Super Ninja

The next morning, I woke up feeling reluctant to get out of bed. You know those moments when, even though you've had enough sleep, your body still craves a bit more rest? That was exactly how I felt. But staying in bed wasn't an option.

I had another mission to tackle in the village, and I couldn't help but wonder what it would be today. Hopefully, it would be something interesting and not related to construction work—I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of dealing with that again.

Since my parents were still home, I took the opportunity to chat with them about my mission.

"So, you were building something yesterday, right?" my father asked. "How did you find the work as a builder?"

"It's a mixed bag," I replied. "The tasks themselves aren't too difficult, but that's if you ignore everything else around you. When you're working outside, it's hot, there's no break for lunch, you have to do a lot in a short time, and everyone has something to say about your work... that's when it becomes more challenging and less enjoyable."

"But now you have some basic knowledge about building a house," my mother said with a smile. "That's a good thing. By the way, how much did you get paid for the mission?"

I told her the amount. She just shook her head, as if to say it was a bit too low. I just shrugged and went back to my breakfast.

"If you want, I can save your mission money for you," my mom offered.

"No need," I replied, waving it off. "I don't plan on spending much anyway."

"As you wish."

After finishing breakfast and enjoying some hot tea, I said goodbye to my parents and headed toward the Hokage Administration to meet up with my captain and teammates. I quickly made my way there, leaping from buildings to tree branches and back again. Once I arrived, I took a seat on the familiar bench and waited.

Yamanaka and Nara showed up almost simultaneously, just a few minutes apart. No one felt like talking, so we sat in silence, waiting for our sensei to arrive.

"Good morning!" Our captain greeted us with genuine joy, as if he'd just returned from a successful mission. His voice was full of enthusiasm and energy, so much so that it made my ears ring. Under his cheerful gaze, I felt a strange irritation growing within me, like a headwind trying to knock me off balance. Still, I managed to keep my emotions in check, knowing that any sign of displeasure would only lead to more trouble.

"Good morning, sensei," I said, trying to hide my irritation, though my voice sounded tired.

"Why so glum?" our captain asked, his cheerfulness unwavering, his smile as bright as the morning sun. "Come on now, let's not waste time."

With that, we had no choice but to get up and follow him into the Administration. We headed to the familiar large office where the Hokage and other important figures were gathered. I wasn't particularly focused on the conversation, but I remembered everything. He wished us well on this mission and praised us for the last one. Captain Kiochi received a folder with our mission details, and we all headed to a familiar gazebo.

We opened the folder and carefully read through our mission details. This assignment was entirely different. We were tasked with going to one of the archives to help sort scrolls and information. While it was certainly easier than construction work, it sounded incredibly boring.

And I was right—it was boring. It was hard to keep my eyes open, but frequent washes with cold water and chatting with Shiko and Ayamane made the dull task more bearable. The files we were sorting were basic financial and logistical reports about meat deliveries from farms in another province of the Land of Fire to local restaurants.

By the end of the day, it was a struggle to stay alert. It was still light outside, so we thought we might get to go home early, but that wasn't the case.

"Well, now let's head to the training ground," Captain Kiochi announced firmly. His voice was full of energy, completely at odds with our desire to rest. "Since we finished early today, we'll use the extra time to perfect your techniques."

"O-o-oh," Shiko moaned softly, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

"What's the matter?" the captain asked, turning to her with a gaze as sharp as his leadership style. "Young Yamanaka, aren't you happy about the extra opportunity to hone your skills? Or is there something you're displeased with? Hm?"

I caught a faint scent of something roasting in the air, which immediately whetted my appetite. However, the captain seemed to expect a different reaction than our tired groans. Such sounds, coming from genin, were unlikely to inspire or earn respect from a shinobi who had risen to the rank of jonin and earned his place among the elite.

"No, no, captain," Ayamane quickly corrected herself, her voice growing more confident. "I'm eager to show progress in our training."

"That's good," the captain nodded, and for a moment, a strange, dangerous spark flashed in his eyes, hinting at a tough training session ahead.

We reached our training ground quickly. The captain split us into groups again, sending Ayamane and me with one of his clones, while he personally trained Shiko. The clone didn't take us far, so we could easily see what they were doing.

And let's just say… the way he tossed Yamanaka around, the blows he delivered, it looked more like a beating and mild form of torture than training. Her lesson was harsh and uncompromising. It was also a small lesson for us, so we'd understand never to show "that" in front of the captain or any superior.

Meanwhile, the captain's clone led us through a series of exercises that made our muscles burn and our minds focus to the limit. He allowed no time for rest; it seemed his goal was to push us to our limits. With each movement, our bodies grew heavier, and our breathing more labored. Every strike, block, and jump became a test.

When the training finally ended, we felt every tired muscle in our bodies. Walking home, our legs felt like they were sinking into the ground, and each step was a struggle.

We met at the Administration, received our mission, and set out. This time, the mission was for the village, and we had to clean and clear out several river trenches. We were tasked with removing dirt, debris, and digging around in the water. It wasn't easy, especially since the village only provided us with shovels and a few bags. The village's representative, an extremely annoying lady, had a voice that I swear could drive anyone crazy.

"Why didn't you pick up those little branches from the ground?" she asked. "Can't you see them with your young eyes? Or what?"

Shiko, the target of her criticism, wasn't pleased but kept quiet and pretended to listen carefully. Whether she actually was listening or not, I didn't know, and I didn't care. I kept a stony face and focused on completing the mission so we could finish quickly and either go home or return to the training ground.

We completed the mission as evening approached, but since the day wasn't over for the captain, we headed back to the training ground. I've realized that if we finish missions quickly, he'll definitely keep training us. There's some benefit to that because missions where we barely use chakra don't offer much opportunity to grow stronger. And I want to get stronger.

Going home this time was even more painful because sensei had just spent the last two hours beating us up, forcing us to spar with him to our limits. It wasn't fun or particularly pleasant. But what can you do? The only thing that kept me going and stopped me from giving up, despite the urge, was the understanding that this was necessary for my survival. And also… I want to master techniques.

The next day started the same as all the previous ones. Once again, we were tired, sitting on the bench, waiting for the captain, who arrived a bit earlier today.

"How are you feeling, genin?" he asked us all.

"Fine, sensei," I replied. For a moment, I felt the dissatisfied glances of the girls on me. They wanted to say something different, but remembering yesterday's training, no one said a word.

"Excellent, very good," the captain said with satisfaction. "Then today, if the mission isn't too long, we'll train again."

The disgruntled sighs from Shiko and Ayamane sounded like music to my ears. But I quickly distracted myself from this because the captain's gaze was somewhat predatory. It seemed he heard those sighs too. If there's training today, they might face a few hours of tough exercises.

In the Hokage's office, we were once again greeted by the familiar committee. The Hokage sat in his chair, reading some papers. For a while, we talked about general topics, which included discussions about the village's defense, the values of Konoha's shinobi, and loyalty. In short, it was all the usual empty talk I'd heard enough of in my past life.

This mission was slightly more interesting because it promised to pay each genin in our team as much as we earned for the entire last mission. Although the rank was the same as the others, the details were different.

"Congratulations on your first mission outside the village," the captain smirked.

"A pig farm?" Shiko asked, her face grimacing slightly. "Do we really have to help harvest on a pig farm?"

"That's what the mission says," the captain replied. "Alright, let's go. If we want to be on time, we need to move."

We headed toward one of the village gates. The further we moved away from the Administration, the more we encountered various people going about their business. Blacksmiths were forging, bakers were baking, tailors were sewing, and so on. There were also many shinobi, though not as many as you might think.

At the village exit, there were no checks or inspections because it wasn't necessary. However, when entering, the guards always stopped people. We passed by a small caravan that had stopped on the side, preparing to enter the village. For a few moments, a jonin watched us closely, then returned to what he was doing before—an inspection.

We jumped onto the first tree we could and began moving quickly after the captain. Occasionally, other Konoha shinobi would pass by, hurrying on their own missions, but the further we got, the fewer we encountered.

About half an hour later, we jumped to the ground, right in front of a small settlement of six houses. There were hardly any people, just a few carts. Behind the settlement was a large, covered pit, from which a rather unpleasant smell emanated.

We approached another building, and a very tall man with a short, red beard came out to meet us. He was wearing black glasses and tall boots stained with some kind of dirt.

"Genin on a mission?" he asked our captain.

"Yes, sir, client," the captain replied, showing him the mission paper, which the man took.

"Excellent," the man nodded. "Then follow me. You need to harvest a hundred heads. Then you'll do the butchering. Divide the work as you see fit. The tools are on the wall."

After these words, the client left us, and we looked at sensei with some confusion.

"You heard the client," the captain said with a smile. "Get to work."

"Hai," we all responded in unison.

We quickly approached the wall and immediately noticed a variety of tools. Most of them were unfamiliar. For example, some strange band saws and circular saws. Odd tools with tubes, large and small knives, and swords. Some of them looked completely unsuitable for working with meat.

"Captain," Ayamane spoke up, "which tools should we use?"

"Think," he smirked, tapping his forehead a few times.

"Alright," Nara sighed, continuing to look at the tools.

Neither Ayamane nor Shiko knew where to start. Honestly, neither did I, but I think... we need to do something rather than stand around.

"So, girls, let's go check out the farm and see where everything is," I suggested.

"Sure," Ayamane immediately agreed. "Let's go."

We began inspecting the farm, exploring various rooms. Most of them had purposes unclear to us, though some were obvious. For instance, the large room with hooks—it was clear what it was for.

The pig pen was slightly below ground level. The first thing that caught our eye was that the pigs were quite large. Some of them were comparable in size to an adult member of the Akimichi clan. The second thing was that their small brains, the size of a walnut, were visible through their skin and bones. The third thing was that some of the pigs had tusks protruding from their mouths.

"Oh, these aren't just pigs, they're Orkinichans," Shiko said in surprise. "They're very tasty and nutritious. I heard that the Akimichi clan uses the bones of these animals as one of the components of their clan pills."

"Really?" I responded. "Have you ever tried them?"

"No," she shook her head. "Neither I nor my brother have had to take or bring them."

"Can you get them at a discount?" I asked next. Having pills on hand is always useful.

"I can ask around," she shrugged.

"Alright, let's get back to our mission," Ayamane tried to bring us back to the task at hand. "How are we going to work?"

"Well," I looked around, noticing a few workers. "Do you know how to butcher these Orkinichans?"

"I've only seen it in books," Shiko said. "And you, Ayamane?"

"I've only seen it in books too," she shrugged. "But I've never done anything like this."

"I don't know much about it either," I shrugged. "I think we should use the knowledge from the books on boar butchering. Or ask the workers for help."

The workers were watching us with great interest, but they weren't in a hurry to help or even offer assistance. I think we'll need to ask.

"Ask for help?" both girls were surprised.

"Well, yeah, why not?" I asked them with mild confusion. "What's the problem with asking people who have been doing this for a long time for help? None of us have ever slaughtered pigs or butchered them in this kind of environment. In the forest, sure... we've been taught how to do that, but not on a farm that exists specifically for this."

"Then go and ask," Shiko said, raising her tone slightly defensively.

"Alright," I shrugged. "Do you want to come with me?"

Both Nara and Yamanaka declined my offer to go together. I wished they would have come, as it would have made me feel a bit more comfortable. In talking to the workers, I would have liked to have some kind of support behind me. But if they didn't want to, I wasn't going to force them. That was their choice.

Shaking my head slightly, I approached one of the farm workers, who immediately tensed up.

"How can I help you, shinobi-san?" he asked me.

"Our team received a mission," I told him. "But none of us have ever done pig slaughtering and butchering. Do you know who we can ask for help with this?"

"Well," he stretched the word out and thought for a few seconds. Glancing helplessly at the other workers, who pretended as if nothing was happening, he scratched his head. "Um, you can ask the shift leader, Mr. Urohara Fon."

"Where can I find him?" I asked.

"Mr. Urohara Fon should be in his office right now," the worker quickly replied.

"And where is the office?" I asked the next question. Why do I have to pull information out of him with a series of questions? Can't he just say everything at once? It's a bit annoying.

"On the second floor," he pointed to the stairs. "Third door on the left."

"Thank you," I nodded.

He only nodded back and tried to leave as quickly as possible. I just shook my head and quickly headed up the stairs to the designated office. Knocking on the door and hearing an invitation to enter, I walked in.

Behind a large desk sat a short man in a green-and-white striped hat. His light hair was a bit grown out, with two small braids tied with separating ribbons.

"How can I help you?" he asked.

"We received a mission to harvest the pig crop," I told him. "But we don't really know how to do it. Can we ask you to assign someone to help us with this task?"

"Oh," he said cheerfully. "Thank the gods! Finally, someone sensible."

Wait, what?

"Of course, I can assign someone to help you," he said, quickly getting up. Nimbly slipping past me, he shouted, "Hitachi! Your task today is to help the shinobi with the harvest! Understood?!"

"Yes, sir!" came a man's voice.

Supervisor Urohara nodded with satisfaction and returned to his desk.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Go ahead," the man replied.

"Why were you so happy when I asked for help?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Look," he began explaining. "The previous two teams didn't think to ask for help. A genin in a green outfit decided to punch a hundred innocent pigs to death with his bare hands. Then his friend started doing acupuncture with her arsenal of weapons. And the third guy from the Hyuga clan was doing something incomprehensible. They ruined half the carcasses! I had to send them home early."

I think I know who he's talking about.

"And the second team... They were doing something strange, always talking about some Ino-Shika-Cho formation," he continued. "They left the young, growing piglets with moral and psychological trauma!"

"I see," I said, stretching out the words. What else could I say? "Then we'll get to work. Alright?"

"Of course. Talk to Hitachi. He'll work with you until the end of the day."

"Thank you."