"You've all read the mission details. If you have any thoughts, speak up."
Jiraiya explained the assignment with a rare seriousness in his tone. His three students weren't just ordinary genin—Minato was his personal disciple, Kushina was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and Lock was a genius the Third Hokage himself had taken an interest in. Each of them had potential worth nurturing.
Of the three, Lock had no experience with B-rank missions. Kushina, despite being a chūnin, had been under close watch due to her status as jinchūriki and rarely left the village. That meant she, too, had never truly handled this type of mission.
The only one with any prior experience was Minato. But even he had only taken part in a handful of B-rank assignments—barely enough to be called seasoned.
"Minato, you have some experience. You go first," Jiraiya said.
Minato thought for a moment before replying. "This mission involves hunting down a group of bandits. Since there's combat involved, it fits the profile of a B-rank. But the exact details aren't clear yet. Before acting, we should gather intel and then strike once we've confirmed their movements."
The mission had come from a small town over a hundred miles from Konoha. For more than half a year, caravans had been attacked by raiders. These weren't ordinary thieves—they looted everything, killed survivors, and left behind a trail of blood.
Seven or eight caravans had already been wiped out. The damage totaled over a million ryō, and hundreds had been killed or injured. Trade in the area had collapsed, and travelers were avoiding the town entirely.
Desperate, the officials had petitioned Konoha for help, offering a bounty of twelve thousand ryō. After confirming the reports, the village determined the culprits were likely ordinary men, but numerous and vicious enough to pose a real danger. Thus, the mission was classified as B-rank.
"You're right, Minato." Kushina nodded, giving him a rare look of softness she never showed anyone else.
Jiraiya turned to Lock. "And you? What's your opinion?"
Lock hesitated. This was his first time leaving the village, let alone handling a mission like this. He wasn't the type to bluff when he had no experience.
"I don't have much to add. I'll follow the team's lead."
"Oh?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. He had expected the boy to be excited, maybe even overly eager to prove himself. Instead, Lock was calm and measured.
"No wonder the old man favors this kid," Jiraiya thought. "He's steady, not reckless. Interesting."
Satisfied, he nodded. "Good. If everyone's on the same page, we leave now. This will take us out of the village for several days. Any problems with that?"
His gaze lingered on Lock. Unlike Minato and Kushina, who were orphans, Lock still had his mother at home—and at only six years old, this would be his first time away.
"I need to let my mother know," Lock said simply.
"Go, then. We'll wait at the village gates. Don't forget to bring supplies—we'll be camping outdoors."
"Got it."
Lock hurried home, explained things to his mother, and packed what little he needed. Though she tried to hide her worry, her eyes betrayed it as she watched her son prepare for his first journey.
"Alright! Let's move out!" Jiraiya announced proudly at the gates of Konoha. And so, their team's first mission beyond the village walls began.
Since there was no strict time limit, they didn't rush. On the road, Jiraiya grew more serious, using the journey as a chance to teach. His knowledge and experience as one of the Sannin shone through, and Lock listened intently, soaking up every word.
For ordinary travelers, the hundred-mile journey would take well over a week. For shinobi, even moving at a steady pace, it took just four days.
When they finally reached the town, Jiraiya stepped back and let the three younger ninja take charge. Minato led Lock and Kushina straight to the mayor's office, introduced their team, and began gathering intelligence.
Minato's charm and composure left a strong impression. Despite their youth, the mayor treated them seriously—perhaps because the town had been suffering so badly.
"Mayor, since we don't know the enemy's exact strength, we'll need your cooperation," Minato explained politely.
The mayor frowned. "What kind of cooperation?"
"We'll need you to prepare a caravan, moving along the usual trade route. We'll guard it in secret. When the bandits strike, we'll intercept them."
The mayor hesitated, clearly uncomfortable at the thought of using his own people as bait. "That's… too dangerous, isn't it?"
"You don't need to worry," Minato assured him with quiet confidence. "It's not just the three of us. Our teacher is a jōnin—one of the Legendary Sannin. With Jiraiya-sama here, I promise no harm will come to your people."
The mayor's eyes widened. "Jiraiya of the Sannin?"
"That's right," Minato said with a smile. "You're in good hands."
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