Konoha: Who Says the Shinobi World Can't Play Hunter?

Chapter 42: The Mission Continues

Hayate could still hear Kazama's words echoing in his mind. Every sentence made sense, yet he had never considered training from that perspective. His own sensei had only guided him through actions, never explaining the why behind them. He had relied on talent and effort to get where he was, but in truth, he had never fully understood his own path.

Meanwhile, in the fields, Ichirō and Nobuko were completely exhausted.

Ichirō had been alternating between using Earth Release: Earth Wave and manual digging. If his chakra ran out, he used a hoe. Nobuko, on the other hand, had been reinforcing her hoe with chakra the entire time. Even though she had learned to conserve her chakra somewhat, her total reserves hadn't magically increased. As a result, both their stamina and chakra were depleted. They lay sprawled out in the furrows, panting heavily.

"Sorry, I couldn't finish my part of the task." Ichirō admitted honestly.

"Just let me rest a little. Even if I have to stay up all night, I'll finish this mission!" Nobuko declared stubbornly.

"No need. I'll handle the rest. You two just rest up," Kazama reassured them.

He wasn't upset at all—quite the opposite. He was pleased.

They had worked hard, pushed their limits, and had even experimented with new ways to use chakra. Ichirō had raw strength, while Nobuko had intelligence and precision. Kazama was completely satisfied with his teammates.

"You're not mad?" Nobuko hesitated. She valued Kazama as a teammate and didn't want to disappoint him.

"Why would I be mad? You didn't slack off. If anything, I'm proud of you two. I taught you a new approach, and you trusted me without hesitation. That means more to me than finishing a simple mission."

He smirked. "Remember, we're genin. Our main job is to train while completing missions. At least, that's how we do things in Team Six. So, no need to feel bad."

"Exactly," Hayate added, stepping forward with his sword casually slung over his shoulder. "You two did well. Your effort was obvious. I'm proud to call you my students."

Kazama clapped his hands together.

"Alright, let's eat. After training this hard, there's nothing better than a good meal."

"I'll go hunt," Hayate offered. "It'll be faster that way."

Kazama shrugged. "Fair enough. With your speed, even a tiger wouldn't escape."

Sure enough, within ten minutes, Hayate returned with a freshly caught deer.

Kazama unsealed a large cooking pot from his storage scroll and set up a fire. As the water boiled, he expertly gutted and butchered the deer, setting aside portions for stew and skewers for grilling. He also gathered some wild vegetables to balance the meal.

"Whoa, Kazama, you can cook?" Nobuko asked in surprise.

Both she and Ichirō had grown up in orphanages. They knew how to prepare basic meals to survive, but actual cooking was a different skill entirely.

"Of course," Kazama replied with a smirk. "I lived with an old man who had very high standards for food. Learning to cook was mandatory."

"This reminds me of my old missions with your grandfather," Hayate mused. "He always made sure we ate well in the field."

Soon, the food was ready.

"Alright, dig in!" Kazama announced.

Nobuko took one bite and gasped. "This is amazing!"

Ichirō was too busy stuffing his face to respond properly, only nodding enthusiastically between bites.

"Food always tastes best when you're starving," Kazama chuckled.

After their morning experience, Ichirō and Nobuko had learned not to brute-force everything. They approached the task differently.

Ichirō, who was used to farm work, took charge of clearing away any lingering grass. Instead of pulling weeds manually, he grabbed a jagged tree branch and dragged it across the furrows like a rake. The loosened soil made it easy to remove the grass in one smooth motion.

Kazama took care of digging holes using Earth Release—not even full jutsu, just small bursts of chakra to shift the soil.

For the actual planting, Nobuko had a unique idea.

Using her shuriken-throwing technique, she flicked the seeds into the holes with near-perfect accuracy. To ensure she grabbed the right amount each time, she coated her fingertips with chakra, allowing the seeds to stick to her fingers in controlled amounts.

Once the seeds were in place, Ichirō used his makeshift rake to gently cover them with soil.

Mission complete.

They didn't finish any faster than regular farmers, but they had worked efficiently, smartly, and like ninja.

After submitting their mission report, they immediately took on another task.

The next day: Fruit Picking.

Training Focus: Shurikenjutsu (Throwing Techniques)

Task: Knock fruit from trees using precise shuriken throws and use Body Flicker to catch them midair.

The third day: Message Delivery.

Training Focus: Body Flicker Technique

Task: Increase speed while delivering messages around the village.

The fourth day: Herb Gathering.

Training Focus: Stealth and Earth Release

Task: Move quietly through the forest and practice underground movement techniques.

The fifth day: …

By the end of a few months, Team Six had become D-rank mission fanatics.

Most squads completed one or two missions a week. Team Six?

At least one mission per day.

For simple delivery tasks, they even took multiple missions per day.

They had completed over a hundred D-rank missions in record time.

Missions that other genin squads groaned about—cleaning streets, farming, garbage disposal—Team Six gladly accepted them all.

Other squads complained about the low pay and tedious work.

Team Six? They took on these missions enthusiastically, even complaining that they weren't getting enough work.

"I never thought farming could be addictive," Nobuko admitted one day.

Kazama smirked. "That's because we're doing it like ninja."

With their steady mission income, Ichirō and Nobuko finally had some financial stability.

Ichirō commissioned a custom iron staff.

Not just any iron staff, but an eight-sided, reinforced segmented rod.

Designed with flexibility, durability, and weight in mind.

Heavy enough to suit Ichirō's strength, but with slight elasticity to reduce impact strain.

Nobuko chose a sword.

Not a traditional katana, but a Xiuchun Dao (embroidered spring blade).

Featuring a curved, slender design with a dual-edged tip and a fuller for bloodletting.

A perfect match for her agile, precise fighting style.

Hayate personally trained Nobuko in Body Flicker Techniques, while Kazama helped refine her Iaijutsu (quick-draw sword technique).

One practice swing—a tree trunk as thick as a man's leg was sliced clean through.

Nobuko's swordsmanship was becoming elegant, deadly, and impossibly precise.

"Not bad, not bad," Kazama mused.

"You sound like an old man," Nobuko retorted.

Kazama grinned. "Nah. I just like seeing my teammates get stronger."

-+-+-+-

You can read advance chapters ahead on patreon.com/fishkiss69, I will upload 1 extra chapter every day there.

THANK YOU

-+-+-+-