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In the organized society of the villages, ninjas are given missions (任務, ninmu) depending on their rank. The missions are categorized into five ranks, based on how dangerous the mission is and how important it is; however, any mission, regardless of rank, can involve being sent off to war.
Perception on Missions[]
Depending on the importance and nature of the mission, as well as the regard of the village head, failure could result in variable consequences. While Shikamaru Nara failed to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha, the Fifth Hokage gave him words of comfort and support. On the other hand, when Sakumo Hatake botched a very important mission by choosing to rescue comrades over completing it, he was heavily dishonored throughout his village and country, which eventually drove him to commit suicide. In Takigakure, failure of a mission brings very harsh consequences, as Kakuzu’s failure to assassinate Hashirama Senju led to unfair imprisonment despite the insurmountable danger involved, a treatment that led to his revolt. As such, certain villages put missions a higher priority than others, as Sunagakure would choose to accomplish missions over the lives of their comrades, Iwagakure would follow orders even if it means death, and Konohagakure’s Shinobi Rules #4 states that “A shinobi must always put the mission first”.
Mission Ranks[]
- D-rank: These are light missions given to Genin fresh from the Academy. They are missions without the possibility of direct combat or danger to the shinobi’s life. Examples are helping out on a farm or babysitting. A genin needs to have completed at least 8 D-rank missions to be able to participate in the Chunin Exams. The reward for a D-rank mission is between five thousand and fifty thousand ryō.
- C-rank: These are missions given to more experienced Genin or Chūnin. They are missions anticipated to have some combat involved with the possibility of injury to the shinobi performing it, but no fighting against ninjas but instead bandits and common criminals.[1] Examples are guarding people, background investigations, and capturing or suppressing wild animals. The reward for a C-rank mission is between thirty thousand and 100 thousand ryō.
- B-rank: These are missions given to experienced Chūnin. They are missions anticipated to involve combat with other ninjas. Examples are guarding people, espionage, or killing other ninjas. The reward for a B-rank mission is between 150 thousand and 200 thousand ryō.
- A-rank: These are missions given to Jōnin, concerning, among other things, village- or state-level matters and trends. Examples are guarding VIPs, or suppressing ninja forces. The reward for an A-rank mission is between eighty thousand and a million ryō.
- S-rank: This is the highest rank of missions. They are given to experienced Jōnin and concern state-level confidential matters. Examples are assassinating VIPs and transporting highly classified documents. The reward for an S-rank mission is more than a million ryō.
Trivia[]
- It is a tradition in Konohagakure that a shinobi’s first mission is directly received from the Hokage.[2]