The next day was the final day of the time limit agreed upon by Gekko Yun Jian and Higashino Shin's trio.
Once today passed, their count of d-rank missions would exceed 20. Although it wasn't much compared to some d-rank mission experts, it at least satisfied the requirement of eight missions to participate in the Chunin Exams.
These low-level missions in Konoha weren't originally intended for talented teams like theirs.
Arriving at the Mission Hall, Gekko Yun Jian changed the original mission plan and asked the staff; as expected, there was a mission released by a ranch to clear out ferocious wild beasts.
Because the geographic area involved was too vast, and those highly dangerous, large-bodied wild beasts appeared and disappeared unpredictably, the time limit for this mission was one month—a pattern established over many years.
At the same time, the mission reward was floating; for every dangerous target cleared, they could receive the maximum amount for a d-rank mission.
This basically maximized the removal of danger sources, ensuring the safety of the ranch's livestock and personnel.
Higashino Shin and the others didn't see Lü's team at the Mission Hall today, but no one cared. After confirming the mission, they set off immediately.
This mission's location was to the southwest of Konoha, where a large area had been developed into grasslands, housing several sizable livestock ranches.
The species raised included cattle, sheep, pigs, etc. The breeding methods included free-range and stall-feeding, ensuring Konoha was provided with fresh, high-quality meat at different prices to meet the consumption needs of both Ninjas and civilians.
A Ninja's strength is obtained through arduous Cultivation. While they gained power beyond ordinary people, their appetites were naturally incomparable to those of normal humans.
Without enough high-quality food to replenish nutrition, how could they withstand extracting Chakra from their cells every day? If Might Duy could have eaten well every meal, the 'Auspicious Three Treasures' meme wouldn't exist.
The amount of food most Ninjas could eat in one sitting could burst an ordinary person's stomach.
Don't believe it? Try making an ordinary strong man weighing over two hundred pounds eat 20 bowls of ramen in one go. We're talking about large ocean bowls, not the small bowls used in buckwheat noodle eating records.
Student Hinata says, "This lady can eat 46 bowls."
After handing over with the mission requester, Gekko Yun Jian led the three to a high point and said, "Because there are many cattle and sheep here, it always attracts beasts like black bears, tigers, wolves, and such.
The ranches here are often harassed, so they periodically issue missions to Konoha to clear out these hidden threats.
Your mission today is to find and clear the danger sources in this area as much as possible, ensuring safety within at least a 200-kilometer radius of these ranches."
"No problem, Teacher!" x3.
This time, even someone as simple as Yūgao Uzuki didn't ask what would happen if beasts from beyond 200 kilometers came later. Yesterday's reality had already given her the answer: just let the ranch manager issue another mission.
Where in this world is there a logic where paying once grants a lifetime warranty?
After Gekko Yun Jian finished speaking, he disappeared to who-knows-where again, as usual.
However, this mission was truly of the easy type for Higashino Shin's team. Because they had a teammate with powerful sensory abilities, it didn't matter whether the esteemed Jonin was present or not.
Due to the invasion of the God Tree, creatures in the Ninja World contain Chakra in their bodies—it's just a matter of more or less. The beasts in nature are naturally no exception.
However, there are few intelligent species; most become irritable, ferocious, and large-bodied due to Chakra. They don't possess the strength or value to be Summoned Beasts, but they pose a lethal threat to ordinary people.
At the same time, Chakra is like Jinkela, making these beasts reproduce more and grow faster than their counterparts in Higashino Shin's previous world. Unless Ninjas specifically hunted them throughout the Ninja World, it would be hard for them to go extinct.
With Chakra, they naturally couldn't escape Higashino Shin's perception—at least, that's what Gekko Yun Jian and the others thought.
Higashino Shin closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he opened them and said, "I've encountered some new friends."
Gekkō Hayate wasn't surprised: "Did they take the same mission as us?"
Yūgao Uzuki looked bewildered: "Who are you talking about?"
Gekkō Hayate: "Senior Lü's team."
Fortunately, this girl only disliked using her brain when she was with Higashino Shin, but she wasn't actually a fool: "From the sound of it, I feel something is wrong. Did you two discover some problem with them yesterday?"
Higashino Shin: "No, it just feels like some things are illogical. Don't worry about them for now, let's go do the mission. Pay attention to my warnings and don't get ambushed by those beasts."
---
In the complex mountain forest, three figures flickered between tree trunks like arrows leaving a bow, making almost no sound.
A colorful tiger was lying down and dozing in an open area in the jungle, leisurely basking in the sun.
Last night, it had finally managed to get a calf from the 'two-legged sheep's' ranch and had a hearty meal. Now was the perfect time to sleep and put on fat.
This fellow's size looked much larger than the tigers in Higashino Shin's previous life. It also had Chakra in its body. Even Wu Song couldn't handle it; seven or eight ordinary people trying to deal with it would just be pure fodder.
However, when they encountered Ninjas with even a bit of strength, they themselves became a dish.
"Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Sharp Weapons sliced through the air. From the dense forest, two Kunai suddenly shot out. Before the tiger could react, they accurately pierced its eyes.
"Roar~~"
The sudden intense pain in its eyes and loss of vision made the tiger leap up, letting out a roar that pierced the forest. However, this sound lacked the Aura of the King of the Forest; instead, it was extremely miserable.
Gekkō Hayate charged out like lightning, delivering a heavy kick to the tiger's head, causing its body to lose balance. Yūgao Uzuki followed closely behind, stabbing her blade through its lower jaw, then withdrawing it like lightning to stay away, preventing any frantic counterattacks before it died.
The tiger's body twitched a few times and died completely, without even a drop of blood splashing onto the killers.
However, Yūgao Uzuki's body was still stained with quite a bit of blood. That was left over from the beginning; after learning her lesson, she never made a similar mistake again.
Higashino Shin stepped forward to check. After confirming the target's death, he marked the location on the map.
This was the third beast they had cleared out this morning.
These apex predators weren't everywhere; they were scattered loosely. If Higashino Shin didn't have sensory abilities, finding them would have been quite troublesome.
No wonder many Genin teams were unwilling to touch this troublesome mission—it was both dangerous and hard to find targets.
Just then, a faint explosion came from the south in the distance. The three jumped to the treetops and saw a signal flare rising there.
It was a distress signal exclusive to Konoha Ninjas; someone was in danger.
Yūgao Uzuki asked, "Should we go take a look?"
Gekkō Hayate reminded his teammates: "Be careful. It's a bit of a coincidence; there might be a trap."
Higashino Shin sensed the situation to the south and smiled slightly: "Let's go take a look. We're all Konoha comrades; helping each other is only right."