Being a shinobi was an odd occupation.

Your area of work was never specified.

One week you're assassinating a delegate in the north. Next your charged with picking up trash at the park. Once registered under a hidden village, a shinobi was property. A tool to accomplish the asinine tasks of the most powerful individuals in their country. The only ones that could refute requests from their superior, were those of equal influence.

Until then if your leader asked you to clean shit off the walls of a public washroom. Then you went to work without question. No matter how revolting it appeared.

In Kobaru's case, he hated it. He'd slash his forehead protector and head south, before he did anything as disgusting as that again.

The trio of reserve genin had spent the early hours of their day, cleaning a public washroom in the shopping district. The whole scene was a thing of horrors. One that he couldn't wait to eventually forget.

They were assigned a simple sanitary mission. What they got was closer to a renovation. The floor and walls were caked in crusty brown. And as one could imagine. The scent it gave off was truly capable of peeling paint. Even Kobaru's basic clones would pop themselves the moment they were summoned to avoid the foul smell.

"How did it end up on the ceiling?" Chusei asked as the three genin hurried out of their now spotless worksite. His face was blanched with looks of great trauma. It was the second time he had brought it up and just as the first he would receive no answer. Mainly because no one could explain how a brown mound defied the laws of gravity.

Thankfully Nagisa was kind enough to "loan" the two boys a pair of facemasks. It was enough to dull the toxic air. Even with two willpower-clones doing their fair share of work. It took them three hours to complete the mission. They could finally return to class and pretend that it never happened.

The entire task was, to put short, demeaning.

He was always aware that a D-rank was essentially community service, but this could be done by any willing civilian with free time. There were also homeless people in the red-light district that could work for a lot less. Some would even settle for a one-sided barter.

Missions at this level were evidently created to provide the village with a cheap labor force. The Second Hokage, during his time as advisor, had shinobi assemble furniture, paint walls and pot plants. Things that would make them appear as harmless and helpful when civilians were still getting used to the idea of hidden villages. It was smart and it worked. Konoha had more resident civilians than any other hidden village on the continent by the end of the first war.

With people getting used to sharing a community with child assassins and controlled psychopaths. Periods of peace brought change to what D-ranks stood for.

Modern times took it and devolved them into a lesson. A deterrent of impudence or, most commonly, to humble the likes of any arrogant genin. As per his personal experience it got the job done.

"Cells of three my ass," Chusei continued his tirade when they were at a safe distance, "next time we're going in there with a small army. It's a miracle we finished that before lunch."

"How can you even think about lunch right now?" Kobaru asked his jaw slack in awe. The only thing on his mind during the mission, was to keep his mouth shut in a vice. He couldn't afford to fall ill, because of excrement ingestion. Especially from his first actual assignment as shinobi.

"'Cuz I'm hungry."

"There were several brown handprints Chusei!"

"So. Now it's none of our business. We completed our first mission and that calls for a celebration," the orange haired genin smirked at his younger comrade, "Besides this is as bad as a D-rank gets. Everything from here should be ten times easier."

Kobaru wanted to argue further, but the older boy did raise a point. This was without a doubt the worst thing that could happen on a mission at this level.

"Excuse me," the girl in the group cut in seeing her opportunity to speak, "I do not believe restaurants would let anyone in smelling as we do."

Chusei took a whiff of his T-shirt then looked over at her, "Apparently my sense of smell shut down and I didn't realize."

"Lucky you," Kobaru sighed, "I wish I knew a jutsu that could nullify scent."

"That would definitely help us," she nodded in agreement.

Chusei continued his attempt to pick up the scent clinging to their clothes. Taking in lungful, after lungful of the putrid stench, "You think Nohara-sensei has any rules against smelling like a shitpit. 'Cuz showering isn't something I can just..."

He trailed off drawing in the other boy's attention. So far if no one stopped him, Chusei just went on with whatever came to mind. Kobaru scanned the boy's face for a tell, but there wasn't any sign of anything bothering him.

"We understand if you don't like showering Kagawa-san," Kobaru teased nudging him with an elbow, "but you can have a bath at my house before we head back. I live kinda far, so if you want to get back to class on time. We're gonna have to skip lunch."

"Is there no end to your kindness?" Chusei nudged him back. A little too hard for the smaller boy, but Kobaru refused to sully the sullen mood with a complaint.

"Well, I do owe you for that jutsu crash course."

"And I told you not to bring it up again."

"Excuse me," Nagisa interjected with what was turning out to be a verbal tick, "Is it possible to have that invitation extended to me as well. Water is a commodity that I can't afford to squander right now."

"Uh... Of course," Chusei replied even though the question wasn't directed to him. He then plastered his face with a grin and grabbed Kobaru by the shoulder, "we orphan gotta stick together you know."

Yes. Yes, we do. Kobaru nodded to himself before he processed the statement, "when I said my place I meant as in my parents."

"Really?" Chusei asked Kobaru confirmed with several quick nods. The orange haired haired boy twisted his face in confusion. As though he was trying desperately to convince himself that what he was hearing was a lie.

"Excuse me. I was also under the impression that you were parentless."

"What would give you that idea?" Kobaru asked, not feeling as generous as he did thirty seconds prior.

"Well, you always have this negative background thought when I link our chakra," Chusei explained, "And the goal you gave yesterday. That was basically the nail in the coffin for me."

"My father did a poor job sugar-coating things. Did you just say link chakra?"

"Did I? Sorry I meant..." Chusei began but wound-up gagging mid-sentence, "Kobaru we need that bath right now my nose is dying."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

XxX

Kobaru was just about average when it came to identifying behavioral patterns. What he knew came from the basics that were taught at the academy. If someone really put effort into hiding something from him, then they'd be able to do so without him being any wiser.

Reading Chusei on the other hand, was easier than breathing. That was mostly because he sucked at being inconspicuous.

Since his slip up, he resorted to counting his words and carefully going over sentences before speaking. Something that Kobaru was sure the orange haired boy was incapable of doing. Whatever "linking chakra" was, he kept it to himself.

If the younger boy was being honest, the silence during the walk from his house was peaceful. No random stories or saying anything for the sake of saying it. He could do with another one of those in a group interaction.

From what he heard, Chusei could effectively read his thoughts, so Kobaru wasn't going to force anything from him. He didn't even care about the technique. He'd just prefer to have it added to his arsenal for whatever use he came up with.

If Chusei could learn something like that then it can't be that hard.

Until then he'd figure out a way to keep his curiosity at the forefront of his mind. He could stop the other boy's rambling for a few weeks.

"Alright maggots from the dirty looks I'm getting right now. I can tell that you hate D-ranks. Which is a good thing!" Nohara-sensei began looking up from the mission reports, "At the very least I'm glad to know that you maggots could actually read and write!"

He scanned the class with a silent glare gauging their reactions. The jonin always had a look on his face that showed that his conscience died several years ago. It was either that or the man genuinely had two emotions. If he wasn't angry, he was disappointed. Even when he was distributing praise.

"D-ranks are referred to as buffers. Jonin and Chunin only complete these between high-stake tasks. You maggots will use them to build up to the more stressful missions the village has to offer. Considering that we ended a war not too long ago we have a lot of high-stake missions banked up, for completion. So, you might as well enjoy the babysitting while you can.

"As you may or may not know by now. A shinobi is there to do the work that other people can't stomach. That includes sorting through discarded pig intestines for a ring that wasn't even lost in the first place."

"That butcher was a jackass sensei!" someone shouted from the back of the class.

"He's a paying a jackass so shut up! Our job is to do the unsettling work, not complain about it," Nohara-sensei shot back then went about the rest of his explanation, "If you let something like a dirty toilet or animal guts stop you then you're not gonna make it pass the main gate. Anyone capable of doing what you guys had to do before lunch. Can plunge their hand into a beating heart, then make it across a bloody battlefield without keeling over from the scent.

"Although C-ranks are one step above what you did today and even then, you're expected to take lives. Sure, it should be bandits, but they are in their own right lethal. They won't care if you don't like getting your hands dirty, they will do whatever's necessary to get the job done. And that's the mentality that you should have goin' into this."

"But they're just bandits not shinobi. I'm pretty sure we can take 'em," Chusei decided to add his two cents.

"Sure, in a one and one situation shinobi wins no matter the age or experience. But can a maggot cell dispatch an entire gang? The answer is no! The reason criminal activity such as this is prevalent and that's because anything can happen in an overwhelming ambush. These men and women expect to die running into a client protected by shinobi. And most of them will in the scuffle. Some will even use themselves as a distraction for their friends to get-away with whatever's being guarded. After all they're willing to do anything to ensure their family back home gets a meal."

"Excuse me sensei. If that is the case, then why don't they produce their own food? It would save them more lives."

"Agriculture requires land and in places like Fire country. All of it is owned by our Daimyo and monitored by his delegates. The only areas that go unchecked, are infertile and incapable of producing anything but cacti. If they want food. They'd have to steal."

"Then what about their children?" Chusei asked his eyes narrowed for some reason.

"I am not sure. I do have a friend who was tasked with scouting a bandit community recently. He told me that there are rarely any children in those areas. And if there are, we have to rescue them and bring them back to the village."

Of course they were.

Children were seen as commodity after a population decrease. Either your own people provided a supply, or you commandeered those of smaller states. They were easier to indoctrinate than adults. Even a rebel teen would be broken before someone who already developed a matured sense of identity.

It was quite obvious they went there for the young and vulnerable.

What village would even waste time on scouting a bandit hangout? Why would a village even waste resources by sending someone there? A skilled jonin with a spoon and a fork could dispatch an entire nations worth without them even realizing. The only how they can justify further interference is if someone important got murdered. Or way less likely, the bandits were learning shinobi arts.

"Uhm sensei..." Kobaru raised his hand, "what happens if bandits get too good at what they're doing?"

Chusei saw issue with the clarity in the statement, "What do you mean by too good?"

"Then we take extra precautions to ensure no one gets hurt," Nohara-sensei ignored the youngest genin in the room, "little maggot! What you need to understand is that survival is the name of the game. You take out your competition or pick at their weak spot until they give way. Which leads to B-ranks.

"You're not going to be tasked with these until you make chunin, but... Sometimes a C-rank can clash with a B-rank of a different village. Especially now considering that the only other nation we have an alliance with is Wind Country. Information is limited to what the client informs us. That means they can hire a cell for far less than what it should be. Before you know it, you're fighting a shinobi two ranks higher and fifteen years your senior. With our current political climate, the chances of an interaction coming to blows is about nine in ten. According to our intelligence network, leaf forehead protectors alone, could get you a hundred thousand ryo. A body to go with it doubles the amount.

"So, in case you run into shinobi looking for a fight you are to initiate evasive maneuvers. Get back to the village as quickly as possible, so we can have it reassigned. I don't care if you think you can take them. Or if the client gives you a sad story about why they requested less. You are to take your client, if you can and haulass back to Konoha you hear me?"

"Yes sensei!" They sang in response.

"If they pursue you. Then there are rules for that too," he paused to mull over what he was about to say, "if things get hard. Mist-nin never have information of value and are more dangerous in one-on-one situations. So, keep your distance. They won't follow you back to the gate. Cloud-nin are bolder and talk a lot less. Try your best to lead them to the gate where our chunin can hold them off. Remember maggots! You are not licensed to complete a mission of that degree. If it heads south, then what matters is that you comeback alive. Your lives are valuable."

Translation we're running low on shinobi and can't afford to lose anyone.

"Excuse me sensei," Nagisa raised her hand, "what do we do if we are pursued by rock-nin."

"Then... this is the only time one of you are allowed to stay back as a distraction. Leading those stone-headed pieces of shit back to the village is a terrible idea," Nohara-sensei sighed then graced the girl with a hard glare, "because rock-nin... rock-nin explode!"

The class of genin sat in silence. Absorbing the essence of what was just said. Most stayed quiet because of how violent it sounded to turn into a bomb. Kobaru on the other hand was silently admiring the craft. The chakra control necessary for an explosion shouldn't be possible.

The mind's first instinct was to find a way to preserve itself. Which was why chakra moved in the first place. All systems were primed to keep the body alive. Rock-nin figuring out how to move chakra in a way that resulted in self-explosion, was simply astounding.

The body had the strength and tools necessary to bite off its own tongue. Or to tear off the pinky fingers. Whenever one tried to harm their body with the harmful parts, a mental bar triggered itself. Things like that could only take place if the mind is completely unaware. One would need to bypass all basic precautions to combat self-harm. This was obviously easier said than done, but the rock-nin actually did it. And with chakra too.

They were either astute ninjutsu specialists or full-blown maniacs.

"Sensei."

"Yes, carrot maggot."

"Do they like explode with fire or is it just guts and stuff?"

"Is that even important?" He sighed, "the point is that you're restricted from leading rock-nin to Konoha. With the history of our countries and the war fresh on their minds, even jonin need an excuse to engage with them."

"Are they better than us?" The same genin from the back asked.

"If that was the case then we'd be the ones offering small fortunes for forehead protectors."

He had a point.

"Why are they still angry then?" Chusei crossed his arms in what looked like an attempt to appear more intelligent, "It's just war. If you're that mad right now, why end the war in the first place. Shoulda kept fighting 'til the last man?"

"Well, you can ask Lord Hokage when you have the chance. I'm just here to make sure you're up to scratch in basic taijutsu and ninjutsu. Things like history and politics you'll have to do on your own time," he replied stuffing all the mission reports into his back pocket, "Now! As I said during our first class. Your combat awareness is horrid, so we'll be focusing on that for a while. Meet you maggots out back in five."

XxX

Never underestimate an opponent. It was something that Kobaru learned from an unlikely teacher. Thanks to the little black-eyed demon he was already a step ahead of the other reserve genin.

It was such an important lesson that even Nohara-sensei was trying to wedge it into their minds. Before they started the activities for the second half of the day. The man spent almost half an hour explaining the concept to ensure everyone understood.

Then to put their new knowledge to use, he challenged them all to a twisted handicap match. Which turned the entire concept on its head, because no one underestimated his ability.

The goal was to survive his attacks and pursuit for an hour without getting knocked out. Everything in their repertoire was allowed. Even with that he'd kick them sideways, but being the naive little kids they were they accepted, and regret followed shortly after.

For one, He made no attempt to hold back. The four genin he dispatched at the start made it very obvious. He'd attacked and immobilized the group so fast that by the time the others realized, he knocked down four more. His striking force making it very obvious that he was intent on maiming them.

Kobaru did as anyone else would in that situation and turned tail for the woods. He paid no mind to the two other sacrifices left in his wake.

Just as the Museigen household was isolated on the west end of the village. The factory was alone in the opposing direction. Such similarities allowed for everyone to scream and cry as loud as they wanted without gaining civilian attention.

He was coming to realize that this wasn't as good as he initially thought it to be.

He quickly hurried up a tree and hid himself behind a branch of leaves. Moving through the canopy was a skill the academy made sure they perfected by the end of the first year. And that was without chakra usage. In the trees Konoha-nin were second to none. A fight in a forest immediately gave them the upper hand. Shinobi would not be able to keep up with or even correctly locate them once they touched the green. They could stay hidden in a tree on fire if they wanted to.

Sadly, hiding from another Konoha-nin in the leaves was useless.

I just need enough time to calm- Another scream not too far from his left. I need to move!

Kobaru with as much willpower as he could gather performed the Kage Bunshin, then had it head out to the right. There was no way he'd be able to fight a shinobi of jonin rank. They achieved their position by mastering the shinobi arts. No one could engage them and expect easy pickings. It got even harder if you didn't know what their area of expertise was.

The plan was to use the clone as a distraction. Have him lead the pursuing jonin far enough away. Then, with its increased sense of duty it would engage and hold him off. By the time Nohara-sensei was able to make that happen the original would be long gone.

Of course, th