Chapter 9: The first mission
Following the man all the way, Retsu couldn't help but speak as they got closer and closer to the tower at the center of the Clan grounds: "Senior, where are we going?"
"To accept a mission," the man said succinctly.
"Accept a mission?" Masahiro looked at the man, confused. "Don't we need to do any strength tests? Like a survival exercise or something?"
The man glanced at Masahiro in surprise. "Survival exercise? Where did you hear that idea?"
"No need for such trouble. I will take you on a few missions. Only once you are truly familiar with the Ninja's combat methods will the Clan arrange for you to go to the battlefield."
Ignoring the expressions of the four, the man continued, "Those who survive naturally have strength."
He finished speaking and looked at Masahiro: "And I have heard of you, Hagoromo Masahiro. You don't need to prove your strength to me."
The implication: I know you are very strong.
"Alright, I was overthinking it." Masahiro shrugged.
He has reached Level 40 with maximum experience. According to the System's breakthrough level classification, he is ostensibly at the Chunin level.
But factoring in the results of his usual training and sparring sessions with several Elders, even an average Special Jonin would not be Masahiro's opponent.
Of course, there is no Jonin, Chunin, or Genin classification in this era. Based on the current power hierarchy, Masahiro is completely unafraid of the Elders of minor Ninja Clans.
Retsu, standing nearby, looked at Masahiro's profile in silence.
For two years, he had trained desperately every day, aiming to surpass the person in front of him. But the distance between them hadn't narrowed; instead, it seemed to be growing wider.
Can I really surpass him? Retsu clenched his fist unwillingly, his fingertips digging into his palm until it turned white.
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The Central Tower has four floors in total.
The first floor is the Reception Hall. Generally, less important missions are posted on the bulletin board on this floor, allowing anyone to claim them freely.
The second floor is the Mission Hall. More important missions are personally announced on this floor by the Clan Head's assistant, Hagoromo Ruri, or the Clan Head, Hagoromo Ryunosuke.
The third floor houses the offices of the Clan Head and the various Elders. They usually conduct their business on this floor.
As for the fourth floor, it is where the Clan stores various Forbidden Jutsu Scrolls and archival data.
Now, on the second floor of the Central Tower, as soon as Masahiro entered the Mission Hall, he spotted the Clan Head, Hagoromo Ryunosuke, and casually waved hello: "Yo, Old Man."
After more than a year of interaction, Masahiro's address for Ryunosuke changed from the initially respectful 'Grandpa' to the current, casual 'Old Man'.
Although the address had become impolite, both Ryunosuke and Masahiro knew that their relationship had grown closer.
Hearing Masahiro's voice, Ryunosuke looked up, his face beaming with smiles: "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, little Masahiro has become a formal Ninja."
"Yoshizawa, I'm entrusting these children to you."
"Understood, Clan Head."
So your name is Yoshizawa? Masahiro looked speechlessly at this Team Leader. This was ridiculous; he only learned the name of his own team's leader from someone else.
"Do you have any thoughts on the Seventh Squad's first mission, Yoshizawa?"
Ryunosuke casually flipped through the Scrolls in his hand: "Currently, the Clan still has missions to clear out Mountain Bandits, retrieve medicinal herbs, escort clients—"
"Let's go with the escort mission," Yoshizawa said after a moment's thought, choosing a mission he considered safe. "This time, the goal is just for them to understand the Ninja mission process and gel together. We can take on more difficult missions later."
"Is that so? That works." Ryunosuke mused for a moment, then spoke to a person who looked like a clerk nearby: "Ruri, please go and invite Mr. Fujiwara to come here."
Ryunosuke looked at Masahiro, who was surveying the Mission Hall: "The mission Yoshizawa chose is exactly what you wanted, Masahiro."
Ryunosuke knew Masahiro's thoughts well; this child had wanted to leave the Clan grounds for a long time.
"Hehe, from now on, I won't have to beg you anymore, Old Man."
Masahiro pointed to the sleeve of his upper garment, where a pattern of three ribbon-like lines arching around a full moon was embroidered.
That was the Hagoromo Clan crest. Only those who officially became Ninja were qualified to embroider this pattern on their clothing; its function was roughly equivalent to the headbands worn by the protagonists in the original work.
"Little Masahiro, becoming a Ninja isn't all good things, you know. If you run into a troublesome employer, you'll have plenty to worry about." Ryunosuke stroked his beard with a smile.
Originally, he didn't have a beard, but Masahiro used to often hold up a book and ask him why all the sages in the book had beards but he didn't.
Although he didn't understand the necessary connection between beards and sages, Hagoromo Ryunosuke started growing a beard to maintain his image as a wise and courageous Clan Head in Masahiro's eyes.
"Troublesome? How troublesome can he be? As long as he doesn't want to go to the moon, I can handle it! Just watch with peace of mind—"
Before he finished speaking, a loud bang was heard as the door to the Mission Hall was violently thrown open.
A portly middle-aged man hurried in.
"Mr. Fujiwara, please be... gentler." Miss Ruri looked quite distressed at the door that the man had shoved open so roughly.
Fujiwara completely ignored Ruri. He surveyed the Mission Hall with his tiny, bean-sized eyes, frowning when he saw the four members of Masahiro's team.
They aren't going to let these kids take my mission, are they?
With a dark expression, he quickly walked up to Ryunosuke and asked in a hostile tone: "I say, Clan Head Hagoromo, your subordinate just said someone accepted my mission? Where are they?"
"Haha, Mr. Fujiwara, haven't they already arrived?"
Ryunosuke gestured with his eyes for Fujiwara to look at Yoshizawa and the others.
"What is the meaning of this, Hagoromo Clan? You send a few kids who just finished breastfeeding to take my mission?"
Fujiwara scornfully scanned the Seventh Squad: "What if something goes wrong on the road? I hope my Bodyguards won't have to protect them?"
Yoshizawa, slighted by Fujiwara, stepped forward: "Please rest assured, Mr. Fujiwara, our Hagoromo Clan would never treat the life and safety of an employer as a joke."
"Based on the difficulty of your mission, the Ninja under my command are perfectly capable of handling it."
"Heh."
Fujiwara snorted coldly, completely ignoring Yoshizawa, and then directed his criticism at Ryunosuke: "If the Uchiha Clan hadn't been completely unable to spare manpower, I certainly wouldn't have come to you. After all, you're a small Ninja Clan, completely unreliable."
Yoshizawa and Ruri spoke in unison: "Mr. Fujiwara, watch your words."
Questioning them as individual Ninja was fine; after all, the employer is paramount, and enduring some frustration is expected.
But questioning the entire Hagoromo Clan was unacceptable.
In the Naruto World, no matter how powerful a Ninja Clan is, they rely on Daimyo, Nobles, and Wealthy Merchants to survive. The patrons issue missions, the Ninja complete them, and then receive the corresponding bounty, which serves as the economic source for the Ninja Clan.
But there are too many monks and too little gruel!
There are only so many missions, and the patrons don't know the strength of your Ninja Clan. They only determine their targets and issue missions based on the reputation circulated among peers or friends.
If the words Fujiwara just spoke spread and were heard by other employers, what would happen if it damaged the Hagoromo Clan's external reputation?
This was a matter concerning the survival of the entire Ninja Clan!
Therefore, when Ryunosuke heard Fujiwara's tactless remarks, his friendly expression immediately darkened: "If Mr. Fujiwara is not satisfied with our service, we can refund the deposit for this mission."
"I believe that with Mr. Fujiwara's capabilities, you will certainly be able to find a Ninja Clan that meets your requirements to take over your mission."
The implication was: If you are dissatisfied, I can refund your money; take your money and go find whoever you like.
As a merchant who frequently dealt with all sorts of people, Fujiwara naturally understood the hidden meaning in Hagoromo Ryunosuke's words.
He did want to switch providers, but besides the Uchiha, he genuinely couldn't find any Ninja stronger than the Hagoromo Clan nearby.
Moreover, even if he could find a Ninja Clan that met all his requirements now, he couldn't afford the time delay. If the goods in his hands weren't delivered to their destination soon, the penalty fee would wipe out his entire year's profit!
Thinking of this, Fujiwara's arrogant attitude inevitably softened a bit, but he still feigned composure: "Money given by me, Fujiwara, is never taken back! If I said I'm hiring you, I'm hiring you."
"I will go inventory the goods now. We leave promptly this afternoon. I hope your Clan's Ninja can at least manage to be punctual."
With that, Fujiwara left the Mission Hall without looking back.
Masahiro, who had witnessed the entire scene, clicked his tongue: "He really is troublesome!"
If I recall correctly, this is just a C-rank escort mission. If the employer is this high-maintenance, won't A-rank and S-rank missions be even more troublesome?
Masahiro felt that the future of his Ninja career was bleak.
"Heh heh, taking people's money and solving their problems—just get used to it."
Ryunosuke stroked his beard with a smile. He was growing fonder of this action; it was truly addictive.
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