The next day began with a light chill — the sun hadn't risen high yet, but there was already warmth in the air. I woke up early, washed up, had breakfast, and headed toward the center of the village. We had agreed to meet there by eight in the morning. I was the first to arrive.
A couple of minutes later, Guy appeared — energetic, with that eternal spark in his eyes. He greeted me enthusiastically, as if he had already finished a workout.
"Good morning!" he nodded.
"Morning," I replied.
A minute later, Genma approached us at a leisurely pace. He nodded silently, as always. He looked a bit tousled, like he'd just rolled out of bed, but didn't seem tired.
So there we were, the three of us standing at the entrance, when a familiar voice rang out in front of us:
"Good morning," it boomed suddenly.
We flinched. Choza-sensei had appeared right in front of us — using the Shunshin technique, moving in a flash.
"Good morning, sensei!" Guy responded immediately.
"Morning," I mumbled.
Genma just raised an eyebrow and gave a small nod.
"I don't like wasting time," the sensei said. "Let's go take a mission."
No one objected. We followed Choza through the morning streets of Konoha. The sun gently lit up the tiled roofs, and a light breeze rustled the flags bearing the village symbol. Life was beginning to stir — merchants setting up stalls, children chasing each other, older shinobi in armor heading out on their duties.
"You're about to see how every ninja's path begins," said Choza, not turning around, but speaking clearly enough for us to hear. "It may seem simple, but this is where your reputation starts."
He turned a corner, and we followed, trying to match his pace.
"As you know, missions are ranked from D to S. D are the simplest, usually tasks to help the village. Cleaning, escorting, odd jobs. Perfect for beginners like you."
"What about the higher ranks?" Guy asked with interest.
"C missions are tougher. There may be risk, fights with bandits, work outside the village.
"B missions are real operational tasks, usually requiring at least one chunin on the team.
"A rank — high-risk missions. Usually handled by experienced squads under Hokage's direct supervision. These have serious stakes — reconnaissance, escorting VIPs, eliminating threats.
"And finally, S rank. That's elite-level work — sometimes ANBU assignments. We don't even speak of them aloud."
We listened without interrupting. Choza spoke confidently, without pomp — like someone who had gone through dozens of such missions.
"Missions from D to B rank are given out at the Assignment Center, where we're headed now. Specially trained genin work there. They hand out tasks, log reports, and maintain archives of completed missions."
"What if we fail a mission?" Genma asked quietly.
Sensei slowed down and glanced over his shoulder at him.
"Anything can happen. But every mission has an assigned leader — usually an adult shinobi. Right now, that's me. Until you become chunin, all responsibility falls on me."
He turned forward again.
"Missions above B rank, and priority ones — those concerning village security or requiring fast response — are assigned by the Hokage himself. He also receives the final report personally. It's a great honor, but also a big responsibility. A mistake on one of those missions can cost dearly."
"What are we doing today?" I asked.
"Today — a simple job. D-rank mission. After completing it, you'll write a report. Officially, I'm the one who writes it, but I recommend you start getting used to it. Even in the dullest mission, being able to describe what you did and how is important. It'll help in the future."
As we approached, a sign above the door read "Mission Assignment Center." The guards at the entrance nodded to Choza and let us in without question.
The office was half-empty. A few wooden benches along the wall. A bulletin board covered in scrolls and notices. At a wide wooden desk cluttered with papers and stamps sat three ninja in Konoha uniforms — all male, judging by the outfits, of genin rank.
One of them, with short stubble and dark eyes, looked up and, upon noticing the sensei, his expression immediately shifted to respectful.
"Good morning, Choza-san," he said, slightly rising.
"Morning," Choza nodded. "I need a mission for my new team of genin. Their first."
At that moment, we — Genma, Guy, and I — all straightened up a bit. Almost in unison.
"Of course," said another, balding and holding a pen in his teeth. He rummaged quickly through a stack of scrolls and pulled out three of the same size, tied with string. "We have three D-rank missions available today."
He handed them over the table to Choza.
"All are simple, good for beginners. Choose one."
Sensei took the scrolls, didn't even untie them, and handed them to us.
"Your first choice. Decide together."
We unrolled the scrolls and looked them over:
River clean-up — 9,000 ryō
Kennel cleaning for the Inuzuka clan — 17,000 ryō
Field weeding — 11,000 ryō
Dog poop?
No thanks.
Weeding a huge field in the summer heat — also not very tempting.
We glanced at each other, and without a word, it became clear — we'd take the river. The pay was lower, but it was the "cleanest" job, ironically speaking.
"River clean-up," I said, handing back the other two scrolls.
"Excellent choice," Choza commented. "Let's move out."
We headed to the southeastern edge of Konoha. When we reached the designated area, it was clear — it would be a long day.
Sensei surveyed the river with a calm but slightly narrowed gaze. The section we got looked like a disaster zone — branches, stumps, broken trunks, wrappers, nets, clay shards, even a broken umbrella floated on the water.
"Looks like someone was training and accidentally knocked part of the forest into the river," Choza muttered. "I'm just here as a supervisor, so... get to it."
He didn't even move — just pulled a snack bag from his pocket and headed to a big rock by the shore. Sat down. Crunch. Chips.
We looked at each other. Guy, as always, was the first.
"THIS IS A CHALLENGE!" he yelled, and in a second was knee-deep in the water, wielding his arms like he was fencing with branches.
Genma sighed grumpily, rolled up his pants, and walked to the bank. I hesitated for a second, staring at the glimmering trash-filled river, then stepped into the water after them.
We got to work. Guy dove into the task with his usual energy, hauling out large branches and logs. Genma focused on smaller debris, methodically clearing each meter of the shore. I helped them both, pulling out anything that didn't belong in the river.
At first, we were full of energy, but by midday the sun was blazing, our arms ached, and our clothes were soaked. We worked silently for nearly four hours. Branches, mud, weeds, paper scraps, broken planks — everything flew onto the shore.
Finally, only one last log remained. We pulled it out on autopilot. The job was done.
"Well done," said sensei after inspecting the site. "Now — let's turn in the mission and get paid."
Back at the Assignment Center, we went into the next room. A genin sat there, organized records in front of him.
"Choza-san, here to report a mission?"
"Yes. My students completed it fully. Here's the scroll."
The genin skimmed the text, jotted something in his ledger, and handed Choza a slip.
"This is your confirmation. Take it to the cashier."
We moved to the adjacent office and quickly received our 9,000 ryō. But instead of pocketing it, Choza turned to us:
"Normally, the team leader takes 40% of the sum, but... I'm not in need of money. Split it three ways."
"Wait, seriously?" Genma asked, surprised.
"Three thousand each," Guy calculated.
"Today you earned your first money as shinobi. That's worth celebrating. I suggest lunch at my clan's restaurant. The Akimichi always serve well."
"Awesome!" we all exhaled, almost in unison.
And it really was awesome.
Hot noodles with meat, dumplings, rice balls, and huge bowls of soup. Choza ate twice as much as us — and at such speed we could hardly believe it. But even he slowed down when we started chatting — we discussed our future plans, dreams, even argued over who would become a chunin first.
When we finished, sensei stood up, stretched, and said:
"Tomorrow — a new mission. For now — rest. You've earned it."