"...Huh?!"
Kakashi's face fell the moment he heard Kaede invite Might Duy to team up, his expression clearly saying, "Are you serious?"
Teaming up with Might Duy? What kind of move was that?
Even if Kaede wanted to help Might Duy, wasn't this taking it a bit too far? Duy was notorious for being prone to mistakes during missions, that's why he'd already been kicked out of other teams.
Wouldn't it make more sense to just take on missions solo and then lend or give Duy a portion of the reward? That'd be far more efficient than forming a team with him.
"Huh?"
Kurenai and Rin were both visibly shocked as well.
Neither of them had expected Kaede to invite Might Duy to team up, it was clearly a big gesture to help him out. Just because Duy was the father of a classmate? That was…
A bit too kind.
Maybe Kaede really could become Hokage someday.
That thought surfaced simultaneously in both of their minds. And they didn't think it was far-fetched, if anything, it was starting to feel more and more likely.
Might Duy was also taken aback when he heard Kaede's words. He didn't try to analyze what the "special circumstances" were, he simply hesitated and said:
"This... might not be a good idea. I might end up causing trouble."
If it were an adult making the offer, he'd immediately burst into tears of gratitude and vow to give it his all. But since it was Kaede, his son's classmate, it made him hesitate.
Duy was well aware of his own shortcomings. He often made mistakes during missions. Teaming up with Kaede, a younger ninja, might only drag him down.
"I trust you, Duy-senpai."
Kaede replied seriously.
If even someone like Might Duy, who could open all Eight Gates, couldn't be trusted, then there really weren't many people left in Konoha worth trusting. Right now, Duy was the kind of guy who could open the Eighth Gate and beat down the Third Hokage and Danzo at the same time!
Feeling the genuine trust in Kaede's voice, Might Duy's nose stung and his eyes filled with tears. overcome with emotion, he couldn't help stepping forward and throwing his arms around Kaede.
"Thank you! Thank you so much… My youth will continue to burn with passion!"
This touching scene was seen by quite a few nearby shinobi, all of whom looked on with a mix of confusion and awkwardness.
Kurenai and Rin's expressions also turned a bit stiff, both forcing slightly embarrassed smiles.
off to the side, Kakashi rolled his eyes and spread his hands, shooting Kaede a look that said, "See? Told you so. You asked for this."
"..."
Kaede's mouth twitched.
He had almost dodged the hug, but hesitated a moment too long. And now… this.
He could handle weird looks, he'd gotten plenty of those before when Kakashi was in the spotlight, but Duy's flamboyant behavior, emotional outbursts, and those strange stares from the people around them...
That combo? Devastating.
Kaede subtly stepped back, slipping out of Duy's embrace. He forced a sunny, if clearly awkward, smile and said, "Senpai, let's go get our mission then."
Going on a mission with Might Duy, assuming there wasn't much danger, could be great practical training.
Even though Kaede knew where his strength stood, actual combat was a whole different story. Just like how, if Guy had landed that final kick on Madara's head with the Eighth Gate open, the story might've ended right there.
But miss by just a little, and instead of solving the problem, you end up with a whole new one.
"Sorry… Sorry… I got a little carried away there."
Might Duy finally seemed to realize he'd caused Kaede some discomfort. He quickly apologized while wiping the tears off his face with his sleeve.
Kaede exhaled, calming himself. He turned to Kurenai and the others and said, "Kurenai, Rin, I'm heading out with Duy-senpai to pick up a mission… oh, and Kakashi, could you take these back for me?"
As he spoke, he set down two enormous shopping bags in front of Kakashi.
"???"
Question marks practically popped out of Kakashi's head as his face fell.
That's what you get for laughing earlier.
Kaede glanced at him. That's what little brothers were for, use them well. Then he waved Might Duy over and walked toward Konoha's mission assignment desk.
…
For ninjas, missions and commissions were their livelihood and purpose, so the importance of handling them properly went without saying.
Konoha's mission assignment desk was located on the first floor of the Hokage's office building.
Any B-rank or higher mission had to be reported to and approved by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. For lower-ranking C- and D-rank missions, high-ranking jonin in the management office handled the logistics. These results were then added to each ninja's personal records for Sarutobi to review later.
"No D-rank missions again…"
The moment Might Duy stepped into the assignment room, he looked over at the outermost bulletin board, used for D-rank missions, but it was completely empty.
D-rank missions usually involved things like finding lost cats or helping dig up taro. During peaceful times, they were common. But with the looming threat of war, people were more focused on survival and had little time for trivial requests like these.
Seeing the empty D-rank board, Duy headed toward the C-rank board instead.
"Hey, you again?!"
A chunin stationed by the board noticed Duy approaching and grumbled impatiently, "If you're here alone, I'm not letting you take a C-rank mission. It's village policy. Did your last team ditch you again?"
Those words left Duy looking awkward. He opened his mouth to respond, but Kaede stepped forward and addressed the chunin calmly:
"Excuse me… He's part of my team now."
"Huh?"
The chunin looked a little surprised.
Kaede had said "my team". But genin weren't allowed to form their own teams, they could only join existing ones. only chunin could lead teams. Which meant… this kid was a chunin?
But the guy didn't recognize him at all.
Wait a second…
Silver hair…
The chunin stared at Kaede for a few seconds, and then suddenly recalled that Chunin Exam from a few months ago. The only one who had passed was a silver-haired kid.
"You're… Hatake Kaede?"
The chunin asked hesitantly.
He'd never met Kaede in person, but he'd seen his file. According to the data, Kaede was only around ten years old, but the boy in front of him looked more like twelve or thirteen.
"Yeah," Kaede nodded and gave his ninja registration number.
"Hang on a sec."
The chunin quickly pulled up the matching records. once he confirmed Kaede's identity, he looked up at him in surprise.
"According to the data, you're only ten. You look way older though…"
"I just grew fast."
Kaede smiled casually. "So, can I accept a mission now?"
The chunin gave them both a strange look, glancing between Kaede and Might Duy.
"…You can. But are you sure you want to team up with him? He has the highest failure rate among genin on C-rank missions, and there are multiple records of past mistakes."
*****
Note: As you can see I use senpai which translates to "senior" in english. I feel like its cooler to say Duy-senpai than Senior Duy which sounds like he's old.