"Oh-ho! So much energy first thing in the morning now that's what I call youth!" Might Guy flashed his signature dazzling grin.
"Tch, sensei, you've been here for a while already, haven't you?" Tenten said, raising an eyebrow.
Scratching his head, Guy laughed heartily. "You got me! I just couldn't wait to see how strong you've all become."
"Then out with it, Guy-sensei. What's the mission? I need to get back to working on my ninja tools," Tenten said, clearly unamused.
So she's more interested in her tools than the mission itself...
"So eager! But that's youth too," Guy laughed again.
"So, what's our assignment?"
"We're chasing down a rogue shinobi Takeshi Takenaka," Guy said, still grinning.
As he spoke, he handed them a file. The information was brief but to the point:
Takeshi Takenaka: A spy from the Hidden Sound Village, planted in the Leaf. Estimated to be Chūnin-level. Chakra nature: Wind and Earth. Specializes in Earth Release techniques used to immobilize targets.
"Hidden Sound... Orochimaru, huh? Looks like he's already preparing for his 'Destroy the Leaf' plan," Neji thought to himself, his eyes narrowing.
It seems Orochimaru is getting impatient.
"Chūnin-level? Wait a second, Guy-sensei, doesn't that make this an A-rank mission?" Tenten asked, visibly alarmed.
In the world of shinobi, missions are ranked by difficulty and significance:
Super S-rank, S-rank, A, B, C, and D-rank.
A-rank missions often involve national interests or strategic village concerns. They include high-level escorts or combat against skilled enemy ninja. If the enemy's a Chūnin, then yes this is definitely an A-rank mission.
"We're really doing an A-rank mission?" Lee asked, his voice filled with excitement.
"That's right," Guy confirmed with a nod.
Team 9 had graduated a year earlier than the so-called "Konoha Rookie Nine." Their growth had been evident. And with Guy's overwhelming strength, the Third Hokage had granted them special permission to take on missions above their usual level primarily B-rank.
But an A-rank mission? This was their first.
"Oh-ho! At last, an A-rank mission!" Lee jumped into the air, thrilled. "A chance to truly temper ourselves!"
Instead of worried expressions, their faces were lit up with uncontainable excitement.
Guy's eyes gleamed, that radiant smile still plastered on his face. "My youth is on fire!"
"I knew it. These two are hopeless," Tenten muttered, shrugging.
Neji, too, was at a bit of a loss. So this is the style of Team 9.
"All right, let's move. If that spy slips away, we'll have a harder time catching him," Tenten urged.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
The four of them darted through the dense forest, leaping from branch to branch, constantly alert for any irregularities.
Neji couldn't help but reassess his teammates. Lee and Tenten were sharper than he'd given them credit for.
They're more composed and battle-ready than the newer Konoha genin. As expected of Team 9.
While Neji was observing them, Guy kept glancing at Neji from the corner of his eye.
A hidden depth...
That was his evaluation of Neji.
"Still, Lee isn't lacking either," Guy thought.
Perhaps it was because they both trained exclusively in taijutsu his Iron Fist against the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist Guy had always harbored a competitive spirit.
But Hiashi Hyūga always wore that stern face and refused to spar with him. So the two never had a proper match.
Now, as his direct disciple, Lee had inherited that rivalry.
An ordinary person... overcoming a genius with hard work.
"Let's make one thing clear. This mission is meant to test you," Guy said firmly. "Unless it's absolutely necessary, I won't intervene. If the moment calls for it, don't hesitate to take him out on the spot."
Take him out... on the spot?
Neji blinked, momentarily stunned. This world... demands blood.
He had never killed anyone.
"Neji! Hey, Neji! What's wrong?" Tenten's voice pulled him back to the present.
"Neji, you're spacing out. That's not like you," she said, concerned.
"It's nothing," Neji replied with a shake of his head.
This mission... it mattered.
He needed to draw blood. He needed to adapt to killing.
If he wanted to survive in this world, this was a lesson he had to learn.
If you don't kill them, they will kill you.
After traveling day and night, they finally reached their destination.
"Neji, Lee keep watch on the perimeter. Tenten, be ready to provide ranged support," Guy instructed with calm precision.
"Yes, sensei!" the three responded in unison.
They moved cautiously through the undergrowth. For Neji, this was all new.
His first real mission and not just any mission, an A-rank one.
His nerves were taut.
Suddenly, a barrage of kunai came flying toward them.
"Watch out!" Neji shouted.
"I've got it!" Lee leapt into the air, pulled a kunai from his hip, and deflected all the incoming blades with sharp precision.
"Looks like the target has spotted us," Tenten noted.
"Now it's your turn to shine. Go," Guy said with a smile.
"Yes, sensei!"
The three sprang forward.
In a deeper part of the forest, a man of unremarkable appearance darted through the trees.
This was their target, Takeshi Takenaka.
"Tch. Just three brats? Has the Leaf really fallen this low?" Takeshi sneered as he glanced back at his pursuers.
"Up ahead's a clearing," Lee said. "Tenten."
"Got it. Watch this, Artillery Scatter!"
Tenten soared into the air, unrolling a scroll and summoning a flurry of ninja tools that rained down toward Takeshi.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh...
A chorus of whistling steel filled the air. Takeshi quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A thick wall of earth rose before him, absorbing Tenten's attack.
"Not done yet, Twin Rising Dragons!"
From the twin scrolls at her back, a fresh volley of weaponry shot forth. Takeshi was forced to use the Body Flicker Technique repeatedly to dodge.
"Annoying little girl... Die!"
Takeshi suddenly spun and hurled two kunai at Tenten.
She flipped mid-air, narrowly avoiding them. But the kunai were wrapped with explosive tags that detonated mid-flight, splitting a massive tree in half.
At that exact moment, Lee appeared on Takeshi's left, a fist driving straight for his face.
"Oh? Fast, are you?"
Takeshi smirked and caught Lee's punch in one hand.
"You're coming with me to the afterlife."
Just then, a furious shout rang out.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Lee's eyes widened and he twisted to look behind.
Another Takeshi this one somehow at his back had appeared out of nowhere and released a gust of wind from his mouth.
In the blink of an eye, Lee was hurled through the air by the vortex.
"Now die!" Takeshi lunged after him, kunai in hand, ready to strike.