Ace, Kaza, and Sakura were at a small pond near their destination. It had been an easy trip so far, but soon they would have to get to work hunting down the missing merchant. It was not going to be easy, and Aoba was going to spend the day looking for clues in the village. While he did that, he would give his students a task for themselves that day.

The three of them were gathered around the pond, standing a couple of feet apart, as the afternoon sun shone down upon them. Aoba looked at the group behind his glasses as he smiled. "Now, team, this is for the basics: chakra control practice. Each of you shall walk across the water and practice chakra control. If you get it right, you will have no issues. However, if you can't balance out and control your chakra perfectly well, then you're going to fall into the cold spring water. I am going to give you this afternoon to work and figure this out, and see how much you three can improve. Understood?"

Ace nodded eagerly, his usual confidence showing. "Understood, Sensei! We'll master this."

Kaza, still a bit introspective after the recent events but determined to improve, gave a firm nod. "We'll give it our best."

Sakura, always striving to prove her worth, nodded with determination. "We won't disappoint you, Sensei."

Aoba clapped his hands. "Good! Now, get started. Remember, it's all about focusing your chakra to your feet and maintaining that balance."

Ace boldly decided to go first. He gathered himself, took a deep breath, and ventured forth onto the water. He focused his chakra around his feet and moved forward. He smiled for a moment as he stood on top of the water. He took a second step, and before he could take a third, he fell into the cold water. He pulled himself out and looked at the others. "This is harder than it looks," he said, glad it was a warm day, as being cold wasn't as bad.

Sakura giggled a bit but quickly covered her mouth. "You'll get it, Ace."

Kaza had been watching Ace carefully to learn from his mistakes and do better. He saw how Ace worked and mentally figured something out. He took a couple of steps onto the pond before he lost balance, the cold water causing him to gasp as he landed in it. He quickly got out and quietly thought about what he would do better the next time he tried.

Sakura, having seen both Ace's and Kaza's attempts, figured it was her turn to give it a go. She moved out carefully, wanting to show her teammates what she was capable of. She moved quietly towards the center and almost made it before she fell in herself. She slapped her hand into the surface of the water, knowing she was close and that she had almost gotten it.

Ace, dripping wet, got back onto the bank and shook himself off. "Alright, my turn again. Let's keep at it."

The three genin spent the next few hours practicing, each time getting a bit further before falling in. They encouraged each other, shared tips, and laughed off their mistakes. The sun climbed higher in the sky, casting a warm glow on their efforts.

By the end of the afternoon, Ace managed to walk across the pond and back, his control improving significantly. "Got it!" he cheered, feeling a rush of triumph.

Sakura followed, her determination paying off as she walked gracefully across the water. "I did it!"

Kaza, though the last to succeed, finally found his balance. He walked steadily across the pond, his confidence growing with each step. "Finally," he said with a smile as he reached the other side.

Aoba nodded approvingly as he returned from his day of fact-finding in the local village. "Well done, all of you. This is just the beginning. Remember, chakra control is key to everything you do as shinobi. Keep practicing and refining your skills. Use these skills to improve your ability to use as many other techniques as possible."

"I have a place for us to stay indoors tonight, and I found a soba place in town, so let's eat and then get ready for tomorrow," Aoba said after a pause. "Tomorrow, we are going to be heading into a rather dense swamp, where there are apparently bandits, so you will need to be on your game. I am fairly sure fighting is going to happen, and it will be dangerous."

"Soba, awesome," Kaza said, feeling rather upbeat about having his favorite thing for dinner.

"We'll be ready, and we'll show anyone who wants to mess with us that it's an idiotic thing to do," Ace commented at the same time, standing there confidently.

"Good. Let's all go eat, get ready for bed, and be up in the morning before dawn. Remember, sleep as well as you can. The rest will give you the energy to perform at your peak," Aoba said, giving them sound advice.

The team would make their way to the soba stand that Aoba had been told about. The mean would live up to what Aoba was told, the rich flavors of the soba were amazing. The three of them had their fair share, all tired and hungry from a long day of chakra control practice. Each of them sharing their stories of the day with Aoba about how times they failed and how silly some of their ideas for how to pull off the walking off got before they found success.

After the lovely meal the group headed and got ready for bed. They would find themselves each on their own bedroll in the warm and silent room. Each of them with their own thoughts going through their minds at that moment in time.

For Kaza, most of his thoughts were about the mission, how excited he was, how nervous he was as well. He wanted to get better, he wanted to get stronger, and help out his teammates. However, his fight with Ino was still bugging him, even though there was absolutely nothing he could do about it at that point.

Sakura was also a bit on the nervous side. She had been working hard to improve, she didn't want to be a fangirl only. She wanted to be a strong kunoichi who could stand by her teammates as their equal. She knew that both of them now were amazing and that keeping up with them was not going to be the easiest thing to do.

Ace for his part was just excited, and was the first to fall asleep. He had a strong belief in both his adopted brother and Sakura. He knew that they were both talented and skilled. He was really happy to be on the adventure and believed they would pull this all off and kick ass when they needed to do so.

Aoba, keeping watch for a while, felt a sense of pride in his students. They had come a long way, and he was confident in their abilities. He knew that this mission would be an important step in their journey as shinobi.

The following morning, the three were up and geared for the mission ahead. As they headed out the western exit, Aoba looked at them and gave the day's instructions.

"Kaza, you're on tracking duty today. You should find some wagon tracks or footprints in this area; you track them. Ace, Sakura, support Kaza as you can and be ready to fight at any moment."

Kaza nodded, stepping forward and focusing on the ground. He carefully examined the area, looking for any signs of movement that could lead them to the missing merchant. His eyes scanned for wagon tracks, footprints, or any disturbed foliage.

As he moved, Kaza was flanked by Ace and Sakura who kept an eye out for threats. Each of them watching over Kaza allowing him to focus on the task at hand. Sakura glanced towards him from time to time, impressed with his ability to track and also making her own mental notes about where they were going. As well as trying to help out in any way she could.

After a bit, Kaza's sharp eyes soon picked up a set of wagon tracks leading off the main road and into the dense forest. He signaled to the team, and they quietly followed the trail. The forest grew thicker as they moved deeper, the air filled with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant animal calls.

Aoba trailed behind, his senses on high alert. He trusted his team's abilities but knew the importance of vigilance, especially in unknown territory.

As they continued, Kaza spotted broken branches and trampled grass, indicating recent movement. "This way," he whispered, leading the group forward. They moved cautiously, aware that the dense swamp could easily conceal enemies.

Suddenly, Kaza held up a hand, signaling the team to stop. He pointed to a clearing up ahead where the remnants of a campfire and scattered supplies indicated recent activity. The tracks continued past the clearing, suggesting that the merchants had moved on but not too far ahead.

"We're close," Kaza said softly. "Stay sharp."

The team advanced, their senses heightened. They knew the missing merchants might be nearby, and with them, the potential threat of bandits. The silence of the moment in the forest felt foreboding as they stood there, as if something was just about to happen.

Then suddenly there was a rustling sound coming from the bushes to their left. Ace and Sakura tensed, ready for action. Aoba, watching from behind, prepared to step in if needed. Kaza, maintaining his focus, moved slowly towards the sound, ready to confront whatever might emerge.

Out of the bushes stepped a figure, ragged and wary. It was one of the missing merchants, a look of relief washing over his face as he saw the Konoha headbands.

"You're here to help us?" the merchant asked, his voice trembling with exhaustion and fear.

Kaza nodded. "We are. Where are the others?"

The merchant pointed further into the forest. "They took the rest of us that way. Please, you have to help them."

Aoba stepped forward, his expression serious. "We will. Stay here and stay hidden. We'll take care of this."

Aoba smiled and motioned for them to follow him. He had an idea of where the enemy was and led his team through the brush to a small camp where four bandits had a group of three merchants tied up.

"Okay, here's the plan," Aoba began, taking command. "I'm going to use my genjutsu on them. I can create crows that will confuse them. Sakura, use that jutsu I showed you—the one that tricks the mind into thinking they're frozen. Ace, Kaza, hit them hard, capture them, and release the merchants."

The team each nodded showing they understood the plan. They were going to do this and do it right. Aoba moved forward, forming hand seals quickly and quietly. Suddenly, a flock of crows materialized out of thin air, cawing loudly and swooping around the bandits. The bandits looked around, confused and disoriented by the sudden appearance of the crows.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Sakura performed the genjutsu Aoba had taught her. She focused her chakra and cast the illusion one of the bandits, making the bandit believe they were being frozen in place, their bodies covered with what to them felt like ice as they shivered in place unable to move.

At the same moment as this, Ace and Kaza sprang into action. Ace, with his Blaze Release, moved swiftly and without any mercy. Ace moved in and quickly subdued his bandit with a powerful, fiery punch that knocked him out cold.

Kaza, moved in sync with brother using his light release up close and personal to blind the second bandit as he positioned himself so his solar flare wouldn't blind the others. He then followed this up with a quick combination that left the bandit out cold as well.

The third bandit was actually taken care of by Sakura who followed up her own genjutsu with a powerful elbow to the chest and a follow punch that left the bandit on the ground out cold. Her improvement in her taijutsu skills were evident in her movements, that both Kaza and Ace felt proud to see.

The last bandit was taken out soon after by Kaza who used his speed to catch the last bandit panicking. Kaza knocked him down with a powerful roundhouse to the side of the ground, driving him into the dirt itself.

With the bandits neutralized, Sakura hurried over to the tied-up merchants. She quickly cut their bonds, freeing them from their restraints. The merchants, though shaken, expressed their gratitude profusely.

Aoba approached his team, a proud smile on his face. "Well done, everyone. You executed the plan perfectly."

Ace grinned, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "We did it!"

Kaza nodded, feeling a rush of satisfaction. "Yeah, we did."

Sakura smiled warmly, glad they could help. "The merchants are safe, thanks to all of us working together."

Aoba looked at the freed merchants and then back at his team. "Alright, let's escort these merchants back to the village. We've still got to get them to safety."