Mission Rankings

In the organised society of the hidden villages, ninja are given missions depending on their rank in a system that was only implemented after the hidden villages were created.

Originally a clan would assign their missions to whoever was available, regardless of their age or experience, as the constant state of war from that era prevented them from being able to allocate exactly who they needed in every case. This was actually a major factor in the short-term life expectancy for shinobi as children were forced into conflict with more powerful adults while following their missions parameters.

By controlling how missions were assigned and carefully measuring the risk, it minimized casualties, ensured that the most suitable teams were sent with the correct equipment supplies and provided appropriate downtime between missions to recover from injury and fatigue. Most importantly, it gave the youngest shinobi the opportunity to experience this lifestyle while avoiding situations that they wouldn’t have the strength to handle.

Missions are categorised into five ranks, based on the possible danger or level of importance.

D-rank: Risk-free missions which involve performing manual labor and other simple tasks. As few civilians can afford to hire ninja to perform their household chores, D-rank missions are usually subsidized by the village and reserved exclusively for genin. These can cost 5000 – 50,000 ryo. Examples:

Painting a house
Delivering packages
Babysitting a child
Working on a farm
Finding a lost pet

C-rank: Low-risk missions which may involve fighting or other mild danger, but never combat against other ninja. C-rank missions require a commander of at least chuunin rank, although genin frequently participate in them, and can cost 30,000 – 100,000 ryo. Examples:

Guarding clients against common highwaymen
Capturing or eliminating bandits/thieves
Background investigations
Disaster relief
Capturing or suppressing wild animals

B-rank: Dangerous missions with a significant risk of combat with other ninja. B-rank missions are usually assigned to experienced chuunin and can cost 80, 000 – 200,000 ryo. Examples:

Guarding important clients such as nobles and politicians
Espionage to obtain political or military information
Military law enforcement
Prison security
Border patrol

A-rank: Extremely dangerous missions with a high risk of conflict with enemy ninja. A-rank missions frequently involve sensitive matters pertaining to village security. Any mission which requires travelling to a nation currently at war with the village is automatically assigned this rank or higher. A-rank missions require a commander of jounin rank and can cost 150,000 – 1,000,000 ryo. Examples:

Sabotaging foreign infrastructure
Infiltrating other ninja villages
Hunting missing-nin
Guarding a village leader or head of state
Suppressing ninja forces

S-rank: Extraordinarily dangerous missions that are only assigned to the most elite of shinobi. S-rank missions usually concern state level confidential matters. The outcome of an S-rank mission can potentially turn the tide of a war, make or break the prosperity of a village, or even determine the fate of an entire nation. S-rank missions are exclusively performed by jounin or Anbu and can cost at least 1,000,000 ryo. Examples: