By the next morning Mujin had gotten over yesterday's slaughter.
And so, team Hiramasu escorted back the prisoners to the nearest village and continued their missions.
But compared to the past 3 missions, this time, the three of them worked together and slaughtered the next 2 bandits camps in a single day.
After this tiring, 4 day hurdle, the team returned safely to Konoha in the evening.
"You have done well, you can go back home to wash up and rest, I will go submit the completion of these missions.
Remember to come to the training ground tomorrow morning."
After finishing his message Hiramasu vanished.
The three kids looked at each other with the same look and left for their own homes.
When Yujiro reached his home, he quickly went ahead and washed up.
After falling to his bed he fell into thought.
'Hmm I guess we will do a lot of these missions from now on.
Once a month huh, even if we do this once a month, we can still do atleast 5 C rank missions a month, which will quickly allow us to get the minimum amount of missions for the chunin exam, but I guess he doesn't intend for us to participate in the chunin exam three months from now.
Since with our current pace, the timing will get extremely tight.
It's more probable that he intends for us to undergo the chunin exam nine months from now.
Hmm, with that kind of time, I guess my physique and chakra will be on the stronger end in terms of chunin.
With the current pace even if I slow down a little I will triple my chakra in 9 months, and with the time I have left in the evenings, I have enough time to learn most C rank lightning release jutsus and most earth release jutsus.
Though mastering them will take real close combat experience.
I hope future missions will put us against real ninjas, since those bandits are just practically lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
But this is good as well, in these 9 months I will try to learn all C rank jutsus of lightning and Earth release.
The only question is that if I have enough time, should I start learning the basics of a third element?'
After thinking about it for a while, Yujiro sighed.
'Haah, it will depend on how fast I will learn them, or if sensei will put anything else on the table, if I'm fast enough, I will learn the third element, and if I have little time left, I will ask the clan to arrange someone to teach me the mystical palm jutsu.
Even though the healing palm jutsu can heal some wounds, it's pretty useless against wounds that are actually serious.'
After making his plans Yujiro fell asleep.
As for the plans that he had made, the ones depending on him becoming a chunin.
He had full confidence in himself.
The next 3 weeks went like clock work, training himself ragged, in the morning, jutsu training in the afternoon.
And then team Hiramasu took another pause on training to take missions.
But unlike last time, Hiramasu intended to clear out 14 bandit camps.
After Yujiro heard this he became speechless.
'Does he intend for us to participate in the chunin exams 2 months from now or what?
With this many missions you would think that we are cramming or something.'
After looking at his sensei oddly Yujiro focused on the mission scrolls Hiramasu handed to them.
After they read them, they all heard Hiramasu speak.
"Through these 14 bandit extermination missions, I will not help you unless something out of your league happens.
But when we free out prisoners from these bandits, instead of us taking them back together, I will send out a shadow clone to escort them.
That way we will save time on these missions."
After he finished speaking, Hyori, Mujin and Yujiro all looked at him with surprise.
"Do you understand me?"
Hiramasu asked with a face full of annoyance.
The reason for the three of their surprise was because Hiramasu had previously explicitly told them that when they performed missions like bandit exterminations where prisoners could be freed, they should always take care to properly take them back with their real bodies, as that would build up Konoha's excellent reputation.
But here their sensei was doing just the opposite.
Of course Hiramasu had his reasoning on doing it like this.
First of all, his shadow clones were more than enough to escort a couple of civilians back to their villages.
And the more important reason for him to do this has to do something with Suna.
Around 4 days ago Hokages office.
"So why did you call me here old man?" Hiramasu relaxedly asked Hiruzen.
"Hmm it's because of something Suna had been up to recently.
We have received information that Suna has been taking efforts to dismantle the alliance we signed at the end of the third great ninja war."
Hiruzen informed him.
*Sigh
"The circumstances that we forced the alliance in have been weakening at an alarming rate.
After all, Konoha forced the alliance into an extremely dominant position, but now Konoha has been taking constant hits.
The Nine tails rampage, Orochimarus Defection and the Hyuga incident.
While the two former cost us our dominant military position, the latter severely reduced our diplomatic influence."
After Hiruzen listened to Hiramasu's narration, he nodded.
"And because of that the fight between our anbu has been intensifying in the past two months.
That's why I'm telling you and your squad to be careful outside of the village.
Even if you need to abandon your mission or need to compromise, prioritize the safety of your squad.
After all, even if it costs us some reputation, it won't cost us anything diplomatically.
Because most of our deterrence is already gone.
The only reasons we are still relatively safe is because the other villages are not doing particularly well either and the fact that the minor nations will side with us due to our interests."
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