Chapter 13: Minato Namikaze
After hearing Mikoto's request, Qingshui paused briefly in thought before nodding and agreeing.
"Given our relationship, this small matter is naturally not a problem."
The reason he agreed was that Qingshui felt he genuinely needed some practical experience.
Actual combat is the best way to test one's strength.
Over the past month, through his continuous efforts, his current strength had significantly improved compared to a year ago.
According to Kosuke Maruboshi, he was now almost on par with a Jonin.
Of course, the more important point was that this mission was heading to the Land of Rain.
Perhaps he would encounter Nagato then, use the Copy Scroll on him, and be lucky enough to copy a pair of Rinnegan.
One must still have dreams; after all, if successful, the cost-effectiveness would be much higher than copying a Sharingan.
Even if he didn't meet Nagato, it wouldn't be too late to use it on Mikoto later.
Hearing this, an excited smile appeared on Mikoto's face.
"That's wonderful! Thank you, Qingshui. I'll treat you to a meal after the mission is complete."
"Mikoto, haven't you heard the phrase 'beauty is a feast for the eyes'?'"
The moment Qingshui finished speaking, a blush immediately spread across Mikoto's delicate face, making her look even more beautiful and alluring.
Seeing her shy reaction, Qingshui did not continue teasing her.
"Mikoto, wait for me for a moment. I need to go ask the Vice Director for leave first."
Konoha is located within the Land of Fire, and the Land of Rain is one of the smaller countries situated next to the Land of Fire.
Even with a ninja's speed, traveling abroad takes several days.
Not to mention, this mission involves escorting a merchant caravan, which will only slow them down further.
Qingshui certainly couldn't just leave for such a long period without notifying the Konoha Hospital.
"Qingshui, is something the matter?"
Minako Fukada, who was currently working, smiled immediately upon seeing Qingshui come to find her and asked.
Since Tsunade instructed her to focus on developing Qingshui, she had taken it to heart and had been paving the way for him.
However, because Qingshui's current experience was too shallow, he hadn't received an actual promotion yet.
Otherwise, even with her status, it would be difficult to gain the respect of everyone.
Fortunately, Qingshui's medical skills were solid, and he was kind in his dealings, so everyone had a good impression of him.
Future promotion would not be an issue.
"Director Fukada, I plan to go out on a C-rank mission and will need to take a leave of absence for a period of time; I won't be able to come to work."
Hearing this, Minako frowned.
Qingshui was someone Tsunade favored. What if he encountered an accident during the mission?
In terms of combat, medical ninjas were definitely inferior to combat ninjas.
After all, simply learning medical ninjutsu consumed a massive amount of energy and time—where would one find the time to learn other ninjutsu?
Moreover, she clearly remembered that before becoming a medical ninja, Qingshui was just an ordinary Genin.
He had initially decided to study medicine precisely because his talent in combat was lacking.
Therefore, she wanted to dissuade him.
However, Qingshui had already made up his mind and wouldn't change it based on a few words from her.
In the end, having no choice, she granted the leave.
At the same time, she reassured herself that it was only a C-rank mission, and nothing unexpected would happen.
After getting permission, Qingshui did not leave directly with Mikoto but instead went home first.
Since he was heading out on a mission, he naturally needed to prepare beforehand.
By the time Qingshui arrived at the rendezvous point agreed upon with Mikoto, the others had already gathered.
But what surprised Qingshui was that there was an acquaintance among Mikoto's squad.
"Minato, why are you here?"
Back during the Second Great Shinobi War, Qingshui's squad had executed missions alongside Jiraiya's team, which is how he came to know Minato Namikaze.
At that time, Qingshui didn't have the Binding System, so he deeply understood the importance of clinging to a strong figure.
Naturally, he paid extra attention to Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage.
"Brother Qingshui, long time no see. I'm now a member of Sister Mikoto's squad."
Minato greeted Qingshui with a bright, sunny smile.
Back then, his teacher Jiraiya needed to perform high-level missions on the battlefield, so it was impossible for him to bring along the three Genin.
Fortunately, Brother Qingshui took great care of them, guiding them through missions like an older brother.
In fact, if it hadn't been for Brother Qingshui, he would have nearly died during the war.
After the war ended, having lost his teammates and with his teacher Jiraiya currently absent from the village, he had to train on his own.
He was quite surprised when the Third Hokage assigned him to Mikoto's squad recently.
"I see."
Qingshui nodded, then looked at the other two members of Mikoto's squad—a boy and a girl—who appeared even younger than Minato.
"Hello, my name is Hirakawa Qingshui. You can call me Brother Qingshui, just like Minato does."
"I am Yuuki Mukai, the future Fourth Hokage."
The other boy declared confidently.
It was clear that this was a very self-assured young boy.
"To be able to carry out a mission with the future Hokage, it seems my luck is quite good."
Qingshui replied with a smile.
Yuuki Mukai, feeling validated, immediately showed a smug expression.
"Brother Qingshui, for this mission, you just need to take care of the client. Leave the protection work to me; I'm very strong."
"That's very reliable of you, Yuuki-kun."
"Hello, Brother Qingshui, I am Ayame Sasaki."
The remaining girl quickly followed suit.
However, compared to Yuuki Mukai, she seemed a bit more introverted and stopped speaking after her introduction.
Qingshui didn't mind and responded to her with a smile.
Although it was his first time meeting Ayame Sasaki, Qingshui had heard about her from Mikoto before.
She was the youngest member of the squad, a Genin who had just graduated this year and was assigned to Mikoto's team from the start.
She was also the only girl who survived among Mikoto's initial three students.
After getting acquainted with Mikoto's squad, Qingshui was led by Mikoto to meet the client for the mission.
This was a middle-aged man with a worried expression.
"My name is Jūhachirō Ide, and this is my son, Hiroya Ide."
Jūhachirō Ide was a food merchant from the Land of Rain.
This trip to the Land of Fire was for restocking supplies.
Unlike the favorable environment of the Land of Fire, it rained constantly in the Land of Rain, and the sun was visible only for short periods.
This environment made it impossible to grow grain in the Land of Rain, preventing self-sufficiency.
Consequently, a large number of food merchants like Jūhachirō Ide had emerged.
In the past, he always came to the Land of Fire to purchase goods alone.
This time, he only brought his son along because the boy was genuinely curious about the Land of Fire and had pleaded constantly.
As a result, the environment of the Land of Fire was an eye-opener for Hiroya Ide, who had never left the Land of Rain before, and he accidentally broke his leg.
"I trouble the ninja-sama to look after my son during the journey."
"Don't worry, I will take good care of your son."
Qingshui smiled gently.
His smile seemed infectious, causing the worried Jūhachirō Ide to finally let out a sigh of relief, and the look of distress on his face noticeably faded.