An A-Rank Mission

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A secret technique that interested someone on Orochimaru's level was not something Naoki could pretend he did not want. So he answered directly, "What would you need me to do for it?"

Orochimaru seemed to answer a different question. "What do you think of Itachi Uchiha?"

Naoki did not hesitate. "Unlike many so-called geniuses, he is a true genius. Perhaps in three to five years, he will grow to a point where others can no longer catch up."

Orochimaru took a scroll from inside his clothes and tossed it to Naoki. "Keep an eye on him for me. I am very interested in that Uchiha."

With that, Orochimaru's figure vanished into the shadows, as if he had never appeared.

Holding the secret technique scroll Orochimaru had thrown to him, Naoki thought inwardly, 'What exactly does Orochimaru covet? The Sharingan Itachi carries, or the body itself?'

There was no doubt about Itachi's excellence. Even the Third Hokage had praised him in public. But Naoki could not quite understand what Orochimaru meant by "keep an eye on him."

When he returned to the campsite, Naoki found Itachi writing and sketching again in the small notebook he carried. He casually asked, "What are you writing?"

Itachi answered seriously, "The mission log."

According to village regulations, shinobi carrying out missions were supposed to record mission logs. When they returned to the village and handed in the mission, the log would be kept as an archive in the Mission Center's records.

But regulations were one thing. In reality, very few shinobi were willing to record every detail.

Most shinobi, including Naoki, simply gave a brief oral account of the mission when handing it in. A Mission Center staff member would record it on the spot and then store it in the archives.

Naoki sighed with emotion. "Itachi, you're the most careful and meticulous shinobi I've ever met. You're young, but everything you do is precise."

Itachi closed his notebook and answered, "I only want to learn more from my seniors."

Naoki shook his head with a smile and said nothing more.

The return trip went smoothly. Unlike the slow pace on the way there, Naoki and Itachi traveled at full shinobi speed and returned to the village in only one week.

After they submitted the mission log at the Mission Center, the Mission Center immediately raised the mission's difficulty rating from B-rank to A-rank.

The reason was that the mission had involved Kumogakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages alongside Konoha, and the other side had even deployed Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails jinchuriki, along with her guard squad.

A jinchuriki could often be regarded as a shinobi village's strongest combat power beneath its Kage, a pillar of the village. According to convention, if a squad encountered such a troublesome figure during a mission and still completed the commission successfully, the Mission Center would raise the mission evaluation by one rank at its discretion.

Of course, the reward paid to Naoki and Itachi remained the standard amount for a B-rank mission. Only their records gained an A-rank completion.

Completing an A-rank mission was already rare for a chunin, let alone for Itachi, who had not even graduated. So when he walked out of the Mission Center, Itachi was extremely happy.

Looking at Itachi's smile, Naoki sighed. "Only now do you actually look like a child."

At that moment, Itachi bowed deeply to Naoki and said sincerely, "Senior, thank you for your guidance. I learned a great deal from this mission. You are a true Konoha shinobi."

Naoki smiled. "I don't remember teaching you anything."

Itachi replied, "You truly are not a talkative person, but your actions taught me many things. Especially when we encountered the Two-Tails jinchuriki. You helped me understand the resolve a Konoha shinobi should have."

Naoki froze at that. Then he asked, "You didn't think I looked humiliated back then?"

Itachi shook his head.

Naoki raised the corner of his mouth. "Then do you know why I was able to stay calm when the Cloud shinobi insulted us?"

Itachi thought seriously for a while and answered tentatively, "Because anger interferes with judgment, so shinobi should not be angry?"

"No." Naoki waved a hand and smiled mysteriously. "It was because the moment I remembered Itachi Uchiha was being humiliated with me, I suddenly felt much better."

Itachi took it as a joke. After chatting for a few more words, he said goodbye and left.

Watching Itachi's departing figure, Naoki sighed softly.

He had to admit that the Uchiha clan truly was unusual. They were far too prone to extremes. Someone narrow like Obito could try to destroy the world over a crush. Someone compassionate like Itachi could personally kill his parents and clan to prevent wider bloodshed.

If it were only extreme thinking, that would be one thing. There were plenty of people like that in the world.

But the Uchiha were different. The more extreme they became, the stronger their ocular power grew. Once their eyes evolved into the Mangekyo Sharingan, these people possessed both the drive to put their extreme beliefs into action and the strength to make them real.

Just thinking about it sent a chill through him.

In the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, held a pipe in his mouth as he read the document in his hands.

Suddenly, the Third Hokage asked the assistant beside him, "The Uchiha boy just completed an A-rank mission?"

Because the village had now begun full surveillance of the Uchiha clan, the report had reached the Hokage's Office almost immediately after Itachi completed the mission.

The assistant replied, "Yes. It was originally a B-rank commission, but Kumogakure became involved during the mission. The other side also deployed Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails jinchuriki. Because of that, the Mission Center raised the evaluation from B-rank to A-rank."

As the Third Hokage flipped through the mission record, he asked, "This Naoki Hyuga is connected to Orochimaru?"

The assistant replied, "Yes. During the war, Orochimaru used his connections to transfer him from the front line to a field hospital, where he served for a period as a hospital guard. He cannot use medical ninjutsu, but he is skilled at trauma bandaging and had a good reputation in the medical unit. Aside from being too close to Orochimaru, there are no other stains on his record."

The Third Hokage took out Naoki's personal file and glanced over it. Then his brow furrowed. "A purge attempt has already been carried out against him?"

The assistant answered, "Yes. Root attempted to purge him once, but the operation failed after they encountered an unidentified wandering shinobi. The Root ninja monitoring him, Chuichi Mitsui, died."

The Third Hokage's frown deepened. "An unidentified wandering shinobi? Can that be confirmed?"

The assistant replied, "News also came from the Hidden Sand. The assassination squad they assigned to that purge operation was wiped out as well. However, the information they sent was vague. They seem to know who the culprit is but do not want to tell us. The Intelligence Division believes this so-called wandering shinobi is likely a missing-nin from the Hidden Sand."

Only then did the Third Hokage's brow relax. "Since we can determine it was not Naoki Hyuga, observe him for a little longer. If there is nothing abnormal, remove him from the purge list."

With Orochimaru's defection and the Nine-Tails Attack that followed close behind it, the village had lost Orochimaru, the Fourth Hokage, Kushina the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, and a large number of shinobi in rapid succession. Konoha had been badly weakened.

According to reports from spies hidden in the other major shinobi villages, those villages had begun plotting after learning of Konoha's successive losses. All of them were starting to grow restless.

Add the internal problem of the Uchiha clan, and the Third Hokage, trapped between external pressure and internal conflict, was already exhausted. The purge proposed by Danzo had therefore been suspended indefinitely.

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