Generally speaking, ninjas cannot leave the village freely.
Ninjas are like modern-day researchers for a country, each one trained using the resources of the village.
If a ninja leaves and goes missing, or becomes a rogue ninja, all the previous investments made in their training would be wasted.
Thus, ninjas who wish to leave the village typically have two options.
The first option is to report to the village's regulatory authorities, providing special reasons, and then they will receive permission to leave. The duration of their departure is usually determined in advance, and they must return within the designated time.
The second option is to undertake a mission.
The primary income of a ninja village, aside from the support from the national treasury, largely comes from the rewards earned from completing missions.
These missions can be posted by villagers of the Leaf Village, residents of other cities within the Land of Fire, and even from other countries. Occasionally, even ninjas who are unable to complete certain tasks or lack the time to do so will post missions.
It is this vast and developed bounty mission system that continuously provides income for the Leaf Village.
Of course, the most important thing is that it allows ninjas to have some legitimate work during peacetime and provides a source of income, instead of just staying idle in the village all the time.
Clearly, the stronger the ninja village, the more efficient it is at completing missions, and thus more people will come here to post tasks, leading to more bounties.
The Leaf Village being at the top among the five great ninja villages is partly due to this.
Mo Yu came to the Hokage building today specifically to take on a mission.
Doing missions is not compulsory for ninjas in the Leaf Village, but it's best to complete a certain number of missions every month.
For example, a Genin (lower-ranking ninja) should complete at least three D-rank missions per month, while a Chunin (middle-ranking ninja) is expected to complete five D-rank missions or one C-rank mission per month, etc.
Completing a mission not only rewards the ninja with the bounty, but when the mission completion quantity reaches a certain level, they can visit the storage room in the Hokage building to choose a ninjutsu that matches their rank.
Some ninjas might not care much for money, but no ninja dislikes powerful ninjutsu, especially for those who are not from established ninja clans. Any method to acquire ninjutsu will be highly sought after by them.
The reason the village does this is twofold: first, to increase the motivation for ninjas to take on missions, as the more missions the ninjas do, the more benefits it brings to the village in terms of income and reputation. Second, by tracking the number and quality of completed missions, the village can gauge the growth of a ninja and identify those with potential.
For instance, if a Genin completes only the basic three D-rank missions every month for years without change, it indicates that their strength hasn't improved, and their potential is limited.
But if another Genin, after completing three D-rank missions in the first month, completes one C-rank mission a few months later, it shows that their strength is growing, and they have potential.
Mo Yu wasn't here to attract the attention of the village's higher-ups—he preferred to quietly accumulate wealth with his "Recharge System"—nor was he here to earn a little commission.
Instead, he was here for...
Killing!
With the "Hunt Mode" active, the fastest way to earn money was, of course, by killing.
Each Genin was worth five gold coins, each Chunin fifty gold coins, and though Mo Yu hadn't killed a Jonin (high-ranking ninja) yet, the bounty for a Jonin would certainly be much more than a Chunin.
Of course, Mo Yu wasn't expecting to kill a Jonin right now, but killing more Genin and Chunins would be great.
Though he could be promoted to a Chunin at any time, a mere Chunin was still nothing special.
On the battlefield, they wouldn't be cannon fodder, but they would be the type who could die at any moment.
Only becoming a Jonin would make one truly stand out in the ninja world and not die so easily.
So Mo Yu's short-term goal was to become a Jonin, especially after offending the Uchiha clan, making it even more urgent.
Every Jonin was a valuable asset to the ninja village. Once one became a Jonin, even the Uchiha clan wouldn't dare to mess with them.
Mo Yu had already asked the system, and to become a Jonin, he needed to accumulate 1,000 gold coins. Currently, his total was only 125, just one-eighth of the goal—there was a long way to go!
If he stayed in the village, Mo Yu would likely never accumulate 1,000 gold coins in his lifetime, so leaving the village was his only option.
Fight monsters, earn gold!
...
Today, Mo Yu looked quite different from before.
At 1.56 meters tall, he now stood out among his peers, wearing a white training outfit. His arms and calves were wrapped in bandages, and his entire presence exuded energy and vigor, walking with a strong, confident gait.
At his waist hung a small short sword. These past days of training his Sharingan had accidentally helped him start to grasp the basics of swordsmanship.
And with many skills, the more the better. In close combat, Mo Yu felt that using a sword was more natural than using shurikens, and it suited his aesthetic better.
"I should ask Zuo Yun for some pointers next time."
At the Hokage building, ninjas were coming and going in a hurry.
When Mo Yu arrived, several people looked at him curiously.
It wasn't because he was particularly handsome, but because a young Genin who had just graduated was a rare sight. Most were accompanied by older ninjas or family members.
Mo Yu ignored the surprised gazes and walked inside.
The hall on the first floor was spacious, with about ten people inside.
Directly opposite the entrance was a row of desks with a "Reception Desk" sign. A few young women were greeting clients who were posting missions.
To the left was a task wall, covered with sticky notes that outlined the mission rank and a brief description of the task.
The highest rank on the task wall was B-rank, as A-rank and S-rank missions were classified as secret tasks. The village wouldn't openly release them but would assign them in secrecy to specific ninjas.
The lowest D-rank missions usually offered bounties ranging from tens to a few hundred silver coins. These tasks mostly took place within the village, involving simple yet time-consuming chores. Only Genins would take these on.
Next were C-rank missions, with bounties ranging from several hundred to several thousand silver coins. These typically involved escorting important items or acting as bodyguards, with the potential for danger, but also the chance that no danger would arise.
A Chunin could live comfortably if they completed one C-rank mission each month.
Finally, the highest rank was B-rank missions, which were varied in nature.
Tasks like hunting rogue ninjas, eliminating bandit groups, or gathering intelligence on enemy countries. All of these required combat and involved some degree of life-threatening risk.
Naturally, the bounties were substantial, ranging from nearly 10,000 silver coins, with some even exceeding 70,000 or 80,000 silver coins. Mo Yu even saw a few bounties that surpassed 100,000 silver coins.
But Mo Yu only glanced at them before ignoring them, as he wasn't qualified to take on those kinds of missions yet.
This was his first time taking a mission. He wasn't doing it for the money, but rather to hone his skills, hoping to encounter some "wild monsters" to practice on, and also to leave the village and clear his mind.
So Mo Yu first dismissed any tasks that could be completed within the village. Thus, all the D-rank missions were eliminated.
Among the C-rank tasks, there were a few that suited his needs, and he finally selected the one that satisfied him the most.
The task was to escort a batch of medicinal herbs to Qianyue Town.
Qianyue Town was also within the Land of Fire, located about two days' travel from the Leaf Village. Besides the potential danger of encountering bandits, the task was low risk, and the journey wasn't long, making it the most fitting mission for Mo Yu.