Chapter 44: E-Rank Mission — House Cleaning
Namikaze Minato stepped into the Hokage Residence, flanked by Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Tonan. Once they arrived at the Hokage's office, he respectfully asked, "Hokage-sama, do you have any missions available for us?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Tonan, who followed closely behind Minato, eyes filled with admiration and respect. With a silent nod of acknowledgment, Hiruzen turned to Minato and said, "There happens to be a somewhat troublesome E-rank mission. Take your team and treat it as a chance to get them more field experience."
"E-rank?" Minato raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Aren't D-rank missions usually the starting point for fresh genin?"
Hiruzen cleared his throat and explained, "This one's a special case. The client is from the founding generation of Konoha's civilian shinobi. He's elderly now, and his legs are paralyzed. He's asked the village for help cleaning his home."
The Third Hokage paused, then continued with a sigh, "He's only offering a 200 Ryo commission. But given his status as one of the early contributors to the village, we can't exactly turn him down."
"I see…" Minato's expression turned conflicted. With such a small payout—just 200 Ryo—it would barely cover expenses. According to standard team division, Minato would receive 50%, and Kakashi and Tonan would split the rest. A single bowl of tonkotsu ramen from Ichiraku cost 60 Ryo—this payout wouldn't even feed one of them properly.
Noticing Minato's hesitation, Hiruzen sighed again and leaned back slightly. "This mission's been on the board for days. No one wants it because the payment's too low. But if you're willing to take it, I'll classify it as a D-rank for your team's record."
Tonan, who had been silently observing, noticed the faint furrow in Hiruzen's brow. His gaze softened as he tugged lightly on Minato's sleeve and said earnestly, "Minato-sensei, let's accept the mission."
Minato glanced at Tonan's sincere expression and nodded with a warm smile. "Alright. Let's do it."
As expected, Tonan was perceptive and considerate. Hiruzen smiled approvingly and handed over the mission scroll. The three of them bowed respectfully before taking their leave.
Once outside, Minato passed the mission scroll to Tonan and said, "You probably understand the task better after hearing the briefing. You two will be the ones doing the bulk of the work."
Tonan accepted the scroll with a light smile. Just as they exited the Hokage Residence, they were greeted by an unexpected sight—Uzumaki Kushina, waist-deep inside a trash bin, with only her legs sticking out and flailing in the air.
Minato's expression twitched, but his tone remained calm. "Kushina… what are you doing?"
Clang.
Startled, Kushina lost her balance and tumbled to the ground along with the bin. Trash spilled everywhere, covering her in an avalanche of banana peels, crumpled papers, and discarded bento boxes. She leapt up in a panic, brushing garbage off herself frantically. "I-It's nothing! Nothing at all!"
Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel, yelping, "I've got lots of stuff to do—gotta go!" and bolted down the street, leaving a trail of food wrappers fluttering in her wake.
…
In the heart of Konoha, under the cracked eaves of a decrepit old home, an elderly man with a stern, hawk-like face sat in a wheelchair, eyeing Minato and his students with suspicion.
"So, you brats are the shinobi who took the mission?" he barked gruffly.
Minato smiled and patted both Kakashi and Tonan on their shoulders. "That's right. These two will take care of your house cleaning."
The old man narrowed his eyes. "You'd better be careful. Break anything, and you'll pay for it out of your own pockets."
With that, he wheeled himself inside and shouted over his shoulder, "And don't think I'll sign off on your mission report unless this place is spotless! Just because I'm old doesn't mean you can scam me for your reward!"
Minato turned to his students. "Alright, I'll leave it to you two. Meet me on the rooftop of the Hokage Residence when you're finished."
With that, his figure blurred and vanished—Body Flicker Technique. There was no need for a jōnin to stay and supervise a cleanup job. Unlike capturing rogue ninken or chasing escaped cats, this mission carried no risk.
Kakashi and Tonan glanced at one another, then rolled up their sleeves in silent coordination. Kakashi rarely lifted a finger at home, but luckily, Tonan took the lead in organizing and guiding him through the basics.
However…
Crash!
Kakashi stared in shock as the teapot he'd just touched shattered on the floor. The handle had snapped clean off the moment he lifted it.
"You little punk! That teapot's from the Shodai Hokage's era!" The old man rolled in furiously, face red with rage.
Kakashi blinked. "I'll pay for it."
The old man paused, caught off-guard by the immediate offer. Much of his rage seemed to dissipate, replaced by a calculating glint. He pulled out a miniature abacus from his robes and clicked away on the beads. "Bought it for 20 Ryo back in the day. After all these years, with its historic value factored in… You owe me 2000 Ryo."
Kakashi nodded wordlessly, pulled his frog-shaped wallet from his gear pouch, and began counting the bills. Tonan, who was busy organizing a drawer, quickly noticed and walked over to intervene.
"Grandpa," Tonan said with a polite smile, "if you went to buy a brand-new teapot, even the fanciest model wouldn't cost more than 200 Ryo, right?"
"Hmph!" the old man snorted. "This isn't about the pot! It's about its legacy—the years, the history, the sentiment behind it!"
Kakashi tugged his hand away from Tonan and muttered, "Don't argue. I'll pay."
The old man pocketed the wad of Ryo with glee and shuffled off. "Good, good. You two can get back to it."
Tonan sighed and looked at Kakashi with a gentle smile. "Kakashi, why don't you go ahead and leave this to me? I'm more used to chores like this."
Kakashi looked down, voice quiet. "But this mission is mine too."
Tonan patted his shoulder firmly. "It's our mission. What matters is getting it done right. You going to train and getting stronger will help our team more than scrubbing this old place."
Kakashi hesitated, then slowly nodded. Without another word, he left.
The old man wheeled himself back under the eaves, but not before giving Tonan a stern look. "Hey, kid. You accepted the mission. You can't back out now. I paid good money."
Tonan gave him a bright, warm smile. "Don't worry, old man. I'll give it my all."
He turned and resumed cleaning. From the doorway, the old man watched him for a while, then gave a small grunt of approval and rolled back out into the sunshine.
Later, while dusting the bedroom, Tonan's eyes landed on a tanto hanging on the wall. Its sheath was plain, but something about it caught his eye. Stepping closer, he reached up and gently took it down, sliding the blade out halfway.
The steel gleamed with a faint blue chakra luster—this wasn't just a ceremonial dagger. It was a genuine chakra-forged weapon.
Tonan's eyes narrowed.
After a silent pause, he slid the blade back into its sheath and returned it to its place, his face unreadable.
Then, with a small, almost imperceptible smirk, he turned back to cleaning—while a faint, juvenile scheme began to unfurl in the back of his mind.