Mission Ranking

Missions that are received by the villages are ranked according to difficulty, and then the Kage assigns the appropriate ninja to each one. Mission difficulty can be very subjective, and sometimes ninja who posses certain skills may be better qualified for a specific mission even if there are higher ranking ninjas available.

Rank D
Almost always performed by Genin class ninjas. Sometimes with the help of their instructor. These missions range from helping villagers find lost items or pets, to helping plow the fields. Usually no fighting involved.

Rank C
Performed by Genins and Chuunins. These are more difficult and often involve fighting bandits and thugs. Many low level escort and guard missions are C rank.

Rank B
Performed by Chuunins and Jounins. These are higher level escort missions, espionage missions, and other fairly dangerous missions. Jounins can perform them solo usually, although sometimes a Jounin will bring his Genin students if they are sufficiently experienced.

Rank A
Performed by Jounins and Chuunins. These missions are almost always too high level for Genins.

Rank S
The most dangerous missions, usually performed by several squads or by highly skilled Jounins. They are rarely performed solo, unless that ninja possesses skills perfectly suited for the mission, and that will enable him or her to escape or evade any trouble they run into.