confusion as Renka hurried back in.
"Did you run into trouble?"
Scratching his nose awkwardly, Renka said,
"Well… Hokage-sama, do you happen to have any extra jōnin candidates? This list doesn't seem to be working."
The Third Hokage's expression darkened slightly.
"What do you think jōnin are—cabbages you can pick off a shelf? The village only has so many."
"…Forget it. You've just become a genin anyway—dangerous missions aren't for you yet."
He handed over a stack of documents.
"These are some D-rank missions. Practice with these until the other jōnin return."
"Hokage-sama," Renka said hesitantly as he read the contents, "Isn't this mission a little… simple?"
Assist a noblewoman in recovering her lost orange cat.
The Third Hokage smiled faintly.
"Try it, and you'll see."
A cat-finding mission? What kind of trouble could that possibly have?
I don't believe for a second that even this could go wrong.
That kid should be free anyway… Haven't seen him in half a year. Might as well bring him along.
---
Renka left the Hokage's office and headed toward the river. As expected, he spotted a familiar small figure on the grass nearby.
"Yo, Naruto. Busy?"
"Help me out with something."
Renka waved from a distance.
"Renka-unc—uh, big brother!" Naruto corrected himself awkwardly.
"Long time no see! Did you go on a mission?"
The gloom vanished from Naruto's face as he ran over, chattering excitedly.
Renka rubbed his head with a smile.
"I just graduated from the Academy yesterday. I'm not qualified to go on missions yet."
"Huh? You're that old and only just graduated?" Naruto looked disappointed.
"I'll definitely graduate earlier than you!"
"You little brat—asking for another forehead flick?"
Renka knocked him lightly, then continued,
"You look bored. I picked up a mission—inside the village. Come with me. How about it? Interested?"
Naruto had been feeling lonely. Renka felt close and familiar—he'd spoken up for him before, treated him to ramen, and gave him the feeling of having an older brother.
So Naruto didn't hesitate.
"Since you begged me, I, the great Uzumaki Naruto, will help you out!"
"I was planning to treat you to ramen," Renka said with a grin.
"But since you're being so generous, insisting on paying now would make me look stingy—so I won't treat."
Naruto froze.
"If you want to treat me, just do it… don't worry about my feelings."
"You're right," Renka said.
Naruto's face lit up—only for Renka to finish calmly, "So I won't treat."
Naruto's face immediately fell.
"You're an adult—how can you be this petty?!"
"Hahahaha…"
---
At Forest Outside Konoha...
An orange cat lay lazily in the shade beneath a tree.
Perhaps the wind was too noisy today. Before long, the cat rose and padded quietly toward a more sheltered spot.
Suddenly, its furry ears twitched.
It heard something.
Its pace quickened, and in a few swift bounds, it darted deep into the forest.
"Quick! Don't let it get away!"
Behind it, a large and a small figure abandoned all pretense of stealth and gave chase.
It ran—they chased.
It had nowhere to escape.
Renka and Naruto turned the treetops into a parkour course, forcing the orange cat to leap wildly up and down. Leaves flew everywhere as the two gave relentless pursuit.
At last, they burst into an open area.
A river flowed gently, mist curling through the air. With no trees or bushes left to hide in, the cat was exposed.
Renka moved like a galloping horse.
With his left hand, he seized the cat by the scruff of its neck—capturing its fate in one clean motion.
"Run! Go on, run again!"
"Didn't I catch you in the end?!"
Renka laughed smugly, flicking the cat's forehead with his finger. Watching it struggle helplessly, he finally felt his pent-up frustration drain away.
"Meow—!"
To catch this cat, he'd dragged Naruto all over the village—dumpsters, rooftops, even the sewers. They'd finally found it under a crooked tree, chased it halfway through the forest, and nearly lost it more than once.
Only now did Renka understand what the Third Hokage had meant.
If cat-finding counted as information gathering… he was honestly worse at it than a kid who was good at tracking people.
"Renka b-big brother… did you get it…?"
Naruto staggered up, panting heavily.
"I'm exhausted! Next time, I'm never doing a mission like this again—you have to treat me to ramen!"
After catching his breath, Naruto took the cat from Renka's hands.
"So it was you making me run all over the place? Let's see you escape now! Hahaha!"
"Meow!"
Apparently, the cat knew who it couldn't afford to offend.
If it couldn't mess with Renka, then it would take it out on the smaller one.
It immediately launched into a flurry of claws.
"Ow! You bastard—I'll fight you!"
A moment later—
"Ahh—Renka big brother, help me…!"