Do you know how many genin teams there are at any given time? Less than ten. A maximum of three genin teams are passed every year, with the expectation that, with a jōnin training them, they should get promoted within three years.

Otherwise, the jōnin are wasting precious time they could have spent completing high ranking missions.

And yet, there is a constant influx of D-rank missions. Chūnin and jōnin are only ever forced to complete D-ranks as a form of leave or as punishment. So how does the village keep on top of all of these missions?

The Genin Corps.

Along with Ena and several other new graduates, I was escorted from the academy gates, to an open area hidden between a maze of buildings, by what I assume was a genin. We all stared at the scene we stumbled upon: dozens- no, hundreds of ninja, talking, sparring, and lined up behind manned desks.

This was a section of the shinobi force I had no knowledge of. How could there be no mention of this, in my memories nor in the academy? The concept was told to us, but all details were spared.

Seeing now, the conglomeration of ninja, children, teenagers, adults and elders, all interwoven throughout the courtyard… This Genin Corps was a well-oiled machine. Adults sat behind desks that were piled with papers and scrolls, and dozens of people stood in line in front of them.

In the distance there was a field where I could see at least fifty people engaging in spar. There were huts and stalls, tents, notice boards, gatherings of groups discussing and chatting.

We were all too distracted by the organised chaos that we didn't get a chance to ask anything before our escort ran to chat with some other genin, then suddenly he was lost to the crowd. We looked around awkwardly at each other. What are we supposed to do now?

"GET IN LINE, NEWBIES!" A fierce woman with a fresh scar down her neck shouted up at us, arms crossed and eyes piercing.

Immediately we scrambled to get in line to the desks and did our best to look like we belonged and weren't intimated out of our fucking minds. Eventually, after many strange looks from the other queuers, I made it to the front of my line.

"Um..." I had no idea what I was supposed to say. The man behind the table looked up from his papers, seemed to assess me and smirked.

"You from the new batch?"

"Uh, yes sir."

"Hm. Name?"

"Mori Kaiya." He scribbled on a piece of paper, rifled through a pile of scrolls, then handed me one.

"Here's your mission. Take it to the missions office in Hokage Tower when you complete it. You're gonna want to do two or three a day if you want a decent salary, so come back here for another."

"Osu." I bowed and dashed out of the way to a nearby roof, where I looked over the swarm of ninja. Damn. The unspoken rules and flow of the people were completely new, it's like I went from a tiny high school in a small town to a huge university in the city! Except at this university, everyone's buff and probably a murderer.

So, my very first mission. I was going to have hundreds, maybe thousands of missions over the course of my career, and this was the first one I would ever take. No doubt it would be a menial task, I wasn't deluded enough to believe it would be something righteous or heroic. But still, it could be... meaningful. Maybe.

I steadied my breath and opened the scroll.

No. 000733421
DoR: 18-11-55
Client: Ito Aimi
D-RANK
EST: Genin-Single
RISK-ASSESS: N/A

House guttering blockage. Clear, clean and repair as necessary.

Report to the following address:
76 Furokawa Way, Takashibetsu, East District

Upon completion, obtain client(s) signature(s):

Client:_

DoC:_/_/_
Nin:_

Report:

Return this scroll to missions office.

Glancing over the details, it was clear there was plenty of jargon I didn't know, and that no one was going to hold my hand. Looks like I'm going to have to write out a summary of the job once I'm done too. Fuck, what are the expectations for this kind of thing? I can guess where I'm supposed to sign and put the date, but what am I supposed to write? How formal should it be? How much detail do I include?! Who can I ask?

Scanning the area, I couldn't find the escort, and even scary scar lady seemed to have vanished. I spotted a couple of newbies, but they wouldn't know any more than me, right?

"What kind of mission did you get?" Asked a voice from behind.

I contained a gasp and restrained the reflex to filch a weapon from my pouch. I turned to find Ena clutching a scroll and looking curious.

"I have to clean someone's gutters." I answered neutrally.
"What about you?"

"Hm. I have to weed a farm. Looks like missions for new genin are nothing more than chores." He responded.

"Yeah, that's about what I expected." He nodded with an uncomfortable expression. Disappointment, I suppose.
"Hey, do you know any protocol for reports?"

"Hm? Of course." He said with a questioning look.
"Don't you remember the essays we wrote? Or the short stories?"

The- Of course! We spent lots of this year practicing creative and formal writing, making up quick anecdotes or poems regarding an example situation given to us. That was simulating report writing for missions? Why didn't they just tell us that?!

"Oh! I- I thought that was basic preparation, I didn't know that was just report writing."

"I assume we'll learn with time how to report on higher rank missions with teammates, but for now, what we learned in the academy should suffice."

"Right, okay. Thanks for the confirmation."

"No problem. I'll be taking my leave now."

"Okay, good luck with your mission."

"And you as well." He left with a leap, seemingly off to start his mission. I suppose I'd better do the same.

It was with slight shame that I had to return home to retrieve a map of the village. East District was obviously east, but the trip home would waste less time than wandering the district and squinting at street signs, and no self-respecting shinobi would ask for directions in their own goddamn village.

After twenty minutes of navigating rooftops towards the farmland, finding and staring at the appropriate building, as well as some deep breathing to calm the nerves, I approached the front door of a rustic looking home and knocked.

Three hours of scraping, scrubbing and buffing later, grouchy ol' Ito-san was finally satisfied with my work. Something told me it wasn't quite legal, the way she grabbed me by the wrist and insisted I hadn't finished my job, multiple times, despite having tested the water flow. But what kind of asshole wants to cause issues with a lonely, old, civilian woman, living in the outskirts, on their very first mission.

Do I need to start looking or acting more intimidating? Or was she just the kind of lady that would do the same to even the Hokage?

I got Ito-san's signature, quickly filled out the rest of the scroll, and made my way to Hokage Tower.

I'd seen it plenty of times and everyone knew it was an important building, but I'd never been inside. I was surprised I didn't have to come here to get a mission in the first place. Was that just for squads and higher-level shinobi? Was there really so many genin that it would block the halls and slow the process here?

A faded memory of Iruka-sensei at the mission desk in the Hokage's office sprung to mind. Despite the missions office being a completely different area of the tower, I was still slightly disappointed when none of the chūnin working there were him.

Handing over the scroll was such a brief affair I was almost worried I had missed something. Regardless, I had succeeded in completing my very first mission as an official Konoha shinobi. To think, I'd look back on this memory some day and think how silly and young I was.

It was hard to say when exactly I got used to being a genin. After a couple weeks of non-stop D-ranks, I learned to pace myself better and got an idea of what my pay was going to look like.

With dad paying the bills for the house, all I needed money for was to buy food when he was away on missions, or to treat myself.

Training wasn't really going anywhere, which was a big red flag. I had scrolls and books of course, but without standard training sessions provided by the academy, or classmates to hang out in the training field with, I found myself completely unable to practice properly.

"I think I may have been subconsciously preparing myself to train with at least two other people for all of my years as a genin." I announced over breakfast, pushing my eggs and toast around the plate.

"Hm? Ah, you finding your solo training a bit off, are you?" Dad grinned knowingly, seemingly taking pleasure is my misery.

"Way off. How do I find someone to train with, who's at a similar level or at least willing to hold back, that I can trust not to hurt me or hinder my training?"

"Mmm, that's a tough one. I suppose it comes back to making friends, doesn't it?"

"Ugh, why is life so hard?"

"Why don't you visit the academy and ask to spar with the sixth-year students?"

"I can't go to the academy for training, Dad! I'm a ninja now, that would be so dumb, I'd look pathetic!"

"It was just a suggestion. I could probably train with you a few times a week, if you've gotten over-"

"No!" I screeched, almost choking on my water.
"Never again. I'm sorry, but I simply do not vibe with your workout."

I will never forget that day. As a prerequisite for future trainings, he wanted to take me through a quick run of all his various workouts and sets he's developed over the years. Apparently, 5am is the best time to start, and it's better not to eat – only drink – until you're completely done. I was sore for days, and I still have a scar from falling on that forgotten senbon.

"You're a bit older now, you could probably handl-"

"I said no."

"Fine, fine." He conceded, and swallowed the last of his scrambled eggs.
"Have fun talking strangers into fighting you politely."

"Ugh."

"Gotta get to work, I'm on gate duty today."

"Kay, have fun."

Dad took his plate, washed up, and pet Tomo on his way out the door.

Tomo, the laziest old dog you'd ever meet. I always wondered if he had gotten lazier since Taiyo and Yo died, but my memories didn't reveal anything on their own. Poor guy, maybe we should get him a puppy, could cheer dad up too. We've all been pretty sad since Taiyo passed last year, but that's just how it goes. They both lived decently long lives and I'm sure they were happy in the end.

What? Me? Rambling off on a tangent to distract myself from the anxiety inducing chore of making connections with real, living human beings?

Never.

I wonder how much a puppy costs…

There was only one thing to do; start training in the designated area in the genin corps and hope someone will practice nearby so that I can approach and hopefully they'll let me spar with them.

So, early in the morning I headed to training ground 32, the largest of the three training grounds located within the maze of buildings that divided the corps from the rest of the city.

It was then that I realised I didn't have much of a standard workout to start. Should I... start with a jog? Then maybe push-ups and crunches. That's reasonable enough.

Half an hour in, several groups were already scattered across the field, mostly sparring or chatting. I continued with my sets of push-ups, crunches and brief sprints to the tree line and back. Another half hour and I was so bored I wanted to die.

How do people enjoy training by themselves? This sucks.

After a short battle with my motivations, I decided to practice some shuriken throwing. I'd worked really hard on my aim these last few years, but it was still always a centimetre or two off.

As I went to retrieve my shuriken for the fourth time, I saw someone approaching. I collected myself, tried to look more put together and turned to face them.

"Hey, you look like you have no idea what you're doing." The person stated with a small smile. She seemed to be a young girl with a resting bitch face. Or maybe she's just a bitch.

"Wh- I know exactly what I'm doing." I retorted.

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes.
"Listen, I've been watching you for the last forty minutes, and I can tell you're new. You could really benefit from some pointers. My group is just about to meet up for practice, so you should join us."

"Wait, seriously?" Did I do it already? Mission accomplished?

"Yeah. Honestly, you remind me of myself from two years ago when I first started, and it's embarrassing." She cringed, looking towards the trees I had been using for targets.

"Hey!"

"So, as long as you're not a dick and you don't make a big fuss, you can hang out today, okay? I'll try to look after you, but if you don't pay attention, you can just leave."

Shit. This girl seems a bit rude, but maybe she's just keeping it real. I might be really lucky here, if this group actually knows what they're doing.

"Um, yeah, okay. Thank you. My name is Kaiya, I'll be in your care."

"Hm. I'm Chiasa. Don't be a nuisance and you'll probably learn something."

I wanted to slap her. How old was this girl? Hardly any older than me, yet she's acting like I'm an idiot. But I can't risk this opportunity just yet. Not when there might be some actual talent in the rest of her group.

"Understood. When are we meeting up?"

"Now. Follow me, we're going to ground 18." She said, turned and waited a moment for it to register with me, then dashed towards the nearby buildings.

I scrambled to follow, trying to keep up without misstepping. Fairly easy but some of the roofing in the area was less than trustworthy.

A minute later had us slowing down and halting at a large open field with tall tree cascading shadows along the grass. A small crowd was gathered in the centre of the field, talking and rough housing. They waved to Chiasa as we approached.

"Hey Chichi, who's your friend?" A young girl asked.

"This is Kaiya-san, a greenhorn I found floundering around ground 32."

"Since when did you take up charity work?" A tall teenage boy elbowed her teasingly.

"Shut up." She shoved him away playfully.

The group seemed to be a fairly tightknit bunch of friends. Including Chiasa there were three girls, and four boys.

"Ne, Kaiya-san, how long have you been a genin?" One of the guys asked politely.

"Ah, still less than a month." I managed to say without choking on my words. Their faces dropped at that, though one girl spat with laughter.

"Holy shit, Chiasa-chan, why would you bring someone academy fresh to train with us?"

"You're really that new?" Chiasa and the rest stared with a sense of pity.
"I should have known. Too late now." She sighed.

The group meandered awkwardly for a bit, trying not to look at me too much, so I did the same.

"So, is this everyone?" Chiasa asked.

"Nah, Hoshi got back yesterday, so they'll probably be here. Give them ten more minutes." Said the shortest of the group, who received a few head nods in response.
"Ne, let's quickly do names, for Kaiya-san while we wait." He suggested.
"I'm Raiden, I'm fifteen and I like tofu." His hair was shoulder length and deep green, likely dyed.

"Chiasa, fourteen, I like swords." Said Chiasa. So, she really was only two years older than me, and that comment explained the bokken strapped to her waist. Her hair was very soft looking, a clean cut, caramel brown bob, and her eyes a piercing green.

"My name is Ko, I am seventeen and I love to spar. You should spar with me later, I love winning." The boy smiled cheekily. His hair was short and black, his eyes slanted and mischievous. Most noticeable were his muscular arms on display with the tank top he was wearing.

"Hi, I'm Hiroki, seventeen, graduated same year as Ko, and I'm training to become a head medic." Said the tallest of the group, with dark brown hair and freckles.

"Hey, my name is Sayuri, I'm eighteen and I'm never getting promoted!" Announced the short girl who had called Chiasa, 'Chichi'. Her dark, slate grey hair was pulled into a tight bun and her skin seemed all the paler in contrast.

"She means she's failed the chūnin exam five times and she's given up." Raiden elaborated.

"Exactly!" Sayuri exclaimed happily.

"Okay, I'm Atsuko, sixteen and I enjoy drawing." Said an unassuming young girl, long black hair in a low ponytail.

"Shin, nineteen, I like… uh… shit. I guess I like Atsuko." He announced, black haired, blank faced and a carefree attitude.

"WHAT?!" Sayuri shrieked, grabbing Atsuko by the shoulders violently.

"What a pathetic excuse for a confession." Chiasa snipped.

"Dude, seriously? That was terrible." Raiden looked majorly affronted, insulted even.

Oh my, was that really a confession of love? No way, he just meant he enjoyed her company, right? No one would confess like that, not even addressing their crush, right?

"You're an idiot." Atsuko announced, expression unchanged but face beet red.

When nothing more than eye contact and murmurs colluded among the group, I decided to cut through with my own introduction.

"Huh. Um. Well, I'm Kaiya, twelve years old, and I suppose I enjoy reading. Thank you for having me." I bowed deeply, but they all seemed to be focused on either of the potential couple, harassing them both for their reactions.

Shin had been deemed a socially constipated fool, and Atsuko a coward with low-standards. I guess she was going to give him a chance then? What a revelation. Regardless, I felt like I was forgetting their names already, and would likely need to keep from addressing any of them directly, lest I made a fool of myself.

Two weeks later saw me training with them again, finally getting used to the vibe of the group. They were a lot more skilled than I had anticipated. Atsuko was even a chūnin! And yet she still trained with her genin pals from the corps.

I had taken Ko up on his bi-weekly spar offer, and fought him each training session whenever the others decided to practice their own specialties.

A flurry of jabs whizzed by me, and my opponent swiftly redirected with a flourish so out of my league, I was almost too stunned to respond. He ducked below my roundhouse kick and sprung towards me with a kunai. The knife grazed my forearm as I pushed away, retrieving my own kunai in response.

A kawarimi saved me from taking the butt of the knife to my neck, and I followed up by charging from behind. Exhausted and clearly losing the battle, I resorted to a fake out attack to his groin whilst aiming my kunai to his neck.

Ko blocked hard, and I went to give a false surrender. He stayed in position, but smirked sympathetically.

"You overextend way too often. See how you left yourself wide open with an attack I easily stopped?" He advised, nodding to me exposed stance.

"Yeah, but I could just lean forward and slice your throat." I suggested, gripping the knife a little tighter.

"Try it." He egged.

So, I did.

Next thing I knew, I was face down in the grass with the wind knocked out of me. My wrist was caught in a tight grip, my arm twisted at an odd angle, whilst his sandaled foot weighed me down between my shoulder blades.

With my free arm, I patted the ground a few times in surrender, and instantly fought to fill my lungs when he released me.

"Fucking hell." I choked out, much to his amusement.

He had grabbed my wrist, twisted the kunai out of my hand, flipped and pinned me before I could do a thing. This is the difference experience makes.

"Right, so, overextending." I breathed.

"Yeah, try to keep your weight evenly distributed or mostly on your back foot, you're too easy to trip otherwise." He moved through a series of effective stances to demonstrate as he spoke.
"Won't be as much of an issue when you get faster, but better to be safe."

"Cool. Awesome. Got it." I said, then collapsed.
"I'm done." I wanted dinner and my bed.

Later that night, after finishing up with the group and enjoying a pleasant meal with dad, I finally snuggled into bed, thoroughly pleased with the events of the past month.

As I teetered on the edge of consciousness, completely unaware of any danger, the emergency alarm sounded throughout the village.

The siren blared through the house and a voice played over the loudspeaker could barely be heard:

"Jōnin and ANBU, you are summoned. Genin, chūnin and civilians, stay in your homes. Jōnin and ANBU, you are sum-"

What the hell is happening?! Was something supposed to happen this early on? It can't be war, everyone would be summoned and civilians would evacuate, what could it-

No.

The Uchiha Massacre.