Naruto : Crimson wood

The second day of practical training didn't involve monsters outside the city. Instead, the students stayed on campus, battling each other to sharpen their control over their powers.

But on the third day, the real trial began:

Their first mission.

Everyone gathered in the central square, just like on the first day. The Auxiliary Class was split into eight teams, each assigned to different instructors.

Renji Takahashi, Yuna Hoshizaki, Shun Hayashi, and Mei Kobayashi were once again grouped together in Special Class 3.

Clash of Words

As they arrived, an unwelcome voice greeted them.

"Well, well, look who showed up. The little Wood-type loser who froze on the battlefield! What's the matter, Hayashi? Not scared your legs'll give out on your first mission?" sneered Hikaru Saito, his voice full of malice.

A few days ago, Shun might've crumbled under the ridicule. He would've believed he was useless.

But now?

Now he was different.

"First of all, my name's Shun Hayashi. Second, I didn't freeze last time, and I'm not going to freeze this time either," he shot back, meeting Hikaru's glare head-on.

"You sure talk big. Let's see how tough you are when we're facing real monsters out there."

Hikaru scoffed, brushing him off as nothing more than a loudmouth. Strength was proven with fists, not words.

"I'll show you!" Shun snapped, unwilling to back down.

While they were arguing, Special Class 3 made their way to the training field.

The other classes were already waiting.

But this time, they weren't alone.

Standing beside the instructors were four figures clad in black combat jackets. Cold eyes, sharp presence, and an aura of death surrounded them.

"Let me introduce them," the teacher said. "These are officers from the Executive Department, and they'll be leading your mission."

The Executive Department

Silence fell over the students.

The Executive Department—Azure Dragon Academy's elite.

They were the blade of the academy, carrying out deadly tasks such as monster extermination, tracking down traitors, and quelling uprisings.

Each one of them had walked through blood and fire, facing life-and-death situations on the regular. No one wanted to be noticed by them.

Even their faces were hidden behind signature masks. When carrying out missions, they never revealed their true identities.

At the front, a tall man in a white mask with green cloud markings stepped forward.

"I am your squad captain for this mission. Call me Aokumo (Green Cloud)," he said, his voice deep and steady.

"These three are Chi Kaze (Blood Wind), Kuro Mizu (Black Water), and Kii Ame (Yellow Rain)."

Their white masks each bore distinct patterns: crimson swirls for Blood Wind, flowing black lines for Black Water, and streaks of yellow for Yellow Rain.

Preparing for Battle

"Grab your weapons," Aokumo ordered, pointing to a nearby rack.

Each rack was stocked with standard combat daggers.

The students stepped forward one by one, retrieving the fifty-centimeter blades. Each dagger was balanced and deadly in close combat.

Renji grabbed one, testing its weight before strapping it to his back.

"Alright, the mission starts now. Follow me."

With that, Aokumo led over forty students from Special Class 3 toward the East Gate of Azure City.

Into the Wild

The forest outside the city was silent.

For a few hundred meters, the surroundings were peaceful. No monsters could survive so close to the city guards.

But as they crossed the open ground and entered the dense woods, the atmosphere changed.

It was the first time many of them had ventured this far from Azure City. Their hearts pounded with nerves.

After ten minutes of walking, Aokumo raised a hand, signaling them to stop.

They were now deep in the forest.

Several first-level monsters lurked in the shadows, their glowing eyes fixed hungrily on the new arrivals.

"Listen up," Aokumo spoke coldly. "Your mission is simple: hunt down one hundred monsters in five days and bring back their bodies."

"One hundred?!"

The students gasped in horror.

They were still rookies—how could they possibly kill that many beasts?

But before the complaints could spread, Aokumo barked, "A mission is an order. Your job is to obey, not whine!"

"Form groups of four. Today's quota is three monsters per team. Get moving."

The sudden shift left many students frozen in place.

Yesterday, they were training in a safe environment.

Today, they were about to risk their lives.

Some panicked. Others sprang into action.

The braver students quickly formed teams and began searching for nearby monsters.

Forming a Team

"Renji, let's team up!" Shun ran over, his face full of anticipation.

He was eager to test his new wood powers in real combat.

They were among the few who hadn't been approached by anyone else.

Meanwhile, Yuna Hoshizaki and Mei Kobayashi, both popular in the auxiliary class, were being courted by other groups.

"Yuna, since we're all attack-types, why don't we team up?" Hikaru Saito approached with a smug grin, clearly expecting her to accept.

"I'm fine either way. It's up to Yuna," Mei Kobayashi smiled politely.

All eyes turned to Yuna.

The Azure Dragon Academy's beauty queen smiled sweetly—and then crushed Hikaru's hopes.

"No thanks. We already have a team."

With that, she turned and walked toward Renji.

"Renji, will you team up with us?" she asked warmly.

"You want to team up with us?" Renji blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to approach him.

"We're short two people anyway. Sure," Renji nodded.

The moment he agreed, Hikaru's face darkened.

"You four are all support-types. Without a single offense user, how are you planning to complete this mission?" he sneered.

"We'll manage. You don't have to worry about us," Renji said coolly.

Without sparing them another glance, Renji, Yuna, Mei, and Shun headed deeper into the forest.

Their first monster hunt was about to begin.