Konoha’s White Fang Shines

Chapter 65: Bird Country Escort Mission

"What, another mission that's between C and B rank?"

Once again assigned a new mission, the voices of the three Genin nearly echoed throughout the entire mission assignment hall.

Could they be blamed for this reaction?

If anyone was to blame, it had to be Yuuji, who was still smiling as usual.

It was incredibly frustrating. Not only had he given them only three days of rest, but now they were once again dealing with a mission of uncertain difficulty.

It was ridiculous—other teams seemed to get normal, straightforward assignments, but for them, every task seemed to escalate unpredictably.

"What's wrong? No confidence?"

Seeing their dissatisfied faces, Yuuji crossed his arms and looked at them sternly.

As for why Yuuji had become such a tyrant, the three Genin could only attribute it to: love turning into hatred.

Hanako had been brought back to Konoha and thoroughly interrogated. The final conclusion was that she was a newly recruited spy from Forward Village, a place in Spoon Country known for training espionage agents.

However, Hanako was still a novice on her first assignment and had just so happened to be caught in the act by Genma and his team. Although what she was doing was degrading, she had no choice.

And as for why Yuuji resented them… well, technically, he should be grateful. But they had pushed him way too hard—his so-called "assistants" felt more like saboteurs.

That was why Yuuji's expression now left no room for argument. Realizing their mistake, the three Genin could only bow their heads and mumble, "We have confidence…"

"Good. If you have confidence, then let's go meet the client."

"Understood…"

The three followed Yuuji to an inn in Konoha, where they waited outside a guest room. Before long, a young boy with dark hair tied up in round buns stepped out.

"Lord Rō requests that the Konoha shinobi enter. Please follow me."

"Huh? The escort is just a kid?" Raido whispered under his breath.

"Raido, don't be rude once we go inside. Lord Rō is the rightful heir to the throne of Bird Country," Yuuji warned, sensing Raido's mischief brewing.

Hearing this, Kurenai looked over with curiosity. "So… he's technically a prince, right?"

The moment she said that, Genma felt a strange sense of crisis—did she like princes? He immediately stuffed a sour lemon into his mouth and muttered, "It's just a small country. Not a big deal."

"Pfft~ Genma's got a point! Very well said!" Raido covered his mouth, chuckling.

Yuuji's face darkened—what kind of jokers were these students? Why were they all turning into troublemakers?

"Do you three want a different mission?"

The moment he gave them a warning look and paused his steps, the three instantly sobered up.

"No, this one's fine," Genma said quickly.

"Yeah, Genma's right!" Raido echoed.

Kurenai, however, was still puzzled by Raido's unusual behavior. He seemed to be agreeing with Genma an awful lot today. She cast them both a glance before nodding. "Bird Country sounds more fun than our last mission. It'd be a waste to miss it."

Though she sounded innocent, Yuuji could tell that all three of them were just saying whatever to avoid getting punished.

He exhaled and let it slide.

When they entered the room, the first thing they saw was a whoosh—numerous hanging curtains parted, revealing a small-statured boy with purple hair.

"You've worked hard, Chishima. So these are the Konoha shinobi?"

The boy, Rō, was dressed quite regally for a small-country prince, walking forward in small steps until he stopped beside Kurenai. He then gestured toward her with a hand, measuring their height difference.

"You don't seem much older than me."

Genma's fingers twitched slightly.

But considering the other party was royalty, he really couldn't afford to lose control and let his frustration show.

If he actually lashed out, Konoha would end up in diplomatic trouble.

And if that happened, he'd become famous—but not in a good way.

He wasn't like Naruto Uzumaki, who could act recklessly because of his Hokage father and jinchūriki status.

After Rō finished measuring Kurenai, he turned to Genma and examined him curiously.

"Hmm… are you an older brother or an older sister? You don't seem to care much about your appearance."

"Pfft!"

Raido nearly burst into laughter but held it back as Genma shot him a deadly glare.

"Ahem. Genma, you know what they say—if you're really good-looking, sometimes people can't tell whether you're a guy or a girl. Nothing to be ashamed of. Pfft~"

Genma's eyes twitched.

"You," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "why exactly do you think I'm a girl?"

Rō looked at him earnestly, tilting his head. "Well, you look really cute. And you have that black choker, plus the embroidered patterns on your bag—those seem like things girls would like."

Genma's face darkened.

In modern times, black chokers were often associated with cross-dressers. But thanks to his wonderful parents, he had no say in his accessories.

His unreliable father, along with his mother's encouragement, had practically forced this fashion onto him.

This was why he often joked with his father, demanding that he hurry up and give him a real little sister—because honestly, it felt like they were using him to fulfill their "raising a daughter" fantasy.

They wouldn't let him shave his head short, nor would they let him tie his hair up. It had to stay in that awkward, slightly-long, unbound style.

His clothes were fine—thankfully, they didn't push anything too flamboyant—but everything else had an oddly feminine touch.

As a result, everyone who saw him kept calling him "handsome and adorable."

This was the first time he had ever been outright mistaken for a girl, and he was livid.

Just as he was struggling to hold himself back, Rō casually added, "If you dressed up a little, you'd probably look just like my little sister."

Genma's entire body trembled.

"Ahem, Lord Rō," Yuuji interjected, sensing that his student was on the verge of snapping. "When shall we depart?"

Rō blinked as if he had just remembered the mission.

"Hmm… We just arrived in Konoha after meeting with the Fire Daimyo. I want to eat lunch and buy some souvenirs first. So, let's leave this afternoon."

His eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Shinobi-san, please let us explore Konoha a bit more. We haven't had time to see anything fun. It'd be such a shame to miss out!"

Chishima, the round-bunned boy, immediately chimed in, reinforcing Rō's plea.

Caught between the combined attack of two adorable kids, Yuuji wavered.

"Fine. We'll leave in the afternoon. Do you require an escort for your outing?"

"Hmm… let this big brother and big sister take us around. Too many people would attract too much attention."

Hearing that, Raido felt a bit strange.

Why had he been left out?

Yuuji also found it odd but ultimately decided to go along with it.

After all, if it meant avoiding babysitting duty, it meant he'd have time to check on someone else.

"Understood, Lord Rō. Genma, Kurenai—show them around and meet us at the Konoha gate later."

"Yes."

As Genma and Kurenai agreed, Raido looked even more dumbfounded.

Why was he being ignored?

Was he just invisible now?

End of Chapter 65