"Hey! You've been managing the dojo pretty well, Kirito."
Tenten didn't hold back her praise. She slapped Kirito hard on the arm. Her bold personality made her straightforward and honest with everyone.
"It's nothing special," Kirito replied calmly. "Just doing my job."
"Hey, Kirito."
At some point, Tenten had already started calling him by name, even dropping the respectful "-kun." That meant she now considered him a true friend—just like her teammates Neji and Lee.
"Do you want to come along with our team on a mission?"
"A mission?" Kirito asked curiously. "What kind of mission? And technically, I'm not even a ninja yet. I shouldn't have the authority to participate in ninja missions."
"It's a B-rank mission," Tenten said proudly. "We're heading to the Fire Country Daimyo's residence to escort the Princess of the Land of Fire. Lord Hokage personally appointed Guy-sensei to lead the mission."
Kirito frowned slightly.
"A B-rank mission? I remember those usually require at least chunin-level authorization. Would the Hokage really let genin like you participate?"
Tenten raised a finger and waved it in front of him.
"Technically that's true. Escort missions for important figures are classified as B-rank. But the actual difficulty of this mission is closer to C-rank. The escort takes place entirely within the Land of Fire, so the chances of encountering enemy ninjas are very low."
"Besides," she continued, "the princess already has a powerful escort team from the Fire Country. Our mission is mostly symbolic—diplomatic formality, and acting as guides when they come to Konoha."
Kirito nodded slowly.
He understood the situation now.
But the original problem still remained—he wasn't even a genin. Technically, he had no authority to leave the village on a ninja mission.
Tenten immediately addressed his concern.
"Don't worry. You're not joining as a ninja. The village hasn't officially recognized your participation. You'll just accompany us as a weapons master representing Konoha's No.1 Weapon Shop."
"You can consider it my personal invitation."
"I see…" Kirito replied thoughtfully.
Being smart, he quickly understood Tenten's intentions—and why she wanted him along.
"Then I think I understand. But that title of 'weapons master'… you should probably take it back."
"Being overly humble only makes people uncomfortable," Tenten said seriously while smiling at him.
"You can tell the hardness, flexibility, and composition of a weapon just by touching it. You can identify forging materials and their characteristics at a glance. And you can skillfully wield over a hundred different weapons."
"If someone capable of all that isn't called a master… then who is?"
Kirito simply shrugged.
Those abilities came from the Arsenal System. He had no intention of explaining anything related to it, so he didn't respond directly.
Tenten didn't press further.
"Kirito, I received some information," she continued. "In a noble's territory within the Land of Fire, there was an accident during the construction of a manor. The ground collapsed and revealed an ancient underground cavern."
"There are extremely rare minerals inside. I think you understand now, right?"
"Rare minerals?" Kirito murmured. "Materials necessary for forging divine weapons… So my task would be to locate and identify those ores."
The moment he finished speaking—
his eyes suddenly sharpened.
A familiar notification appeared in his mind.
Mission: Collect Extremely Rare Minerals
Mission Type: Hidden Storyline
Mission Rank: C
Reward: Attribute Points
Kirito fell silent for a moment.
Since the system had issued a mission, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Alright," he said finally. "I accept."
---
At the Konoha Village Gate, Guy-sensei, Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Kirito gathered together.
"Oh! Kirito-kun!" Lee gave a big thumbs-up.
"So you're the one Tenten invited! That's wonderful! Let's celebrate our youth together by doing 500 push-ups!"
"And about the previous mission—please allow me to express my heartfelt thanks again!"
Kirito looked a bit overwhelmed.
"Uh… it wasn't that serious. I just got lucky."
Lee's enthusiasm was a little too intense for him.
"Luck alone doesn't repel a jonin," Neji snorted coldly from the side.
Kirito simply shrugged and didn't bother explaining.
Tenten waved her hand helplessly.
"That's just how he is. Tight-lipped. Getting information out of him is harder than climbing to the heavens."
"Yes, yes. Please forgive that bad personality of mine," Kirito said with a helpless smile.
---
Standing nearby, Guy examined Kirito carefully.
Hyuga Kirito…
So this is the child from the Hyuga clan who has no Byakugan and can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu?
He's very similar to Lee back then.
Mocked as a failure. Ridiculed constantly.
Yet he still keeps such a bright and positive smile.
His mental strength might even surpass Lee's.
Guy also noticed Kirito's subtle movements.
From the tension in his muscles and the lines of his physique, it was obvious—
the boy trained intensely every single day.
A hardworking kid.
Guy suddenly recalled what the Third Hokage had told him before departure.
Observe everything about Kirito carefully.
And if possible—
test his strength.
Observation is already done…
But how should I conduct the test?
Guy rarely received personal requests from the Hokage.
The thought filled him with excitement.
He was determined to complete the task perfectly.
After all—
that was proof of his burning youth.
---
Inside the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage watched Guy's group at the village gate through a crystal ball.
His aged eyes glowed with interest as they settled on Kirito.
"Hyuga Kirito…"
"How far have you grown?"
Seated high above the village, the Hokage leaned back in his chair and took a deep puff from his pipe.
From this vantage point, it felt as if everything within Konoha was under his control.
However—
the next moment completely shattered that calm composure.
---
Inside the crystal ball—
After thinking for a moment, Guy decided to test Kirito directly.
"Kirito-kun."
"Hm?"
Hearing his name, Kirito instinctively turned around.
But Guy—
who had been standing right in front of him—
vanished without warning.
A sharp sound of wind cutting through the air echoed beside Kirito's ear.
Without even thinking—
his body reacted on pure instinct.
A faint golden flash flickered beneath his feet.
Whoosh!
Guy suddenly appeared behind Kirito.
Yet the instant he appeared—
Kirito disappeared as well.
A moment later—
Kirito reappeared more than thirty meters away.
He looked at Guy with a puzzled expression.
"Guy-sensei… what are you trying to do?"
"Ahahaha! Nothing much!" Guy laughed awkwardly.
"The Hokage gave me a secret task to test you. So I thought I'd give it a try!"
"Oh! As expected of Guy-sensei!" Lee exclaimed excitedly.
"A secret mission from the Hokage himself!"
He immediately rushed over and hugged Guy enthusiastically, completely failing to notice the strange atmosphere.
"Guy-sensei… didn't you just say it was a secret?" Tenten said with a speechless expression.
But Neji—
Neji's eyes were wide open as he stared fixedly at Kirito.
Shock surged through his mind.
That guy…
He actually dodged Guy-sensei's speed.