"A six-year-old girl who possesses two Kekkei Genkai… her name is Terumi."
"We need to rescue Terumi before the Hunter-nin of Kirigakure catch her."
"According to our intelligence, she should be somewhere in this area. We'll dispatch three squads of shinobi to search."
Ryoma's eyes widened. "Three squads? Do you mean the most recent graduating class?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"But… they haven't even gone on a mission yet."
Jiraiya's tone grew serious. "That's true. They haven't done any official missions, but this assignment will serve as their exam—a trial by fire to transition them from genin to chunin."
"And the commander of this mission… will be you, Ryoma."
"Me?" Ryoma was stunned.
Jiraiya nodded again. "Yes. As a member of the Senju clan, this responsibility falls to you."
Ryoma hesitated, then asked, "What about Minato?"
"Minato and I have another mission." Jiraiya placed a reassuring hand on Ryoma's shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. You won't face any jonin-level opposition—we'll be drawing their attention away. The task for the graduating students is simple: search this forest and locate Terumi."
"…Alright."
Since Jiraiya himself had said so, Ryoma could only accept the mission.
After Jiraiya left, Ryoma mulled over the upcoming task. Just then, the familiar voice of the system rang in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations—your strength has advanced to Kage-level!]
Ryoma froze for a moment before hurriedly checking his status.
[Name: Senju Ryoma]
[Strength: Kage-level]
[Rank: Tokubetsu Jōnin]
[Character Card: SSS-rank – Senju Hashirama (fusion: 50%)]
[Kekkei Genkai: God-tier Wood Release (from character card)]
[Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God Technique Lv.3, Impure World Reincarnation Lv.3, Chidori Lv.3, Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands Lv.3, Yin Seal Lv.3, Creation Rebirth Lv.3, Four Symbols Seal Lv.3, Dead Demon Consuming Seal Lv.3, Harem Technique Lv.3, Shadow Shuriken Technique Lv.3]
He also had one unopened Supreme Gift Pack.
Ryoma had been so preoccupied with proposing to Kushina recently that he had nearly forgotten about it.
[Ding! Supreme Gift Pack opened. Congratulations—S-rank Character Card obtained: Uzumaki Ashina.]
Ryoma's eyes nearly bulged out.
Uzumaki Ashina?!
The legendary leader of Uzushiogakure, patriarch of the Uzumaki clan, and ancestor of Konoha's sealing arts. His mastery of fūinjutsu was unparalleled—so much so that the other shinobi nations feared him.
It was only after his death that those nations dared to unite and launch the invasion that destroyed Uzushiogakure. The once-proud Uzumaki were scattered, forced to live in hiding.
This character card couldn't be used yet, since the Hashirama card wasn't fully fused. Once Hashirama's card reached 100%, he would be able to fuse Ashina's card as well—and gain mastery over the Uzumaki's sealing techniques.
Would he even be able to seal the Nine-Tails himself, then?
…
The next morning, Ryoma arrived at the Academy, where the other instructors for the mission were already waiting.
"Ryoma-kun, you're here."
Ryoma blinked. One of the squad leaders was Uchiha Mikoto.
He hadn't expected that. But then again, thinking of how Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten in the future all took on missions before settling into their own paths, it made sense.
Jiraiya had mentioned just last night that the borders were becoming unstable. As one of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire was inevitably drawn into conflicts on every side. Almost all of Konoha's jonin had already been dispatched to the frontlines.
Thus, aside from Ryoma—now a Tokubetsu Jōnin—the rest of the mission leaders were academy instructors who were only chunin. Mikoto's presence here was natural.
If Ryoma remembered correctly, Mikoto had personally trained both Itachi and Sasuke in shurikenjutsu. Her skill was certainly respectable.
Mikoto studied him in turn, curiosity evident in her gaze. What sort of strength did Ryoma possess, that even Lord Jiraiya would entrust him with command? After all, the other mission commander was none other than Minato—the Yellow Flash.
Another instructor, Mebuki Haruno, also greeted him respectfully.
The rumors about the last heir of the Senju clan had spread quickly throughout Konoha. Everyone of at least chunin rank had heard Ryoma's name.
The man who had forced Konoha's three elder advisors into retreat—pressuring two into taking leave and driving one to exile.
Not many people knew the details of this mission, so naturally everyone was curious about Ryoma.
"Mebuki Haruno?" Ryoma asked with interest, then suddenly smiled. "Zhao-sensei, by any chance… do you have a daughter named Sakura?"
Mebuki Haruno almost panicked. "Teacher Ryoma, don't say things like that! I'm not even married yet. You'll cause misunderstandings if people hear you."
Ryoma chuckled. "Haha, my mistake."
Right… it was still far too early for Sakura to even exist.
"Alright, let's go then."
They had agreed to meet the students at the eastern entrance of the Konoha Forest, about ten kilometers from the village. If the students couldn't even make it there on their own, then they had no business leaving the village on a mission—it would only mean certain death.
Ryoma, Mikoto, and Mebuki Haruno soon arrived at the meeting point.
Ryoma scanned the area. In addition to his own students—Kakashi and Rin from Team 7—there was another squad: Gai, Ebisu, and Genma.
Rin greeted politely, bowing her head slightly. "Hello, Ryoma-sensei, Mikoto-sensei, Haruno-sensei!"
Mikoto's face softened when she saw Rin. She approached with a smile, gently patting the girl's head. "Rin, you're here too."
"Yes, I'm in Team 7."
Kakashi crossed his arms, expression aloof. "That idiot Obito is late again. Figures."
Ryoma smiled calmly. "It's fine. We'll wait."
Before long, Mikoto's three students arrived as well. Ryoma didn't recognize them too well, but the group now numbered eight children in total. They all looked up expectantly at Ryoma and the other two teachers.
The departure time had already come… but Obito still hadn't shown up.
Ryoma raised a hand. "You two take your squads and move ahead. I'll stay here and wait for my student."
Mikoto frowned slightly. "It's fine, Ryoma, we can wait together."
"Yes, Teacher Ryoma, there's still time," Mebuki Haruno added.
But Ryoma shook his head. "No. If we all travel together, the group will be too large—too obvious a target. Remember, our objective is to avoid Kirigakure's pursuit. Smaller groups will be safer."
"That's why we should split up."
With that, he produced two small talismans and handed them over. "Here. My protective charms. Keep them with you for safety."
Mikoto and Mebuki Haruno accepted them, studying the strange markings with curiosity. Were these really effective?
…
Ten minutes later, Mikoto and Mebuki Haruno had already departed with their teams, leaving only Ryoma, Kakashi, and Rin behind.
Suddenly, a figure came crashing out of the trees, hitting the ground hard.
Of course—it was Obito, late as always.
Kakashi crouched down in front of him with a smirk. "You're late again, Obito."
"I—" Obito began, but Ryoma cut him off with an easy smile.
"No need to explain. Let's move. Our destination is the Land of Water, and the road to Kirigakure is still long."
...
TN:
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