I'm Back!!!
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"What is it, what is it?" Obito looked at Kazuya Sawada with anticipation.
"It's a mission to serve as the princess's guard, issued by the Land of Snow," Kazuya Sawada recalled briefly.
"Guard? Isn't that similar to saving the princess? We should take this mission!" Obito immediately wanted to accept it.
In Obito's mind, since it was a guard duty, they would surely encounter enemies, and that would lead to saving the princess.
"Unfortunately, it's not possible," Kazuya Sawada said, shaking his head with a regretful expression after glancing at the scroll.
"Why not? Uncle Sawada, are you messing with us? You tell us and then say it can't be done!" Obito exclaimed anxiously.
This was the closest he had been to experiencing the life of a protagonist in a Ninja novel.
"Is it because the mission rank is above B?" Kakashi analyzed and asked.
Since Kazuya Sawada mentioned it, there must be a valid reason for not accepting it; it had to be an issue on their end.
Kazuya Sawada nodded and explained, "I just confirmed the mission rank; it's an A-Rank Mission. You need Jonin Minato to lead if you want to take on an A-Rank Mission."
Obito's face instantly fell, as Minato had just gone to the battlefield for a mission.
"Uncle Sawada, could you make an exception? You know our team's strength," Obito pleaded, unwilling to give up this opportunity.
"No exceptions can be made. If I let you take it, you won't see me here again," Kazuya Sawada stated, wanting to work for a few more years.
Obito sighed; he was no longer a novice and understood some of Kazuya Sawada's difficulties.
"Obito, why don't we switch to another mission? Minato-sensei probably won't be back soon," Rin suggested.
"I know that, but..." Obito's expression was conflicted.
Not only was there the tempting mission of guarding the princess, but it was also in a country he had never been to, making it very alluring for him.
"Is it really necessary to have Minato-sensei? Shouldn't any Jonin be fine?" Kakashi pondered and asked.
He could see Obito genuinely wanted to go, and according to Kakashi's memory, the Land of Snow was a northern island nation, unlikely to be affected by the wars between major ninja villages, meaning unexpected incidents were rare.
Kazuya Sawada nodded and replied, "Other Jonin are fine, but an A-Rank Mission requires at least one Special Jonin to lead."
Hearing this, Obito's previously dim eyes lit up again. Minato was on a mission and couldn't come, but Mutsuki was in Konoha and had just finished his special training at the Academy and was currently resting.
"Let's go find Yumi-sensei," Obito said, turning and rushing out of the Hokage Building toward Mutsuki's home.
Seeing Obito's frantic pace, Kakashi shook his head and quickly followed.
Kakashi actually wanted to ask other Jonin he knew; Obito hadn't thought much about it, but Kakashi was aware that the Academy would start classes in just a few days.
Once the two left, Rin also followed them out of the Hokage Building.
Worried that the mission might be taken by someone else, Obito ran to reach Mutsuki's house as quickly as possible.
He didn't even have time to greet Sarutobi Hiruzen when he saw him on the way.
"Why does it look like Third Hokage has a bit of blood on his nose? Am I seeing things?" Obito wondered, puzzled about who could make the Hokage bleed in Konoha.
Obito didn't think too much about it; all he wanted was to quickly accept the mission.
With the boost from the Breathing Technique, Obito ran fast and soon arrived at Mutsuki's house.
"Yumi-sensei, are you there?" Obito shouted outside the door.
Obito was in luck; Mutsuki was at home studying Sealing Jutsu.
Mutsuki set down the scroll and opened the door, asking, "Obito, what's going on?"
"Yumi-sensei, can you take us on a mission? There's a task to protect a princess that I really want to do, but it's an A-Rank mission and requires a Jonin to lead," Obito explained his purpose and reasons.
Mutsuki showed a thoughtful expression. Although the special training had just ended after an additional week of courses, the start of the Academy was approaching quickly.
"Which country's princess?" Mutsuki didn't agree immediately but asked for the specifics of the mission.
Generally, tasks involving the protection of princesses or high-ranking officials were S-Rank, often requiring renowned Konoha ninja to take them. A-Rank missions were rarer because a Special Jonin could lead a few Chunin and Genin, resulting in a lower overall team strength requirement.
Mutsuki considered three possibilities: first, that the country had already arranged protective forces and sought Konoha's help for peace of mind; second, that the princess was not highly valued; and third, that the mission itself posed little danger, and the request was made for extra security.
"It's from the Land of Snow," Obito shared everything he knew with Mutsuki.
Upon hearing this name, many memories instantly flooded Mutsuki's mind. His memory was quite sharp, so even details from a long time ago came back to him.
Mutsuki quickly ruled out the second possibility, as he recalled that the princess named Kazahana Koyuki was the sole heir of the Land of Snow and could not be overlooked.
"Could Kakashi be going to the Land of Snow for this mission?" Mutsuki thought about how Kakashi had been to the Land of Snow twice: once as a young boy and the second time leading Team Seven on a mission as a reliable adult ninja.
Kakashi's first mission in the Land of Snow involved fighting against the snow ninjas to save Kazahana Koyuki, while his second mission with Team Seven was to help her reclaim the Land of Snow.
Mutsuki then shook his head; based on Kakashi's interactions with the snow ninjas, he was already a copy ninja capable of replicating Ninjutsu during his first visit, which indicated that Obito had already turned dark at that time. Since Obito was only nine now, the timelines clearly didn't match.
"That coup must have happened at least a few years later."
Analyzing the available information, Mutsuki found the third possibility the most plausible, followed by the first; the second was completely impossible.
"Yumi-sensei, how about I ask some other Jonin? After all, you have your work at the Academy," Kakashi suggested, noticing Mutsuki's thoughtful expression.
"Right, it's already September." With Kakashi's reminder, Obito also recalled the start of the Ninja Academy.
"I'm sorry, Yumi-sensei, I forgot about that."
Obito smiled awkwardly; he really hadn't thought of that and was focused solely on the mission.
"I have a way to handle things at the Ninja Academy. You all wait here for a moment; I'll go get my things," Mutsuki ultimately agreed to Obito's request.
Based on the plot, the coup in the Land of Snow shouldn't happen now, but Mutsuki wouldn't blindly trust the storyline, as it had already been proven that events were changing.
The snow ninjas were quite strong; if it were an ordinary Jonin along with Obito and the others, they might truly run into trouble.
"That's great!" Obito's face lit up with excitement; with Mutsuki around, he wasn't worried about any accidents.
Kakashi felt more relaxed as well; doing missions with Mutsuki gave him a strong sense of security.
"Yumi-sensei, I'm really sorry to trouble you," Rin said, sensing Mutsuki's kindness.
After sealing some essential items into scrolls, Mutsuki led Obito and the others back to the Hokage Building.
Obito was very worried that someone else would snatch the mission, so as soon as he arrived at the Hokage Building, he immediately inquired with Kazuya Sawada and was relieved to learn that the mission was still available.
"We're taking this mission," Mutsuki said, accepting the escort task in response to Obito's eager gaze.
Kazuya Sawada promptly registered Mutsuki for the mission and handed over the documents, noticing that Obito was genuinely eager to take it on.
"Yay!" Obito cheered, imagining the beautiful princess and formidable enemies, envisioning their team defeating the strong foes and ultimately becoming heroes of the country.
Although they hadn't set out yet, Obito had already imagined himself achieving great success and writing an autobiography in the future.
Even when Obito was at the bottom of his class, he loved reading those Ninja novels and was always envious of the protagonists' various adventures. For him, it didn't matter who the princess was; what mattered was rescuing her to become a hero.
Mutsuki then used the information provided by Kazuya Sawada to find Sandayu Asama, who had come to Konoha to issue the mission request.
"I am Mutsuki Yumi, a Konoha Jonin taking on the mission to escort the princess of the Land of Snow," Mutsuki introduced himself briefly.
Sandayu Asama looked Mutsuki over and nodded, but when he noticed Obito and the others behind him, his brow furrowed as he said, "They don't even look ten years old; the Land of Snow is very cold."
Although Sandayu Asama felt that the princess wouldn't be in danger, he thought it was a bit inappropriate to send three local children to the frigid Land of Snow.
The environmental differences between the Land of Snow and the Land of Fire were too great; Sandayu Asama felt that the weather in the Land of Fire was like paradise, far more suitable for human habitation.
Before Mutsuki could explain, Obito interjected, feeling indignant, "Don't judge us by our age! We're elite from Konoha and have already been promoted to Chunin; the weather won't affect us."
"All Chunin, huh?" Sandayu Asama was somewhat surprised. He wasn't completely ignorant about ninjas and knew a bit about the ninja ranking system.
"Although they are indeed a bit young, they are all qualified Konoha ninjas," Mutsuki added.
Sandayu Asama was also someone who understood the rules; once he confirmed there were no issues, he instructed his subordinates to pack up and prepare to leave.
Since the Land of Snow is an island nation, Mutsuki and the others had to take a boat from the port on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.
However, Sandayu Asama had already made all the necessary preparations, so all Mutsuki and the others had to do was walk to the port and board the ship.
Though Obito felt a bit disrespected, he realized through their conversations on the way that Sandayu Asama was not the kind of person who looked down on children; it was simply out of concern, making their journey pleasant.
"Hey, Sandayu, is the princess from the Land of Snow beautiful?" Obito asked curiously just before boarding the ship.
He had never seen a real princess, and his image of one came entirely from novels.
"Haha, of course she's beautiful; she is the cutest princess!" Sandayu Asama replied with a hearty laugh.
"Definitely not as cute as Rin-chan," Obito thought to himself.
Of course, he only dared to say that in his mind; in reality, he wouldn't be so direct.
"It's really endless," Rin said, gazing at the boundless sea, her hands clasped behind her back as she smiled. It was her first time at the seaside.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew, softly lifting Rin's hair and the hem of her pink dress.
Obito stood to the left of Rin, captivated by her lovely profile, her hair and dress gently waving, while the large ship and the vast blue ocean stretched out in the distance. He was momentarily mesmerized.
When he came to his senses, Obito took out his camera and snapped a photo of Rin, grateful that he had brought it along.
"What's up?" Rin turned to look at Obito and asked.
"Nothing, just thought the seaside looked great and wanted to take a few more pictures," Obito replied, waving his hand and blushing slightly.
Rin nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true. It's not every day we get to come here, so we should take more photos as mementos."
After taking a few commemorative photos, Mutsuki and the others boarded the ship headed for the Land of Snow.
Since it was Obito's first time on a boat at sea, he was initially very excited, but he quickly settled down as there wasn't much happening on board.
Although it wasn't particularly exciting, being with Rin made Obito very happy, and he chatted with her the whole time.
Meanwhile, Mutsuki talked with Sandayu Asama about the specifics of the mission.
"The most important festival in our country, the Snow God Festival, will be held in October. Once the festival is over, your escort mission will be considered complete," Sandayu Asama explained.
The Snow God Festival is a longstanding and significant celebration in the Land of Snow, where people pray for the Snow God to lessen the snowfall so they can catch more fat fish.
Sandayu Asama, well-versed in the history of the Land of Snow, even knew that hundreds of years ago, the Daimyo had to personally perform the worship, though that's no longer the case.
Mutsuki nodded, understanding the specifics of the mission.
In essence, it was not much different from a regular escort task; only the characters and locations changed.
He was a bit curious why the Land of Snow, having its own Snow Ninja Village, would go all the way to Konoha to issue a request, especially since the Daimyo should have some forces at hand.
After thinking it over, Mutsuki felt this question wasn't that important. For the Daimyo, paying for an A-Rank Mission was like a drop in the bucket, even for a small country, so there didn't really need to be a reason.
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