The next day, Ryugo arrived at the designated location: Amegakure's northern gate.
"As always, you are on time", Ameruyi spoke with a stern voice, observing his every movement. The more they interacted, the more curious Ameruyi became.
How could a middle-of-the-class shinobi student turn into such a fast-growing genin in a little less than a month?
Tetsu turned his head, lifting the mood: "That's the first time Mumei is late...Surely you don't think his old age made him senile?"
But before they could laugh, a shadow appeared behind him, and smacked the back of his head: "Who are you calling senile?"
Ryugo found it funny. This was not every day that you could laugh in Amegakure. The damned weather made everyone grumpy, and seeing poverty and machinery all day long made you have a bad personality.
In a way, Tetsu was a weirdo, always having a joke to tell, a rare quality that would likely disappear as he grows more accustomed to the way of this world.
Mumei clapped his hands once. The genins snapped to attention.
"Enough", he said, "You have a mission. A real one. Not bandits this time. You did not train to take care of mere bandits. That, you can leave for the general amegakure corps to take care of"
He unrolled a small, waterproof missive.
Tetsu was definitely excited. He was usually quiet, but the idea of going on their second mission made him talkative: "What grade is it? Did Hanzo-sama realize how talented we are?"
Ameruyi joined in: "My father told me to accumulate military achievement to be worthy of the Takeda name. Tell us, Mumei-sensei, is it worthy?"
Ryugo was also curious: "Does it pay good money?"
Mumei frowned.
'These kids are not taking this seriously', he thought, but remembering the beating he took the previous day made him swallow that observation, 'Right...They are monsters of their own right"
"Village of Mizuha. A fringe settlement, two days' travel southeast, near the border of River Country. The local magistrate reported a sickness. Villagers dying, crops withering, livestock developing strange symptoms. He suspects enemy action—poison in the aquifer. The Land of Rain's Daimyo has formally requested an investigation. The mission is classified as C-rank: investigation and neutralization of threat, if any"
Tetsu fidgeted. "Sickness, sensei? That sounds… medical"
Ameruyi's face paled: "Investigation? It does not look like we will be fighting anytime soon. It does not fit the Dark Hall missions at all"
"Fair observations", Mumei agreed, his voice flat, "The medical and investigation nature of the mission is why the request went to the General Corps first. They passed it to the Dark Hall. Why?"
Ryugo frowned: "They tried, and never returned, right?"
Mumei nodded: "Actually, they tried not once, but twice. The General Corps act differently compared to the Dark Hall Tower. General Corps cells consist in three genins alone. They don't have the required manpower to assign a chunin or jonin to teach them. Instead, they attend classes that are more advanced than what is taught in the academy in the General Corps Barracks. Two cells of general corps attempted the mission. They have most likely been captured, or worse still, ended up dead. As per protocol, the Dark Hall Tower has been assigned the mission. Amegakure cannot afford to fail thrice"
Ryugo gulped. This was not your average mission. Even if the General Corps were usually made of civilian shinobi, most cells had at least one experienced genin to make up for their lack of chunin. If they failed twice, this meant that the enemy were either numerous, or very skilled.
He let the question hang. "Also, because Mizuha sits atop a tributary that eventually feeds into the Land of River. If this is poison, and it flows downstream… it becomes a political disaster. The Council wants it quiet, and clean. As for the magistrate, they want the truth. Once it is out, the tension with the Lands of River border villages will be quenched"
Ameruyi's veiled face turned toward Mumei. "So...Military achievement there will be"
"A possibility", Mumei nodded, "Hence the Dark Hall's involvement. Your objective is threefold. One: determine the source of the sickness. Two: identify and apprehend or eliminate the responsible party. Three: retrieve the captured general corps genins if they are still alive. The magistrate wants a truth he can announce. The Council wants this thorn to be removed as quickly as possible. Our job is to satisfy both party"
He rerolled the scroll, "This is a test of discretion as much as combat. Any question?"
Everything was clear, but Ryugo titled his head.
"The pay?"
Mumei's head popped a vein. Obviously, he should have seen it coming. The Kagutsu were infamous for their love of money.
"20 000 Ryô, each. But the most important part is the Dark Hall Promotion points. Once you reach 300 points, you can apply to become chunin, and this mission rewards 10 of them for each one of you. This is pretty generous, even by the Dark Hall's standards"
[C-Rank Mission - Mizuha Sickness Investigation
The Mizuha village has been afflicted with a sickness. Despite two Amegakure General Corps Cell sent out, no intel about the cause has been identified, and the previous takers of the missions never returned.
Task: Find the root cause behind Mizuha's sickness (0 / 1)
Rewards: 1000 EXP, 10 Dark Hall Promotion Points, 20 000 Ryô, +20 Reputation with the Dark Hall Tower, +30 Reputation with Team 11]