Since it was still early, after enjoying the large meal that Sunset Red treated them to, the eighth team did not disband immediately. Instead, they made their way to the Hokage Building to officially begin their first mission.
The eighth team's first mission was, naturally, a D-rank mission.
At first, both Hinata and Shino were quite interested in the mission.
However, as soon as they saw Sunset Red lead them to a stinky water channel and ask them to clean up the floating garbage from the water surface, their interest quickly evaporated.
This mission posed no challenge for Hinata and Izayoi, who were both adept at walking on water.
The same went for Shino.
Climbing trees and walking on water were basic skills he had learned by the third year of his academy training.
Such techniques were considered essential for any major ninja clan's younger generation, even if the ninja academy didn't teach them.
Even if Izayoi hadn't taught Hinata how to climb trees or walk on water, once her pressure point techniques reached a certain level, Hiashi Hyuga would have taught her these techniques. After all, it was part of chakra control training, which was crucial for improving both her Gentle Fist techniques and the effectiveness of her pressure point skills.
Seeing that Izayoi and the others had already mastered chakra control techniques that weren't even taught at the academy, Sunset Red was somewhat surprised.
But when she considered Hinata and Shino's backgrounds and Izayoi's strength, as well as his relationship with Hinata, she realized it made sense. These techniques were nothing special to them.
Soon, Sunset Red was troubled again.
She had originally hoped to use this task to teach Izayoi and the others more advanced chakra control. But now that they had already mastered it, she wasn't sure what to teach them next.
Izayoi was unaware of Sunset Red's thoughts or her troubles.
If he had known, he would have felt quite pleased with himself.
Even though she was referred to as a teacher, a jonin instructor wasn't necessarily a teacher in the traditional sense.
The role of a jonin instructor was more about guiding newly graduated genin on how to carry out missions and become competent ninja, rather than teaching them ninja techniques.
If an instructor had a promising subordinate, they could further their relationship and impart their skills to that individual.
But if they didn't feel like it, they would essentially step back once their subordinates advanced to the rank of chunin. The instructor would only reappear if the village assigned a high-level mission.
Thus, a jonin instructor didn't necessarily have to teach their subordinates ninjutsu.
Genin could also learn techniques from other channels, like completing missions to earn merit, which could be exchanged for ninja techniques in the village.
However, the jutsu available to genin were usually low-level and were widely circulated in the ninja world. Only high-level ninjas who mastered advanced ninjutsu could exchange for more powerful techniques.
Despite knowing all this, Sunset Red already had the desire to teach Izayoi and the others something.
Such dedication to her students was rare. If Team Seven saw this, they would probably shed tears.
After completing their first task and receiving their payment, the eighth team disbanded in front of the Hokage Building.
"Hinata, let's have a nice meal today."
"Mm!"
Izayoi and Hinata took their first paycheck and went to the market to buy ingredients, preparing to enjoy a good meal.
However, just as they were about to enter Izayoi's house and prepare the meal, with plans to call Hanabi afterward...
"Ugh..."
Izayoi, who had just taken off his shoes in the entryway, suddenly furrowed his brows and sucked in a sharp breath. The bag in his hand dropped to the ground.
"Hinata, my Kekkei Genkai... it's about to awaken!" Izayoi said, covering his eyes, leaning against the wall, and looking slightly pained, though his mouth was curled in excitement.
Upon hearing this, Hinata, who was walking over to support him, widened her eyes in surprise, both shocked and delighted. "Really? Izayoi-kun, you... you also have a Kekkei Genkai?"
"Yes, this is a secret only you should know." Izayoi placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder, smiling. "Hinata, help me upstairs. There's something I need you to do for me."
"Of course." Hinata immediately nodded seriously, disregarding the ingredients she was holding, and helped Izayoi upstairs.
Once in the room, lying on the bed, Izayoi closed his eyes and said, "Hinata, please bring me some bandages."
"Okay."
Hinata left the room, retrieved a medical kit, and pulled out a roll of bandages, handing them to Izayoi.
Izayoi wrapped the bandages around his eyes and then instructed, "Open the drawer by my bed and bring me the eye mask."
"Understood."
Hinata nodded again, opened the drawer, and handed Izayoi a black eye mask.
Once the eye mask was on, Izayoi formed a hand sign, and an extraordinary sensory ability immediately enveloped the entire central district of Konoha.
A few seconds later, Izayoi lowered his hands, his face growing serious as he cautioned, "Hinata, the awakening of my Kekkei Genkai must remain a secret. Don't tell anyone, not even Hanabi."
"I understand, Izayoi-kun." Hinata nodded gravely.
Without needing any further reminders, Hinata already understood that Izayoi was an orphan with no clan affiliation. If word got out about his Kekkei Genkai, it could attract unwanted attention.
If it turned out to be a bloodline from the Land of Fire, the ninja clans might still accept him, but if it was from another country, Izayoi's ancestral origins could make him a target. Even if Konoha had established itself in the Land of Fire before the village was formed, with no clan backing, Izayoi wouldn't be trusted, and his future prospects would be limited.
Hinata and Izayoi would have no future if his bloodline were exposed.
"There's a good chance my Kekkei Genkai will fully awaken in the next few days," Izayoi continued. "During this time, if Team Eight has any missions, you need to use a shadow clone to impersonate me. But before doing so, come and wear my clothes so Shino won't notice the difference. The shadow clone should tell them that I'm refining some ninjutsu and can't be present."
"Understood."
"Also, find a way to keep Hanabi from coming over here for a while."
"Got it."
"You'll have to bring me meals during these days. I'll probably be using an invisibility technique to hide, so if you can't find me, just call out. And remember, don't activate your Byakugan."
"I understand."
Hinata committed all the instructions to memory.
"Thanks for taking care of things while I'm going through this, Hinata." Izayoi smiled.
"Mm..." Hinata nodded eagerly, her face flushed with excitement.
From the moment Izayoi had always taken care of her, Hinata now looked forward to taking care of him.
She even found herself eagerly preparing a daily routine for the coming days.