Chapter 8

Start of the Mission (任務開始, Ninmu Kaishi) is the eighth chapter of the D.Gray-man series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino.

Synopsis
The building of the Black Order looms ominously in the early hours of the morning, and in the forest that surrounds it, a blindfolded Yu Kanda is practicing his swordsmanship. In his room, Allen Walker had just finished his workout routine as the sun rises. A bit later, in the cafeteria, the Head Chef Jerry is serving breakfast, and meets an inquisitive (and ravenous) Allen for the first time. After Allen gives the chef his large order, he notices a commotion in the dining area; the Finder Bazu is upset with Kanda’s callous behavior towards the death of another Finder. As Baz aims to take a punch at Kanda, Kanda turns on the Finder and throttles him, commenting that the Finders are nothing more than an expendable force rejected by the Innocence. Before Baz can take any serious damage, Allen intervenes, redirecting Kanda’s anger from the Finders to himself. Just when the two young men are about to fight, they are told by Reever Wenhamm, who is in the company of Lenalee Lee, to report to Supervisor Komui Lee’s office for a mission.

Once in the Supervisor’s office, they find Komui dead asleep and refusing to respond to normal attempts to wake him. As soon as it is mentioned, though, that his sister, Lenalee, is “getting married”, Komui awakens in an instant, crying. Komui quickly sobers, though, and informs Allen and Kanda that they will be going on mission to retrieve an Innocence that has been located in Southern Italy. To the boy’s stunned anger, they will be going as a team. After receiving a new uniform and reuniting with Timcanpy (who had been with Komui, getting his memory analyzed), Allen bids Komui farewell and sets off on his first mission.

Elsewhere, in Mater, Italy, a group of Finders has three Level One Akuma trapped in talismans and are waiting for backup. Just as it is noted that one of the Akuma looks different, the same Akuma kills one of the Finders and breaks free of its entrapment, evolving into a Level Two. Two Finders, who can do nothing but listen to their comrades die, wait for the arrival of Kanda and Allen, protecting two mysterious figures.