The plan for the day begins at dawn.
In the early morning, the rising sun slowly starts to give off warmth. A few early birds are already chirping and fluttering through the forest, hunting for insects, bringing a sense of vitality to the air.
At the gates of Konoha, Shikaku Nara was yawning, rubbing his eyes as he leaned on the post, his head tilted as he looked at the surrounding trees.
A light mist covered the path, and at the end of the road, a group of figures appeared. Shikaku quickly snapped to attention, squinting to see. He noticed that one of the smaller figures appeared to be carrying something on their back.
"Who is it?" Shikaku muttered to himself.
After a moment, the group slowly approached. Shikaku finally recognized them as the four Konoha ninjas from Team 10 returning from the Land of Waves!
"Asuma, just finished a mission?" Shikaku greeted his colleague, Asuma Sarutobi, and then noticed the large executioner's blade strapped to Shikamaru's back. The massive weapon nearly obscured his small body, making him look quite unusual. "This is... the executioner's blade from the Hidden Mist Village?!"
"You fought with Mist ninjas?" Shikaku asked, not immediately recognizing the blade as one of the Seven Ninja Swords, but instead thinking it was a special weapon used by skilled assassins from the Mist Village.
This revelation was enough to surprise him.
The executioner's blade, known for its large attack range, was more efficient for chopping compared to kunai, and even larger blades like katana or tachi. It worked particularly well in conjunction with Mist-style techniques and silent assassination methods. Once an enemy was in range, the user could sweep the area with one powerful strike, and even if the enemy noticed the attack, it would be hard to defend against such a heavy weapon. Its sheer force could tear through human bodies, making lighter weapons like kunai seem ineffective.
However, this weapon was only practical in the fog-heavy environment of the Mist Village. It wasn't easy to carry, and only ninjas with exceptional stealth abilities could use it effectively.
If it were Asuma himself, Shikaku wouldn't have been surprised, but Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji were still genin. Even with Asuma's presence, they wouldn't have been on a B-rank or higher mission, since such missions wouldn't typically involve enemy ninjas. A C-rank or D-rank mission wouldn't encounter such threats.
Shikaku's expression darkened as he seemed to think of something, his eyes flashing with a hint of cold light. "Was there a misreported mission rank?"
There were always fools in the world, people who cared more about money than life, and some ninjas took on missions without the necessary skill. In the past, such misreporting led to serious consequences, but the ninja world had gotten better at punishing such actions, ensuring that lower-ranked ninjas weren't sent on missions too dangerous for them.
Shikamaru, already showing great potential, was a valuable asset to the village, and Shikaku was well aware of why he was so upset.
Sending inexperienced ninjas on missions meant to put them in danger was reckless, and in some villages, this could even get the person responsible marked as an enemy and eliminated.
"It's something like that," Asuma chuckled, trying to change the subject. He took a long drag from his cigarette, pointing to the executioner's blade on Shikamaru's back with a sly grin. "This isn't just any executioner's blade. I had to fight a tough opponent to get it from a demon."
"A demon? What do you mean?" Shikaku asked, confused, before his eyes suddenly widened in recognition. "Wait... you mean... the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Momochi?! This is one of the Seven Ninja Swords?!"
Zabuza, known for his failed attempt to kill the Mizukage but managing to escape unharmed, was infamous. He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and was legendary in the shinobi world. In the original story, Zabuza was killed by Kakashi Hatake, not because he was weak, but because Kakashi was stronger.
"Pretty wild, right?" Asuma smiled, acknowledging Shikaku's guess.
"Interesting... You weren't even injured. I can't believe it." Shikaku eyed Asuma curiously. Asuma had no visible wounds, making the whole situation seem even more bizarre. He then looked at Shikamaru, who was clearly struggling under the weight of the large sword. "With a weapon this big, shouldn't you be carrying it yourself?"
"This isn't mine," Asuma replied nonchalantly. "Such a famous blade should be carried by its rightful owner."
"Owner?" Shikaku blinked in surprise, his gaze shifting to Shikamaru, who remained silent. He asked, his voice incredulous, "You... you killed Zabuza?"
"No," Shikamaru shook his head slowly, his face unchanged. "It was the four of us from Team 10 who killed Zabuza."
Ino and Choji, who had been standing quietly, exchanged glances with each other, finally relaxing a little after hearing Shikamaru's words.
After signing the required documents and exchanging greetings, Shikaku watched the group slowly walk away, each of them heading back to their homes. He couldn't help but think that he'd probably never forget Shikamaru's name.
It had been almost two months since Asuma, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji had left for the mission. They were finally returning to Konoha.
"Home at last!" Ino laughed, running ahead with her arms wide open like a butterfly, giggling with joy.
Her enthusiasm was contagious, and the others couldn't help but smile as they followed her.
"Asuma-sensei!" Choji suddenly said seriously, his deep voice filled with determination. "Don't forget what you promised! You said you'd treat us to all-you-can-eat barbecue!"
"A ninja must always keep their promises. That's the ninja way!" Choji said, glaring at Asuma with furrowed brows, his face set in a serious expression. "You won't break your word, right?"
"…Alright, alright," Asuma chuckled nervously, suddenly feeling the pressure. He couldn't shake the feeling that Choji was radiating a strange energy, so he smiled awkwardly and answered, "I won't break my promise."
"Then let's get this mission done!" Choji exclaimed, his spirits lifted. He led the way as the group headed toward the Hokage building.
Since the Third Hokage wasn't present at the mission center, there were no immediate issues when Team 10 submitted their report. Most of the villagers, including Konoha ninjas, eyed Shikamaru's massive executioner blade curiously, but no one made a scene. Asuma and Shikamaru understood that this was only because the news hadn't reached Hiruzen Sarutobi yet. There would be time for a more official investigation later.
After submitting the mission documents, Team 10 left the Hokage building.
"Alright, go home and rest for now. We'll have that barbecue tomorrow!" Asuma said with a smile, waving to the others.
"Okay!" Choji grinned widely at the mention of food.
Shikamaru and Ino nodded in agreement, and the group split up to head home.
That night, the villagers of Konoha began discussing the details of the mission—how Team 10 had killed the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Momochi, and taken his executioner blade.