In the Kusakage’s office, two people were present. One of them wore a military uniform accompanied by a coat bearing the vilge's symbol; the other was a young man who had yet to reach adulthood, dressed in a Kusa military uniform tailored to his size.

  Akihiro stood nervously in front of the Kusakage. He hadn’t expected that, for his very first mission as a Chūnin, it would be the Kusakage himself who handed it to him. That was far from common—unless one was a truly outstanding shinobi, or the mission itself was of particur importance. The Kusakage rarely delivered missions personally.

  The Kusakage looked at Akihiro’s nervousness with calm before speaking.

  —So, you’re Akihiro. I saw your excellent performance in the Chūnin Exams. To be honest, I didn’t expect it. According to your record, you barely stood out in the Genin exams… and yet, here you are. —He paused briefly before continuing.

  —Becoming a Chūnin in such a short time… even I took longer. That’s not something achieved by luck. Congratutions. —He stood up and walked slowly toward a shelf, took a scroll sealed with the emblem of Kusagakure, and handed it to him.

  —This is your first official assignment as a Chūnin. From now on, your actions will not only speak for you… they’ll speak for this vilge. —He crossed his arms, watching him intently. His tone wasn’t hostile, but it carried weight.

  —I don’t usually receive every newly promoted shinobi in person. So consider this a sign that I see you as someone worth the effort. —He said as he sat back down. —That’s all. You’re dismissed.

  Akihiro, still a bit dazed by the mixture of praise and pressure, nodded and bowed as he left the office.

  —I wish you success on your mission, Akihiro —the Kusakage said as he saw him off.

  —Thank you, Kusakage-sama —Akihiro replied as he closed the door and stepped out of the Kusakage building. Finally outside, he let out a huge sigh of relief, grateful that nothing had gone wrong.

  —I hadn’t remembered what it felt like to talk to your boss in a long time. Still just as awkward and incredibly stressful —he muttered while unrolling the scroll.

  —Let’s see what mission this is... What? —Akihiro couldn’t help but excim, a mix of surprise and confusion in his voice. For a moment, he felt an almost irresistible urge to march back into the Kusakage’s office and ask what the hell all of it meant.

  Without wasting another second, he sprinted toward Miyuki’s house and didn’t stop pounding on the door until, exhausted and half-asleep, she peeked out, wearing nothing but a nightgown.

  —Akihiro? Why are you here, banging on my door like that? —asked Miyuki, rubbing her eyes. The night before had completely drained her, and with no missions pending, she had pnned to sleep through the rest of the day.

  —What the hell is this? —snapped Akihiro, thrusting the scroll toward her.

  —This? You do know missions are confidential, right? You can't just show up and hand it to me like it's nothing —Miyuki replied with a serious tone.

  —JUST READ IT! —shouted Akihiro.

  Miyuki let out a resigned sigh and opened the scroll. As her eyes moved down the contents, her expression shifted from calm to completely pale.

  —Shit… you caught his attention —she murmured.

  Then she grabbed Akihiro by the arm and shoved him inside the house forcefully.

  —Ow! Hey! That wasn’t necessary —Akihiro protested as he picked himself up off the floor.

  That’s when he noticed Kōsetsu sitting in front of the TV, staring at him with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

  —Hi, Kōsetsu. How are you? —Akihiro asked with a gentle smile.

  Kōsetsu nodded.—I’m fine, Chūnin Akihiro. I can tell something happened —she said, gesturing to Miyuki, who was now rubbing her head with a worried expression. —For now, come on. You two should eat something —she added, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

  —Thanks, Kōsetsu —Miyuki murmured.

  She colpsed onto the couch with visible annoyance and picked up the scroll again.

  —I have no idea what that idiot was thinking, assigning a mission like this to a freshly promoted Chūnin. But there’s no turning back now… even if we compin, I doubt it’ll change anything —she said as she unrolled the scroll once more.

  Among the countless words written on the parchment, there were some that simply could not be ignored.

  Infiltration mission into the Hidden Leaf Vilge.

  Yes. The Hidden Leaf Vilge.

  One of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

  The birthpce of Naruto.

  And the main stage of the entire story.