Naruto rebirth! Born again with a system.

Chapter 20: First Mission and Hard Lessons!

Kōzaru winced as he rolled out of bed, every muscle in his body protesting the movement with sharp reminders of the previous night's brutal training session. His reflection in the small mirror beside his bed showed the evidence of his mother's "gentle instruction"—a split lip, bruised cheekbone, and eyes that spoke of exhaustion pushed well beyond his limits.

Even Yuki and Riku, normally energetic and eager to start each day, raised their heads with obvious reluctance, their movements stiff and careful as they stretched on their sleeping mats.

"Rough night, huh guys?" Kōzaru muttered, his voice hoarse from the combination of fatigue and the occasional cry of pain that had escaped during his mother's relentless training regimen.

The memories of the previous evening came flooding back with painful clarity...

"Again!" Mika Inuzuka's voice cracked like a whip across the training area as Kōzaru picked himself up from the dirt for what felt like the hundredth time. "You're thinking too much! Stop trying to control the chakra and start letting it flow!"

The All-Fours jutsu was unlike any technique he had attempted before. Where other chakra applications required precision and careful control, this demanded something more primal—a willingness to surrender human limitations and embrace the enhanced physical capabilities that came with mimicking beast-like movements and instincts.

The simple clone jutsu he had learned in the academy, or even the body flicker he was able to use. This was nothing like that.

"I'm trying!" Kōzaru gasped, wiping blood from his nose where his mother's latest strike had landed with bruising force. "The chakra flow keeps destabilizing when I try to maintain it during movement!"

"Because you're fighting it!" Mika snarled, dropping into the characteristic low stance of the All-Fours technique. Her movements became fluid and predatory, her fingernails extending into claw-like points as her chakra enhanced her physical capabilities beyond normal human limits. "Watch and learn!"

She came at him like a force of nature, her speed and power enhanced beyond anything he had experienced in training before. Her strikes were precise and devastating, each one designed to test his reflexes and force him to react instinctively rather than thinking too much.

Kōzaru barely managed to dodge the first swipe of her claws, the wind from her passage ruffling his hair as deadly sharp nails passed inches from his face. The second attack caught him across the ribs, the enhanced strength behind it sending him tumbling across the training ground with enough force to leave him gasping.

"Stop thinking like a human!" she taunted, circling him with the patient stalking movements of a apex predator evaluating wounded prey. "You're Inuzuka! We don't fight fair, we don't fight clean, and we sure as hell don't fight like everyone else! We fight to survive, to protect our pack, to tear apart anyone stupid enough to threaten what's ours!"

Her words carried the weight of clan philosophy and generations of accumulated wisdom, but they also carried the immediate threat of continued painful instruction if he failed to internalize the lesson.

"Now get up and try again!" she commanded. "And this time, stop trying to be gentle with yourself! The All-Fours jutsu requires commitment—you can't hold back and expect it to work!"

For two more hours, the brutal instruction continued. Kōzaru attempted the technique again and again, each failure met with increasingly aggressive correction from his mother's enhanced capabilities. His chakra control gradually improved through necessity and desperation, but the physical punishment of the learning process left him battered and exhausted.

Finally, on what felt like his thousandth attempt, something clicked.

The chakra flow stopped fighting him and began responding to his intent rather than his conscious control. Everything he had learned in the academy on chakra control was useless in the face of this technique.

Suddenly his fingernails extended into claws, his movements became more fluid and animalistic, and his physical capabilities enhanced dramatically beyond their normal human limitations.

"Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!" he shouted, feeling the transformation take hold as his body adapted to the enhanced physical state.

The difference was immediately apparent. His speed, strength, and reflexes increased to levels that made his previous capabilities seem sluggish and limited. More importantly, his fighting instincts became more aggressive and predatory, his awareness of his surroundings sharpened to an almost supernatural degree.

When his mother came at him again, he was ready.

His enhanced reflexes allowed him to dodge her initial strike with fluid ease, and his claws raked across her guard in a counterattack that actually forced her to give ground. For the first time all evening, he felt like he was fighting rather than simply surviving.

"Better!" Mika acknowledged with fierce pride, her own enhanced capabilities still superior but no longer overwhelming so. "Much better! Now you're starting to understand what it means to fight like an Inuzuka!"

The sparring session that followed was still brutally demanding, but it was also genuinely instructive rather than simply punitive. Kōzaru learned to maintain the All-Fours enhancement while moving, striking, and defending, his understanding of beast-mimicry combat growing with each exchange.

By the time his mother finally called a halt to the training, he was exhausted and battered, but Kōzaru had successfully mastered the basic applications of one of his clan's signature techniques, and been rewarded for his efforts.

Kōzaru pulled up his system interface, to see how the brutal training session had affected his development after having seen it the night before.

Kōzaru

Inuzuka Clan: Level 4: EXP (300/500) Skill points available: 1

Health: 120 + (7×2) = 138.

Chakra: 120 + (3×2) = 126.

Taijutsu: 7

Ninjutsu: 3

Genjutsu: 2

Kenjutsu: 2

Abilities:

Wind Style (Gale palm): Cost 20 chakra.

Body flicker: Cost 10 chakra.

Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu: Cost 30 chakra.

Special: Heightened senses.

Yuki & Riku Ninja hounds.

Basic Pack Coordination.

The improvement was significant— he had gained a substantial 250 experience points from the intensive training session. More importantly, he had learned the All-Fours technique, giving him access to enhanced physical capabilities that would dramatically improve his combat effectiveness at the cost of only 30 chakra.

But the cost had been substantial, his body ached from the punishment it had endured, and he suspected that walking normally would be a challenge for at least the next few hours until his body woke up.

"Come on, guys," he said to Yuki and Riku, who responded with tired but loyal tail wags. "Time to meet the others. Let's see if we can make it there without looking completely pathetic."

The walk to their designated meeting point near the academy took longer than usual, as all three members of his small pack moved with the careful precision of individuals nursing bruises and strained muscles. Other early-morning villagers gave them respectful nods—the sight of a young Inuzuka clearly fresh from intense training was familiar enough in the Hidden Leaf to warrant approval rather than concern, making Kōzaru remember that he was still living his fantasy in the world of Naruto.

Tatsuma and Aotaka were already waiting when he arrived, but their expressions immediately shifted from casual greeting to obvious concern as they took in his battered appearance.

"What the hell happened to you?" Tatsuma asked, his eyes widening as he catalogued the visible damage. "You look like you went three rounds and lost all of them! Did you get into a fight?"

"My mother decided it was time to learn a new jutsu," Kōzaru replied with a rueful smile, settling carefully onto a nearby bench with movements that spoke of widespread soreness. "Apparently, Inuzuka training methods involve a lot more physical persuasion than I was expecting."

"A new jutsu?" Aotaka said with obvious interest and concern. "So you were training too last night, and from the looks of you, it was difficult."

"Difficult is one way to put it," Kōzaru agreed, unconsciously touching his bruised cheekbone. "But I did manage to learn the basics. And I got some nice EXP from it too." He said with a smile.

"I did some of my own training last night too, gained some experience points, but nothing dramatic. Shadow clone training gave me 80 experience for only a short time." Tatsuma said, feeling pleased with himself.

"I earned 50 from working with my kenjutsu scrolls," Aotaka added. "The Leaf-Cutting technique is becoming more natural, and my chakra flow efficiency is improving steadily. But nothing that left me looking like I'd been through a meat grinder."

"How did your families react to the promotion?" Kōzaru asked, genuinely curious about how their different circumstances had shaped their evening experiences.

"My uncle was proud but realistic," Aotaka replied. "He gave me access to some advanced training scrolls and made it clear that real missions would be significantly more dangerous than academy exercises. The Senju have seen enough active duty to understand what genin rank actually means."

"No family to react," Tatsuma said with his characteristic matter-of-fact tone. "But having the apartment to myself meant I could really push my training intensity. Three shadow clones for one hour straight—my chakra control is definitely improving."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a tall, composed figure whose presence immediately commanded attention and respect. Shibi Aburame approached with the measured precision that characterized all his movements, his dark glasses and high collar giving him an aura of professional competence that made it clear why he had been selected as their instructor.

"Team 15," he said by way of greeting, his voice carrying the calm authority that came from years of successful mission leadership. "I trust you're prepared for your first official briefing as genin?"

"Yes, Aburame-sensei!" they replied in unison, though Kōzaru's voice carried a slight hoarseness that didn't escape their new instructor's notice.

"Intensive training session last night, Inuzuka?" Shibi observed, his gaze taking in the visible evidence of Kōzaru's recent education. "The All-Fours technique, judging by the specific pattern of bruising and the condition of your ninja hounds. Your mother remains as... thorough in her instruction as I remember."

"You know my mother?" Kōzaru asked, genuinely surprised by the casual familiarity in his sensei's tone.

"We've worked together on several intelligence-gathering missions," Shibi replied with what might have been mild amusement. "Her tracking capabilities and my surveillance techniques complement each other well. I'm not surprised she decided to accelerate your clan training given your new status." He said, reminding Kōzaru and the others that a jonin level ninja was clearly leagues above anything they had seen yet, already having put such a small amount of information together and guessed what jutsu Kōzaru had been learning.

He gestured for them to follow as he began walking toward the administration building where their mission briefing would be conducted, snapping Kōzaru and the others out of their thoughts.

"Before we discuss your first assignment," he continued, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "I want to address the current strategic situation and how it affects newly promoted genin teams like yourselves."

The mention of strategic considerations immediately focused their attention. This was the kind of information that would help them understand their role in the larger context of village operations and potential threats.

"The Third Shinobi World War continues to escalate across multiple fronts," Shibi explained as they walked, his voice carrying the weight of someone actively participating in an ongoing conflict. "Major battles are being fought simultaneously against Stone, Cloud, and Mist forces, stretching our resources thin and creating dangerous gaps in our border security."

"What does that mean for our mission assignments?" Aotaka asked, his strategic mind immediately grasping the implications.

"It means that every mission now carries significant risk," Shibi replied grimly. "Enemy infiltration teams are operating deep within Fire Country territory, supply lines are under constant threat, and even routine assignments can quickly escalate into combat situations. The village cannot spare experienced jōnin for lower-rank missions when they're desperately needed on the front lines."

"Are we being sent into active combat zones?" Tatsuma asked, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation.

"Not directly," Shibi acknowledged, "but the distinction between rear areas and combat zones has become increasingly meaningless. Enemy strike teams, sabotage operations, and intelligence gathering missions are occurring throughout Fire Country. Your demonstrated coordination and combat readiness during the examination is why you're being fast-tracked to operational status—the village needs every capable team it can field."

They reached the administration building and climbed the stairs to the mission briefing room, a space that now buzzed with the constant activity of a village at war. Maps covered in tactical markers lined the walls, communication equipment crackled with regular status reports from field teams, and the tension of ongoing military operations permeated the atmosphere.

"Speaking of which," Shibi continued as they settled into chairs around a simple conference table, "you've already been assigned your first official mission as Team 15. Given current circumstances, you'll be handling responsibilities that would normally go to a chūnin-level team."

The formal transition from discussion to business was marked by his shift to an even more professional tone and posture.

"Mission designation: C-rank possible even B-rank. Escort and strategic supply delivery," he announced, pulling out a scroll that contained their official orders. "Client: Merchant Yamamoto Kenji, village-contracted supplier specializing in military-grade weapons and essential materials."

"C-rank?" Kōzaru asked, shock evident in his voice. "For our first mission?"

"The war has necessitated rapid advancement protocols," Shibi explained tersely. "Fresh genin teams with demonstrated competence are being assigned higher-priority missions out of necessity. The alternative is leaving critical supply lines undefended while our veteran teams are engaged on active battlefronts."

He spread a detailed tactical map across the table, marked with known enemy positions, recent conflict zones, and intelligence assessments.

"Yamamoto-san requires armed escort for a critical supply run to our forward operating base near Stone River Valley," he continued. "The cargo consists of specialized explosive tags, high-grade steel for weapon forging, and medical supplies that cannot be replaced if lost."

"What's the threat assessment?" Aotaka asked, his mind racing through the implications of their route.

"Medium to high and escalating," Shibi replied without sugar-coating. "Stone Village infiltration teams have been conducting systematic attacks on our supply convoys. Three separate merchant caravans have been hit in the past two weeks, with loss of cargo and casualties among escort teams being reported."

The mention of recent losses and ongoing enemy operations transformed their understanding of what they were walking into.

"If we encounter Stone strike teams, what are our engagement protocols?" Tatsuma asked, his thinking now focused on immediate survival scenarios.

"Engagement is likely unavoidable," Shibi answered seriously. "Stone teams are under orders to disrupt our supply lines at all costs. If confronted, you will use lethal force to protect the cargo and complete the mission. Failure to deliver these supplies will directly impact our forces' combat effectiveness and safety of the village."

He studied their faces, ensuring they understood the life-and-death nature of their assignment.

"However," he continued, "your primary advantage will be intelligence and planning. Stone forces are expecting poorly defended merchant convoys, not a trained team prepared for combat. Use that expectation against them, but remember—you're not just representing yourselves out there. Every successful mission helps keep our village's war effort sustainable."

"When do we depart?" Kōzaru asked, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on his shoulders as the reality that they would have to fight, maybe even kill started to set in.

"Tomorrow morning at 0500 hours," Shibi replied. "Today I will make the preparation—weapons checks, tactical planning, intelligence briefings, and coordination with village supply command. The margin for error in wartime operations is zero."

"I want you three to prepare your equipment and take the day to rest, train, or do whatever it is you do." Shibi said before he turned his back on them.

"If there are no questions, then I will see you all tomorrow." He said, disappearing before they even had the chance. Leaving the three of them to face the reality of their situation with it becoming clear. They weren't just new genin taking on routine assignments—they were active participants in a war that demanded everything from every shinobi in the village.