Naruto: Binding Uchiha Sasuke, Hundredfold Return

"Do as you wish, as long as it doesn't cause chaos in the village. Don't bother me with other trivial matters. I came here today to take a mission."

"D-rank?"

"Yes."

"They're all here!"

As usual, Kazuki casually picked up a scroll, opened it, confirmed the task wasn't too troublesome, and accepted it.

After leaving the Hokage's office, Soryu immediately asked Kazuki about the mission details.

"Kazuki-sensei, what mission are we doing today?"

"Picking up trash."

"Picking up trash?"

Konoha doesn't have dedicated sanitation workers, household trash in every street and alley is managed by the residents. However, not everyone knows how to handle waste properly, so it's common for hygiene issues to arise.

To keep Konoha clean and odor-free, the village periodically assigns cleanup missions to Genin. The task recorded in the mission scroll Kazuki picked up was precisely this.

In the West District of Konoha, Kawano, Rika, and Soryu, each wearing a mask, carried a trash basket and tongs as they scoured the streets, picking up all sorts of litter. Kazuki, with a skewer of dango he bought from a nearby stand, sat atop a building to supervise, making sure his students didn't slack off.

"Ah… now this is the life!" he muttered, savoring the sweet, soft texture of the dango, relishing every bite. No wonder Anko was so fond of this treat.

"Hey, who dug this hole?"

"That's a sewer, idiot!"

"Help! Kawano, Rika, pull me up!"

"Alright, alright! You're such a klutz!"

"Wait a minute… I think I touched something weird… It's wet and sticky… a… a hand!"

"A hand?"

Kawano sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled Soryu out of the sewer. Soryu backed away in horror, his hand trembling as he pointed toward the sewer, stammering,

"Th-there's a… a dead… dead body!"

Upon hearing "dead body," Kazuki came down immediately to investigate.

"Step aside."

The three students took a few steps back, though Kawano seemed eager, showing no trace of fear. Kazuki noted their reactions. Soryu and Rika clearly hadn't seen a dead body before, both looking visibly frightened.

It seemed they needed to get more accustomed to these situations.

Regaining focus, Kazuki used a clone to descend and retrieve the corpse.

The deceased was a middle-aged man, and judging by his appearance, he hadn't been dead for long. There was no lingering chakra on the body, the cause of death appeared to be strangulation, marked by the bruises on his neck. It seemed unrelated to a ninja, though Kazuki didn't rule out the possibility of a ninja trying to cover up the crime.

Using his sealing technique, Kazuki secured the corpse, preventing any panic among passersby. After he finished, he turned to Kawano.

"Go notify the Hokage and have someone come to deal with the body."

"Yes!"

Efficient as always, Kawano used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared to relay the message.

"Kazuki-sensei, how did this person die? Could it be an enemy invasion in Konoha?" Rika asked.

Kazuki shook his head. "The dead man was a civilian, identity unknown. The cause of death was strangulation—most likely with a rope or similar tool. It was probably done by an ordinary person."

"What kind of grudge would drive someone to such lengths?" Rika said, a hint of pity in her voice. Growing up in peaceful Konoha, she couldn't fathom anyone dying over something bad they'd done.

Witnessing darkness is the only way to break free from naive illusions, Kazuki thought. Rika would understand this someday.

"It's hard to say, and you don't need to know. If there's nothing else, get back to picking up trash. Today's mission isn't done yet. Don't you want to earn some money?"

At the mention of money, Soryu, who had been terrified moments before, suddenly perked up. Grabbing his tools, he resumed his work.

Indeed, more frightening than death was poverty!

------------

The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg