D-Rank missions are low-intensity tasks that do not involve direct combat or life-threatening danger.
They are generally posted by villagers of Konoha or certain official departments.
The work usually includes investigating lost pets, picking up trash, cleaning waterways, helping dig up sweet potatoes, or babysitting, among other things.
These tasks are not difficult but are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and offer low rewards.
They are basically assigned to inexperienced rookie ninjas fresh out of the academy, serving as the ideal choice for newcomers to gain mission experience and improve team coordination.
In terms of gaming novels, they are tasks of beginner village difficulty.
However, for rookies eager to prove themselves, these tasks were incredibly boring and failed to generate any excitement.
Even the usually energetic Ikemoto Kaori, after over a month of D-rank missions, became as listless as a frostbitten eggplant.
After completing yet another D-rank mission, Ikemoto Kaori could no longer stand the situation.
She joined forces with Uchiha Kazuhiko and Inuzuka Yū to voice their opinions to Captain Tōma, wanting to undertake some higher-difficulty missions.
Perhaps unable to withstand Ikemoto Kaori's coaxing and pestering, or perhaps feeling that Uchiha Kazuhiko and the others had accumulated enough experience, Captain Tōma put them off a few times but eventually agreed.
Soon, Captain Tōma returned from the Konoha Mission Assignment Desk with a C-rank difficulty mission.
"The mission content is to eradicate a bandit stronghold in the Urabe Mountains. It will probably take three to five days."
Captain Tōma informed the three of the mission details and then ordered,
"You now have half an hour to prepare. After that, assemble at the village's main gate to depart and execute the mission."
"Yes, Captain!"
Uchiha Kazuhiko and the other two acknowledged the order and left separately to prepare for the upcoming mission.
For Uchiha Kazuhiko, there wasn't much to prepare.
He just symbolically replenished some ninja tools and food that was easy to store and carry.
After all, he had his storage space containing a large amount of supplies prepared in advance, so he wasn't worried about logistics.
Half an hour later, the group met at Konoha's main gate.
Captain Tōma presented the proof for leaving the village on a mission, and the party sped off towards the south.
The mission location, the Urabe Mountains, was located in the southwestern border of the Land of Fire. It was one of the shortcuts favored by small border merchants.
Recently, a group of bandits who had fled into the Land of Fire had occupied it, robbing several small merchant caravans.
To ensure the future safety of the trade route, the small merchants pooled funds to post a mission at Konoha to clear out the bandits.
The Urabe Mountains were a day's journey from Konoha.
During the travel, Captain Tōma began teaching Uchiha Kazuhiko and the other two some mission-related experience.
"First, you are on a mission until you return to Konoha Village and report its completion. Maintain vigilance at all times to deal with enemies that may appear at any moment."
"Second, during a mission, there is no distinction between men, women, or children. All mission targets are enemies. Your mercy will only bring danger to yourself and your teammates."
"Third, during a mission, the only people you can trust are your teammates. Whether it's the employer or anyone else, they might change sides between friend and foe for various reasons."
...
As a veteran ninja, the valuable experience Captain Tōma had summarized over more than twenty years of missions greatly benefited the rookie Uchiha Kazuhiko and his teammates, giving them a deeper understanding of the real ninja world.
Facing the impending slaughter, the three newcomers of Team Tōma felt both nervous and excited.
Even Uchiha Kazuhiko's mood became very complex; besides nervousness and excitement, he also felt a faint trace of unease.
Although he had resolved to leave his past self behind when he came to this world and live as a ninja in this crisis-ridden world, when truly facing a moment that contradicted his previous life's values, a hint of hesitation still arose in his heart.
Fortunately, he still had a day to adjust his mindset. He believed that when the time truly came, he would make the final choice.
It was nearly evening when Team Tōma reached Daiki Village near the Urabe Mountains.
They found the merchant who posted the mission, obtained some basic intelligence from him, and immediately set out for the Urabe Mountains to personally scout the bandit group known as the Hundred Blades Gang.
...
Deep in the dense forest on a mountain path, a three-man bandit patrol was walking along, talking and laughing.
However, the next moment, two short figures appeared behind two of the bandits. Each delivered a precise chop to the neck, knocking the two bandits in front of them unconscious.
The remaining bandit was greatly alarmed and opened his mouth to shout, but then felt an intense wave of drowsiness wash over him.
Unable to resist the sleepiness, he lost consciousness and collapsed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two more sounds of something cutting through the air followed as Captain Tōma and Ikemoto Kaori also appeared on the mountain path.
"For missions, intelligence is crucial information. Now, each of you three is responsible for interrogating one bandit. Afterwards, report the intelligence you gather to me."
Captain Tōma pointed at the three bandits on the ground, giving the trio the opportunity to practice extracting information.
Without a second word, Uchiha Kazuhiko dragged one bandit behind a large tree nearby. After tying him up securely, he slapped the bandit awake.
The newly awakened bandit, feeling the pain on his face, immediately shouted without restraint,
"Ouch! Which bastard hit me?"
Slap.
Uchiha Kazuhiko gave the bandit another slap, cutting short his cries. He drew his katana and placed it against the bandit's neck, looking down at him with indifferent eyes.
"Shut up if you want to live. From now on, I ask, you answer. If you dare hide even the slightest thing, you'll never speak again. Understood?"
"Spare me, Ninja-sama! I'll answer honestly!"
The bandit, now understanding his situation, immediately became compliant, nodding desperately, hoping Uchiha Kazuhiko would spare his life.
Withdrawing the katana, Uchiha Kazuhiko stared intently into the bandit's eyes and asked in a low voice,
"Where is the Hundred Blades Gang's hideout? How many people are there? Are there any ninjas inside?"
Almost before Uchiha Kazuhiko finished speaking, the bandit impatiently spilled everything he knew:
"Ninja-sama, our Hundred Blades Gang has 132 people. The stronghold is in the valley to the northeast. There are no ninjas. Our boss is a samurai."
Generally, mission posters assign missions of different ranks based on the corresponding content.
They only deliberately conceal information and post missions where the rank doesn't match the reality under special circumstances.
In those cases, it easily brings danger to the team executing the mission. If losses are severe, the ninja village that accepted the mission might even send ANBU ninjas to hunt down the mission poster as a warning to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Therefore, the absence of ninjas among the bandits was quite consistent with this mission's rank.
Out of caution, Uchiha Kazuhiko didn't immediately believe the bandit. After asking a bunch of other questions, he suddenly changed the subject, confirming again,
"Are you sure there are really no ninjas in the stronghold?"
"Really none, Ninja-sama! Otherwise, we wouldn't have been driven out of the Falling Stone Mountains by the Black Blade Bandit Group from the Land of Rivers."
The bandit's answer was consistent with his previous statement, making the intelligence highly credible.
After collecting the desired information, this bandit had lost his value.
Looking at the bandit whose eyes pleaded with him, Uchiha Kazuhiko's heart inevitably stirred. The thought of imminently ending the other's life caused his body to tremble slightly uncontrollably.
He took several deep breaths. Finally, Uchiha Kazuhiko made his decision. His right hand swung out, and a kunai accurately embedded itself in the bandit's throat.
Staring at the bandit's corpse with unseeing eyes, Uchiha Kazuhiko, having completed his mental metamorphosis, stopped trembling. Only one thought remained in his mind:
"From now on, I am no longer the ordinary person from my previous life. I am Uchiha Kazuhiko, fighting with all my might to control my own destiny."