At the Hokage Tower.
In front of the building stood a well-decorated carriage large enough to hold six adults, pulled by two strong horses.
"What?! Genin?! Four genin?!"
"I paid you 80,000 ryō, eighty thousand! And you give me four genin?!"
A plump middle-aged man slammed his hand on the mission office director's desk.
Nara Yōsuke raised his hands helplessly.
"Mr. Mizutani, this assignment was personally arranged by the Hokage. Please rest assured—we believe in this team's abilities."
"Bullshit! Even an idiot knows a team should at least have one chūnin leading it! How can there be a team of four genin?!"
Yōsuke's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Mr. Mizutani seems to know quite a lot about ninja matters."
If he remembered correctly, Mizutani Shōto had only visited the Land of Fire twice before. This was his first time coming to Konoha.
Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't know such details.
"Of course I do!" Mizutani snorted.
"You think I only do business in your Land of Fire?!"
"My apologies," Yōsuke replied calmly.
"But you can trust this team led by Bai Xing. His ability has long been enough for promotion to chūnin. He just has… certain personal reasons for wanting to wait."
"What kind of reason?" Mizutani suddenly felt uneasy.
"That's confidential. But you can rest assured—Genin Bai Xing has a 100% mission completion rate."
The moment he heard that—
Mizutani stopped arguing.
"Hiss—"
He inhaled sharply.
"Could he be one of those eccentric genius ninja?"
"Something like that," Yōsuke said while wiping sweat from his forehead.
If I told you Bai Xing refuses promotion because his ninjutsu might fail during the Chūnin Exam, you'd explode.
"In any case, if there are no objections, we'll proceed as planned."
"Fine," Mizutani said, crossing his arms.
"If this is the Hokage's arrangement, there must be a reason. I'm placing my safety in the hands of Konoha's ninja."
"Then departure is set for 12:00 noon today at the western village gate."
After finishing the discussion, Mizutani left the Hokage Tower.
Nearby, Bai Xing—who had been disguised as a chūnin using the Transformation Technique while pretending to read the mission board—quietly dispelled the transformation.
"So? I handled the client for you," Yōsuke said.
"You know I hate missions outside the village," Bai Xing replied. "My strength isn't enough."
"There's no helping it," Yōsuke said with a grin.
"You already accepted the mission. You can't just refuse it now."
His gaze drifted toward the mission board, his eyes dimming slightly.
"Come back alive, Genin Bai Xing."
"Don't raise death flags."
"You're saying weird things again."
Konoha — Western Gate
The large wooden gates stood open.
During wartime, the village was on high alert. Everyone passing through the gate underwent strict inspections.
Once Bai Xing met the client and his group, both sides exchanged simple introductions.
"My name is A-Jin," said one black-haired man carrying a sword. "I'm Master Mizutani's bodyguard—and also the coachman."
"I'm A-Yin," said the other.
The two men were twin brothers, both armed and clearly skilled fighters who served as Mizutani's guards.
"I see. That's clear enough. Let's depart," Bai Xing said.
After completing the necessary paperwork, the carriage convoy finally left the village.
The late-June heat mixed with a cool breeze that rustled the green forests along the road.
Inside the Carriage
Mizutani soon asked why the team consisted of two girls and one young man.
Bai Xing explained that Dai's situation was similar to his own—they both lacked certain qualifications that prevented promotion.
This surprised Mizutani slightly.
"Miss Uchiha," he asked curiously, "don't you mind that your teacher is only a genin?"
"I don't," Mikoto replied.
"Teacher Bai Xing is strong. Rank is just a title—being chūnin doesn't automatically make someone stronger than a genin."
Nono nodded beside her.
"Teacher Bai Xing is really strong!"
Dai added proudly:
"Don't underestimate him just because he's a genin."
Hearing that, Mizutani looked at Bai Xing thoughtfully.
What kind of charisma does this kid have to earn such admiration from three genin?
On the Road
Ahead of the carriage, A-Jin handled the reins while A-Yin walked beside the vehicle with a sword in hand.
The road grew rougher, causing the carriage to sway more violently.
Their destination was the Land of Hot Water.
To reach it, they first needed to cross territory belonging to the Land of Iron and travel to a port city called Iron Ridge Fortress, where they would board a ship.
Iron Ridge Fortress lay in a mountainous region near the sea.
Despite its strategic position, the town itself was economically modest. The clothing of pedestrians on the streets made that obvious.
Unlike the scorching summer in the Land of Fire, the temperature here felt like early autumn—only around 4–5°C, as if snow might fall within days.
Meanwhile — A Tavern in Iron Ridge
Near the center of the fortress city stood a small tavern.
Colorful lights hung outside—clearly indicating it wasn't exactly a respectable establishment.
Inside a private room, three dark-skinned men were drinking loudly while dancers performed in front of them.
After a while, the leader—wearing the tight vest typical of Kumogakure ninja—waved his hand for the dancers to leave.
Once the room was empty, he slung an arm around the shoulder of a nearby companion.
"Haha! See, Vey, didn't I tell you the taverns in the Land of Iron are great?"
The dark-skinned young man named Vey nodded and drained his glass in one gulp.
"Refreshing!"
But then his mood turned slightly gloomy.
"It's a shame the Cloud Village didn't participate in the Second Ninja War."
"The villages next door—Konoha, Iwagakure, and those smaller countries—are probably fighting like crazy right now."
"I'm jealous! Hahaha!"
"Relax," said the third man, a blond ninja wearing the same blue-and-white vest.
"Be grateful we avoided the war. And keep your voice down—we're here on a mission."
There was no doubt about their rank.
Their flak jackets were the type worn by chūnin and above.
"Hmph," the bald leader said coldly while drinking.
"We're here on a mission, sure—but the target hasn't arrived yet. What's wrong with relaxing a bit?"
"Besides…"
"It's just a team of four genin."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
He smirked.
"Right, Ritsu?"
"You don't need to remind me, Captain Ayai."
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