The sun was high in the sky, casting warm light over the wide, carefully maintained yard. Rows of vegetables stretched in neat lines beside a modest flower bed, all surrounded by patches of overgrown weeds that had crept in like uninvited guests.
"Ahh!" Ryuuji suddenly screamed, throwing his arms up. "Why did our first mission as ninja have to be pulling weeds?!"
"Calm down, Ryuuji," Shin said, not even looking up as he crouched low in the grass. He had stopped pulling weeds with his hands and was doing something far more peculiar. "What did you think our first mission as genin would be? Infiltrating Kirigakure and assassinating the Mizukage?"
"Shut up, Shin!" Ryuuji snapped, cheeks flushed with irritation. It wasn't just the heat. He couldn't stand that smug calmness. Did Shin think he was better than everyone else?
"Okay, Ryuuji…" Shin responded casually, voice even, hands continuing their strange work. "As you wish."
"Argh! You—!"
Before Ryuuji could finish his sentence, Ayaka, who had been silently working nearby, approached Shin with a furrowed brow. "What are you doing, Shin?"
"Oh, you'll see in a second..." Shin grinned as he finished tying something off.
"Yeah, what are you doing with those chakra threads?" Ryuuji said, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the faint shimmer connecting Shin's fingers to several weeds.
"Chakra threads?" Ayaka repeated, blinking as she focused. "How do you make them this thin?" She leaned closer, fascinated. "They're almost invisible… Normal threads are already hard to see, but this is on another level."
"I don't know," Shin said, looping the final thread around the handle of a kunai. "Innate talent, I think."
"Egocentric..." Ryuuji muttered, yanking a stubborn weed with more force than necessary.
Then, under both their curious gazes, Shin stood up and launched the kunai high into the air. The chakra threads snapped taut—dozens of them connected to buried weeds across the yard. In an instant, the tension pulled every single one of them free in a clean, synchronized sweep.
The weeds soared into the air like a leafy explosion.
Ayaka's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing…!"
Even Ryuuji, despite himself, stared for a moment, stunned. "...Show-off."
Shin just smiled. "Well, it's faster than doing it one by one."
...
In the front of the house, near the gate, Tadao Takigawa leaned with one arm casually against a post, a freshly plucked rose in hand. He flashed a confident grin toward the elegant woman tending to the flowerbeds nearby—Ms. Hino, the widow who owned the yard.
"Hey, are you free tonight, Ms. Hino?" he asked smoothly, twirling the rose between his fingers.
Ms. Hino blinked, raising a brow. "Mr. Takigawa, isn't that rose one of my yard's—"
But before she could finish, Tadao stepped forward and gently placed the rose behind her ear. "That's not important, Ms. Hino. What matters is the two of us right now."
Despite his average looks, Tadao had a cocky charm and self-assuredness that often carried him further than it should. And somehow… Ms. Hino found herself swayed.
"Mr. Takigawa..." she murmured, placing a soft hand on his chest. "I'm as free as a widow could b—"
"Hey, lazy ass sensei!" a loud voice interrupted them, slicing through the moment like a kunai.
They both turned to see Ryuuji marching toward them, with Shin and Ayaka right behind. "We're done here!"
"Yeah..." Shin added with a knowing smile. "So stop flirting with Ms. Hino. You're a married man."
Ms. Hino's eyes widened. "You're married?!"
"Ah—Ms. Hino, listen, that's not—"
Smack!
The slap echoed loud and clear. Ms. Hino turned to Shin next, clearly flustered. "Thank you for saving me from that pervert, kid."
"It's my pleasure, Ms. Hino." Shin said, flashing his most charming smile. "I couldn't stand by while a beautiful and pure woman like you got tricked by someone like my sensei."
"Oh, oh!" Ms. Hino giggled like a schoolgirl, then shot another icy glare at Tadao. "Looks like someone has morals. Unlike someone else."
Tadao scratched the back of his head, speechless.
"Here you go, kid." Ms. Hino said, handing Shin a hefty stack of ryo. "70,000. I added a little extra to thank you."
"Thank you kindly, Ms. Hino." Shin gave her a respectful bow. "I hope you have a great day."
Then, with a smile, he turned and motioned for the others. They left the property, walking together down the street.
As soon as they were far enough, Tadao erupted.
"You!" he barked, grabbing Shin by the collar. "Why the hell did you expose me like that?!"
"Sensei..." Shin said calmly, as if nothing was wrong. "I just wanted to save your marriage."
"You—!" Tadao was red in the face, but stopped when Shin pulled something out of his pouch.
"Look," Shin said, holding up the money. "We got 50,000 ryo more than we were supposed to. That's C-rank mission pay."
"Not bad, Shin," Ayaka said, clearly impressed.
"This kid..." Tadao muttered, sighing in frustration.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Shin handed the full bonus to Ayaka.
"It's for you."
"W-What?" Ayaka stammered, blushing. "N-No, Shin, I can't accept this much. What about you and Ryuuji?"
"I'm the son of Konoha's Ashen Blade, and Ryuuji comes from the Shimura clan. You really think we care about a few extra ryo?" Shin said, for once showing off the pride he usually kept tucked away.
He gently placed the money in her hands. "Take it and buy that Dragon Fire Jutsu Scroll you've been talking about since yesterday."
"Yeah, keep it, Ayaka," Ryuuji added, with a shrug.
Ayaka clutched the money and looked up at Shin. "Okay then… thanks, Shin."
Then, suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed Shin on the cheek.
"What?!" Shin and Ryuuji both exclaimed—Shin with a stunned, red face, and Ryuuji out of sheer awkward surprise.
But before either of them could react further, Ayaka spun around and sprinted off down the path, hands still clutching the ryo.
Shin stood frozen, still processing the kiss.
"What... what just happened?"
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
I am trying to make the dynamic between the team more natural. Also, this was my first 'real' humouristic chapter, so tell me how it was, please.
Be sure to check out my original novel Hyperborea!