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It was early morning. The Sun had only broken through the horizon a short time ago.

The sounds of weapons clashing could be heard throughout the forest. Sasuke and Daichi were engaged in a spar at their usual meeting place. They were battling each other and measuring each other's improvements. The spar had been going on for a couple hours.

Daichi tilted his body to the side and evaded the fast punch Sasuke sent his way. He then ducked under a high kick and sent a leg sweep trying to unbalance the Uchiha. Sasuke jumped back and immediately threw several shuriken at Daichi.

The boy took a kunai and deflected all the weapons and then immediately jumped away from where he was standing.

Several shuriken came from the back and landed on the spot the next second.

Daichi stood on a thick tree branch and smiled at Sasuke. "I see you rigged the whole place with traps. Not bad. But it's a shame it won't work on me."

Sasuke just smirked and made a hand seal. The next second Daichi was engulfed in a small explosion.

Even as Sasuke stood there vigilant, he was unable to sense the kunai at the back of his neck until it was too late. Sensing his defeat the young Uchiha just grunted.

"You've gotten a lot better. Your speed, reaction time and techniques have certainly improved." Daichi said as he put the weapon back in his pouch.

Sasuke turned around to look at his sparring partner. "I could say the same about you. It feels like I'm taking 1 step forward and you're taking 10."

Daichi went under a tree and sat down. "You'll catch up. The way you're improving, you'll be able to match me soon. You're already head and shoulders above the rest of the class."

"They don't matter. I don't care about them. If I need to reach my goal then I'll have to go at the pace you're going. The only way I'll get stronger and stronger is if I fight stronger opponents. Like you." The young Uchiha said.

"You know it's not just about physical strength. They could be a great asset if you let them." Daichi wanted Sasuke to form bonds with his peers. He wanted to see if he could turn the Uchiha away from the future that's written.

Sasuke smirked and looked at Daichi. "Have you ever asked for their help when you needed something?"

Daichi just sighed and remained silent. 'This is going to be a lot harder than I initially thought. Time to change the topic.'

Daichi asked a question that's been on his mind for a while. "How goes your progress with awakening your Sharingan?"

Sasuke soured upon hearing that question. "I tried to control my emotions, meditation, intense training… Nothing. I haven't awakened my eyes yet. It's so frustrating."

Daichi just nodded.

"So how's being a Genin?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

"Not bad. I'm just starting out so the missions assigned to me are easy ones."

"What about your teammates? Are they any good?" Sasuke wanted to know who Daichi was partnered up with.

"Actually it's just me and Sensei. We're a special two man Genin team."

"What? Is that even a thing?" Sasuke had never heard of anything like that and he was understandably surprised.

Daichi just shrugged and replied. "My skills were above them by a large margin. And it would have caused an imbalance. So it was decided that I would be part of a 2 man Genin team. Me and my sensei."

Sasuke just nodded after hearing that. Daichi then looked at the position of the sun and realized it was time to meet his teacher. Bidding farewell to Sasuke, Daichi left the place.

—-

Kakashi and his student slowly made their way to the Hokage tower. They were on their way to get the next mission. As they walked Daichi asked his teacher something that's been bothering him since the survival test.

"Hey Sensei. When I asked why you made me go through the survival exam, you said the reason was Orochimaru. But that still doesn't explain a lot of things…"

Kakashi took his eyes off his book and looked at Daichi.

Seeing Kakashi's silence, Daichi's suspicion grew. "It's not the whole truth is it? What exactly does it mean when you said I caught Orochimaru's attention. What do you know?"

Kakashi looked at his student from the corner of his eyes. After a few seconds of silence he replied. "The intelligence suggests that at the moment Orochimaru is only mildly curious about you. Most probably because of your association with his former teammate Lady Tsunade. So he might send one of his people after you. But the Hokage didn't want to take any chances and it was decided that you need to prepare in the eventuality that the man would come for you himself. If I'm going to train you then I need a full understanding of your skills and abilities. I knew you would only show your true strength if I pushed you hard enough. It's why I conducted such an exam."

Daichi thought about it and nodded his head. 'Kakashi tested me on all fronts. Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Evasion techniques, tactical intelligence and combat capabilities. And he forced me to go all out. And since he now has a solid understanding of my strength I'm pretty sure the Hokage does too.'

Daichi thought about everything that's happened in the last few years. 'The attack of the Root. The old man's frequent trips and now this. Kensei has been going out a lot lately and he's more on edge these days. Something's going on. There's a storm brewing and I have a feeling this is just the calm before it hits.'

"You don't need to look so tense. Like I said to you before. I'll be here." Kakashi reassured his student.

Daichi nodded with a small smile. They both made the rest of the journey in silence and soon reached the mission desk.

"It's a D rank mission. Your task is to find the missing pet. You will meet the owner here at this address. The mission details are in the scroll." The Chunin at the desk had a scroll for them.

Kakashi took the scroll and looked at its contents while Daichi went through the new quest he received.

[Quest created - Retrieve the missing Dog ]

[Your client's pet has gone missing. Find and retrieve the dog and successfully complete the mission. Time limit. 3hrs.]

[Conditions:]

Find the Pet Dog and return it to the client before the time runs out.

[Rewards:]

3000 Exp.

Reputation increases with your client.

[Failure:]

Reputation decreases with your client, Hokage and Kakashi Hatake.

No missions for a while.

[Accept] Y/N

Daichi accepted the quest and along with his teacher headed out to meet their client. They soon reached a modest home and saw a young woman waiting for them near the gate.

"Are you guys the Genin team I requested?" The woman asked them.

"Yes ma'am." Kakashi replied with a nod.

"Hello. My name is Emika. I was going to take my pet dog Bakura to get his vaccine today but it seems he ran away. He can be a bit stubborn sometimes." The young woman said with a smile.

Kakashi didn't speak and decided to let Daichi handle the mission.

The fresh Genin began asking about the dog, its identifying features and its habits.

"He's half Inuzuka breed. So he's a lot smarter and stronger than the average dog. They gave him up for adoption and I took him in when he was just a small pup. Now he's almost 9 yrs old and half your size." The woman gave Daichi several pictures of the dog and told him of the Bakura's favorite places.

"Please bring him back in 3 hours. The vet clinic closes at that time and I won't be able to get another appointment for a few weeks."

Daichi nodded to the woman's request and took the needed information.

After receiving the necessary information Daichi looked around the house. He saw several footprints of a Dog and memorized their distinctive shape. He also got a piece of Bakura's favorite clothing and took a whiff.

Daichi took one whiff and grimaced. 'Ugg! I can't believe I'm doing this… But at least I now know what his scent is.'

"So sensei, you gonna help me out or just gonna read that book?"

"It's your show. Let's see what you got."

Daichi nodded and looked around the house for a bit. As he observed the place he saw a part of the fence broken. Daichi took a closer look. He saw fresh K9 footprints leading outside the fence.

"Looks like we got tracks. And it's headed into the hills." Daichi said to his sensei.

"Dogs can smell a scent from miles away and the senses of an Inuzuka dog are even sharper than that." Kakashi reminded his student.

"I know." With that Daichi made several seals.

Kakashi recognized the simple jutsu. 'A scent masking jutsu. Good.'

Daichi also suppressed his chakra and both of them began tracking the K9 through its footprint. Daichi used his evolved sense skills Absolute Smell and Acute Hearing in tandem. Blocking out the unnecessary sensory input Daichi focused on the one he wanted. Several seconds later he had his target's general location.

'Gotcha.'

Daichi followed the scent he picked up and along with the footprint slowly made his way to their target. Daichi noticed something along the path.

'There are several claw marks on the trees. And they appear to be fresh and they're almost the same size as the Dogs.'

Daichi and Kakashi quietly made their way through the forest and about 40 minutes later came upon a clearing near a small stream. They saw a dog with the same features as the one described by Emika sleeping on a pile of leaves.

'Well that was easy.'

The second Daichi had this thought, Bakura opened its eyes and looked at the two ninja.

Daichi, Kakashi and the K9 stayed still with Daichi having a staring contest with his mission target. Several seconds of silence later he saw the animal slowly get up on all fours.

"Don't you do it." Daichi said, looking at the dog. Daichi recognized intelligence in its eyes.

The jaws of the dog widened as if he was smirking.

Daichi frowned and slowly raised his hands. "Here boy. I got some tasty treats for you. Just come here."

The dog tilted its head and looked at the small human. It tensed it's leg muscles as if preparing to run.

"Don't you dare. I'm in no mood for a chase." Daichi also said, prepared to run and quickly catch the target. He looked at Bakura's and saw the taunting expression on its face.

Neither of them moved a muscle until,

"Achoo!"

Kakashi let out a loud sneeze which startled Daichi and Bakura took this split second to run away. Birds hidden in the forest were crying and flying all around the place and leaves were falling from the tall trees.

"What the hell sensei?" The young Genin looked at his teacher with a gobsmacked expression.

"Ooops. My bad. I sneezed because the suspense was killing me." The Jonin said with a sheepish chuckle.

Daichi looked at his teacher with a dumbfounded expression for a few seconds before he shook his head and leapt after his prey. 'No way I'm gonna let a mutt escape me.'

The Inuzuka dog was fast. It jumped through branches and dove through bushes with great agility. But Daichi was faster. He was catching up to the dog and he hadn't used any skills to increase his speed.

Just as Daichi was within arms length of reaching Bakura, it showed its defiance and let out a stream of fresh golden piss directly aimed at Daichi's face.

The boy's eyes widened at the incoming stream and he immediately changed directions. He avoided the urine and landed on another branch but due to the force of his momentum it snapped causing the boy to fall.

Daichi quickly used chakra strings to steady himself and safely land on the ground. He looked at the K9 fleeing through the forest and had a twitch in his eyes.

'Alright no more Mr. Nice guy.' Daichi directed chakra through his limbs and the next moment, he disappeared from his spot.

Bakura let out a bark or joy and kept moving forward.

"Pst. It's time you go back to Emika."

It didn't even sense Daichi above until it heard the words. The next second it was lifted off the ground and held in mid air. The K9 wiggled with all its might but it was useless.

Daichi held his target with chakra strings and suspended him in mid air.

"Well done. Time to return him to the client." Kakashi said, landing behind his student.

Daichi nodded and both of them made their way back. They soon reached their client's home and handed the dog back to the woman.

"Ohh. I'm so happy you're back. Don't go running off like that again. You're gonna make mommy so sad." Emika said to her pet with a sad expression.

The dog whined and licked her face, making the woman giggle.

"Thank you for bringing him back in such a short time. Now I'll be able to make my appointment." Emika thanked the team and gave them the mission completion slip.

[Quest 'Retrieve the missing Dog' Completed.]

[Rewards:]

[3000 Exp.]

[450 Exp.]

[Reputation increases with your client.]

With another D Rank mission well done Kakashi and Daichi returned to the tower to collect their mission pay.

Author’s Note:

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