In the organised society of the villages, ninja are given missions (任務, ninmu) depending on their rank. The missions are categorized in five ranks, based on how dangerous the mission is and how important it is.
- D-rank - assigned to Genin fresh from the Ninja Academy. They pose almost no risk to the ninja's life and usually consist of odd jobs like farming and babysitting work. The reward for a D-rank mission is between five thousand and fifty thousand Ryō.
- C-rank - assigned 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. Examples are guarding people, background investigations, or capturing or suppressing wild animals. The reward for a C-rank mission is between thirty thousand and 100 thousand Ryō.
- B-rank - assigned to experienced Chūnin. They are missions anticipated to involve combat with other ninja. Examples are guarding people, espionage, or killing other ninja. The reward for a B-rank mission is between 150 thousand and 200 thousand Ryō.
- A-rank - assigned 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 one hundred fifty thousand and a million Ryō.
- S-rank - assigned 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.