"What is it, what is it?" Obito asked Sawada Kazuya with an eager look.
"It's a mission to serve as the princess's escort, issued by the Snow Country." Sawada Kazuya recalled and answered briefly.
"Escort? Isn't that similar to rescuing a princess? Let's take this mission!" Obito immediately wanted to accept the mission.
In Obito's understanding, as long as it's an escort mission, there are bound to be enemies, and facing enemies naturally leads to rescuing the princess.
"Unfortunately, that's not possible." After flipping through the Scroll, Sawada Kazuya showed a regretful expression and shook his head.
"Why not, Uncle Sawada? You're not just toying with us by telling us this and then saying we can't do it." Obito got anxious.
This was the closest he'd come to experiencing what the main characters in ninja novels go through.
"Is it because the mission level is above B-level?" Kakashi analyzed and asked.
Since Sawada Kazuya mentioned the mission, it must exist, and if they can't accept it, it's likely due to their own limitations.
Sawada Kazuya nodded and explained, "I just confirmed the mission level; it's an A-level mission. You need Jonin Minato to lead the team if you want to undertake an A-level mission."
Obito's face fell instantly because Minato had recently gone to the battlefield for a mission.
"Uncle Sawada, can you make an exception for us? You know the strength of our squad." Obito didn't want to give up this opportunity.
"I can't make exceptions. If I let you take the mission, you'd never see me here again." Sawada Kazuya expressed that he wanted to work for a few more years.
Obito sighed. He was no longer a novice with missions, so he understood some of Sawada Kazuya's difficulties.
"Obito, how about we choose another mission? Teacher Minato might not be back anytime soon," Nohara Rin suggested.
"I know that, but..." Obito was conflicted.
Not only was it a task involving escorting a princess, but also a mission that required going to a country he hadn't visited before. This mission was incredibly tempting to Obito.
"Does it have to be Teacher Minato? Couldn't it be any Jonin leading the team?" Kakashi thought and asked.
He could see Obito truly wanted to go. Additionally, based on Kakashi's understanding, the Snow Country was a northern island, unaffected by the wars between the Great Ninja Villages, reducing the chances of unexpected events.
Sawada Kazuya nodded and replied, "Other Jonin will do as well. For an A-Level Mission, at least a Special Jonin is required to lead."
Hearing this, Obito's previously dim eyes lit up again. Minato was unavailable due to his mission, but Mokgetsu was in Konoha and had just finished special training at the Ninja Academy.
"Let's go find Teacher Mokgetsu." Obito turned and left the Hokage Building, heading towards Mokgetsu's home.
Watching Obito's anxious steps, Kakashi shook his head and quickly followed.
Actually, Kakashi wanted to ask some other Jonin he knew, but Obito wasn't thinking that far, and Kakashi knew that the Ninja Academy was starting soon.
Seeing both of them leaving, Nohara Rin also followed them out of the Hokage Building.
Worried that someone else might take the mission, Obito ran forward, wanting to reach Mokgetsu's house as quickly as possible.
On the way, Obito saw Sarutobi Hiruzen but didn't have time to greet him.
"Why does it look like the Third Hokage has a bit of a nosebleed? Did I see that wrong?" Obito wondered, confused about who could make the Hokage bleed from the nose within Konoha.
Obito didn't dwell on it; he just wanted to quickly accept the mission.
With the aid of the Breathing Technique, Obito ran fast and arrived at Mokgetsu's house in no time.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, are you there?" Obito shouted loudly outside the door.
Obito was in luck; Mokgetsu was at home studying Fuinjutsu.
Mokgetsu put down the Scroll and opened the door to ask, "Obito, what's the matter?"
"Teacher Mokgetsu, can you lead us on a mission? There's a princess protection mission I really want to do, but it's an A-level mission that needs a Jonin to lead," Obito explained his purpose and reason.
Mokgetsu showed a thoughtful expression. Since the special training had added another week of classes, even though the training just ended, it was now close to the start of the Ninja Academy.
"Which country's princess?" Mokgetsu didn't immediately agree but asked about the specifics of the task.
Generally, missions involving the protection of a princess or national dignitary are S-ranked or even specify renowned Konoha figures to undertake them; A-rank ones are rare, as a Special Jonin leading a few Genin can handle A-rank missions, implying lower squad strength requirements.
Mokgetsu considered three possibilities. The first is that the country has its own protective forces and seeks services from Konoha just for peace of mind. The second is that this princess is not that important, and the third is that there's little danger in the mission, so the commission is for additional safety.
"The Snow Country," Obito told Mokgetsu all he knew.
Upon hearing this name, memories flooded Mokgetsu's mind. With a good memory, even content read long ago was easily recalled.
Mokgetsu instantly ruled out the second possibility; based on memory, the princess named Kazahana Koyuki seemed to be the sole heir of the Snow Country and wouldn't be consigned to insignificance.
"Could it be that Kakashi went to the Snow Country for this mission?" Mokgetsu pondered, recalling that in the storyline of the Snow Country, Kakashi had gone there twice - once as a young ninja and a second time as a reliable adult ninja leading Team Seven.