Chapter 5 – A Sudden S-Rank Mission
No matter how exhausting the life of a shinobi may be, a shinobi remains a shinobi. Even though Hatake Fūka had just welcomed the birth of his firstborn son not long ago, the annual mission quota for the village remained mercilessly unchanged.
The same went for his wife—Yamanaka Suzune, a fellow Jōnin—and for his older son, Hatake Sakumo, who currently held the rank of Chūnin.
Still, their newborn son, Hatake Kyūjō, had brought a new kind of warmth into the Hatake household. Through his Infinity Perception system, Kyūjō could clearly feel the hectic rhythm of this ninja family's daily life—it was almost no different from corporate office life back on Earth. These three adult shinobi were constantly being shuffled from one mission to the next.
The missions varied wildly: high-tier assassinations of minor nation leaders, or mundane tasks like clearing out thugs and catching petty thieves. The latter, more often than not, were left to Sakumo—Kyūjō's older brother.
Aside from the first month following Kyūjō's birth, it was incredibly rare for the whole family to be under one roof at the same time.
Even though most of their mission earnings were appropriated by the village, none of them ever showed the slightest discontent. Not a shred of complaint. Certainly no thoughts about being exploited by the system.
Kyūjō didn't blame them. Maybe it was just the environment... or the times they lived in.
After all, the Shinobi World had only just crawled out of the blood-soaked chaos of the Warring States Era. And that era hadn't ended very long ago.
It was only by leaving the borders of Konohagakure that one could truly understand the cruelty of the world outside.
Ordinary citizens barely had enough to eat. People on the streets couldn't even afford proper clothes. That was reality in this era.
Compared to that, shinobi were undoubtedly the apex predators of society. And this family—this Hatake clan—belonged to none other than Konohagakure, the strongest village in the entire Shinobi World.
It was no surprise that they took pride in their identity as Konoha ninja.
They were willing to lay down their lives for the village without hesitation.
The kunai and shuriken they wielded would never falter in striking down anything that threatened their home.
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Kyūjō could understand that unwavering patriotism, that loyalty his adoptive family had toward the village. Still, for someone who had lived through nine years of basic education, seven years of higher studies, and six years of corporate slogging... the whole Will of Fire doctrine felt kind of shallow.
In fact, it was even less compelling than the hollow "vision statement" his former boss once peddled back in his previous life.
As for that burning, idealistic mantra?
Well... too much broth can spoil the soup.
It wasn't that Kyūjō outright rejected the Will of Fire. What he rejected were those who waved its flag, yet as the so-called "Old Leaves," had no intention of burning themselves to nourish the "New Leaves."
Why should the younger generation constantly have to burn for the sake of the old?
In truth, some of the upper echelons in Konoha didn't embody the Will of Fire at all. Or rather... their interpretation of it had long since gone astray.
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Then came that day.
Kyūjō was barely five months old when it happened—when both of his parents were assigned an S-Rank mission... simultaneously.
Such occurrences were rare. After all, Jōnin were seldom deployed in pairs.
With the exception of those in charge of Genin squads, most Jōnin operated solo.
Suzune, being a sensory-type ninja, often worked alongside members of the Ino–Shika–Chō formation. The three clans had long shared a close alliance, a bond forged during the dark days of the wars.
Their techniques complemented each other perfectly, having been passed down through generations.
In this trio, "Ino" represented the Yamanaka clan—Suzune's own bloodline.
"Shika" stood for the Nara.
And surprisingly, "Chō" symbolized the Akimichi clan—well-known for their size and strength. You'd expect them to be associated with something like a wild boar, but no—they were butterflies in this sacred formation!
— — —
So what kind of mission would call upon a husband-and-wife Jōnin team?
A secret assassination.
The assignment came directly—though quietly—from one of the village elders, a man with the surname Danzō.
Suzune would act as the sensor and scout, while Fūka served as the executioner. A deadly combo.
Their target: a rogue ninja named Ōi Kazuya, currently believed to be hiding in the Land of Lightning.
According to Danzō, Kazuya's strength was at least S-rank.
Of course, that claim came solely from Danzō. While Fūka and Suzune didn't openly question the mission, something about it felt... off.
Why had Ōi Kazuya defected?
Wasn't Konoha the number one village?
Why flee to the Land of Lightning—rumored to be so barren even birds refused to land there? Was he planning to defect to Kumogakure?
The couple had no answers. In fact, they barely knew anything about the man. Not surprising—Konoha had too many Jōnin to begin with.
This was the largest shinobi village, after all.
There were over a hundred officially ranked Jōnin, not to mention covert operatives and reserve forces from the major clans.
Without such a power base, Konoha could never have claimed the title of strongest village. Nor could it have withstood the combined strength of the other great nations.
Given all that, it was no surprise that neither Fūka nor Suzune knew Ōi Kazuya personally.
All they knew was that he wasn't from any noble clan. He was just a civilian-born ninja. And to someone like Fūka, a Jōnin who also came from a modest background, such individuals were worthy of respect.
Though the Hatake clan was small, their strength and techniques rivaled even mid-tier bloodline clans.
But even that much was almost impossible to attain for most civilian-born ninja.
If it weren't for the Second Hokage's establishment of the Ninja Academy, people like Ōi Kazuya would've never even had the chance to become shinobi.
So yes—someone like him, who had risen to Jōnin level without clan backing... was definitely someone to be respected.
But...
No matter how strong you are, betraying your village is unforgivable.
At least, that was what Hatake Fūka believed.
— — —
That same day, the very day both of his adoptive parents left for the mission, Kyūjō felt a gnawing sense of dread.
There were two reasons.
First, throughout the entirety of the Naruto series, there was no record—none whatsoever—of either Fūka or Suzune.
And yet their strength, their skills, were no joke.
Fūka, in particular, could easily be ranked among the elite Jōnin—on par with Sakumo in his early years or even comparable to early-stage Kakashi.
So how could such capable ninja vanish without a trace?
Had they retired quietly?
Unlikely. Their age didn't line up. Even by the time Kakashi was born, they'd still be in their prime.
Even if they did retire, surely they would've shown up again—at least to help raise a grandson like Kakashi?
Which left only one possibility...
They had most likely died on a critical mission.
Worse, they'd died together—on the same classified operation.
As of now, they had been gone for over a day.
Faced with this unease, Kyūjō had no other option.
He lay there silently on the rocking chair in the empty house... waiting.
Waiting in stillness.
If something really happens to them, he thought to himself, ...I'll make whoever's responsible pay.
With that vow whispered in the quiet of his heart, Hatake Kyūjō slowly drifted into sleep.
And into his dreams.
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