Months went by in a blur of D-rank missions and relentless training.

  Twenty missions total, split equally between Lee, Neji, and Tenten. Finding lost cats, seven of them, all belonging to the same elderly woman who really needed to invest in better fences. Painting fences. Actual fences this time, requiring three full days and more brown paint than seemed reasonable. Weeding gardens, delivering packages, helping with harvest, babysitting children who weren't in detention, and one particularly memorable mission involving a farmer's escaped livestock that had somehow ended up on the Hokage Monument.

  The missions were monotonous, unglamorous, and, for some members of Team Guy, increasingly frustrating.

  Neji's patience, already thin, had worn to transparency. Each D-rank mission assignment made his jaw tighten fractionally more, his responses to the mission desk chunin growing more clipped and formal. The Hyuga prodigy hadn't become a shinobi to chase cats or paint fences. He was meant for greater things, destined for missions that actually mattered.

  Tenten's frustration was more vocal. She complained regularly about the monotony, about how legendary kunoichi like Tsunade certainly hadn't built their reputations by weeding vegetable gardens. Where were the escort missions? The fighting? The actual shinobi work that required skill and excitement?

  But Lee and Guy had no problem with the D-rank missions. Guy loved bonding with his students, using each mission as an opportunity to teach, train, and connect. During fence painting, he lectured about the importance of patience and attention to detail. While chasing cats, he demonstrated tracking techniques and how to silent their footsteps. Every mundane task became a lesson in teamwork, in following orders, in understanding that being a shinobi meant serving the village in whatever capacity was needed.

  Lee used every opportunity to train himself as a shinobi. Learning from a taijutsu specialist like Guy-sensei was invaluable. The jonin had decades of experience to share, tricks and techniques that weren't taught at the academy. Sparring with Neji daily sharpened his combat instincts. The Body Supremacy Jutsu continued to enhance his physical capabilities gradually but consistently.

  And he spent most of his mission money on food and training equipment. Protein-rich meals to fuel cellular enhancement. Weighted gear to push his body harder. Medical supplies for when training went too far. Scrolls on anatomy and chakra theory to deepen his understanding.

  Lee saw substantial progress in himself despite not seeing actual combat since his fight with Neji at the academy. His taijutsu had been refined from raw power to controlled devstation. His chakra control had improved enough that Body Supremacy Jutsu now affected his nervous system, sharpening his reflexes and sensory perception. His weighted nunchaku felt natural now, extensions of his arms rather than burdens.

  But he was looking forward to their first C-rank mission. The opportunity to test himself in real field conditions, against opponents different from Neji. To prove that all this preparation had meaning beyond hypothetical scenarios.

  Though Tenten and Neji were probably looking forward to it more than him.

  …

  The mission assignment office felt different today. Team Guy stood before the desk not as fresh genin completing their first mission, but as experienced D-rank veterans ready for greater challenges. The chunin reviewing their file nodded with approval at their completion record: twenty missions, zero failures, consistently good performance reviews.

  "Team Guy, C-rank mission: Bandit Suppression. Kisaragi Village, south of Konoha, has reported increased bandit activity targeting merchant caravans and travelers. The bandits have killed at least fifteen people in the past month. Your mission is to locate and eliminate the bandit threat. Estimated enemy count: twelve to twenty combatants, no known shinobi among them. Expected duration: three to five days. Payment: 30,000 ryo."

  The word 'eliminate' hung in the air, heavy with implication. Neji's small smirk appeared immediately. Finally, a real mission. Finally, an opportunity to demonstrate his skills against actual enemies rather than pretending fence-painting was ninja work. His impatience was barely controlled as he waited for Guy to officially accept the mission.

  Tenten's excitement was more obvious. She practically vibrated with energy, her hands already moving toward her weapons pouch as if she might need to deploy kunai right there in the office. This was it. Her first step toward becoming legendary.

  Lee felt a different emotion entirely. Not excitement, exactly. Something more complex. Anticipation mixed with awareness of what 'eliminate' really meant. This wasn't training. This wasn't sparring. People would die because of what Team Guy did on this mission.

  Hopefully, those people would be bandits and not his teammates. Guy accepted the mission scroll with his characteristic thumbs up, though Lee noticed his sensei's expression was more serious than usual. The jonin understood what this mission represented: his students' transition from children playing at being ninja to actual shinobi who would kill in service to their village.

  It was a threshold that, once crossed, couldn't be uncrossed. Walking out of the mission room, Neji and Tenten could barely contain themselves. The Hyuga prodigy walked with more speed than his usual measured pace, his desire to prepare and depart evident in every step. Tenten didn't even try for dignity. She straight-up ran toward home, already mentally cataloguing which supplies to pack.

  Lee and Guy remained standing in the street, watching their enthusiastic teammates disappear into Konoha's afternoon crowds.

  "It seems like they're pretty excited, huh, Lee?" Guy chuckled, but there was something thoughtful in his tone.

  "This is worth being excited for, Guy-sensei." Lee's smile was softer than usual, more contemplative. "It's our first C-rank mission as shinobi. This is proof that we're growing as ninja."

  Guy studied his student for a moment. Lee's response was strange. Not the boundless enthusiasm Guy might have expected. The boy understood, at least intellectually, what this mission meant.

  "I suppose you're right, Lee." Guy's own excitement built as he spoke, his natural enthusiasm overwhelming his momentary seriousness. "Now you're getting me excited about it! This is our first C-rank mission as a team!" His fist cocked back, then shot toward the sky in his signature pose. "Let's have our youthful power explode on this mission!"

  "Youthful power!" Lee matched the gesture without embarrassment, fist raised high.

  Villagers passing by reacted with their usual mixture of amusement, confusion, and curiosity. The Green Beast of Konoha and his mini-me were at it again, making a spectacle in the middle of the street. Some smiled fondly. Guy was eccentric but beloved. Others hurried past, embarrassed by association.

  Lee and Guy split to prepare for their mission. They needed essentials for traveling: food that wouldn't spoil, water purification tablets, basic medical supplies, changes of clothes, camping gear. All shinobi learned proper packing from the academy's survival class, where they'd studied how to fend for themselves in the wild. But this was different from academy exercises. This time, proper preparation might mean the difference between life and death.

  …

  The road to Kisaragi Village wound through forested hills south of Konoha, a two-day journey on foot at civilian pace. For shinobi, it could be done in a day if they pushed hard. Guy decided on a middle approach, moving at a steady pace that would let them arrive fresh, using the journey time for training. Which was why Lee and Might Guy were currently walking on their hands.

  The upside-down world bounced with each step as Lee carefully placed one palm in front of the other, his leg weights making the exercise significantly more challenging than normal. This was training: cardiovascular conditioning, upper body strengthening, core stability, and balance all combined into one exercise.

  Neji refused to participate, walking normally with his arms crossed. The Hyuga clan didn't walk on their hands like circus performers. Dignity had value, even on missions.

  Tenten didn't want to participate either. She walked alongside Neji, her expression scandalized by her sensei and teammate's behavior.

  "What if we were suddenly attacked or something?" Her lecture came out exasperated and worried in equal measure. "You two would be tired and exhausted, making it easier for our attackers to get the advantage over us! Sensei, you should be more responsible. If anything goes wrong, you're the one who needs to take care of us!" The concern was valid, even if the delivery was heated. They were in the field now, potentially in danger.

  Guy flipped onto his feet in a smooth motion, his smile bright and approving.

  "You're absolutely right, Tenten. As your jonin-sensei, it is my responsibility to make sure that if anything goes wrong, I am there to handle it. I need to be in tip-top shape to protect you all." He gave her a thumbs up, acknowledging the wisdom of her observation.

  "You can continue if you feel like it, Lee."

  "Thank you, sensei." Tenten was visibly relieved he'd listened to reason.

  "Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee continued his inverted march without hesitation.

  Tenten had a point about conserving energy, but this was a proper morning workout for Lee. Several miles of walking on his hands? That was no problem. He'd done far more during solo training sessions. Even if they were ambushed right now, he could deal with attackers in this position. A few kicks here and there, sliding on his hands to maneuver, pushing off the ground to leap at aerial targets. The power of youth would shine brightly and powerfully!

  He'd gotten completely used to his weighted nunchaku during their month of D-rank missions. After this mission, he'd have to use his share of the payment to increase their weight, since his current strength made them feel too light, reducing their training effectiveness. But he'd started wearing additional weights on Guy-sensei's advice: weighted braces on his forearms and wraps around his legs.

  Now those were a challenge. The leg weights especially threw off his balance when inverted, requiring constant micro-adjustments to stay stable. His arms burned from the sustained load, his core screamed from the effort of staying aligned. Eventually, Lee had to resort to walking on his feet after all. Like Tenten said, they were in the middle of a mission. It would be counterproductive to damage his body before they even saw combat. This wasn't giving up! This was being smart, choosing when to push limits and when to preserve capability.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Guy smiled approvingly at Lee's decision. Knowing your limits was as important as pushing past them. A shinobi who didn't understand the difference would end up dead.

  …

  Kisaragi Village was small, maybe two hundred residents total. The kind of place that survived on farming and trade, too minor to have its own ninja force but prosperous enough to occasionally hire external shinobi for protection. The buildings were simple wood and stone construction, the streets unpaved dirt, the atmosphere quiet in a way that felt less peaceful and more... suppressed.

  Team Guy stopped at a well-known inn, the only inn really, to rest from their journey. The interior was dim and smelled of cooking oil and old wood. A handful of locals occupied tables, eating and drinking and speaking in low voices. The team ordered food and drinks, settling into a corner table that gave them a view of the entire common room.

  Guy leaned forward once their food arrived, his voice pitched for his students' ears only.

  "An important ability for a shinobi to have is being able to gather information." His lecture tone was subtle, educational without being condescending. "Our mission is to deal with the bandits harassing merchants and innocent people. Neji, how do you think we should begin to find them?"

  "My Byakugan." The answer was immediate and confident. Neji's all-seeing eyes could scan for miles in all directions, penetrating obstacles, identifying chakra signatures. Finding a bandit hideout would be trivial. Activate his bloodline, scan the surrounding area systematically, locate the concentration of human bodies in an unusual location.

  "That is certainly one method!" Guy's approval was genuine. The Byakugan made reconnaissance almost trivially easy. "Tenten, how would you try to find out the hideout of these bandits?"

  "I guess we could ask around the village." She shrugged, the suggestion less certain than Neji's.

  It was a reasonable approach. Locals would know about recent attacks, might have seen suspicious activity, could point them in likely directions. Less precise than the Byakugan but more grounded in human intelligence.

  "Lee! What about you?"

  Lee didn't respond immediately. His head was tilted slightly, eyes unfocused, attention directed at something his teammates couldn't perceive. Guy, Neji, and Tenten waited, watching him with growing curiosity.

  In another part of the inn, beyond a wall and several rooms away, four men sat around a table speaking in voices they thought were private.

  "Did you hear about the recent attack on the merchant caravan?"

  "Yes, it's terrible! Those bandits have been causing so much trouble lately. They're making it even harder to live in this village than it already is…"

  "They say they've been targeting wealthy travelers and stealing their goods. What merchants or travelers will want to visit our village with bandits targeting everyone who comes by?"

  "I heard the latest attack happened near the old abandoned mine, up in the hills. A rich mother and daughter barely managed to escape while the rest of their group was slaughtered at the hands of the bandits."

  Lee's eyes refocused on his team. "I think the bandits might be using the mines as their hideout."

  Tenten's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion, Lee?"

  "I was listening to those villagers." He pointed toward the wall, the solid, wooden, very much opaque wall, in the direction of the conversation.

  Guy, Tenten, and Neji all looked at where Lee was pointing, then slowly turned back to him with expressions ranging from confusion to disbelief.

  "Wait…" Neji activated his Byakugan, veins bulging as his vision penetrated through walls and intervening spaces. He saw them. Four men sitting around a table several rooms away, their conversation ongoing, completely unaware they were being monitored. The distance was significant, easily forty meters with multiple obstacles between.

  "You can hear that far away?" Neji stared at Lee like he'd just grown a second head.

  "Yeah." Lee nodded, completely casual about this revelation.

  "Hang on!" Tenten stood abruptly, left the inn, ran around the building to verify the distance herself, then ran back in, slightly out of breath. "You can hear that far?!" Her voice was significantly louder than Neji's had been, drawing attention from other patrons.

  "Yeah." Lee repeated himself, still smiling that bright smile.

  "How?!" The question was almost a shout.

  Lee's smile somehow got even wider, taking on a slightly mischievous quality.

  "It's a shinobi secret." The deflection was playful but firm. The truth, that Body Supremacy Jutsu had enhanced his sensory organs through sustained cellular optimization, wasn't something he was ready to share. His techniques were his advantage, hard-won through years of research and experimentation.

  "That's incredible, Lee!" Guy had also gone to verify the distance, his jonin training making him appreciate the tactical value immediately.

  Enhanced hearing of this caliber was a rare skill, typically requiring clan techniques or years of specialized training. For a genin to have developed it independently was remarkable.

  "Thanks, sensei, and thanks, Neji." Lee's mysterious statement was directed at the Hyuga prodigy.

  "Why are you thanking me?" Neji's suspicion was immediate and defensive. He didn't like the implication that he'd somehow contributed to Lee developing superhuman hearing. As far as Neji knew, trying to kill someone multiple times didn't grant them enhanced sensory perception.

  "Now we can count on Neji's eyes and your hearing in future missions." Guy's smile was pleased, seeing his team's capabilities expanding.

  "I'll do my best!" Lee's enthusiasm was genuine and unstoppable.

  "Let's just go check out the mines already." Neji stood after finishing his meal, eager to move past this uncomfortable revelation.

  "Right! There's no time to waste. We can meet with the village chief to report our success and head back home to turn it in at the mission assignment desk." Guy also stood, rallying his team.

  The mines awaited. And with them, Team Guy's first real combat as shinobi.

  …

  The old abandoned mine sat in the hills above Kisaragi Village, its entrance a dark mouth in the hillside surrounded by weathered support beams and scattered mining equipment left to rust. Trees had reclaimed much of the clearing, but recent activity was evident: trampled grass, fresh boot prints, signs of regular foot traffic.

  Team Guy stopped some distance away, using the forest for concealment while they assessed the situation. Neji's Byakugan flared to life, veins bulging as he scanned the area with his all-seeing eyes. The chakra cost was minimal. Maintaining the Byakugan was easy for him now, a technique so natural it felt like breathing.

  "Multiple bandits posted around the entrance on guard duty. I count six outside, more inside the mine itself. At least fifteen total, maybe more further in where my vision can't reach clearly."

  Guy nodded, absorbing the intelligence. Fifteen confirmed targets, possibly twenty. All civilians based on their lack of chakra signatures, but numbers could be dangerous even against trained shinobi if the bandits fought smart. He gathered his students close, voice low.

  "We'll attack all at once and quickly deal with the bandits out front before heading inside to take care of the rest. Handle it in whatever way you see fit." The phrasing was deliberate, carefully chosen. Not 'subdue' or 'capture' but the more ambiguous 'handle.' Guy was giving them permission, and responsibility, for how this mission concluded.

  Neji's smirk appeared immediately, small but unmistakable. Finally, a real fight. Finally, the freedom to use his full capabilities without pulling punches. Lee's fist clenched slowly, his usual bright smile shrinking to something more focused and serious. He understood what Guy-sensei was implying. This was the moment, the transition from genin who played at being ninja to shinobi who killed. Tenten was still smiling though.

  Guy raised his hand, waiting for the perfect moment. His students tensed, ready to spring into action. The hand dropped. Team Guy vanished from their hiding positions like ghosts, four figures moving with shinobi speed toward their unsuspecting targets.

  Lee's target was a bandit lounging against the mine entrance, a crude sword sheathed at his hip, attention focused on nothing in particular. The man was bored, complacent, expecting no trouble.

  He never knew what hit him.

  Lee's kick connected with the side of the bandit's head with precisely calculated force. The skull fractured under the impact, brain trauma instantaneous and catastrophic. The man's body crumpled to the ground, dead before he finished falling.

  No. Wait.

  Lee's kick connected with the side of the bandit's head, pulling the strike at the last microsecond. The impact was still devastating, enough to cause instant unconsciousness and probable concussion, but not lethal. The man collapsed, breathing but out cold.

  Neji's target fared differently. The Hyuga's palm thrust drove into the bandit's solar plexus with Gentle Fist precision, the strike channeling chakra directly into vital organs. Heart stopped. Lungs ceased. The bandit's eyes went wide with shock and pain before death took him seconds later.

  No. That wasn't right either.

  Neji's palm thrust caught the bandit in the stomach, the strike perfectly measured to cause debilitating pain and unconsciousness without permanent damage. The man folded like paper, gasping for air that wouldn't come, consciousness fleeing.

  Tenten defeated her target with a quick combination: kunai pommel strike to the temple, knee to the gut, elbow to the back of the neck as the bandit fell. Her strength empowered by chakra made even a little girl’s blows devastating. The bandit hit the ground and stayed down, alive but thoroughly neutralized.

  Guy's diving kick, 'Dynamic Entry!' he shouted needlessly, impacted his target's face with jonin-level force. The bandit's nose shattered, teeth scattered, consciousness evaporated.

  Team Guy had quickly and efficiently handled the bandits on guard duty without any bloodshed.

  Guy surveyed the six unconscious bandits, then looked at his students. His expression was complicated. Proud of their skill, concerned about their restraint, aware that this reprieve might be temporary.

  "I'll handle these six. You three head inside. I'll catch up soon."

  As they went inside, Lee's smile faded completely. Neji paused briefly, his expression harder than usual. Tenten wondered what was wrong with them, but she took the lead anyway, kunai drawn, moving into the darkness of the mine tunnel. The mine was old, the support beams weathered but still solid. Torches lined the walls at irregular intervals, providing enough light to navigate by. The air smelled of earth and smoke and something else. Unwashed bodies, stale food, human habitation.

  They advanced in formation, Tenten at point, Lee and Neji flanking. The tunnel sloped downward, deeper into the hillside, occasional side passages branching off into darkness.

  Lee's enhanced hearing picked up voices ahead. Multiple people talking, laughing, the sounds of daily life in a bandit camp. His fist clenched tighter.

  "Should we have not held back?" The question came out quiet, directed at Neji.

  The Hyuga prodigy stopped walking for a moment, considering. "We don't have the tools to hold them anyway. Sensei's method is more efficient…" His voice was analytical, pragmatic. Dead bandits couldn't escape. Dead bandits couldn't warn their companions. Dead bandits couldn't reoffend later. From a purely tactical standpoint, killing was cleaner.

  "That's not true." Lee's counter was immediate. "They couldn't escape on our watch if we escorted them to jail."

  Neji's expression flickered with something. Annoyance, maybe, or uncertainty. "Losers like these don't deserve mercy. Sensei is correct. I was too weak." He shook his head, as if disappointed in himself for hesitating, for pulling that palm strike when he should have committed to the kill.

  "I don't know, Neji-kun…" Lee's voice carried a weight of genuine philosophical struggle. "As shinobi, we're expected to kill for the safety of our village and the people inside of it. But wouldn't that mean we would kill all of our enemies? Even those that haven't done anything to us personally?"

  Tenten slowed, finally understanding what they were discussing. The moral weight of their mission, the reality of what 'eliminate the bandit threat' actually meant.

  "I think so…" Her addition was quiet, uncertain. She'd idolized legendary shinobi without really thinking about what made them legendary. How many people had Tsunade killed in her career? How much blood was on the hands of the Sannin, the Hokage, any jonin who'd survived long enough to become famous?

  "Think of it as a matter of fate." Neji's explanation was simple, clean, absolute. "Either you kill for the village or die for the village. There is no other option." The words echoed in the tunnel, harsh and final. This was Neji's worldview condensed: fate determined your role, and fighting against that role was pointless. Their fate as shinobi was to kill. Accepting that made it easier.

  "I'd like to change that." Lee's response was soft but firm.

  Neji made a sound of pure disgust. "Hmph." Of course Lee wanted to change fundamental aspects of the shinobi system. Of course he thought hard work and determination could reshape something as ingrained as the violence inherent to their profession. The failure never learned. But before their philosophical debate could continue, they rounded a corner and found themselves facing the main bandit camp. And all abstract discussions about morality evaporated in the face of immediate, concrete danger.

  The main chamber opened before them, a large natural cavern reinforced with mining supports, lit by multiple fires. Bandits filled the space, at least fifteen visible, armed with swords and axes and crude spears. And every single one of them was now staring at the three genin who'd just walked into their hideout.

  For one frozen moment, nobody moved. Then a bandit shouted, weapons were drawn, and the cavern erupted into chaos. Team Guy's first real combat as shinobi had begun.

  And the philosophical questions about killing would have to wait until they survived the immediate reality of being attacked by fifteen armed bandits in an enclosed space.