The road stretched endlessly ahead, a winding path that cut through forests and open fields. Team 7 had been walking for hours, their pace steady, the sun slowly climbing across the sky. The air smelled of earth and distant flowers, and the only sounds were the rustle of grass and the occasional breeze through the trees.
Naruto groaned loudly. "Ughhh… this is so boring! Where are all the enemies? The rogue ninja? The evil organizations?!"
"You want rogue ninja?" Kakashi replied, eyes still locked on his orange book. "That's usually more of a B-rank and up thing, Naruto."
Naruto blinked. "Huh? What does that mean?"
Sakura perked up, interested. "Yeah, I've always wondered—what's the deal with mission ranks anyway?"
Kakashi snapped his book shut and looked ahead, walking with a little more purpose now. "You know what? You're Genin now. Might as well learn."
Explaining the Shinobi System
Kakashi gestured casually as he spoke. "Missions are ranked from D to S, based on danger and complexity.
D-rank is the bottom—simple chores, no real risk.
C-rank might involve traveling outside the village, dealing with bandits or wild animals, but no enemy ninja.
B-rank includes high-risk missions, often involving rogue shinobi or skilled fighters.
A-rank? Think high-priority, high-danger—assassinations, war-time operations, or escorting VIPs.
And then there's S-rank. Reserved for the truly dangerous or critical missions.
Naruto's eyes were wide. "So like... taking down a whole evil organization would be S-rank?"
"That'd be beyond S-rank if it were up to you," Kakashi muttered.
Sasuke gave a quiet "hn" and said, "So... why are we on a C-rank if we're not supposed to fight other ninja?"
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at the still-grumbling Tazuna. "Good question."
They walked a little longer before Naruto asked another. "What about Kages? Where do they fit into all this?"
The Kage System
Kakashi adjusted his hitai-ate slightly. "There are five main hidden villages, and each has a Kage—a title given to the strongest and most respected ninja of that village. Our Hokage is one of them. The others are the Kazekage of the Sand, Mizukage of the Mist, Raikage of the Cloud, and Tsuchikage of the Stone."
"They're like ninja presidents?" Naruto asked.
"In a way, yes," Kakashi said. "But stronger. Every Kage has to be powerful enough to defend their village on their own, if needed."
"Whoa…" Naruto stared at the sky with awe. "I'm gonna be the best Hokage ever!"
Sasuke gave a quiet grunt but didn't comment.
Sakura looked thoughtful. "So if the Kage are the strongest… is the Third Hokage really still that powerful?"
Kakashi smiled slightly under his mask. "Stronger than you think. He was once called The Professor for a reason."
The group fell into a thoughtful silence as they continued down the path, the trees growing thicker.
The First Hint of Danger
Kakashi suddenly raised a hand. The group stopped.
"Don't move."
He crouched near a puddle on the trail. Odd—no rain for days.
Naruto leaned forward. "What is it?"
Before Kakashi could respond, the ground erupted as two masked figures flew from the puddle, chains flashing through the air.
Too late, Kakashi thought, But I need to see how they handle it.
The chains wrapped around him—and with a violent slash, the Demon Brothers cut him down.
Sakura screamed. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
Naruto froze, eyes wide.
Sasuke was already moving. A kunai flew. One of the brothers dodged, but the other was forced to block. Sasuke dashed in with surprising speed, intercepting their path.
The second enemy lunged toward Naruto. Naruto stumbled backward, falling.
But then—poof!
A puff of smoke—Kakashi appeared behind them, grabbing one by the wrist and slamming him to the dirt. The other barely turned before Kakashi disarmed him and sent him crashing beside his partner.
Kakashi stood tall, brushing off his vest. "You all right?"
Naruto stared. "But… we saw you die!"
"Shadow clone," Kakashi replied. "I wanted to see your reaction."
Naruto scowled. "You faked your death?!"
"I said this wouldn't be like the academy anymore." He tied up the Demon Brothers, then turned to Tazuna. "These two… are Chūnin-level ninja. This mission was supposed to be C-rank."
Tazuna looked away. "Yeah… about that…"
Kakashi's voice dropped. "Talk. Now."
Tazuna sighed. "Alright, alright. I may have left out a few details… But if I told the truth, I wouldn't have gotten protection. I didn't have the money to hire higher-ranked ninja!"
Sakura's eyes widened. "You lied on a mission request?!"
Kakashi crossed his arms, his tone hard. "You put my team in danger. You do not lie on mission ranks."
Tazuna didn't respond, too ashamed to meet their eyes.
Kakashi glanced at his team. Naruto was still shaken, Sakura looked anxious, and Sasuke… calm, but wary.
He turned his gaze toward the forest trail ahead.
"Team 7. We're stopping here. I need to reassess before deciding what we do next."