Chapter 31: Taking On a Mission (Part 2)
Ishiro's intermittent odd behavior no longer surprised anyone who had been his classmate for four years; they merely rolled their eyes and ignored him.
Mizuhara, who was also well acquainted with Ishiro, had long accepted his eccentric creativity back when Ishiro was developing new sealing ideas. As for Kitsuchi, this was giving him a more comprehensive, in-depth impression of Ishiro.
Ikura wanted to ask Ishiro about his ninjutsu training, but Ishiro deliberately avoided him and instead went off to chat with the two girls—putting Ikura in an awkward spot.
Shouhara was also sulking on his own, not in the mood to talk.
Tanaka did want to talk to Ikura, but she couldn't find the courage. Ishiro could only look on in frustration.
Realizing the conversation was dying, Ishiro turned to Ikura and said, "Ikura, did you have a test with your Jōnin sensei too?"
"Yes. The three of us fought Mizuhara-sensei and lost. How'd you guys do?"
"We lost as well. My ninjutsu can't compare to yours, so I basically dragged Tanaka down. If you two were on the same team, your ninjutsu plus her agility might let you hold out against the sensei for a while. If your 'tank' didn't slip up, you might even win."
Ikura thought about it and shook his head. "We'd have a better chance, but it's still not enough. Jōnin are too fast—we'd get picked off one by one pretty easily."
Ishiro sighed inwardly. That wasn't what I was trying to talk about… He glanced at Tanaka, who still wasn't speaking up, and felt disappointed.
Meanwhile, Ikura's two teammates seemed to sense the vibe and started glancing at him and Tanaka in turn. This only increased Tanaka's nervousness.
Meikō, as a four-year classmate who knew exactly how Ishiro, Tanaka, and Shouhara got along, figured out Shouhara's feelings. Combining it with Ishiro's usual teasing, she shot another glare at Ishiro, leaving him baffled. What did I do this time?
At that point, Ikura asked about Ishiro's progress with Earth Spear Gun. Ishiro answered dejectedly, "Not much. I've spent this entire year on sealing-arts projects, so I haven't really devoted time to Earth Spear Gun."
When the meal ended, Tanaka still hadn't managed to say more than a few words to Ikura, and she remained silent on the way home. Ishiro also looked discouraged, whereas Shouhara seemed oddly energized—feeling like he'd "won a round" against Ishiro.
Walking behind them, Kitsuchi patted Ishiro and Shouhara on the head and said, "Alright, go get some rest for tonight. First thing tomorrow morning, meet me at the mission hall. We'll accept a mission together."
That drew the trio's attention. Tanaka and Ishiro cheered up a little. Ishiro asked excitedly, "Kitsuchi-sensei, what rank of mission will we be taking?"
Kitsuchi grinned. "You all did well today, so starting tomorrow, we'll jump straight into C-rank missions."
"Whoa!" Ishiro was thrilled. They would finally go on real missions. For four years, he had prepared non-stop, but always with the ultimate goal of stepping outside the village gates. Although Ishiro had acted like a shut-in, that was only to ensure his survival was guaranteed once he left. He had dreaded the dangerous ninja world but also yearned to explore it.
With the Tsuchikage's son as his sensei, Ishiro felt far safer. His desire to see the outside world outweighed his fears.
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The next morning, Ishiro arrived at the mission hall in full gear. Given the sheer number of ninja in the village, not every mission could be assigned by the Kage personally. D-rank and C-rank missions typically came from staffers at the mission hall. Even a large share of B-rank missions—like routine patrols, garrison work, or tricky but low-risk tasks—were distributed here. If the Kage had to handle every single mission, the workload would be impossible.
Moreover, as a military entity, the village recognized that large departments or front-line commanders also had authority to assign higher-level tasks, especially during wartime.
Ishiro guessed that in the canon storyline, Kakashi's Team 7 only had the Hokage's direct oversight because they were…special. Other squads likely had to get their tasks from a mission center like this.
Since Ishiro and the others in Team Five were newly formed, with only fresh-genin members, the highest mission rank they were allowed to take was C-rank.
Ishiro flipped eagerly through the mission postings, while Kitsuchi quietly stood by, letting them enjoy the novelty. As expected, Ishiro, Tanaka, and Shouhara wouldn't be satisfied until they'd skimmed every possibility.
Sure enough, it took nearly half an hour of debate—especially arguments between Ishiro and Shouhara—before Tanaka intervened, and they reached a consensus on a C-rank escort mission.
Because the war had just ended and the village had taken heavy losses, the job market was huge—there were many open missions, including older requests that had piled up. They could be picky. They chose an escort assignment they deemed a bit more challenging, with some chance of combat but not too time-consuming.
The description: They needed to travel to a nearby town close to Iwagakure, find the client, and escort him to the Land of Earth's capital within seven days so he could attend some important official ceremony. By a ninja's standards, traveling from the village to that town wouldn't take long; even Ishiro, the slowest, could do it in half an hour at full speed.
But the ninja world was dangerous. Unless absolutely necessary, ninjas avoided sprinting all-out—they had to remain vigilant for traps. That's why speed feats in the anime or manga often only happen in emergency or chase scenarios. Like in the original story, where Kakashi noticed an out-of-place puddle – such vigilance is typical. If circumstances had been slightly different, the Demon Brothers might have inflicted heavier casualties.
Thus, Ishiro's group traveled at a moderate pace, staying alert. Kitsuchi ran alongside them, reciting various ninja-world knowledge—some from the Academy curriculum, some from his personal experiences. Though slowed by Ishiro's pace, they reached the town in about an hour.
Within the town, Kitsuchi grew more serious. Out in the wilderness, hazards were simpler to detect, and his Jōnin strength made him confident of protecting three rookies. In a busy urban environment, it was different—if an enemy tried something among the crowds, detection was harder. And with fresh genin, Kitsuchi might not save them in time if a skilled foe ambushed them.
Hence, from the moment they entered town, Kitsuchi's eyes never stopped scanning the surroundings, ready to react at any moment. Observers grew uneasy and gave the four a wide berth—ninja constantly on guard were intimidating.
Of course, that was normal for shinobi life, always on alert. Uninformed civilians found them cold and aloof, thus feeding into the notion that ninjas were mysterious and inaccessible.
Ishiro, likewise, stayed vigilant. Shinobi were known for powerful offense but low endurance. He was no exception: if a Chūnin launched a sneak attack, he'd likely die with no recourse. Their best defense was awareness, hoping to notice a threat early.
Tanaka and Shouhara were also no fools. In a standard infiltration formation, Kitsuchi led in front, Shouhara took the rear, Ishiro and Tanaka were in the middle on each side—just as Kitsuchi had assigned during their journey. They moved slowly through the streets in a protective square, not letting down their guard until they arrived at the designated location and met the client.
The client turned out to be a local official from the town. Dealing with shinobi was routine for him, so he didn't mind their cautious manner. Actually, seeing them so professional reassured him. After verifying the mission paperwork, he got ready to set off for the capital.
On their way to the capital, Ishiro learned from the client's entourage that the official wasn't expecting an assassination or anything. They were simply fearful of traveling unguarded in a land still reeling from war. So he hired ninjas.
For six months to a year after a war, the ninja world was at its most chaotic. Each village had lost a sizable portion of its shinobi, so there were fewer ninjas to maintain order. Rogue ninjas, or new missing-nin spurred by the war's collapse, roamed about. These outlaws, desperate and wary, might lash out at any perceived threat or do something drastic—like attacking local officials or harming civilians.
Hence, escort missions abounded in this uneasy postwar climate, as wealthier travelers or officials wanted extra protection.
While the client naturally hoped the journey would go smoothly, Ishiro's trio secretly longed for a real "incident" that would test their skills and prove themselves. But no such luck: after five days, they safely arrived at the capital with zero complications. Not even a minor altercation gave Ishiro, Tanaka, or Shouhara a chance to shine.
On the way back, the three newly graduated genin were somewhat disappointed.
Kitsuchi, having done such tasks dozens of times, wasn't surprised. If every mission turned dramatic, ninjas wouldn't last very long.