Three months.
The most exciting thing Kitahara Kaede had done was help a villager find a cat that had run away from their backyard.
D-rank mission.
Weeding, moving bricks, finding cats, clearing drainage ditches.
He knew the drainage ditches from the East District to the South District of Konoha Village better than his own home.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were the first to break.
“I’m going crazy.”
Hokage Office.
Tsunade slammed the mission report onto the desk, her voice loud enough to be heard in the hallway.
“Teacher, have you forgotten that we graduated three months ago?”
Hiruzen sat behind the Hokage’s desk, his brush suspended in mid-air.
He was not just their teacher, but also the Hokage; with both identities combined, he found it particularly headache-inducing to deal with these three students.
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the windowsill, arms crossed: “Teacher, to be honest—if we keep doing this, I’m afraid I’ll roast that cat.”
“You haven’t even caught that cat after three attempts.” Tsunade shot him a sideways glance.
“…That’s because it’s too slippery!”
“You’re just too clumsy.”
“Tsunade, you—”
“Enough.”
Hiruzen put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and held his pipe in his mouth without lighting it.
His gaze drifted past the two bickering students and landed on Kitahara Kaede, who was leaning against the doorframe at the back.
He didn’t chime in, nor did he try to stop them.
This student had always been like this—when he wasn’t speaking, he knew better than anyone else what to wait for.
Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
An eleven-year-old child shouldn’t be this mature.
“Alright.”
Hiruzen pulled a document from a stack on the desk and tossed it in front of him.
Tsunade’s eyes lit up, and Jiraiya jumped down from the windowsill.
“C-rank, out-of-country mission.”
“Land of Birds.” Hiruzen tapped his pipe.
“A group of wandering samurai have entrenched themselves in a village on the southern border, harassing the people and stealing their wealth.
The feudal lord of the Land of Birds has commissioned Konoha to send people to drive them out.”
“Wandering samurai?” Jiraiya rubbed his hands together.
“How many?”
“Seven to ten.
No Ninjutsu capabilities, primarily using swords.”
Tsunade scoffed and flipped the scroll over to scan it: “This is called a mission?
I’m enough to handle it alone.”
“You are Genin.” Hiruzen’s tone leveled out.
“Out-of-country missions must be led by a Jonin.
Elite Jonin, Murakami Takuya.
Meet at the South Gate this afternoon.”
“Murakami Takuya?” Jiraiya tilted his head.
“Never heard of him.”
“There are plenty of Elite Jonin you haven’t heard of.” Tsunade was already reaching for the mission request.
“As long as we can leave, who cares who he is.”
Kitahara Kaede didn’t move.
His gaze landed on the top right corner of the scroll.
Mission date—two and a half months ago.
A C-rank expulsion mission, hanging for two months.
The average shelf life of a C-rank mission is no more than two weeks.
Either the reward was too low and no one wanted it.
Or, there was something that caused those who accepted the mission to return it.
He didn’t say anything.
Tsunade turned around, holding the mission request, and waved it at him.
“Kaede!
C-rank!
Out-of-country!
No more catching cats!”
She couldn’t suppress the corners of her mouth, and her tone was even a half-octave higher than usual.
Kitahara Kaede looked at her and nodded.
“Mm.”
Tsunade rolled up the mission request and stuffed it into her ninja pouch with a crisp motion: “South Gate this afternoon, don’t be late.”
“When have you ever seen me late?”
Tsunade didn’t respond, turned around, and walked away, her ponytail swinging in a sharp arc.
Jiraiya chased after her, clamoring about what equipment to bring.
The office went quiet.
Kitahara Kaede didn’t leave.
Hiruzen looked at him.
“Something to say?”
“This mission has been hanging for two months.”
Hiruzen’s action of tapping his pipe paused for a moment, then he smiled.
“That’s why I arranged for an Elite Jonin to lead the team.”
Kitahara Kaede looked at him for two seconds.
He turned and walked to the door, pausing for a moment.
“If the intelligence is incorrect—”
“Kaede.” Hiruzen interrupted him, his tone not heavy, but as steady as old tree roots.
“This is your first real combat mission.
There are some things that cannot be taught in the classroom.”
Kitahara Kaede was silent for a moment.
“Understood.”
He pushed the door open and left.
The hallway was empty.
Hiruzen struck a match, lit his pipe, took a puff, and the smoke dissipated.
“Takuya, keep an eye on them.”
…
Outside the South Gate.
Kitahara Kaede squatted by the roadside and checked the items in his ninja pouch.
Kunai, explosive tags, military ration pills, bandages, smoke bombs.
He counted them, fastened it, and it was enough.
Just as he closed the strap, a line of text floated before his eyes.
[Triggered side quest: The First Baptism]
[Mission objective: Complete the Land of Birds expulsion mission.]
[Special restriction: Must ensure Tsunade’s safety.]
[Mission reward: Calculated based on completion rate.]
The last time a “Protect Tsunade” mission popped up was during the Ninja Academy exercise when they encountered that Rogue Ninja.
That time, he broke two ribs, and his right hand was pierced by a Kunai.
The system never popped up missions for no reason.
Wandering samurai, seven to ten people, no Ninjutsu capabilities.
He didn’t believe it.
“Kaede—!”
Tsunade’s voice came from behind, her footsteps fast and hurried.
She ran over carrying a bulging rucksack, the excitement on her face even greater than it had been in the office—like a child going on their first long trip.
Jiraiya followed behind, carrying a large bag on his shoulder, swaying as he walked.
Kitahara Kaede stood up and asked suspiciously: “What do you have in your bag?”
“Snacks, a change of clothes, medical tools—” Tsunade counted on her fingers.
“I was asking you.” Kitahara Kaede looked at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya puffed out his chest.
“A notebook.”
“…”
“For recording material!
First out-of-country mission, what if we encounter beautiful—”
Tsunade’s fist was already raised.
“Finish your sentence.”
“—Beautiful scenery!
Scenery!
I was talking about scenery!”
Tsunade glared at him for three seconds, then slowly lowered her fist.
Jiraiya wiped away a cold sweat.
The sentry at the South Gate looked at the three brats, his mouth twitching.
A few minutes later, a figure walked over from the direction of the village.
In his early thirties, wearing a dark blue ninja uniform, a Konoha forehead protector tied around his forehead, and a short sword hanging at his waist.
He walked without any superfluous movements, his pace neither fast nor slow, but his footing always kept him at an angle where he could block in front of the three of them at a moment’s notice.
An old hand.
“Murakami Takuya.” He stopped in front of the three of them, his gaze sweeping over them one by one, lingering for a half-beat longer on Kitahara Kaede.
“From now on, I am your team leader Jonin.”
Brief.
No pleasantries, no smiles.
Kitahara Kaede locked eyes with him for a moment.
Tsunade didn’t care about these things; her attention was entirely on the road ahead leading out of the village.
Three months of drainage ditches and fat cats, today she was finally stepping out.
“Let’s go.”
Murakami Takuya turned around and took the lead on the road.
Tsunade followed, her steps quick and light.
Jiraiya jogged to catch up, still muttering about the notebook.
Kitahara Kaede walked at the back.
Passing the gatepost of the South Gate, he paused for a step, turned his head, and glanced back at the gate of Konoha.
The sunlight shone on the lintel, the characters for “Konoha” were very quiet.
He turned around and followed the team.
Land of Birds, a two-day journey.