Chapter 70: Executing C-Rank Mission
If Kaito knew that Renjiro had no intention of accepting a C-rank mission yet, he would definitely blame himself for speaking up.
Although D-rank missions were boring, they consumed very little time, leaving substantially more hours for training, and posed absolutely no danger whatsoever.
The chunin coordinator was speechless, uncertain how to respond.
He opened his mouth several times but couldn't formulate a proper reply. He looked at Renjiro, who nodded permission. The coordinator breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"Alright, I'll find you an appropriate C-rank mission."
As he went to retrieve the C-rank mission files, Renjiro specified,
"Just select a few bandit elimination missions near the village. It would be even better if the bandit strongholds are relatively close to each other."
The chunin nodded and began flipping through his files systematically.
Soon, he extracted four documents from the files and handed them to Renjiro. Renjiro reviewed them carefully. He then looked at his team and announced,
"Today we'll undertake our first C-rank mission. Meet me at the village gate in a few hours. Pack your bags for a week-long journey."
The genin nodded and then dispersed to prepare.
After departing, Kaito returned home to meditate and prepare mentally. He thought to himself,
"Finally, I'm leaving this village on a real mission. So, what should I prepare? According to standard regulations, rations are arranged by the team leader. So food shouldn't be a problem. But I think I should still bring my existing rations, just as backup. As for weapons, I still have the inventory provided by the Academy, and although some are damaged from training, they're still functional."
"The weapons aren't sufficient. I should purchase 12 additional shuriken and 3 kunai, which will cost 7,000 ryo. I might also buy several explosive tags. This will consume most of the money I earned from missions. Wait, right—money. I'd better bring all my savings and store it in a spare pouch."
"Of course, I also need to carry the inventory of items I purchased previously. As for the swords, I'll wear them at my waist. The chakra suppression wristbands could be problematic to explain where I obtained them. So I'll just seal them in my spare pouch."
He then meditated for half an hour before packing his bags and departing.
He wore a leg pouch on his right thigh. Inside were 6 shuriken and 2 kunai. Additionally, hidden within a storage seal inside were 48 shuriken, 6 ordinary kunai, and 6 kunai with explosive tags attached.
Around his waist, he wore a standard shinobi pouch. Inside were 8 shuriken, 3 kunai, and a small scroll.
The scroll contained basic field supplies such as wire rope, adhesive tape, ninja wire, and a first-aid kit.
The pouch also contained 7 storage seals, one of which held a spare pouch and leg holster.
Another seal contained his military rations. There was also an additional first-aid kit stored inside.
The fourth seal held several bottles filled with drinking water, and the remaining seals were temporarily empty for mission pickups.
He then visited a weapon shop to purchase what he needed. After buying supplies, he went to Ichiraku Ramen for an early lunch.
Afterward, he walked to the main gate and sat on a branch of a nearby tree to wait.
Hodaka and Mieko arrived approximately 15 minutes before the agreed meeting time. Upon arriving, they both noticed Kaito and walked over. Kaito thought to himself,
"This is genuinely exciting—my first real mission outside the village."
Renjiro arrived five minutes after them.
Renjiro asked directly,
"Are you prepared?"
Everyone answered in unison,
"Ready, sensei."
Renjiro retrieved three scrolls from his pack and tossed one to each student. They wondered silently,
"What's contained in these scrolls?"
Renjiro explained,
"These are my gifts to you. Each scroll contains 100 shuriken, 24 kunai, 6 fuma shuriken, 12 explosive tags, and 60 packs of military rations with a 12-month shelf life. Kaito, your scroll also contains several spare swords, though they're not as high quality as your current blades. I don't know what equipment guidelines they taught you at the Academy, but this represents the minimum you should carry when leaving the village."
The genin were somewhat surprised by this generous gift, especially Kaito. His mind raced as he quickly calculated,
"100 shuriken times three equals 30,000 ryo. 24 kunai times three equals 72,000 ryo. 6 fuma shuriken times three equals 54,000 ryo. 12 explosive tags times three equals 27,000 ryo. These supplies are worth over 250,000 ryo total! And that doesn't even include the swords and rations. Did I misjudge him by calling him shameless?"
All three quickly thanked Renjiro sincerely for the generous gift.
Renjiro continued seriously,
"Although these are from me, from this point forward, you're responsible for replenishing these supplies yourselves. So don't waste them carelessly, and restock after completing missions. Of course, don't be stingy either—your lives and mission success are infinitely more important than these material goods."
All three students nodded in understanding.
They then departed the village. Renjiro briefed them,
"Our mission is eliminating several bandit bases around Tanzaku Town, northwest of Konoha."
He then asked,
"Are the training weight seals you wore during morning exercises still activated?"
All three nodded affirmatively. Renjiro ordered firmly,
"Release them immediately. Never activate training weight seals outside of Konoha. You don't know who out there might want to kill you, and these seals could be the direct cause of your death in combat."
Kaito and Mieko nodded and complied, but Hodaka asked,
"But sensei, can't you protect us from such dangers? It seems wasteful not to train our bodies during this journey."
Renjiro shook his head and stated,
"There are numerous shinobi in this world stronger than me, and countless hidden techniques I've never encountered. Even I cannot protect you from every ambush or sneak attack. You need to dodge or block attacks yourselves."
Hodaka nodded seriously and released his seals.
Renjiro continued,
"Since that's settled, let's move out. We'll advance in a diamond formation. Kaito, you take point; Mieko on the right flank; Hodaka on the left flank; and I'll cover the rear. Let's move quickly and try to arrive within a few hours."
Upon receiving their instructions, they immediately assumed formation positions. Kaito stood at the front. Mieko positioned herself approximately two meters behind him and to his left. Hodaka mirrored this, but to the right.
Renjiro stood roughly six meters behind Kaito. The team then began moving forward at high speed, maintaining these precise distances.
At 3 PM, the team arrived at Tanzaku Town. Upon entering the settlement, Renjiro announced,
"We'll execute the mission tomorrow. For now, let's find an inn and rest properly."
The genin nodded and followed him. Kaito noticed something along the way, thinking,
"Hmm, this town feels somewhat familiar. But I can't remember where I encountered it. Did it appear in the original series? I can barely recall any specific locations anymore."
Renjiro led the team into the town center.
Kaito, Hodaka, and Mieko noticed numerous inns throughout the town. They also observed several gambling establishments, as well as an entertainment district with many carnival games offering prizes to winners.
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