"I'm sorry… it's my fault you got dragged into this. Don't worry, it won't happen again."
Natsume Yō spoke gently, comforting Wada Chiba, but inside his heart was ice-cold.
Uchiha Yūsuke… you dared to lay a hand on my woman. Do you have a death wish?
So that's why you suddenly knew where I was that day… you squeezed it out of Chiba. Fine. I'll make sure you pay the price for that.
That very night, Uchiha Yūsuke finally learned what it meant to be afraid of Natsume Yō. The ruthlessness he showed went far beyond anything Yūsuke had imagined.
From then on, Wada Chiba noticed something strange. The once-arrogant Yūsuke now shrank back whenever he saw her. To say he tucked his tail between his legs wouldn't even be exaggerating.
Chiba, of course, knew the reason—and couldn't help feeling a little proud. That's my man. Always dependable. Always fierce.
—
When his short vacation ended, Natsume Yō showed up at ANBU headquarters early. Before a surprised Shiyō, he requested two elite B-rank missions.
"Tenshin, are you certain? These are B-rank missions. With your current strength, the risk is far beyond what you can handle." Shiyō's tone was heavy with concern.
Yō's display in Sunagakure had impressed him deeply; he'd grown fond of this rare talent. But in Shiyō's eyes, Yō still lacked the experience to face the cunning, treacherous targets behind B-rank jobs. He feared that a single mistake would waste a budding genius.
"Relax, Captain. I wouldn't take the mission if I didn't believe I could finish it."
Yō's voice was calm, steady. After Sunagakure, his strength had risen sharply. He needed to know just how far he could go now. And with the absorbed memories of an elite chūnin, experience was the last thing he lacked.
"…Fine. Do as you wish. But remember—the punishment for forcing a mission and failing it is severe. Don't come crying when the hammer falls."
Shiyō's cold glance lingered, unclear whether it was a warning or a reminder.
"I know. That's why—even if I lose an arm or a leg, even if it costs me my life—I'll still see the mission through."
Yō met his captain's gaze head-on, his words brimming with unshakable resolve. Success or death—nothing in between.
"Reckless fool…"
A dog-masked ANBU muttered with a shake of his head. To him, Yō was just another arrogant rookie.
"Let him suffer. Youngsters who leap too far, too fast, always crash the hardest."
"Think a few B-rank runs with a squad makes you ready to solo one? Idiot."
"I'd love to see him crawl back crying, punished and humiliated."
"Hah… that'll be a show worth watching."
"If he actually pulls it off, pigs will climb trees and the sun will rise in the west."
Contempt, scorn, ridicule—it all came pouring down on Natsume Yō. Not one of them believed he could succeed.
And maybe they had reason: he'd been in ANBU less than a month, completed only a handful of missions. Now he dared to take elite B-ranks alone? Impossible.
After all, if Yō really did pull it off… it would slap every single one of their faces. Veterans who had clawed for years just to reach this level, only for a newcomer to crush it in weeks.
No one wanted to see that day come.