After lunch, Kakashi announced the plan for the afternoon.
"All right. Since you all now understand the importance of teamwork, this afternoon we'll be carrying out your first official mission as genin."
"We're doing a mission already?" Sakura's eyes lit up. "What rank is it? C-rank? Or even B-rank?"
In her mind, scenes of escorting important figures and chasing rogue ninja had already begun to play out.
Sasuke said nothing, but a trace of anticipation showed in his eyes as well.
Becoming a ninja, carrying out missions, earning money and reputation—those were all necessary parts of the road that would lead him to greater strength.
Naruto, on the other hand, stayed perfectly calm.
He already knew how this usually went. Rookie genin were only ever assigned boring D-rank missions at the start.
And sure enough, Kakashi lazily pulled a scroll from his pouch, opened it, and read aloud:
"Team 7's first mission is to help the villagers clean out the garbage built up in the river channel. Estimated time… hmm, three to four hours."
"What? That's it?" Sakura deflated on the spot. "It's just trash cleanup? How is that any different from volunteer labor at school?"
Sasuke also frowned slightly, clearly disappointed by such a completely unchallenging task.
"Don't underestimate D-rank missions." Kakashi rolled the scroll back up. "They're the foundation for building experience and trust. The pay may not be much, but it's enough to cover your daily expenses."
Naruto had no complaints.
Right now, what he needed most was time to get used to the system, not to throw himself straight into life-and-death combat. A D-rank mission was the perfect buffer period.
Besides, the real thing he was interested in was the system reward.
[Ding!]
[Special Mission released: Clean the River Channel.]
[Mission requirement: Work together with Team 7 to complete the D-rank mission "Clean the River Channel."]
[Mission reward: Unlock new system feature "Ninja Recruitment," +50 gold.]
[Note: This new feature will open the gate to greater power for you!]
"All right, our destination is the river on the east side of the village. Move out."
With a broad wave of his hand, Kakashi took the lead and started walking.
East Konoha, lower river channel.
Because of the rain over the past few days, a large amount of dead branches, leaves, and household trash had washed downstream and piled up around a bend in the river, giving off an awful smell.
"Ugh, it's filthy…" Sakura pinched her nose as she stared at the murky water and the mounds of garbage with a look of disgust.
Sasuke stood off to one side with his arms folded, brows drawn together, clearly having no intention of being the first one to get his hands dirty.
"All right, enough complaining. The sooner you finish, the sooner you go home."
Kakashi pulled out Icha Icha and settled beneath a clean patch of shade.
"The tools are over there. Divide them up yourselves."
Seeing Kakashi act like this was none of his business made both Sakura and Sasuke feel helpless.
After all, the task requirement was to clear away the main debris clogging the river and restore the flow of the water.
And neither of them had ever done anything remotely like this before.
One was the last surviving son of the prestigious Uchiha clan. Even if life had grown harsher after his family's destruction, he had still been raised in comfort. When had he ever done this kind of rough labor?
The other came from an ordinary civilian family, but she was still a girl doted on by her parents. They spoiled her enough as it was—how could they have ever made her do such filthy, exhausting work?
Naruto took in both of their reactions and sighed inwardly.
He already knew there was no point expecting these two young masters to volunteer on their own. If this team was going to work together, then as the one with the adult mind, he would have to push it forward.
He walked first toward the pile of tools and picked up a shovel.
Then he turned to Sasuke and said sincerely,
"Sasuke-kun, that pile of branches and tangled debris in the middle of the river is the main blockage. It's heavy, so it'll take some skill to shift it. Could I ask you to help figure out the best point to break its balance?"
(Low emotional intelligence: Sasuke, come help me do the dirtiest, hardest job.)
(High emotional intelligence: Could I ask you to help figure out the best point to break its balance?)
Sasuke's frown eased.
What Naruto said did not sound like an order.
It sounded more like a request for him to make use of his strengths.
Naruto added, "Please. Without your help, we won't be able to finish this."
"Hmph. Since you're putting it that way…"
Sasuke turned his head aside with deliberate coolness, but his body was more honest than his mouth. He walked over, picked up a shovel too, and said,
"You really are hopeless, dead last."
"Sakura-chan," Naruto said next, turning to her and pointing toward the relatively cleaner part of the riverbank, "could I ask you to use the rake and gather together all the floating bags and scraps over there?"
Sakura looked at the muddy water, the filthy trash heap, and then at the area Naruto had pointed out.
Instantly, she felt much more at ease.
"Okay. Leave it to me."
She nodded and went over to pick up the rake.
"Watch your footing," Naruto warned. "The rocks along the bank are slippery."
With that, he rolled up his pant legs and jumped first into the muddy shallows, driving the shovel hard into the branches and debris clogging the flow.
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then followed Naruto's lead with a displeased expression and jumped down as well.
The pride of the Uchiha would never allow him to lose to the so-called dead last in something as basic as physical labor.
Sakura looked at the two boys already at work—especially Sasuke, who had clearly lowered himself to do it—and suddenly felt too embarrassed to stand there doing nothing.
Suppressing her disgust at the filth, she started carefully pulling the floating trash together with the rake from the bank.
The work itself was dull and dirty, but because the tasks were clearly divided and Naruto kept adjusting the pace and directing them as needed, their efficiency improved noticeably.
Kakashi looked as though he were entirely immersed in his book, but the corner of his eye never stopped following the three of them.
Sasuke might be reluctant, but he really was cooperating.
Sakura, too, was overcoming both her daintiness and her dislike of dirt and starting to work seriously…
And Naruto's performance was without question the best of the three.
His showing in the survival exercise had already been impressive enough, but now this ability to coordinate and lead a team was pleasing Kakashi even more.
The visible eye above Kakashi's mask curved slightly.
Not bad at all. Naruto really does have the makings of a leader, he thought. Sensei… if you could see him now, you'd be proud.
Time passed amid the work.
With the three of them cooperating, the main blockage in the middle of the river was cleared away, and the piled trash was loaded into baskets and moved to the designated point on shore.
The river water gradually became much clearer and rushed onward with a lively, splashing sound.
"Haaah… looks like we're almost done." Sakura straightened up and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She was tired, but looking at the now-clear channel, she felt a small sense of accomplishment too.
Turning toward Naruto and Sasuke, who were still in the middle of the river dealing with the last bit of debris, she called out,
"Naruto! Sasuke-kun! I'll take care of the rest here, so you two should come up and rest!"
Sasuke did not stand on ceremony. He simply nodded and started trudging toward the shore with his shovel coated in mud.
Hours of standing in water and laboring like this might have been a new experience for him, but the drain on his stamina was real.
Naruto, meanwhile, was still trying to pry loose a stubborn chunk of wood jammed between two rocks with his shovel.
"Almost done. If I don't get this out, it might clog up again next time it rains."
At that moment, Sakura bent to drag up the last basket of collected floating debris. Her foot landed on a rounded stone slick with moss, and as she braced herself to pull—
"Ah!"
Her footing suddenly slipped. With a startled cry, Sakura lost her balance and tipped backward.
Splash!
She fell straight into the newly fast-moving river.
Before, the blocked channel had kept the current sluggish.
Now that the debris had been cleared, the water had regained its strength—and the force of that current was far beyond what Sakura had expected.
The freezing river water instantly flooded her nose and mouth. Choking in panic, she flailed desperately with both hands, only to be swept downstream by the current in an instant.
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