Nara Kazuki was having the time of his life—especially after realizing that every time he cast Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, it also progressed his Thunderball training.
One training, two results. Efficiency maxed out.
"Kakashi, which missions usually involve the most fighting with enemy village shinobi?" Kazuki suddenly asked, remembering his Kill Book. That skill only improved through combat—and kills. The more progress he made, the stronger the benefits.
But with the current era heading into peacetime, large-scale wars were off the table. Only sporadic skirmishes remained.
"Resource conflicts," Kakashi said without hesitation. "Also, missions involving intel gathering in foreign countries."
Kazuki nodded, mentally noting both.
"What? Planning on fighting other villages' shinobi already?" Kakashi asked, sitting atop a wooden post and tossing Kazuki a snack.
Kazuki didn't hesitate—he took the snack, sat across from him, and replied with a grin. "Of course. A young shinobi yearns for merit and glory."
Truthfully, Kazuki wanted battles for one reason: kill enemy ninja, gain power. If only he could wipe out an entire hidden village—he'd be walking around as a humanoid Tailed Beast by now.
"Resource skirmishes are your best shot. Lots of shinobi, decent chances for combat. But again—this isn't wartime..." Kakashi trailed off.
Kazuki mused silently. Sounded like it was time to start taking those kinds of missions. Or better yet, persuade his team leader—Fox—to pick ones involving actual enemy engagement.
Unfortunately, Fox probably wasn't the type to take orders from him. ANBU missions were strictly assigned from above.
Kazuki suddenly weaved hand seals. Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu surged from his mouth, dancing skyward before dispersing.
Kakashi watched quietly, frowning.
Something felt... off.
Oddly enough, Kazuki's Great Dragon Fire didn't seem as intimidating as his Great Fireball. In fact, Kakashi had begun to notice a pattern—Kazuki's Fireball Jutsu wasn't like anyone else's. It was stronger, stranger, even unsettling.
Each time Kakashi faced it, it felt like the jutsu peeled open the secrets buried deep within his heart and roasted them under the sun.
"Yo. I figured I'd find you two here." Fox emerged from the woods, grinning at both of them.
"Captain, we got a mission?" Kazuki perked up instantly. Finally—action.
Grinding jutsu proficiency in the village was nice, but nothing beat racking up kills. And missions didn't prevent him from training anyway.
"Yep. After this mission, I'll be retiring from ANBU," Fox said cheerfully.
Kakashi smiled and offered congratulations. Kazuki's expression, however, turned weird.
Everyone knows: when someone says "one last mission before I retire" or "once this is over, I'm getting married," they're practically stapling death flags to their forehead.
Kazuki coughed. "What kind of mission is it?"
"Remember when we got ambushed during the escort op? The Fourth Hokage took that as a direct provocation against Konoha. So now, we're launching a sweep to deal with rogue ninja inside the Land of Fire. Our squad's target is a small cell operating near one of the towns." Fox explained it calmly.
Kazuki's eyes lit up. Rogue ninja?
As far as he was concerned, any mission involving shinobi combat was good news.
He hadn't expected ANBU to handle internal rogue suppression, though. Interesting.
Rogue ninja—similar to bounty hunters like Kakuzu—were former shinobi who went off the grid. Their abilities varied wildly, but some were terrifyingly strong.
Someone like Kakuzu was among the top-tier.
Most, however, were closer to chūnin or genin-level.
"How many?" Kazuki asked, rubbing his hands together.
"According to intel, there are six shinobi in the group. Two are jōnin-level or close. The rest are chūnin and genin." Fox remained patient, her mood good.
It was a fair match for their team's capabilities.
So, Kazuki and the others changed into gear, prepped their ninja tools, and set off.
They weren't the only squad deployed. The Fourth had issued a widespread crackdown on rogue ninja who'd grown too bold. ANBU teams had been sent all across the country.
Kazuki wasn't too worried. As long as they didn't run into someone like Kakuzu, everything should go smoothly.
And even that was unlikely.
During travel, Kazuki didn't stop his grind. With Thunderball and Fireball now synergizing, he could train both at once—saving time and making each session count.
He was so busy, he practically lived in a constant cycle of training. And with Shadow Clones doing half the work, he was basically running a 48-hour day.
"Captain, why the sudden retirement?" Kazuki asked, casually launching a Dragon Fire Jutsu mid-conversation.
Kakashi perked up. This was news.
Despite being eccentric, Fox was a highly skilled and reliable veteran. Kakashi respected her deeply.
"Because the Shinobi World Mahjong Championship is starting soon. And I plan on entering to take the title," Fox replied, completely deadpan.