Chapter 153: Joint Mission
Renjiro looked at his students' faces and laughed.
Mieko was irritated. She asked, "Why do they have to come with us?"
Renjiro replied, "This is a joint mission. Do you expect the four of us to take on a dozen ninja?"
A hint of annoyance appeared on Mieko's face. Hodaka sighed and said, "It would definitely be more interesting if we fought them ourselves."
Kaito said, "Except for the big guy with a lot of chakra, the others don't seem that strong, so we should have more fighting opportunities than you think."
Hodaka smiled and said, "That's more like it!"
Renjiro was once again speechless at his students. He thought, "Are they hoping the joint mission goes badly just so they can get more fights?"
He coughed to get everyone's attention and said, "Let's rest today. You need to be in top condition tomorrow morning."
The three nodded. Kaito asked, "Sensei, when you take S-rank missions, do you work alone or in a team?"
Renjiro was surprised by Kaito's question. He replied, "It depends on the mission type. For an elimination mission like this one, I'd bring a team. We need members to locate them and make sure none escape."
Upon hearing this, Kaito thought, "That makes sense. Solo missions are probably for covert protection or assassination."
He looked at Renjiro and asked, "Sensei, do you have any information about Takeshita and the rogue ninja leader?"
Renjiro replied, "I looked up Takeshita's information before taking this mission. He's an experienced jonin and was one of the commanders of Yugakure during the last war."
"But there aren't many records of his battles. His mission was to ensure they wouldn't get involved in our conflict with Kumogakure. Besides that, he's also known for his Earth Release and high stamina."
"As for the rogue leader, like most Hidden Mist ninja, he excels in Water Release. And he's very agile. I've fought him a few times in previous wars."
Renjiro looked at Kaito and smiled, "His fighting style is actually very similar to yours. Although he knows some A-rank jutsu, he prefers hit-and-run tactics and long-range combat."
Mieko and Hodaka's faces both scrunched up upon hearing this. Both snorted and looked at Kaito. Kaito thought in confusion, "Uh, I wonder what it would be like if I fought him!"
Mieko and Hodaka were about to protest. They didn't want Kaito to deal with the enemy leader while they dealt with cannon fodder. However, Renjiro spoke first.
Renjiro's expression turned serious and he said, "He's my target. I'm confident I can defeat him, but the three of you must remain vigilant. If he can create a Water Clone, he'll ambush you from behind while you're fighting. So always stay alert."
The three heard the seriousness in Renjiro's tone and immediately nodded.
Renjiro continued, "Just like the last battle, there'll be no weaklings among them. And unlike last time, we won't have the home field advantage. Also, if they escape into the sea, don't pursue them. None of you have been trained in naval combat."
They nodded and made a mental note. Hidden Mist ninja fought at sea their entire lives.
Although they could fight on water, they'd be at a disadvantage against Hidden Mist ninja. Especially since only Hodaka had some affinity for Water Release.
The three asked Renjiro for more information. Renjiro answered everything he knew and warned them about things they should watch out for.
They also formulated some strategies to follow during the mission. After the discussion, they spent the rest of the day doing light warm-ups and meditation.
While Team Renjiro was discussing, Takeshita and the others were also talking. When his subordinate took Team Renjiro to see their rooms, Takeshita's men began to express their dissatisfaction.
One said, "We asked Konoha for strong reinforcements—why did they send children?"
Another added, "Yeah, these youngsters might get in the way when we fight. If they let the opponent escape, we might be ambushed. Lord Takeshita, we need to seriously reconsider this joint mission!"
Takeshita listened to their opinions and began to analyze Konoha's actions. Seeing him lost in thought, one called out again, "Lord Takeshita?"
Takeshita looked at him and replied, "Let's not jump to conclusions. Konoha has an excellent record in completing missions, so they might have a plan for sending these children."
His subordinates looked at him with strange expressions. One said, "Do you really think those children will be useful?"
Takeshita shrugged and replied, "If not, why would Konoha send them? Renjiro wasn't bothered when I looked at them suspiciously. Besides, we originally wanted to complete this mission independently. So their strength isn't critical."
"In fact, if we perform much better than Konoha's squad, then I can convince the Daimyo to increase funding and establish a true shinobi force in our country. If we can do that, then we won't have to rely on Konoha."
His subordinates all widened their eyes! One said, "Lord Takeshita, this is a brilliant plan!"
Takeshita nodded and said, "So we must go all out to complete this mission. As long as we outperform Renjiro's squad, we can get some benefits from the Daimyo."
They waited for Takeshita's assistant to return. After he returned, they discussed the strategies and tactics for the next day.
At 3:45 AM the next day, Renjiro and Takeshita's squads gathered at the mansion.
Kaito, Hodaka, and Mieko observed Takeshita's squad.
In addition to the four they saw yesterday, his squad also had three chunin-level ninja!
Including their own squad, they now had twelve ninja! Kaito looked at them and thought, "As long as we can eliminate a few Hidden Mist ninja in the initial surprise attack, we should have a numerical advantage. So this should be a straightforward mission."
Takeshita smiled when he saw Renjiro. He asked, "Renjiro, did you rest well?"
Renjiro nodded and said, "We rested very well. Are you ready?"
Takeshita nodded.
Renjiro looked at Takeshita's assistant and asked, "Have you marked the locations on the map?"
The assistant nodded and spread a map on the floor.
Everyone carefully observed the map. The towns and villages of the Land of Hot Water were marked on the map. And a location was marked on the southeastern coastline.
The assistant pointed at the map and said, "This is our current location. According to our calculations, their base is in this vicinity, about forty kilometers from our position."
Renjiro nodded. He looked at the map again and said, "Okay, let's go. We'll find and attack them before sunrise."
Some of Takeshita's subordinates frowned upon hearing this. One said, "I have something to say."
Renjiro looked at him.
Takeshita said, "Speak."
He said, "Although we've calculated their approximate location, we still need to be careful of potential traps they might set, so we should proceed slowly and carefully, preferably attacking after sunrise."
Renjiro shook his head and said, "You don't need to worry about traps—we'll handle them. Let's go."
Without waiting for their reply, Renjiro turned and left the mansion. His students followed him, secretly chuckling.
The subordinate was very annoyed that his suggestion was so lightly dismissed. However, Takeshita looked at him and shook his head.
Soon, they also followed Renjiro.
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