Chapter 44: E-Rank Mission, House Cleaning
Namikaze Minato walked into the Hokage Residence with Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Tonan in tow. Once in the office, he asked, “Hokage-sama, are there any tasks we could take up?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Tonan who was following behind Minato and looking at him with reverent eyes. Silently, he nodded at him. Then, he said to Minato, “There just happens to be a troublesome E-rank mission. Take them and get them familiarized for now.”
“E-rank? Isn’t D-rank the one for beginners?” Minato was puzzled.
Hiruzen cleared his throat. “The reason for that is because the client this time is from the first batch of the civilian shinobi from when Konoha was founded. He’s old and his legs are paralyzed, so he’s asked someone to help with cleaning his house.”
“But he’s paying a commission of only 200 Ryo. Considering his seniority, we have no choice but to accept it.”
“Is that so?” Minato hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should accept the mission or not. After all, the payout was only 200 Ryo, to be divided amongst three of them. Based on the rules, he would get 50 percent while Kakashi and Tonan would equally share the remainder.
A single bowl of pork bone ramen cost 60 Ryo. This payout was too less. Seeing Minato’s hesitation, Hiruzen sighed, “This mission has been left unattended for several days because no one is willing to accept it. The pay is too small after all. But if you’re willing to take it, then I’ll record it down as a D-rank mission for you.”
Tonan looked at the frown on Hiruzen’s face with a heartfelt expression and tugged on Minato’s sleeve. “Minato-sensei, let’s accept it.”
Seeing that Tonan had no problem with it, Minato nodded, “Alright, Let’s do it.”
As expected, Tonan was very understanding. Hiruzen smiled amiably at him before handing the mission details over to Minato. The three of them bowed to Hiruzen and left the Hokage’s office.
After walking out, Minato handed the details to Tonan, and said, “I’m sure you understand the task. Both of you will need to work for it when the time comes.”
Tonan accepted the mission information and smiled. The three of them had just left the Hokage Residence when they suddenly saw Uzumaki Kushina. Half her body was in the trash bin, leaving a pair of legs flapping around outside.
Minato’s mouth twitched, but he calmly asked, “Kushina, what are you doing?”
Clang
Kushina was taken by surprise and she fell to the ground together with the bin, the rubbish falling all over her. She jumped out from under the pile and frantically stammered, “No… nothing…”
Before anyone could say anything, she yelped and ran, “I have a lot of work to do, so I’m leaving now!”
…
Under the eaves of a dilapidated house in the center of Konoha, an old man with a fierce-looking face was sitting in a wheelchair, sizing up Minato and his team. He gruffly asked, “So, you’re the shinobi who accepted the mission?”
Minato smiled and patted Kakashi and Tonan’s shoulders. “That’s right. These two youngsters will help you clean your house.”
The old man nodded coldly. “The two of you better be careful. If you break anything, you’ll have to pay for it.”
After that, he pushed his wheelchair into the house while yelling, “If you don’t clean up thoroughly, I won’t sign your mission paper! Don’t think it’s easy to earn money of me just because I’m old!”
Minato turned to the two of them. “Well, I’ll leave you both to it now. Meet me on the Hokage Residence rooftop once you’re done with the mission.”
After that, his body disappeared in an instant. For a D-rank mission such as this, the team leader need not be involved. They just had to supervise their teams. Unlike catching cats or dogs, cleaning a house wasn’t dangerous. So, Minato didn’t bother wasting any time here.
Tonan and Kakashi looked at each other for a moment before rolling up their sleeves and heading to work. Kakashi barely ever did housework, but fortunately, Tonan was there to guide him on how to tidy things up.
However…
Crash
Kakashi looked dumbfounded at the teapot that landed on the floor, speechless. Just a moment ago, he was trying to put the teapot in place. But as soon as he lifted it, the handle broke off directly.
“You damned brat, that teapot is from Ichidaime-sama’s era!” Hearing the commotion, the old man rushed over in anger.
Kakashi responded indifferently, “I’ll pay for it.”
When he heard Kakashi take the initiative to compensate, much of the old man’s anger dissipated. He took an abacus out of his pocket and began calculating. “The price tag was 20 Ryo when I first bought it. Now, with the appreciation of the price… you owe me… 2000 Ryo.”
Kakashi nodded and pulled his wallet out of his ninja bag and began counting the money. Tonan, who was arranging miscellaneous items in a drawer, saw this and got up to stop his teammate who was foolishly giving money away.
“Grandpa, if you buy a new teapot, the most expensive one wouldn’t be more than 200 Ryo, would it?”
“So many years have passed, this is an antique. It’s not the pot that is expensive but the years and the sentiments behind it.”
Kakashi wasn’t willing to fight for petty change, so he pulled Tonan’s hand away.
“Don’t discuss this any further. I’ll pay.”
The old man accepted the 2000 Ryo that Kakashi handed him, stuffing it into his dried-up purse. “Very well, you two can continue.”
Tonan sighed helplessly and said to Kakashi, “Kakashi, why don’t you head back? I’m better at cleaning. I’ll handle this.”
Kakashi wasn’t happy doing these trash missions, but he replied in a small voice, “But this is my task.” Tonan smiled warmly and patted his shoulder. “This is our task. All that matters is that we get it done. You go back and train. The greatest help you can offer our little team is by getting stronger.”
Kakashi hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. The old man glanced at Tonan and warned, “Kid, you’ve already accepted the mission so you can’t give up. After all, I’ve paid the money.”
Tonan smiled warmly and said, “Don’t worry, grandpa. I’ll do my best to clean your house.” After assuring the man, he busied himself again in clearing up the clutter. Seeing the seriously-working Tonan, the old man was relieved and went under the eaves to soak in the sun.
When Tonan was busy cleaning the bedroom, he suddenly saw a tanto hanging on the wall. He narrowed his eyes and took it down, unsheathing it slowly. The blade was polished and faintly reflected a cold glow. Tonan instantly recognized this as a precious chakra weapon.
Without leaving any trace, he put the blade back in its original place before burying himself back at work. An immature idea formed in his mind.
