After becoming Orochimaru's assistant, Setsuna's life grew even busier. He spent his days executing missions and training, and after finishing his evening workout, he would assist in Orochimaru's experiments.
Time passed quickly like this.
Ten months flew by in the blink of an eye. During this period, Setsuna's squad completed a large number of D-rank missions, occasionally mixing in a few C-rank tasks.
Although these missions were simple for Setsuna, he didn't resist them. All missions were a form of training; he couldn't just stare at the finish line, as the scenery along the way was also important.
One day, Hizashi appeared in the Hokage's office.
After asking about the recent activities of Setsuna and the others, the Third Hokage nodded approvingly: "I have an A-rank mission here that I'm preparing to assign to your squad."
"An A-rank mission?" Hizashi didn't doubt his squad's capability, but he was still puzzled. "Lord Hokage, according to the rules, the highest mission rank a Genin squad can execute is C-rank, correct?"
The Third Hokage nodded, tapping his pipe on the desk: "In recent years, the rivalry among the Great Hidden Villages over mission acquisition has intensified. It seems everyone is preparing to fund a potential war. Although Konoha has no ambition to invade other nations, we must prepare ourselves and absolutely cannot fall behind in this mission race."
The Third Hokage paused, then continued: "Konoha has the best reputation and receives the most requests, but we currently lack enough high-level squads to execute them. It is time to add to your burdens. I trust you can complete this mission successfully."
Hizashi subtly nodded. Indeed, an official, numbered squad led by a Jonin, like theirs, was far stronger than the loose groups of three Chūnin.
Especially Setsuna. What he lacked was simply battle experience against enemy ninja. Once that gap was closed, Hizashi had no doubt Setsuna could complete an S-rank mission alone.
"Yes, we will complete the mission," Hizashi stated his resolve before asking, "Lord Hokage, what are the specific details of the mission?"
The Third Hokage explained: "It's an appeal for help from the Village of Hidden Hot Water (Yugakure). An organization called the Jashin Cult has appeared there. They are killing people indiscriminately, using villagers as sacrifices to their 'Evil God,' causing widespread panic. They have requested us to eliminate the organization."
> (PS: Translator's Note: The Jashin Cult is the organization Hidan belonged to. The confusion mentioned in the original text regarding Yugakure's location/status is due to inconsistencies in the source material, but for simplicity, the mission takes place in the Land of Hot Water, home to Yugakure.)
"Yugakure, the so-called 'Village that Forgot War'?" Hizashi sighed. "Valuing peace is good, but cutting military capabilities will not bring peace."
"Quite right. Peace cannot be achieved through wishful thinking alone," the Third Hokage shook his head slightly, then said, "The Jashin Cult doesn't have many ninja, and their individual strength isn't overwhelming, but you must still be cautious. I hear their jutsu are quite bizarre."
"Understood!" Hizashi replied loudly.
...Soon after, Setsuna and the other two learned about the new mission from Hizashi.
"An A-rank mission! I can't believe the village values us so highly! We must give it our absolute all to repay the Hokage for placing his faith in us!" Guy was so moved he was practically in tears, feeling his spirit ignite.
Shizune, however, was a little worried: "We haven't even taken a B-rank mission yet. Can we really handle an A-rank?"
Hizashi subtly glanced at Setsuna, then smiled: "Don't worry. Although it's an A-rank mission, it won't involve any conflict with the other Great Five Hidden Villages. Those smaller ninja villages have shallow foundations. Their Jonin might not even be as strong as our Chūnin. And in my opinion, all of you already have the qualifications to be Chūnin."
Shizune was noticeably relieved: "So, even for an A-rank mission, the difficulty can be worlds apart depending on whether the Great Five Hidden Villages are involved or not."
Setsuna nodded slightly. Looking at the data from twenty years in the future, Orochimaru completed 491 A-rank missions and 108 S-rank missions, while Jiraiya completed 614 A-rank missions and 138 S-rank missions. This shows that not every S-rank mission involves fighting a Kage-level threat, nor does every A-rank mission involve high-level Jonin. Otherwise, the ninja world wouldn't have enough strong individuals.
Hizashi affirmed: "You don't need to worry too much, but you shouldn't take it lightly, either. The ninja from those small villages might be weaker, but when it comes to poisons and traps, you are far less experienced. We won't do any extra training today. Instead, I'll teach you about the types of ambushes and toxins you might encounter in combat, and how to prevent them."
"Yes, sir!" Setsuna also took this seriously. His offensive combat power was undoubtedly top-tier, and his physical defense was formidable, but his mental resistance was lacking, and his resistance to abnormal status effects was even worse.
In the Dragon Ball world, powerful figures like Goku, who could transform into a Super Saiyan, could die from a heart virus, and even Super Saiyan Gods could be knocked out by poison needles. This shows that the 'Ki' system offers almost zero resistance to abnormal status effects.
In the Naruto world, ninja possess countless ways to use poison. He had to be serious about this.
Seeing that Setsuna wasn't arrogant despite his great strength, but was listening to his lecture with intense focus, Hizashi couldn't help but sigh in admiration. As expected of the future "Shadow of the Shinobi World" chosen by the Hokage—this mental fortitude is remarkably stable for a rookie.
...The next day, the four set off for the Land of Hot Water.
The Land of Fire borders the Land of Hot Water, so the journey wasn't too long. The four arrived in the Land of Hot Water after only two days.
As soon as they entered the country, the four immediately felt the difference between it and the Land of Fire.
While bandits and thieves in the Land of Fire had to hide, bandits in the Land of Hot Water were practically out in the open, reigning over mountains.
In less than half a day after entering the country, the four had already encountered three different groups of bandits.
"Hizashi-sensei, didn't they say Yugakure is the Village of Hot Springs? No war, no worries... why are there so many bandits in the countryside?" Shizune was confused, feeling her beautiful fantasy shattered.
"The beauty of Yugakure and the harshness of the Land of Hot Water are not contradictory," Hizashi explained. "In the Shinobi World, those capable of traveling abroad to enjoy the hot springs are big merchants, nobles, or ninja and samurai like us. The bandits can't stop us, but robbing ordinary civilians is easy for them."
Setsuna also felt a sense of disappointment. Even Earth in his previous life could not pacify all conflicts, and no matter how advanced the technology, it couldn't eliminate differences between people.
Shizune still couldn't understand: "Don't the feudal lords of the Land of Hot Water manage them?"
Hizashi shook his head resignedly: "Feudal lords generally don't concern themselves with such insignificant matters."
Setsuna asked, "Hizashi-sensei, I've always been confused about one thing: why do we obey the orders of the Feudal Lords?"
Hizashi answered without hesitation: "That's how it has always been."
"Is 'always been that way' necessarily correct?" Setsuna shook his head slightly. "What special contribution have they made to the Shinobi World? Is their leadership particularly wise? When the First Hokage founded Konoha, I never heard of the Fire Daimyō offering any help to the village. Why do we voluntarily wear these shackles?"
In Setsuna's view, the political structure of the Naruto world was even more absurd than the One Piece world. The World Nobles might be garbage, but at least they had nominal historical contributions and secret power. What was the deal with the Feudal Lords and nobles in the Naruto world? They had nothing, yet they still controlled the power.
Moreover, the feudal lords were not mere puppets. The Wind Daimyō, for instance, cut Sunagakure's military budget in the original timeline, and even the Kazekage was helpless to stop it.
Hizashi was stunned by the barrage of questions. He wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. After a long silence, he finally said: "Perhaps it is because we ninja don't have the time to learn how to govern a country, so we let the nobles do it?"
Setsuna had no objection to the first half of that statement—most ninja lacked political wisdom. Letting someone like Itachi Uchiha govern a nation would undoubtedly be a disaster. But that wasn't a reason to hand power over to those parasites.
Setsuna scornfully said: "Instead of nobles, wouldn't 'vermin' be a more fitting word?"
Hizashi was shocked by Setsuna's audacity, as if this statement were more terrible than Setsuna killing Elder Danzō. He hurriedly said, "Let's not discuss this anymore. We need to hurry to Yugakure."
Setsuna said no more. He didn't actually care about the nobles' good or evil; after all, it was hard to find genuinely good people in the entire Shinobi World, and ninja were specifically trained killing machines, with virtually every one having blood on their hands.
What truly annoyed him was this: He had transmigrated to a world where might makes right. If he still had to be constrained by so-called "elites," what was the point of his journey?
"This world doesn't need too many voices. I'll correct this world on my way to the top," Setsuna thought to himself. "First, I'll set a small goal for myself: Become the Hokage."