Missions are the bread and butter for any ninja, assigned by the village or a contractor.

They are divided into six categories based on numerous factors; in fact, an entire building in the ninja village is dedicated solely to assigning a rank to each mission. These are categorized as S, A, B, C, D, and E rank.

E rank missions are the most numerous, primarily because they consist of simple tasks around the village that villagers are willing to pay for.

Want your dogs walked? Simply head down to the Hokage Tower, fill out a form, and within about an hour, a lone Genin will arrive to complete the mission.

Normally, E and D rank missions are interchangeable, the only difference being that D ranks are completed by Genin teams, while E ranks are handled by lone Genins. Most Genins despise these missions, having dreamed of saving princesses or battling dragons, yet find themselves cleaning toilets and locating lost cats instead.

"I thought my first mission would be me traveling to a distant land to find a mythical sword in a lake and becoming the queen of that land," Tenten chuckled at the thought.

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Tenten strode into the Hokage's office with a mission—literally.

She was armed with a form for a dozen E rank missions, her mind spinning with the elaborate plan she and her friends had concocted.

To get the necessary approval, she'd convinced Gai-sensei that these missions were part of an intense solo training regimen he'd be proud of.

With his signature gracing the form, she felt confident, even though she knew bending the truth was a risky game.

The office was bustling, clerks moving back and forth, papers flying as if caught in a gentle breeze.

She approached the counter, form in hand, and was greeted by a clerk who looked as though he'd seen too many forms and not enough daylight.

"Good afternoon."

The clerk peered over his glasses, eyeing the form and then Tenten with a mix of surprise and amusement.

"A dozen E rank missions? Planning to conquer the world of weeding and cat-finding, are we?" he joked, trying to inject some lightness into the process, well aware of the rigorous nature of shinobi missions, regardless of their rank.

Tenten chuckled nervously, playing along. "Yes, you know, just trying to keep Konoha safe from unruly gardens and stray animals. Someone's got to do it," she replied, hoping her attempt at humor didn't sound as forced as it felt.

The first clerk finished up with a nod. "Alright, you're all set. Jonin Maito Gai's signature checks out, and your missions are approved. Good luck out there, Tenten. Konoha is counting on you to keep those gardens in check," he said, handing back the form now stamped with approval.

"Thank you, I won't let you down," Tenten said.

Tenten left the Hokage's office with her new mission documents in hand and headed straight to the nearest shop.

There, Hinata and Naruto were attempting to blend in inconspicuously.

Hinata, her Byakugan activated, was pretending to read a newspaper upside down.

Next to her, Naruto was sipping water, donning a pair of comical glasses, featuring large bushy eyebrows, a bulbous nose, and a thick mustache attached to the frame, masking his recognizable features somewhat clumsily.

"You guys are taking this seriously."

"A ninja must maintain discipline and secrecy during a mission," Naruto declared, his glasses slipping off his face as he spoke. Hinata quickly caught them and handed them back to him.

"These are E rank missions, there's no need for all of this," Tenten countered, her tone light and dismissive as Naruto shook his head in disagreement.

"We can still get into real trouble here," Naruto insisted, his seriousness echoed by Hinata's nod of agreement. Tenten glanced at the document in her hand, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes.

"Sure," she replied nonchalantly, barely concealing a smirk.

She was clearly looking forward to seeing their reactions.

"Okay, what's on the plate? Finding a legendary treasure hidden at the end of the sea, or maybe rescuing a soul reaper trapped in a society of souls?" Naruto said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Tenten, trying to keep a straight face, handed him the mission scroll, which brought him crashing back down to earth.

"Cleaning the public toilets," she announced, almost apologetically.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"This is shit." Naruto looked ready to cry as his dreams were broken, with Hinata patting him on the back and Tenten ignoring the heartbroken boy.

"Okay, we've got to find a spot where we can switch in and out without anyone catching on that we're all playing me for the day."

"How about we use my place as the take house?" Naruto threw in, slightly off with the terminology.

"Safe house, Naruto. And sure, let's do that," Tenten corrected him with a nod, already on board with the idea.

At the mention of heading to Naruto's apartment, Hinata's face blossomed into a deep red, her imagination likely spinning wild scenarios about the significance of being in his personal space.

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A few minutes later, Naruto led the way to his apartment, giving the door a hearty kick to swing it open.

Tenten and Hinata cautiously stepped in, immediately met with the sight of what could generously be called 'organized chaos.'

"What?" Naruto looked back, sensing their hesitation.

"It's surprisingly cleaner than a pigpen," Tenten remarked, her voice dripping with genuine surprise—a compliment so backhanded Naruto wasn't sure whether to say thank you or start an argument.

As Tenten navigated through the clutter, her foot nudged something on the floor. Bending down, she picked up a book, "The Pillow Book."

Her laugh filled her head.

Haha, no way.

Flipping it open, she found it to be the genuine novel, not some knock-off or a parody.

"Guess even idiots recognize art," she mused silently, placing the book on the nearest stable surface—a table that had seen better days.

Hinata, meanwhile, gathered a small collection of books scattered around. "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves,"

"The Narrow Road to the Deep North,"

"Tosa Diary," "Tales of Ise."

Hinata, holding the poetry books, felt a twinge of annoyance.

"How come I didn't know Naruto-kun was into poetry?" she mumbled under her breath, slightly irked that this facet of his personality had eluded her. It was a revelation that both surprised and somehow, vexed her—after all, wasn't she supposed to be the one who knew him best?

But then, as quickly as the annoyance had bubbled up, it transformed into something softer, warmer.

She imagined Naruto, the village's most unpredictable ninja, standing beneath her window, reciting verses of love with the same intensity he applied to his training.

"Naruto-kun, my very own Romeo," she thought, a dreamy smile spreading across her face.

"Guys," Naruto tried to get their attention, only to be met with a sharp glare from Tenten.

"Female guys?" he corrected, though it didn't seem to improve his situation.

"Keep trying," Tenten muttered, rolling her eyes as she took the opportunity to survey the rest of Naruto's living conditions.

How can someone keep living in such a broken-down home?

She pondered, her gaze sweeping over the room.

"I can see that fridge is completely broken, the doors hardly stay on their hinges, those windows are too moldy to let in any light," she continued, ticking off the apartment's many, shall we say, 'quirks' on her fingers.

"What's the plan that doesn't involve you two making judgments about my home?" Naruto asked.

Tenten, while tracing the Kunai marks along the bathroom door with her finger, laid out their mission strategy.

"The plan is that you two are going to transform into me. We'll take on missions as far away from each other as possible, come back here, and I'll go and collect the mission payments at the Hokage Tower. After that, we use the money to fix this place up."

Naruto had been nodding along, absorbed in the plan's logistics, until Tenten's final remark hit him like a rogue wave.

His expression shifted from understanding to shock, his eyes widening.

Tenten, meanwhile, was already calculating the costs, mumbling to herself about a new fridge and repair expenses.

"Why?" Naruto interjected, his curiosity peaking as he interrupted Tenten's calculations.

"Why not? We're friends, aren't we? I don't want my friend living like this when I have the ability to help him. I'm sure Hinata feels the same," Tenten replied, her gaze shifting to Hinata, who nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Naruto struggled to keep his composure.

His lips quivered, and his eyes glistened as he fought back tears, looking down to hide his vulnerability.

"Thank you," he whispered, the words barely escaping his lips.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and said it louder, with more force, "Thank you!" His voice cracked, betraying the emotional turmoil swirling within him.

"Ouch," Tenten grimaced, covering her ears, but her eyes softened at the sight of Naruto's tears.

For Naruto, it was more than just the promise of a better living space; it was the realization that he wasn't alone, that he had friends who cared deeply enough to intervene.

"Okay, you big orange baby. Show me your transformation jutsu," Tenten commanded.

In a puff of smoke, Naruto transformed, and suddenly, another Tenten stood before them, mirroring her stance.

"Good! Now show me the mannerisms!" she demanded next.

"What?" both Naruto and Hinata echoed in confusion.

Tenten let out a heavy sigh, her patience thinning.

"There's so much more to a person than just an image. I want to see if you can actually come across as me," she explained, trying to instill in them the importance of the finer details.

Naruto whipped out his Kunai and started mock-stabbing the air.

"Stab Stab."

Suddenly, a notification appeared before Naruto's eyes.

[ Congratulations! Skill Transformation Jutsu has leveled up ]

He paused, taken aback.

Wait, why?!

Naruto stood there, scratching his head, deep in thought.

He was trying to piece together the puzzle of why his Transformation Jutsu had suddenly leveled up.

Was it really because of his playful, albeit simplistic, imitation of Tenten's fighting style?

Or was it something else entirely? He pondered over the possibility that maybe, just maybe, it was simply a matter of timing.

Perhaps he had used the jutsu enough times already, and this moment, right after his "stabby" performance, was just when it happened to level up—pure coincidence.

His contemplation was rudely interrupted by Tenten, who, armed with the 'stupid stick,' whacked him back into his original form. "What was that for?" Naruto groaned, rubbing the spot where he'd been hit.

"I am more than just a stabby girl," Tenten huffed, clearly unamused by Naruto's reductive portrayal of her.

"Like what?"

"I am an elegant weapon-wielding mistress of steel and..." Tenten began, puffing up with pride.

"Delusions," Naruto interjected, earning himself a glare that could freeze lava.

Tenten raised the stupid stick.

"Mind repeating that?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

"No, I sense that I've made a mistake," Naruto quickly backpedaled, realizing he might have poked the bear one too many times.

Amidst the exchange, Hinata felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy. Watching Naruto and Tenten bicker with such ease, she couldn't help but wish she could interact with Naruto-kun in the same lighthearted, bantering way.

Why can't I be like that with Naruto-kun? she wondered, her heart longing for the kind of camaraderie that came so naturally to others.