Three months had passed in a blur.

  Team One—Hanekawa, Kurenai, and Rin under Tsunade's instruction—had settled into a rhythm of training and missions. The D-rank assignments came and went with monotonous regularity: finding lost cats, weeding gardens, helping villagers move. Child's play, really, especially for a team with Tsunade as their instructor.

  But they'd been thorough. More than one hundred D-rank missions completed. More than enough to qualify for the next tier.

  Today, they were finally stepping up.

  Hanekawa followed Tsunade into the Hokage building's mission hall, his eyes scanning the posted scrolls while his mind wandered elsewhere. C-rank missions were a different beast entirely—no more busywork. These involved actual danger: bandits, rogue ninjas, the occasional assassination attempt. The kind of work that separated the living from the dead.

  Finally, he thought. Time to see if all this training actually means something.

  "What do you think?" Tsunade gestured at the available missions, her expression unreadable.

  Hanekawa pulled up his Ability System while she deliberated, checking his progress on the Yin Seal technique. Fifteen percent. Right on schedule. The foundational knowledge was solid—he'd spent enough time with Tsunade's personal notes to understand the theory. The practical application would take longer, but he wasn't in a rush.

  Besides, he'd been busy elsewhere.

  Over the past three months, he'd picked up three perception jutsu: Telescope Technique, Ground Listening Technique, and Perception Diffusion Technique. The first two were basic D-rank stuff—vision enhancement and ground-based sensory work. The third was more interesting: a simplified version of Kagura's Mind's Eye, expanding his awareness in a limited radius.

  The system had rewarded the combination.

  [D-Rank Talent Entry: Perception Genin]

  [Trigger Condition: Possess three perception ninjutsu entries]

  [Effect: All perception ninjutsu effects increase by 30%]

  [Note: Learning more perception ninjutsu can be deduced and promoted to C-Rank Perception Chunin]

  Not bad. Not bad at all.

  His teammates had made progress too. Kurenai had mastered Water Style: Water Array Wall—the version that rotated around the caster, courtesy of Tsunade's knowledge of Senju Tobirama's techniques. Rin had focused on medical fundamentals: hemostasis, anesthesia, detoxification. More importantly, she'd absorbed actual medical knowledge rather than just jutsu formulas.

  "Brat, don't just stand there daydreaming. Give me an opinion."

  Tsunade's fist connected with his head—not hard enough to hurt, just enough to be annoying. He'd stopped complaining about it months ago. She'd only hit harder if he did.

  "Pick whichever one you want," Hanekawa said, rubbing his scalp. "They're all the same difficulty for us."

  It was true. He'd run B-rank missions before. C-rank was a step down, not up. The only variable was whether they'd encounter an employer as unreliable as Naruto's bridge-builder had been.

  Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she scanned the board. "Land of Lightning's unstable right now. We might run into trouble." She paused, then pointed. "How about the Land of Grass?"

  Hanekawa's attention sharpened.

  The Land of Grass didn't feature prominently in most records, but it existed—a small nation with its own hidden village. Karin's homeland. The setting for a few theatrical incidents. Nothing major, but...

  Interesting.

  "Works for me," he said.

  The mission was straightforward: escort a merchant named Eijiro to the Land of Grass's capital. Standard C-rank work. No mention of hidden complications, which meant either the employer was honest or they hadn't discovered the problem yet.

  Either way, it didn't matter much. Tsunade could handle almost anything that came up.

  ---

  Back at the house, Kurenai and Rin were still training when they arrived. Kurenai was running through water jutsu forms while Rin practiced chakra control exercises. Both looked up as Tsunade and Hanekawa entered.

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  Three other visitors were waiting in the main room.

  "Hanekawa, long time no see!" Asuma Sarutobi practically bounced forward, his expression practically vibrating with barely-contained excitement. "I've got to tell you about—"

  "You completed a C-rank mission," Hanekawa interrupted flatly.

  Asuma's face fell. "How did you—"

  "You're being obvious," Hanekawa said.

  Uchiha Shisui and Shizune both shook their heads in unison, confirming they hadn't said anything. Asuma looked like he wanted to die.

  "Hateful!" he muttered.

  Tsunade didn't linger. She had a casino calling her name, and three months of mostly-responsible teaching had left her itching for a proper gambling session. She ruffled Hanekawa's hair on her way out—he didn't bother dodging anymore—and disappeared.

  "Come on, let's celebrate!" Asuma clapped his hands together. "I got paid for the mission. Barbecue's on me!"

  "You're actually being generous?" Kurenai's eyes lit up. "That's new."

  Asuma's expression twisted. Apparently I've invited them before and they ignored me, his face seemed to say.

  Six of them ended up at the barbecue restaurant: Hanekawa, Kurenai, Rin, Asuma, Shisui, and Shizune. The meat sizzled on the grill as Asuma launched into his story.

  "So the Land of Fire Daimyo wanted to hire guardian ninjas, right? And he brought in Teacher Sakumo to run the selection process—"

  "Did he pick you?" Hanekawa asked, flipping a piece of beef.

  "No, but—"

  "Then what's the story?"

  Asuma's pride took another hit. "The Daimyo thinks highly of me. He said if I wanted the position, it's mine."

  "You don't want it?"

  "Nah. Too boring."

  Hanekawa nodded and moved on. "Anything else interesting?"

  "Actually, yeah." Asuma's expression shifted to something more thoughtful. "I found out there are other ninja organizations besides Konoha. Like the Fire Temple. They've got their own ninjas."

  "Chiriku's pretty strong," Shisui added. "He almost beat Asuma-senpai."

  "Almost?" Asuma protested. "I clearly had the advantage!"

  Hanekawa continued grilling meat, only half-listening. Chiriku. One of the guardian ninjas. Thirty-five million ryo bounty in the original timeline. Dead within a few years, courtesy of Kakuzu and Hidan.

  Asuma would follow him eventually, trying to save him.

  Not my problem, Hanekawa thought, and took a bite of perfectly-cooked beef.

  After dinner, they returned to Tsunade's house for training. Asuma challenged Hanekawa to a sparring match—a decision he immediately regretted. Two new jutsu entered Hanekawa's collection as a consolation prize for Asuma's thorough defeat.

  By dusk, the visitors had left.

  "Remember to arrive early tomorrow," Hanekawa called after them. "We're heading to the Land of Grass. C-rank escort mission."

  "Finally!" Kurenai practically vibrated with excitement. "No more D-rank missions!"

  Rin smiled softly. D-rank work was safe, but it didn't let her use her medical skills. A real mission meant real stakes. Real purpose.

  ---

  The next morning at Konoha's north gate.

  Eijiro was a merchant in his forties, nervous energy radiating off him in waves. The moment he spotted Tsunade, his face went pale with relief.

  "Lady Tsunade?" he asked, as if he couldn't quite believe his luck.

  "That's me," Tsunade confirmed.

  Two younger men stood behind Eijiro—his assistants, probably. They immediately bowed when they saw Tsunade, their expressions reverent.

  "Lady Tsunade is amazing!" Kurenai whispered to Rin, her eyes sparkling.

  Rin nodded vigorously. Tsunade's reputation preceded her everywhere, not just in Konoha.

  "Let's move," Tsunade said, then glanced at Hanekawa. "You take point. Use your perception jutsu."

  He nodded and moved ahead of the group. Tsunade and Kurenai flanked the civilians while Rin stayed close to Eijiro and his men. Standard formation for an escort mission.

  The journey north took two days. By the second evening, they'd crossed into the Land of Grass.

  "We'll camp here," Tsunade announced, eyeing Eijiro and his assistants. They were already exhausted, breathing hard from the pace.

  Kurenai set up the tents while Rin gathered firewood. Hanekawa prepared dinner—simple travel rations, nothing fancy. After they ate, Eijiro and his men collapsed into their tent, unconscious within minutes.

  Hanekawa, Kurenai, and Rin sat by the fire with Tsunade, the night air cool around them.

  "Once you're in the Land of Grass, you might encounter ninjas from the Hidden Grass Village," Tsunade warned. "They have a... questionable reputation. Be careful if you meet them."

  Hanekawa knew the reputation. Kusagakure was known for studying and replicating other villages' jutsu. The question was always: where did they get the techniques to study?

  The answer was never pretty.

  "What kind of reputation?" Rin asked nervously.

  "The kind that makes other villages lock their doors," Tsunade said flatly. "They're thieves and worse. If we encounter them, we avoid conflict if possible. We're here to escort a merchant, not start a war."

  Kurenai nodded seriously, her earlier excitement tempered by the warning.

  Hanekawa stared into the fire, his mind already running through scenarios. Kusagakure ninjas. Possible bandits. The usual dangers of traveling through unstable territory.

  Nothing I can't handle, he thought.

  But he kept his expression neutral, his face reflecting the firelight without revealing anything beneath.

  Tomorrow would bring whatever it brought. For now, there was only the fire, the night, and the weight of responsibility that came with keeping three civilians alive in hostile territory.

  Just another mission, he told himself.

  Just another day.