The transition from "Academy Student" to "Genin" was supposed to be a momentous leap into a world of adventure. In reality, for the first month, it felt more like a transition into the world of manual labor.
D-Rank missions. The foundation of the village economy, and the bane of any aspiring warrior's existence.
Team 9 approached these tasks with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Might Duy treated weed-pulling like a S-Rank assassination mission against the flora of the Fire Country. He would attack the gardens of elderly widows with a fervor that was terrifying to behold, screaming about the "ROOTS OF YOUTH" while ripping dandelions out by the handful.
Sakumo Hatake treated the tasks with quiet, surgical precision. Whether it was painting a fence or walking the Daimyo's wife's prize-winning poodle, Sakumo did it perfectly, silently, and without a single hair out of place.
Nanami Kento treated them as logistical puzzles.
"If we divide the river trash cleanup into grid sectors," Nanami explained on Day 12, standing knee-deep in the Naka River, "and utilize the current to drift debris toward a central collection point anchored by a net, we can reduce the operational duration by forty percent."
"Or I can just kick the water really hard!" Duy suggested.
"Please do not kick the water, Duy. You will soak the client."
For four weeks, they grinded. They found lost cats (Nanami used his Ren to intimidate the cat into surrendering). They dug potatoes. They carried groceries.
It was tedious. It was repetitive. And to Nanami, it was a necessary accumulation of service hours required to unlock the next tier of clearance.
Finally, the day arrived.
They stood in the Mission Assignment Room at the Hokage Tower. Hiruzen Sarutobi—who was handling the mission desk duty while Lord Tobirama attended to classified matters—looked down at them with a benevolent smile.
"Team 9," Hiruzen said, stamping their latest report on 'Effective Moss Removal'. "Your performance metrics are... aggressive. You have completed thirty D-ranks in a month. That is a record."
"We are efficient," Nanami said simply.
"You are relentless," Kagami corrected from beside them. "Hiruzen, I believe they are ready for a C-Rank. The D-Ranks are no longer teaching them patience; they are teaching them boredom."
Hiruzen nodded. He shuffled through a stack of scrolls.
"Very well. C-Rank. No ninja combat expected, but high risk of physical danger."
He pulled out a scroll.
"Bandit extermination. A group of brigands has established a stronghold in the Northern Mountains, near the border of the Land of Rice Fields. They have been raiding caravans and terrorizing local villages. Your mission is to locate their base, neutralize the threat, and recover any stolen goods."
Duy's eyes widened. "Neutralize... that means fighting!"
"It means combat," Kagami said, his voice dropping the casual tone. "These are not ninja, but they are armed men who will kill you if you hesitate. Are you ready?"
Sakumo nodded, his hand resting on his tantō.
Duy gulped, but puffed out his chest. "I am ready!"
Nanami adjusted his collar. "Target acquired. When do we deploy?"
"One hour," Kagami ordered. "Pack light. We move fast."
The journey to the Northern Mountains took two days.
They moved through the trees, leaping from branch to branch. Kagami led the formation, with Sakumo on point, Nanami in the center, and Duy bringing up the rear.
As they neared the coordinates, the atmosphere changed. The chirping of birds ceased. The smell of pine was replaced by the faint, acrid scent of woodsmoke and unwashed bodies.
"Halt," Kagami signaled, raising a fist.
They landed silently on a high ridge overlooking a valley.
Below them, nestled against the cliff face, was the bandit camp. It was a crude fortification—wooden palisades, tents made of stolen canvas, and a central watchtower.
Nanami activated his Zetsu. His presence vanished completely. He crawled to the edge of the ridge, peering down.
"Count?" Kagami whispered.
"Twenty-two hostiles visible," Nanami reported, his eyes scanning the layout. "Three in the tower. Four patrolling the perimeter. The rest are clustered around the central fire."
"Weapons?"
"Standard steel. Swords, axes, crossbows." Nanami narrowed his eyes. He focused his Gyo—concentrating aura into his eyes to see subtle chakra signatures. "Wait. The one in the large tent. His chakra is active. It is dense."
"A rogue ninja?" Sakumo asked.
"Likely a Chunin," Nanami assessed. "Missing-nin or a mercenary. That elevates the threat level."
Kagami nodded. "Good eye. Here are the rules of engagement."
He looked at his three students.
"I am not fighting. I am here to observe and to prevent you from dying. If I have to step in, you fail the mission. You three will clear the camp. Plan your assault."
He stepped back, leaning against a tree and crossing his arms.
The three Genin looked at each other.
"I can take the front!" Duy whispered enthusiastically. "I will draw their attention with a Dynamic Entry!"
"A frontal assault is viable if we need a distraction," Sakumo agreed. "If Duy pulls the bulk of their forces to the gate, I can flank from the west and eliminate the archers in the tower."
"And the Chunin?" Duy asked.
"That is the variable," Nanami answers. "If he joins the fray immediately, Duy will be overwhelmed. We need to isolate him."
Nanami pulled out a kunai.
"Plan B," Nanami proposed. "Duy breaches the gate. Loud and fast. Make them panic. Sakumo, you take the tower. Silence the eyes. I will infiltrate the perimeter and locate the Chunin. I will engage him or trap him until you two clear the fodder."
"You want to take the Chunin alone?" Sakumo frowned. "He effectively outranks you."
"Rank is a title," Nanami said calmly. "Physics applies to everyone. If I ambush him, I have the advantage."
"Alright," Sakumo nodded. "Let's do it."
The sun dipped below the horizon. The camp lit up with torches.
"GO!"
Might Duy exploded from the underbrush.
"KONOHA SENPU!"
He didn't just kick the gate; he shattered it. The wooden doors splintered inward, sending shrapnel flying. Two bandits standing guard were launched backward, unconscious before they hit the ground.
"INTRUDERS!" a bandit screamed.
The camp erupted into chaos. Men grabbed weapons, shouting, running toward the gate where a green blur was currently dismantling their front line.
"TASTE THE FIST OF YOUTH!" Duy roared, uppercutting a man into a tent.
While the chaos unfolded at the gate, a shadow moved up the watchtower.
Sakumo Hatake moved like smoke. He scaled the wooden beams without making a sound. He vaulted over the railing.
Schwing.
His white chakra blade flashed in the moonlight.
Three quick strikes. The archers slumped over, their crossbows falling from limp hands. Sakumo didn't pause. He leaped from the tower, diving into the main melee to support Duy.
Nanami ignored the noise. He was already inside the camp, moving through the shadows of the tents.
He approached the large command tent. He could feel the chakra signature inside spiking. The Chunin was waking up.
Nanami placed a hand on the canvas.
Explosive Tag: Silent Variant.
He stuck the tag to the fabric.
Inside, he heard movement. "What the hell is going on out there?" a gruff voice shouted.
Nanami pulsed his chakra.
Thump.
The tag imploded. It didn't create a fireball; it created a localized pressure wave that shredded the back of the tent and sent the occupant tumbling out into the dirt.
The Chunin—a scarred man wearing a scratched Iwagakure headband—rolled to his feet, coughing. He held a heavy cleaver.
"Konoha brats?" the Chunin sneered, seeing Nanami standing there. "They sent kids to kill me?"
"We are efficient kids," Nanami said.
The Chunin roared, channeling Earth chakra into his skin. Earth Spear. His skin turned dark and stony.
He charged.
The cleaver came down, aiming to split Nanami in two.
Nanami didn't use a jutsu. He stepped inside the guard.
Ten.
He reinforced his left arm with aura and caught the wrist holding the cleaver.
The impact shook the ground. The Chunin's eyes widened. A kid blocked his Earth-enhanced strike with one hand?
"Strong," Nanami noted. "But slow."
Nanami drove his fist into the Chunin's stone-covered stomach.
CRACK.
The stone armor shattered. The Chunin gasped, spit flying from his mouth.
"You..." the Chunin wheezed, swinging his head for a headbutt.
Nanami ducked. He swept the Chunin's legs.
As the man fell, the Chunin's eyes darted wildly. Where is his chakra? Every shinobi, even a child, flared energy before a strike. It was the warning sign. But this boy was... empty. A void. It was like fighting a phantom.
"You have no presence," the Chunin gasped, panic setting in as he scrambled back. "Are you even human?"
"I am efficient," Nanami replied.
Nanami saw the opening. The throat.
Time seemed to slow down. This wasn't a spar. This wasn't Kagami holding back. This was a man who would kill him if he got up.
Nanami didn't hesitate. The Netero memories didn't allow for hesitation.
Target: Larynx. Force required: 400 psi.
Nanami's hand formed a knife-hand strike. He coated it in Wind Chakra—sharpening the edge.
He struck.
His hand cut through the air, through the remaining earth armor, and into the soft tissue of the neck.
It was a wet, crunching sound.
The Chunin gurgled. He clawed at his throat. Blood, dark and hot, sprayed across Nanami's face.
The man convulsed once, then went still. His eyes stared up at the moon, empty.
Nanami stood over the body. He looked at his hand. It was red.
He felt... nothing.
His heart rate was steady. His mind was clear. The kill was logged as a completed objective.
Threat neutralized, his brain reported.
But then, his stomach rebelled.
It was a violent, purely physiological reaction. His adult mind understood the necessity of war. His child body, however, had just broken a fundamental taboo of biology.
Nanami doubled over and vomited onto the grass.
He heaved, his body trying to expel the reality of what he had done. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing the blood.
"Fascinating," Nanami whispered, his voice trembling slightly even as his mind analyzed the reaction. "Cognitive dissonance. My psychology is detached, but my physiology is in shock. The Netero integration protects the ego, but not the gut."
He straightened up. He took a breath. He forced the nausea down with sheer will.
Work to do.
He turned back to the main camp.
The battle was winding down.
Duy and Sakumo stood back-to-back in the center of the clearing. Bodies lay around them.
Duy was panting heavily. His green jumpsuit was torn and stained with crimson. He held a bandit by the collar—a man whose chest was caved in.
Duy dropped the man. He looked at his hands.
"I..." Duy stammered. "He stopped moving. Why did he stop moving?"
The adrenaline was fading. The "Springtime of Youth" was crashing into the winter of reality.
Duy looked around. He saw the broken limbs. The stillness.
"URGH!"
Duy fell to his knees and vomited violently. He shook, tears streaming down his face—not tears of passion, but tears of horror.
"I killed him," Duy sobbed. "I hit him and...."
Duy wiped his mouth. He looked at the corpse. Then, slowly, he stood up.
"One," Duy choked out, bending his knees.
"Two."
He started doing squats. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the grime.
"Three... I must be stronger..."
Sakumo watched him, cleaning his blade on a bandit's shirt before sheathing it. His face was pale, but composed. "Duy?"
"Four... If I am stronger... I can protect without killing!" Duy sobbed, his legs pumping faster. "Five hundred squats of penance!"
Nanami walked over to them. He looked at Duy, exercising through the tears. He looked at Sakumo, stoic but tense.
"Report," Nanami said, his voice steady.
Sakumo looked at him. He saw the blood on Nanami's face. He saw the vomit on the grass near the command tent.
"Perimeter clear," Sakumo said. "No survivors."
Kagami Uchiha appeared from the shadows. He had watched everything.
He walked over to the three boys. He didn't smile. He didn't congratulate them.
He knelt in front of Duy, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to stop the squats.
"Duy," Kagami said gently. "That's enough."
Duy looked up, his eyes red and terrified. "Sensei... I..."
"You did your duty," Kagami said firmly. "You are a ninja of Konoha. We do not kill for sport. We kill to protect. Those men were going to kill the villagers. They were going to kill you. You chose life. Your life. Your teammates' lives."
He stood up and looked at Nanami.
"And you?" Kagami asked.
Nanami met his gaze.
"The Chunin is neutralized," Nanami reported. "Wind release strike to the trachea. Instant fatality."
"Are you okay?" Kagami asked.
"I am functional," Nanami said. "My body had a... rejection reaction. But my mind is clear."
Kagami nodded slowly. "That is good. And bad. Don't lose the feeling, Kento. If you stop feeling it, you stop being human. Vomiting is healthy. It means you understand the value of what you took."
He looked at the carnage.
"Search the tents. Secure any stolen goods. We leave in twenty minutes. I don't want to be here when the smell attracts wolves."
They moved mechanically.
They found crates of stolen silk, grain, and a small chest of ryo in the Chunin's tent. They sealed it all into scrolls.
Nanami wiped the blood off his face with a wet cloth. He changed his shirt, putting on a spare from his bag.
He looked at the dead Chunin one last time.
This is the job, Nanami thought. No more points. No more grades. Just survival.
He felt the Netero template settle. It didn't judge. It accepted. Violence was a part of nature.
They left the camp.
The walk back to Konoha was silent. There were no races. No shouting about youth.
Duy walked with his head down, deep in thought. Sakumo walked on point, alert. Nanami walked in the rear, covering their tracks.
They camped that night in the forest.
Kagami started a small fire.
"Eat," Kagami ordered, handing them ration bars.
Duy looked at the food. He shook his head. "I can't."
"Eat," Nanami said, opening his own wrapper. "Your body needs the calories to repair the muscle fibers you tore. If you don't eat, you weaken the team."
Duy looked at Nanami. He saw the cold logic in his eyes.
"Right," Duy sniffled. He took a bite. "For the team."
"For the team," Sakumo echoed.
They ate in silence.
Nanami looked into the fire.
He had taken a life. He had crossed the line. And he knew, with absolute certainty, that it was the first of many.
He touched the bone brush in his pocket.
Efficiency, he reminded himself. Make it quick. Make it clean. That is the only mercy we can offer.
He closed his eyes and began to cycle his Nen.
Ten.
The aura wrapped around him, warm and protective. A shield against the cold, and perhaps, a shield against the guilt.
"We completed the mission," Nanami whispered to the fire. "That is all that matters."