Takuma gazed at everyone on the team, the nine people who had helped him bring down the chunin. He didn't know half of them well. Nenro and Masaaki were his best friends, while Arisu was his second-in-command, partner, and firmest supporter inside the Police Force. Minoru and Gouki were his co-workers— and he was their boss, which put a level of separation between them. Yamanaka, Yuhi, Akimichi, and Inuzuka, he had met them for the first time for this mission.

Despite that, he was glad none of them had died. It was a miracle. Even though he had planned and given appropriate roles to the people based on their capabilities to increase their chances of survival, he was operating under the assumption of the worst-case scenario.

"I… I would like to thank everyone here," Takuma addressed the group.

Their eyes shifted towards him.

"Today has been a tough day for all. The mission, even before this, was a stressful one because of the stakes involved, and I don't need to mention the unexpected we just went through." He looked everyone in the eyes. "We had some arguments here and there— which is to be expected— except for my team, I haven't worked with any of you." That went for Nenro and Masaaki as well; they were his friends, but he hadn't worked with them except for two months of basic training, and that was two years ago. "But I have no complaints regarding this group. I'm thankful for how everyone conducted themselves today and their contribution toward the mission.

"I'll be writing stellar reviews for all of you in the mission reports… Due to budgetary reasons, I can't give you guys bonuses, but Arisu will be laying out a party when we return home." Everyone chuckled. Takuma glanced at the Uchiha. "And I'm sure Gouki will contribute to the celebrations."

"Count me in," Gouki smiled.

Takuma smiled before continuing. He first looked at Yamanaka. "It's because of you that we all made it out alive. With you controlling our bodies, the vulnerability of every individual was cut short by several levels. If you hadn't done that, looked after us, strained yourself, we wouldn't be sitting here together, whole and alive. And for that… I'm eternally grateful. Thank you."

Yamanaka soaked up the praise and attention.

"Akimichi," Takuma turned to the girl, "it was a pleasure sharing responsibility with you. Without you, we would've gone down when the chunin had that rock armor on him before he even turned on the offensive. You're one tough kunoichi. Thank you for keeping us all safe. You'll be the Akimichi I would be looking for when I need the toughest shinobi."

He didn't mind her switching to attack, leaving him alone to fend against the chunin. It was the right decision, and he commended her for it.

"I'm one call away; reach me any time," Akimichi weakly raised her bo-staff. Having been on the 'Tank' team, she had taken a nasty beating. It was a testament to the Akimichi Toughness that she was even conscious now.

"Yuhi," Takuma moved. She was sitting close to him, so he reached out and grasped her hand. "You're the reason we were able to take out the chunin. It had to be the Bell Clone Jutsu, but he was too much for me to handle. I couldn't cast the genjutsu while contesting his attacks. Without the genjutsu, without you, I don't know how to take him down. The fight would probably still be going on— and as you can see, our chunin are still not here."

"Please," Yuhi looked embarrassed, "anyone could've rang that bell."

"I disagree," said Takuma. "In the heat of the moment, when the stress was at its maximum, I could only relay a simple instruction to Arisu. At that moment, you were the only one I trusted to understand what I was trying to do because of your knowledge. Even if I asked someone else, they wouldn't have understood what I was trying to do, and even if they recognized the jutsu, there was a chance they would've abandoned the plan when they thought the situation down here become tough— but you had the patience because of your understanding to stick to the plan and follow the instruction.

"Don't cut yourself short. You played a crucial role in taking down the chunin. You earned the credit you deserved."

Takuma was just relieved that he had Yuhi nearby. The Hidden Mist Jutsu would've only stopped the chunin for a while before he would've been able to get out. Even if he was able to force him to flee due to injuries, if Takuma was able to get a read on the chunin in the short time he knew the man, the chunin would've tried to pull something in an act of final revenge. The genjutsu was the only way to get the chunin to stay and end the ordeal.

Plus, if the chunin escaped, he would spread the information regarding the busted farm to the drug network, which would be problematic for the overarching case the Narcotics Taskforce was working on. It was an overall positive outcome.

"Inuzuka and Minoru… and he went to sleep," Takuma looked at Minoru, who was sleeping on the ground. He turned to Inuzuka. "I'm sorry to send you out on your own. I'm a follower of the operational practice that a shinobi should have at least one partner with them during combat or any field function." He was taught that in the Field Tactics courses he took. "And sending you out to deal with those genin alone was a risky decision. But the genin were extra bodies that we couldn't have interfering. Especially you, Inuzuka; you had to deal with two guys alone."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"I wasn't alone. I had a partner with me all along," Inuzuka pointed at his nin-ken, who wagged his tail under the petting.

"That's true," Takuma smiled.

"Gouki, our star. The one to strike down the big bad," Takuma turned to the Uchiha. "I have told you this before; I will say it again. You have a lot of firepower, and you use it well. It's a little bit difficult to use it in the village with all the people and buildings around— but here, away from civilization, you can really see how much damage you can do." He looked around, and some flames and embers were still burning around them. If the forest had been any drier, they would have a forest fire. "And now you have gained another powerful weapon— not bad for a day's work— train it, and train it well; you'll be a force to reckon with in no time.

"And don't forget us, little people, when you're a big deal."

Takuma and Gouki laughed along with the rest of the group.

Minoru woke up. "Huh, what happened!?"

"Nothing, go sleep," said Takuma. "You did good out there today. Go rest."

"Mmnm," Minoru mumbled before closing his eyes. The poor guy was too tired after their ordeal. Takuma would've preferred if their sensory-nin was awake to keep an eye on their surroundings for more unexpected surprises, but he couldn't force him to work in his condition.

"Arisu, my favorite Fuma," said Takuma.

"Oh, it's my turn now, is it? Go ahead," said Arisu, catching up to what Takuma was doing.

"Despite the large amount of time we spend with each other, I don't think I say it enough. You're an excellent kunoichi, officer, and person— I rely on you more than I have relied on anyone else," Takuma doled out praise without holding back. "Everyone goes to you first for advice before they even look at me because they know you're the most reliable person in the office… You have the makings of a good leader…"

Arisu frowned at him. Her eyes asked: 'What are you doing?'

Takuma shrugged. Both of them knew he wasn't going to be in his current position for too long. Arisu might not succeed him immediately, but she was the best option when she met the other prerequisite.

His time was almost over. Even the success of the B-rank mission wouldn't be enough. The day Fugaku had added Scars to Takuma's Police Force personnel file, that day he had started the timer on Takuma's progress in the Police Force. Everything would be used against him to take the fruit of his labor away from him— and they had the smoking gun right under their noses.

Takuma flashed Arisu a smile.

He moved on to the next one. "Masaaki, you need to work on your defense. Your situational awareness can sometimes be shoddy, which gets you in trouble. It takes one bad injury for things to hit rock bottom. Aggression is good; I support it," Arisu scoffed; Takuma ignored her, "but there should be a method to the madness. The old Masaaki would pound the enemy into the ground and not get touched once. Other than that, you're golden. The time with Akimichi has done you good. Keep it up. You're my golden boy."

Masaaki shot a thumbs-up and groaned.

Takuma turned to Nenro. "If I learned anything today, I don't want to fight you. That Lightning Release jutsu had some serious juice behind them. I envy you, my friend. You got the smarts and the skills. I know you're already planning for it, but let me give you a vote of confidence. You're ready for the next Chunin Exams. I believe when everyone sees you on that stage, they'll know your true value. Go for it."

Nenro looked surprised, which was rare because he always seemed to be in control. Takuma smiled, enjoying the expression.

"I… Thank you," Nenro replied. "You want to join me in the exams?"

"I will think about it," Takuma smiled, but he knew that wasn't possible. Nenro was simply being swayed by the moment.

Chunin Exams seemed to be the best plan of action for him. A promotion could give him leverage, which he could either use in the Police Force, or use it to transfer somewhere else. Switching jobs every couple years was a legit tactic for salary hikes and moving up the corporate ladder; Takuma wondered if it would work in the shinobi world.

With the praise session done, Takuma sat down and relaxed, but just as they were coming down from the battle's high, the two Hidden Leaf chunin returned.

"Looks like you had an adventure of your own," said one of them, looking at the carnage around them.

"What took you so long?" asked Takuma. He kept the anger deep down. Taking on a chunin wasn't part of their responsibility. Takuma had bought chunin on the mission for a reason.

"The bastard tried to make a run for it. We had to chase him down. He knew the terrain better than us… took some time to kill him," answered the second chunin.

Takuma sighed. He wanted to argue, but with everything over, he was too tired to have a dispute. He let it go.

"You recognize him?" Takuma pointed to the chunin they had killed.

The two chunin took out their bingo books and flipped through the profiles until they arrived at the right one. "Oh my, you guys scored decently. He has a bounty on his head. The pay is better if you had gotten him alive, but dead pay isn't bad."

Takuma turned to the genin,

"Well guys, I think we have our party fund."

——

.

Later that day, in an unknown location.

There was a knock on the door. The room was a simple office with absolutely zero personalization, no personality reflecting the user's taste. There was only one decoration which hung from the wall behind the desk in the room.

"Come in."

The subordinate entered the room and greeted the person inside the room.

"I have a report, sir," said the subordinate plainly with no emotion.

"Speak."

"One of our farms was just raided. The one in-charge sent us a coded message. From the looks of it, the message was written hastily… It's safe to assume that he is either dead or has deserted."

"What was the message?"

"Requesting backup. The farm was found by Hidden Leaf shinobi."

The man in the office stayed silent for a moment. "Was the man-in-charge part of the foundation?" he asked.

"No, sir. He was an outside contractor."

"The message said Hidden Leaf shinobi, not the ANBU?"

"Hidden Leaf shinobi, sir."

"Then there must be a trail. Find who was involved in the raid."

"Yes, sir."

"You may leave now."

The subordinate left and the man in the office returned to his work as though nothing had happened.

Behind him was a square wall-hanging with a motif of a golden tree with deep roots sewn into it.