章 68: Mission

The aroma of freshly reheated breakfast filled the kitchen.

Kushina, with cheeks flushed with excitement, could barely contain her enthusiasm as she devoured her food.

"Mikoto, you won't believe it!" she exclaimed between bites. "I have a Kekkei Genkai!"

"Really? What kind of Kekkei Genkai?" Mikoto, who was watching them with exasperation, raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Before Kushina could respond, Chen quickly intervened. "Kushina, if you don't want our house to end up like that mountain, maybe you should wait for the demonstration."

Kushina pouted but nodded. "I know, I have a sense of measure," she assured, although the gleam in her eyes suggested otherwise.

Standing up, Kushina extended her hand, and before Mikoto's astonished eyes, her arm transformed into a torrent of burning lava.

WHOOSH!

The air in the room instantly became stifling. The wooden furniture began to smoke, and within seconds, the sofa and chairs burst into flames.

"Kushina, stop!" Chen shouted, jumping from his chair. "The sofa is burning!"

Kushina, with eyes wide open in surprise and regret, quickly retracted her elementalization.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, joining Chen and Mikoto in their frantic race to extinguish the flames.

Minutes later, with the fire under control but the living room in ruins, Chen looked around with teary eyes. "Well, I guess we'll have to tear down the house and rebuild it,"

Kicking beside Chen, Kushina looked like a scolded puppy. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled, her eyes fixed on the burnt floor.

"Our family's money doesn't seem to be enough for a complete reconstruction," Mikoto, as the family's money manager, was making calculations.

Chen sighed dramatically. "Ah, if only I had the Mokuton. We could have a new mansion in minutes."

"What if... we take some missions?" Kushina timidly suggested, eager to remedy her mistake.

Chen nodded, a smile slowly forming on his lips. "You know, that's not a bad idea. In fact..." his smile turned mischievous, "how about we look for a mission involving some rich man?"

Since he couldn't go to support, as Tsunade had left.

Mikoto narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "Chen, what are you plotting?"

Shrugging, he told them both. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about... redistributing some wealth. You know, stealing from the rich to help the poor... us, in this case."

Anyway, he's not a good person and has no burden in doing that kind of thing.

If you have strength and still don't have money. What are you doing? Is it worthy of having great strength?

Kushina giggled, her guilt momentarily forgotten. "Sounds fun! Can I use my new powers?"

"As long as you don't burn anyone else's house," Mikoto warned.

---

The mid-morning sun filtered through the windows of the Mission Assignment Office.

The scent of old paper and ink mixed as people came and went, creating a fragrance that reminded Chen of his working days.

Approaching the counter, his eyes scrutinized the list of available missions. He didn't care so much about the reward as the economic status of the client.

After all, they had a house to rebuild.

"Chen, are you here for a mission too?" A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

Turning around, he found himself face to face with Minato, accompanied by Tomo and Donto from the Akimichi clan.

"Minato!" he exclaimed, genuinely surprised. "Where's your Sensei? Also on the battlefield?"

Minato nodded, a shadow of concern crossing his face. "He left the village yesterday. We're on our own for now."

As they talked, Kushina hugged Tomo tightly. "Tomo! It's been so long. Are you here for a mission too?"

Tomo smiled warmly. "Kushina! Yes, we're looking for something to do while Jiraiya-sensei is away."

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from the entrance. "Well! What's this, a reunion?"

Inoichi entered the office, closely followed by Choza and Shikaku. Behind them, Nawaki, Hizashi, and the Inuzuka clan member also made their appearance.

Chen couldn't help but smile at the coincidence. "It's a small world, after all."

Nawaki, with his usual enthusiasm, made his way through the crowd. "Our sensei is also on the battlefield! We have to manage on our own for now."

Remembering the incident from the day before, Chen couldn't resist the temptation to joke. "Hey, Nawaki, is your nose healed yet?"

Nawaki's face turned red, and he quickly turned his head, refusing to look at Chen.

The ninja in charge of the office, a chunin with ears attentive to everything, interrupted the impromptu meeting. "Alright, kids, come see what missions we have available for you."

He extended a crumpled list, which Nawaki eagerly snatched. However, his enthusiasm quickly faded as he read the contents.

"Is this a joke?" he exclaimed, returning the list with a snort. "Uncle, we're real ninjas now. You can't keep giving us tasks like tending gardens, picking up manure, or hunting stray cats."

He was determined to become the Hokage, how can he continue doing these silly tasks?

Saving the world and conquering the Ninja world is the future task of the Hokage.

Nawaki has a big heart, but unfortunately, he's not strong enough.

The Chunin behind the counter, a middle-aged man with worry wrinkles etched on his face, looked at the group of young people with exasperation.

"Boys," he began with his tired voice, "being a ninja is not a game. Newly graduated Genin like you should start with these simple tasks." He paused, his eyes scanning the eager faces in front of him: "But seeing that there are so many of you here... I have a C-rank mission. If you're willing to work together, I could assign it to you."

Nawaki's eyes lit up instantly. "Perfect!" he exclaimed, practically jumping with excitement. "We'll work together! Give us the mission!"

Chen, however, didn't share that enthusiasm. He had come looking for a specific opportunity, and a generic C-rank mission wasn't what he had in mind.

"Wait a moment, Nawaki," he intervened. "Don't rush. First, let's see the mission details. If it doesn't suit me, I won't participate."

Still brimming with energy, Nawaki nodded quickly. "The mission is to escort Yamada, an important businessman, to Amegakure. There's supposed to be not much danger. What do you say, Chen?"

Chen's eyes lit up momentarily upon hearing 'important businessman'.

However, his initial enthusiasm quickly faded when his mind processed the rest of the information. In times of peace, this might have been a standard C-rank mission. But in the midst of a Ninja World War...

'This doesn't make sense,' he thought, his brow furrowing. "This mission should be at least B-rank. It's not something for newly graduated genin."

Before he could express his concerns, Nawaki had already taken the mission sheet and was enthusiastically signing.

"Wait!" exclaimed the Chunin. "It's not valid if only you sign. Everyone must sign for it to be official."

Nawaki looked at his companions with pleading eyes. "Come on, guys! Chen, Minato, Inoichi... Let's do this C-rank mission together!"

Chen hesitated for a moment, his eyes fixed on the mission sheet. But with a deep breath, he made a decision.

"Alright," he finally said, taking the sheet and signing his name. "We'll do this mission."

Minato, eager to test his skills, signed without hesitation. Inoichi followed suit, ignoring the warning look Shikaku was giving him.

The official, suddenly looking uncomfortable, handed them a photograph. "This is your client, Mr. Yamada. Meet him at the village entrance tomorrow at dawn."

________

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