Arriving at the Hokage Tower, Team 8 quickly received their first C-rank mission from the Third Hokage.
As mentioned earlier, C-rank missions are primarily escort duties or delivering confidential documents. Any combat involved is usually limited to driving off large beasts or dealing with highway bandits.
After two months of missions, having completed the transition from students to ninjas, and with Kurenai personally leading them, Team 8 already had the qualifications and ability to handle a C-rank mission.
The mission they received was a very ordinary escort task for a merchant caravan.
When Haruma learned the details, he felt somewhat disappointed. As expected, if you're not the protagonist of this world, there's no so-called "main character treatment."
Team 7, with male leads present, had their first C-rank mission immediately escalate into an A-rank mission, requiring them to fight elite jonin. In contrast, Team 8's mission was just a routine C-rank task.
If he could have hijacked it, Haruma really would have taken Team 7's Wave Country mission.
His power had long plateaued at jonin level, aside from having chakra reserves comparable to elite jonin.
With a second kekkei genkai or an additional nature transformation, he could reach elite jonin level.
Unfortunately, Team 8 didn't hijack the mission. Still, Haruma wasn't disappointed for long. The Third Hokage didn't have much time left. Once he passed away, Konoha would enter a new era, and Haruma could act without restraint.
Thinking of this, his mood immediately improved.
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Team 8 dispersed and went home to pack.Haruma didn't have much to pack, just two sets of daily clothes and toiletries. He didn't carry any advanced tools like explosive tags or soldier rations.
Well, technically, Choji had given him some soldier rations before, but he had already used them up during training.
At the meeting spot, Haruma noticed he wasn't the first to arrive, Shino was there before him.
"Shino, aren't you bringing anything?"
Seeing him still in his trench coat but with no luggage, Haruma asked curiously."I did. It's all in my storage scroll," Shino replied, producing a scroll.
Seeing her storage scroll, Haruma felt like an idiot. Once he got back, he would definitely go shopping to get a storage scroll.
Soon after, Hinata and Kurenai arrived. Like Shino, they hadn't brought anything, presumably storing everything in storage scrolls.
Seeing Haruma's backpack, Hinata asked, "Haruma, do you want me to help carry your luggage?"
"Thanks, Hinata," he replied, accepting her help.
"Come on, let's go find our client," Kurenai said, leading Team 8 to meet the mission's client.
The people issuing this escort mission were a local merchant group from the Land of Fire. They had come to Konoha to sell a batch of materials to a ninja equipment store. Carrying a large amount of money, they worried about encountering bandits or rogue ninjas on the return trip. Therefore, every time they traveled, they requested an escort mission for Konoha ninjas to bring them safely back to their town.
The city they were in was a fairly prosperous commercial town in the Land of Fire, not far from Konoha.
Of course, "not far" is relative to ninjas. Ninjas with the body flicker could travel from the Land of Fire to the Land of Wind in a day or two; ordinary people could not.
Especially in this world, the tech tree was bizarre, electric appliances and computers existed, yet the best transportation was still horse-drawn carriages. Ridiculous.
Having studied the world's geography, Haruma glanced at a map and knew that, if all went smoothly, they would be back in Konoha around this same time tomorrow.
After Kurenai finished negotiating with the client, Team 8 escorted the group out of Konoha.
Having spent twelve years in this world, this was Haruma's first time leaving Konoha's gates to admire the scenery outside. Hinata and Shino were similarly amazed.
Along the way, all three curiously looked around.
Having lived in the polluted modern world of his previous life, Haruma had to admit there were benefits to living in a more ancient place: fresh air and beautiful environment. Of course, he knew that only the Land of Fire had good conditions, the other four great nations didn't have such fertile land.
It wasn't surprising that in just sixty years, the Ninja World had seen three ninja wars, with the Land of Fire and specifically Konoha always involved. Such resources were tempting.
By the afternoon, the sun was at its hottest. Wearing his grey coat, Haruma pulled up his hood and put on his glasses from his inner pocket.
Kurenai, Hinata, and Shino were not surprised.
For the past two months, whenever they did missions around noon, Haruma wore sunglasses because the sun was too bright.
It was a deliberate habit, allowing him to activate his sharingan without being noticed during combat. Though the world lacked cosmetic lenses, sunglasses sufficed.
As night fell, Team 8 successfully delivered the group to the commercial town without encountering highway bandits, wandering samurai, or rogue ninjas.
They completed the mission smoothly.
"Tonight we'll stay in this town; return tomorrow at noon. Dismiss for now."
After bringing Haruma, Hinata, and Shino to a local inn and booking two double rooms, Kurenai said eagerly, "I'm going to drink sake. You're too young, so you can explore, but stay out of forbidden ninja areas and don't leave town. Be back on time to rest."
Naughty Kurenai-sensei.
With that, Kurenai vanished in a puff of smoke.
"I want to go for a walk alone," Shino said, noticing Haruma and Hinata's expressions, and left.
"Shall we go explore too?" Haruma asked, seeing Hinata fidgeting and looking down.
"…Okay," she whispered. The two left the inn, walking side by side down the street.
Haruma's goal wasn't about trying to make Hinata open up or to build her confidence, it was the several notable chakra signatures he had sensed a while ago.
Clearly, other ninjas besides Team 8 were present.
Separated from Kurenai, and having not fought anyone in years, Haruma suddenly felt a little hungry. He planned to find an opportunity to eat a hearty meal.