In the forest beneath the Kage Rock of Konoha, two small figures—one in black, one in white—were searching around.
"Shen, why are you running so fast? Couldn't we just use Byakugan to find the equipment whenever we want? Isn't it the same whether we look now or later?" asked Little Iceberg innocently. She really didn't realize all those environmental issues were just excuses.
Do you really think a six-year-old could be thinking up that many tricks?
Nonetheless, with her sharp observation skills, she still sensed something was off.
"It's for environmental protection, of course! Also, if this big piece falls down, even if it doesn't hit anyone, it might damage the flowers and grass—it would be terrible!" Declaring firmly, Shen looked positively saintly as always.
Nayou couldn't shake the feeling that something was off after hearing his explanation: "Really? But if it already fell, why come down so quickly? You had another reason for dragging me down just now, didn't you?"
Don't let Shen's calm exterior fool you—he was already panicking inside. As time passed, maintaining secrecy between friends indeed became harder and harder.
Even without such keen observation skills, anyone would feel suspicious. As he pondered whether to tell the truth, his train of thought was interrupted by a figure approaching.
"Why did Hokage Uncle arrive so fast? The environment here is already under my and Nayou's protection—you should head back to Hokage Tower and get some rest!" Saying this, Shen immediately grabbed the still-confused Little Iceberg before waiting for the other's response.
"... ..."
Left standing there like a lost leaf in the wind, the Third Hokage felt utterly bewildered. Now he finally understood why Clan Head Kazushi often shouted through the village yelling "That rotten brat!" while chasing some troublemaker.
"Poor Clan Head Kazushi—what a rough few years he's had."
Feeling empathetic, he sighed then chased toward the direction they left. If someone's so-called "old man" saw this scene right now, he'd be howling with laughter over finally finding a fellow eccentric.
The two small figures swiftly weaving through the woods below the Kage Rock stopped beside a large tree.
"That Nayou, actually—"
Before Shen could awkwardly explain (or make up) the situation, the truth was revealed first by the other party.
"I know, Shen. You must be hiding from Hokage Uncle, right? But why hide from him? He seems like such a nice person."
Nayou had uncovered part of the truth. Yet with her persistent personality, she wouldn't give up so easily.
"Cough... I'll tell, I'll tell!"
Trapped under her stubborn glare, Shen knew this time he couldn't dodge it. He recognized that determined stare all too well—it was exactly how the girl looked every day before becoming his friend.
"The Third Hokage came here specifically to confront us. He probably found out I accidentally left the Mission Document at the Mission Center. Just think—we've completed nothing but catching cats and dogs or sowing seeds in fields for over half a year! These tasks are not worthy of our Team One's reputation at all!"
As his voice grew more animated, Shen skillfully shifted the blame, leaving Nayou even more bewildered than before.
"So why exactly are we running?" Little Iceberg still felt confused, unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Shen started calling a deer a horse: "Nayou, think carefully. If we get caught by the Third Hokage this time and locked in a dark cell, what would happen? I'm just expressing Team One's demand for higher-level missions. Look, carving records on the Hokage Rock of Konoha is actually a B-rank mission!"
"Hmm? What you said sounds reasonable, but why does it feel a bit strange? Maybe I'm overthinking," Nayou, being led in circles by Shen's reasoning, began slightly believing this explanation.
Shen immediately turned up the pressure: "Exactly! Look how bad Hokage Uncle is. He won't give us high-level missions and tries to stop our demands. He's really a very bad guy. Nayou, don't let him fool you."
"Nayou, don't let this old man fool you. This brat almost convinced me with his nonsense!" The Third Hokage jumped down from the tree, quickly interrupting someone's manipulation.
The headache monster who had heard nearly every word of their conversation couldn't tolerate this any longer. Feeling exactly like Kazushi did, he even called the troublemaker a "brat," clearly showing how dissatisfied he was with that person's remarks.
"It's Hokage Uncle! Why are you acting just like my father now and calling me that?" Shen, who had been wearing the expression of a pyramid scheme expert a moment ago, immediately broke into a grin.
"Iceberg..."
Little Iceberg watched his act helplessly. After being reminded by the Third Hokage's words earlier, she already understood what was going on.
It turned out that the mischievous Uchiha genius found low-level missions unbearably boring and used the excuse of a B-rank mission to stir things up in the village.
She was one thousand percent certain of her conclusion, given the Uchiha genius's track record of misconduct.
Like when rebuilding something became troublesome, he just destroyed everything and started over; or when he didn't want to go to school, he set it on fire; normally saying he wanted to carve records when he was in a good mood and also wanting to carve records when he was in a bad mood.
Having lived through all those incidents firsthand, Little Iceberg wasn't fooled—what he just said was just a more sophisticated way to shift the blame.
However, the Third Hokage wasn't about to let Shen off easily with a smile: "You brat, I heard every word you just said. Refusing to assign your team high-level missions is meant to improve your teamwork cohesion. And do I look like the kind of bad guy you described?"
"Hehe, forgive and forget! Surely the Hokage Uncle isn't such a petty person!" Shen replied confidently.
The Third Hokage inwardly exclaimed that the other party was indeed a mastermind, no wonder Kazushi—who usually spoke ambiguously—couldn't handle him.
He realized that his own silver tongue must have been forced into existence by this stinky kid. No wonder the usually serious Uchiha clan head had become such a smooth talker recently.
Having made up his mind internally, he began setting a trap: "Of course, I am the Hokage after all. How could I possibly hold a grudge against a little child?"
When Shen saw the other side wasn't pursuing the matter further, he indeed took the bait: "See? Hooray for Hokage Uncle!"
With a friendly expression, the Third Hokage cast out his bait: "Then, would Shen and Nayou like to take on an S-rank mission?"
"Great! Hokage Uncle!"
Nayou excitedly raised her hand in support.
"I-"
"You've got nothing to think about, Shen! Didn't you say searching for lost cats and dogs on D-rank missions was boring? Now there's an important S-rank mission waiting for us. Third Hokage, we accept!"
Before Shen could voice his thoughts, the enthusiastic Little Iceberg had already accepted the mission.
"Snake Uncle and Nawaki haven't agreed yet. Nayou, we're a team. Remember, S-rank missions..."
Nayou went ice-cold in an instant. "So you don't want to take this mission then."
What choice did he have with Little Iceberg glaring at him like that?
Seeing his goal achieved, Third Hokage smiled happily. "I'll talk properly with Orochimaru and Nawaki. How about this? We'll start the mission on Monday?"
Nayou nodded enthusiastically, her excitement a stark contrast to Shen's sour mood.
Shen didn't need to think twice to know this rotten S-rank mission definitely had pitfalls. Only Little Iceberg, who was obsessed with getting stronger, couldn't see the hidden tricks behind it all. Was there even a way out for him now?
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