It was a bright sunny day. My friends and I were at the training field, practicing with the newly named Ino-Shika-Chou-Saru formation (猪鹿蝶猿) under my uncle's guidance.

Uncle Asuma suggested adding "Saru" to the Ino-Shika-Chou to acknowledge my place in the attack. My role was to draw attention by going near the enemies, engaging them briefly to pursue me further, and leading them to the rest of my friends.

It was the same move we had done on my uncle during the survival exercise. But we added a bit of a twist to make the attack more effective.

Getting to our position, my uncle gave us the signal to commence the attack on his shadow clone. The shadow clone was our sparring target, but it moved and reacted like a real enemy, simulating a realistic battle scenario in the field.

I immediately ran towards it and began to engage in a fight. Once I had gotten their attention, I led them to where my teammates were. There, I passed the next phase of the attack to Shikamaru. We have decided to have Shikamaru hold the enemy first instead of Chouji coming to make an attack. It would make the enemy not notice the incoming shadow while it was focusing on me.

However, the clone noticed it. It took a few steps back as it was about to perform a Fire Ball Jutsu (火遁:豪火球の術). Before the clone could complete the hand seal, Ino activated her Mind Transfer technique, taking control of the clone's body.

With the clone immobilized, Chouji swiftly used his newly created jutsu, the Human Bullet Tank (肉弾戦車), to run it over. The attack was a success as the clone's body dispersed into smoke.

Ino's mind returned to her own body before the impact. She looked pleased that the formation had worked, sharing a satisfied smile with us.

However, my uncle slowly shook his head. He gave us a serious look, showing that the attack could be much smoother and more effective. "Again," he said in a firm tone. "The enemy would notice it was a trap. Make it look more natural."

"Can't we take a break, Asuma?" Shikamaru complained as he lay his butt hard on the ground. "We had been doing this for hours…"

We were running low on chakra after repeating the same attack formation. We'd been doing this nonstop since seven in the morning. I looked at the others to see how they were holding up.

Chouji was rubbing his stomach while lying down on the ground. He cried, "I'm hungry!", yearning for something to eat to regain his strength.

Ino, on the other hand, did not look as tired as the two. But after using the mind control technique several times, I could tell it was wearing her down a lot.

As for me, I had been tracking the clone's movement with my Eagle Vision, causing my eyes to strain. To be honest, I do want to have a short break right away. I could use a cooling eye drop to relieve the strain.

"Oh, already giving up?" My uncle crossed his arms. "You all said that you want to do a C-ranked mission, right? I need to be convinced that the formation was good enough." There was a bit of a taunting tone in his reply.

After hearing this, Ino got fired up. She slapped both of her cheeks lightly as she soon encouraged us. "Come on, you all! Just one more! One more try to make this formation perfect!"

Seeing how she was so determined, I chuckled softly. She was the last person who ever wanted to back down from what she wanted to get. And for that, I understood that all too well.

"You heard what our leader said!" I turned my gaze to Chouji and Shikamaru. "Let's give it everything we've got." I stretched my body slowly, losing the stiffness.

Ino looked at me with an appreciative smile on her face.

Shikamaru sighed heavily as he rubbed his shoulder. "I hoped you two would give up…"

"Not a chance, Shikamaru," Ino replied. "You know that you wanted to have a C-ranked mission as badly as I do."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He knew deep down that he wanted a C-ranked mission, too—anything to escape the tedious D-ranked missions. "Guess you're right."

Then lastly, we turned our attention to Chouji. He immediately got up to his feet while rubbing his stomach. "I hope we will have yakiniku after this…"

"You will," I replied confidently. "If you show your Human Bullet Tank with a bit of a 'bang', my uncle will have no choice but to treat us."

Hearing my encouragement, Chouji's eyes burned with determination. "If it's true, then I will do my best!"

A proud smile went across my uncle's face. He was pleased to see that we would give it one more try, despite our exhaustion. With a quick nod, he soon created another clone of himself. After giving it instructions, the scenario was set up again. "Alright. Let's end this one."

We soon focused our minds after taking a quick deep breath. We then launched our last attempt on the clone, aiming to make the attack formation flawless.

"Oh, come on, Asuma-sensei! The attack was perfect! We still need some improvement?!" Ino complained.

"Well, the last one you all did just needed a bit more of a… finesse. It's better than the other attempts, but still…"

"Finesse? Are you sure about this?" She narrowed her brow, clearly not convinced.

"Don't worry, Ino. There will always be another time!" Chouji replied with his mouthful of rice and grilled meat. "Besides, it's a good thing Asuma-sensei is treating us yakiniku! Better eat some or I'll take everything!"

"Now, now. Don't rush it. You still have plenty of time. Why don't you just enjoy andー"

"Don't listen to him, Chouji." Shikamaru cut in with a smirk. "You deserve all the delicious meat this place has to offer. I'm sure Asuma would be delighted to pay for it."

"Okay! Thank you, Asuma-sensei!"

"Uh, I… um…"

Chouji quickly finished his bowl of rice and waved to the waiter passing by for another helping. He even ordered some extra platters of meat for himself.

As I watched Chouji eating his food like a horse, my uncle leaned in and whispered something urgently into my ear. I stifled my chuckle as I listened. Then, I looked back at him and nodded with a smile. "Sure, uncle. I'll help with the bill."

"Thanks, Darou." He sighed with relief and quickly took a drag on his cigarette.
After a morning of intense training on our formation, having a nice meal at a yakiniku restaurant was always a welcome reward.

We did, however, want to earn a C-ranked mission as promised. We'd been working to get one, but if what my uncle said is true, or at least I hope it is; we need to find this finesse to perfect our formation.

But speaking of finding this finesse, I found myself wondering what else I could bring to the table. Understanding that my role was to lure the enemy, I felt I could do more than that.

I have my hidden blade, so if Chouji's final attack failed, I could help deliver a final blow. It could work, but what if I missed? The aerial attack is easy to avoid due to how dynamic it is. The enemy would notice it if they anticipated it. Maybe an attack jutsu technique? Something quick and offensive. It could help to make the attack formation more effective.

An attack jutsu technique?

Come to think of it, I realized that the Eagle Vision was all I had. It is undoubtedly useful. But it's a selfish ability that only I could benefit from, and it doesn't directly contribute to the team. I could tell my friends about the enemy's weakness by analyzing it. However, I hardly believe that we would have enough time to change the attack move for every different kind of enemy we face.

Because of this, I started to think that I was the only one who needed to find this finesse.

"What are you thinking?" Ino said, cutting through my thoughts.

I jerked my head up, facing her. "Oh, well… I was just thinking how lucky you three have something that helps the team. And…" I glanced at the other two. "I've got nothing."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru curiously asked.

"I mean, you three use your hidden clan techniques in the formation, right? You have the Shadow Possession technique, Chouji has the Body Enlargement, and Ino has the Mind Control. As for me, all I could do was engage the enemy with my weapon and use my Eagle Vision to track the movement. It may sound like I am doing something but…," I sighed a bit. "Not sure I'm helping that much…"

"What are you saying, Darou? You already are. You help us by drawing the enemy into our trap. It's a risky role only you could do." Ino said, trying to encourage me.

"I know. But I wish I could do more than that, Ino. Like… use some kind of attack jutsu to back up you guys when things get rough."

"Well, you could try to learn some elemental justu. Aren't Sarutobi good at using the Fire Style technique?" Chouji proposed.

"Yeah…but, I don't know what my elemental affinity is. If only there is a way I can figure it out…" I shrugged, with a bit of uncertainty in my tone.

Then, my uncle bought something from his chest pocket. "Why don't you use this to find out?" He was holding a piece of paper in his hand.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's a chakra paper. It helps you to discover your affinity," he replied.

"Can it do that?!"

"Yep."

"How do I use it?"

"You focus your chakra on the paper, and it'll react to it, giving you the result." My uncle then explained in further detail. "If it's a Fire affinity, the paper will catch on fire and burn into ash. Water will make it damp, Wind will split it in half, Earth will turn it to dirt, and Lightning will make it wrinkle."

After the explanation, I gave it a try. I carefully focused my chakra from my fingertips, pouring it into the paper. I did it slowly, making sure that the result would gradually reveal itself.

Then, the paper reacted. At first, it began to split in half. I have a wind affinity, I thought. But then, the split had stopped and began to wrinkle.

My uncle widened his eyes when he saw it. He rubbed his beard curiously, assessing the result it showed.

"Hmm…interesting. It seems you have both wind and lightning affinity. That's quite rare."

"Rare?" I asked.

"Yes. Normally, the paper would show you one affinity. But seeing how it reacts to two, you might create a new kind of elemental technique."

"Really?! I can create… a new one?"

"Of course." My uncle chuckled. "But, you will need to get the basics first for the two elements. Lucky for you, I happened to be a master of wind-style attacks." A proud smile went across his face. "I can teach you the Tempest Howl first. It's an entry-level for those who want to improve their wind chakra. It's quick and effective. And as for lighting, you will need to wait for my colleague to come back from the mission."

"Who's that?" I curiously asked.

"Kakashi."

After the meal, we headed towards the Hokage tower to receive today's mission. Along the way, I kept thinking of the possibilities of what I could do with the elemental affinity I'd discovered.

Wind and lightning. There are so many great jutsu techniques I could learn. Wind is known for its precision, capable of slicing through almost anything. Lighting excels in speed, delivering a devastating impact.

Possessing these two elemental affinities, I couldn't help but feel excited about it. It would definitely enhance the team's attacking formation, enabling me to play a bigger role within it.

And to think that I might even create my own unique elemental jutsu was beyond my wildest thoughts. I'd never considered that such a possibility would exist.

But, first things first. I need to learn the basic moves for both wind and lightning.

The Tempest Howl was something I had always wanted to learn. Ever since it was used on us during the survival exercise, I was immediately blown away, no pun intended. To experience a single gust of wind that completely immobilized me and my friends, I was stunned at the sheer strength of it.

As for lighting, I am curious about the kinds of basic attacks. I've heard that it's difficult to learn due to its unpredictable nature. 'It has a mind of its own.' my uncle said, referring to how challenging it can be to control. That sounded a bit ominous, honestly speaking.

But he reassured me that Kakashi-sensei would help me with it. Kakashi Hatake(はたけカカシ), also known as the Copy Ninja(コピー忍者) is regarded as the best Konoha Jounin who specializes in lightning-style attacks. It would be a privilege to learn from him, and I would make every effort to master the basics of lighting style attacks.

Hmm. Copy Ninja… Wouldn't he be better known as the Lightning Striker or something? Where did he get that nickname?

Anyway, I'll just have to wait for him to come back from the mission in the Land of Waves. Once he is back, I'll immediately ask him to train me right away.

Land of Waves. That reminded me. I wondered how Naruto was doing there. It has been three days since his team left, and I hope he is doing okay there…

As we arrived at the mission receptionist center, we found my grandpa not to be present. Whenever we applied for the missions that were available to us, he would always be there.

"Where is the Hokage?" My uncle asked.

"In the office." The female receptionist replied. "May I know your name and your team's number?"

"Asuma Sarutobi. Team 10."

The receptionist flipped through the documents on her clipboard, looking for the name. Then, as her gaze rose to meet ours, a flicker of realization crossed her face. It was as if she'd just remembered something important. "The Hokage-sama wants to see you all in his office. An urgent mission has been assigned to your team."

"An urgent mission?" Ino replied, raising her brow.

"Yes. Follow me." Without a word, the receptionist brought us to my grandpa's office.

As we stepped into his office, we found my grandpa seated at his desk. It appeared as though he had been waiting for us to arrive. The receptionist quietly excused herself after letting us in.

"Ah, you have arrived." my grandpa nodded.

"Hey, old man. Heard you have an urgent mission for us." My uncle asked, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness as he addressed him.

"Yes, I do." My grandpa then began to brief the urgent mission we were being assigned to. "We've just received a message from one of our hawks. It was sent by Team 7—Kakashi Hatake. He's requesting emergency aid."

"Team 7?" I blurted out, "Is Naruto safe?!"

"He's fine, Darou," he raised his hand, gesturing to calm down. "They are at the client's house. He is safe, for now."

Relief washed over me to hear that he was okay. However, it was short-lived as my uncle pressed on the matter. "I've heard the mission you assigned to his team was a C-ranked. If it's B or above, it would make sense for assistance. Although I wouldn't think you would assign that kind of high-level task. I suspect… something had happened." His intuition was sharp.

My grandpa clasped his hands together as he shared the event with us behind the emergency aid. "While they were escorting their client to the destination, they were being attacked by a group of rogue shinobi from the Hidden Mist. One of them happened to be Zabuza Momochi (桃地再不斬)ー a former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist (忍刀七人衆)."

Hearing Zabuza's name, my uncle's expression hardens. "Zabuza? Are you sure about this? From what I've heard, he was K.I.A during the…"

"I thought so too." My grandpa agreed.

My friends and I were puzzled to see the exchange, sensing that Zabuza was something we should be feared of.

"Did the client tell you that someone wants himー"

"No." My grandpa shook. "He just asked me what he wanted, and gave me the fee. No further details."

My uncle crossed his arms. "He could have been honest in the first place. If he'd told you someone was after him, you could have assigned this to a team who are capable of handling the Nukenins(抜け忍)ー especially Zabuza."

"I understand, Asuma," my grandpa replied. "But we have a policy to accept it, regardless of the reasons clients are hiding from us. We can't always demand the truth from them or verify their claims. The village depends on the fees clients pay for our services. Without it, we wouldn't survive."

A bitter look spread across my uncle's face. He understood every word of what my grandpa had said, a reminder that we were just pawns for the client's requests. We weren't allowed to pry into their motives or uncover hidden details; it's against a shinobi code, so to speak.

"Still," my uncle muttered. "Having a group of rookies to deal with Zabuza, it's like sending them to their deaths."

When he said that, I shot my glance at my uncle. "Wait?! You mean that... Zabuza is dangerous?"

"Yes." He nodded quickly. "He is a Jounin level like me. I've heard he dealt with many Konoha Shinobis before. Many tried and… many died."

Ino's eyes widened with shock when she heard it. Realizing how deadly Zabuza was, she quickly turned to my grandpa. "And you are asking us to assist Team 7?!"

My grandpa firmly nodded. "I believed that your team could support them while Kakashi is recovering from the fight."

"Recovering?" Shikamaru asked.

"He had used up all of the chakra during the encounter," my grandpa explained. "He managed to protect his students and the client from Zabuza, but it came at the cost of chakra exhaustion. It will take him more than a week to fully recover, and until then, he'll need someone to help Team 7."

After hearing why Team 10 was chosen for the task, the air around us had turned into silence. A tense atmosphere was filling up, making us feel uncomfortable. I glanced at my friends to see how they were handling it. Ino and Chouji looked uncertain of it, with a doubting expression on their faces. Shikamaru remained outwardly calm, but the slight furrow on his brow showed that he too had some concerns.

Having no experience with anything this dangerous in our shinobi careers, we weren't sure if we could succeed.

However, despite the uncertainty, I stepped forward and met my grandpa's gaze. With a quick deep breath, I turned back to my friends, telling them this. "Let's do it."