stonecrandall Chapter 44 Mission Day 1
Chapter 44 Mission Day 1
Back home, Taiichi pondered the details of the mission.
Mission: Escort Supplies
Content: Masao Ishihara of the Ishihara family in the Land of Rivers has purchased 1000 tons of grain in the Land of Fire and now needs a small team of genin to escort him safely to Kinsho Castle in the Land of Rivers. The team consists of 60 coachmen and 45 guards.
Grade: C
要求：于木叶44年5月23日上午8时集合出发，9日内安全将货物——1000吨大米送抵目的地。
Compensation: 50,000 taels
Judging from the mission description, although there are a lot of supplies, their value is not very high, so there shouldn't be any intense battles. Therefore, Taiyi prepared his equipment according to the standard mission plan, and to prevent any unexpected situations, he even brought twice the amount of supplies.
Looking at the supplies on the table: six kunai, twenty shuriken, a roll of wire, five explosive tags, a bottle of external wound medicine, a bottle of antidote pills, three rolls of bandages, and a bottle of soldier's ration pills.
Taiyi looked at the supplies and thought for a moment. Perhaps it was because he was too nervous about going out of the village for the first time to do a mission, and he felt uneasy. So Taiyi prepared another set of supplies according to the list and sealed it in the storage scroll along with the change of clothes he had prepared in advance.
It's only because Taiyi is now rich that he has bought a lot of supplies and storage scrolls, which allows him to be so calm and collected.
Then, place the supplies and storage scrolls on the table one by one into the most convenient place in your ninja tool bag. Only then will the preparations for tomorrow's mission be complete.
After finishing all that, it was already noon. Taiyi made himself lunch, and after eating, he went out to exercise.
There are no missions this afternoon, so I should finish my training early and get some rest. Although it's just a C-rank escort mission, it still requires leaving the village and takes quite a while, so maintaining sufficient stamina and chakra is essential.
……
At 7:45 a.m. the next day, at the gates of Konoha.
Although it was early morning, crowds were already flowing in and out of Konoha's gates. The most conspicuous sight was the convoy of cars lined up outside the gates.
This was a large convoy, consisting of more than fifty carriages, lined up along the roadside in a grand procession. A rough count showed that there were more than forty guards on both sides of the carriages alone.
That's true. With such a long convoy, a single genin squad couldn't possibly cover both ends. Under normal circumstances, their squad would probably serve mostly as a deterrent.
"Taiyi, here, here."
Taiichi withdrew his gaze from the convoy and turned to look at Yohei and Saori, who had called out to him. As he got closer, he noticed their tired faces and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Did you have insomnia last night?"
"Ugh, stop talking. I was so excited all night, and I only managed to get some sleep before dawn," Yang Ping said, feeling frustrated.
"I'm about the same," Saori said, a little embarrassed.
"Haha, you'll get used to it. You'll get used to it after doing more of these kinds of missions," Taiyi said with a smile, trying to comfort her.
"Everyone's here! Come with me to meet our employer." Captain Yamaguchi, who had appeared silently to the side, gave the order and led the way out of the village.
Before leaving, he handed the pre-prepared mission certificate and village exit permit to the gatekeeper ninja for inspection, and only walked out of the gate after all the formalities were completed.
"Remember this: ninjas must report before leaving the village, and those leaving for missions must provide both mission documentation and a leave permit. Otherwise, leaving the village without permission will be considered a rogue ninja if the offense is serious," Captain Yamaguchi instructed Taichi and the other two.
As they approached the convoy, three people—two adults and one child—walked towards them. Leading them was Masao Ishihara, the person who had commissioned the mission. Also present was a beautiful woman holding a young boy's hand.
"Mr. Ishihara, may I ask who these two are? They don't seem to be mentioned in the mission description." Yamaguchi Seisuke asked, frowning. This was something no ninja wanted to encounter—the actual situation didn't match the mission description.
"They are my wife and children. They came along to broaden their horizons. There shouldn't be any problems, right?" Masao Ishihara said somewhat nervously.
"You should have specified that in the mission description so we could be better prepared," Captain Yamaguchi said seriously.
"I'm so sorry, I'll definitely be more careful next time," Masao Ishihara sincerely apologized.
Captain Yamaguchi nodded without saying much. He checked the time and said, "Mr. Ishihara, I'll take the team to inspect the convoy first, and then we can set off."
"Okay, thank you for your help, Captain Yamaguchi," Ishihara said politely.
Taiichi and his two companions followed Captain Yamaguchi as they toured the convoy, getting to know each member and listening to Captain Yamaguchi's continuous sharing of experience.
"Before setting off on an escort mission, make sure you are as familiar as possible with all the people accompanying you. This will reduce the chances of making mistakes during the mission. Otherwise, if an enemy manages to infiltrate using a transformation technique, you won't even know it..."
Taiichi and his two companions listened quietly. This was the culmination of a Jonin's life experience—knowledge that could save your life. As they listened, they put it into practice, and all felt they had gained a great deal.
After the inspection ended, the convoy officially set off, making the already long convoy even longer, with the beginning and end completely indistinguishable.
"Taiichi, Yohei, you two stand 100 meters behind us and escort the convoy. Saori and I will stay in the middle of the convoy to provide support," Captain Yamaguchi instructed.
"Yes." Taiyi and the other two didn't hesitate and left immediately as instructed.
Taiichi, who had arrived at the front of the caravan, sat atop a carriage and gazed into the distance. Behind him, the gates of Konoha gradually receded into the distance, and the trees on both sides grew from sparse to lush. This was Taiichi's first time traveling so far, and he was filled with curiosity about everything.
But Taiichi did not forget his duty, spreading his senses and keeping a watchful eye on everything around him.
Gradually, as time went by, the monotonous scenery began to permeate Taiyi's mind. Even the most interesting things become tiresome after a while. Besides, he had to remain vigilant at all times.
I wonder how Yangping is doing. He must be so bored all alone in the back. Tai thought to himself.
Unbeknownst to Taiyi, Yangping was currently chatting and laughing with the guards and grooms around him. They were simply too far away for Taiyi to hear.
As afternoon approached, Taiyi, unable to bear it any longer, used his Shadow Clone Technique to finally escape the tedious vigilance. Under the resentful gaze of his shadow clone, he continued practicing his nature transformation techniques.
At that moment, a small whirlwind appeared in his hand, sometimes clear, sometimes violent, which amazed the surrounding guards. So this was what a ninja was like.
At night, they set up camp, with all the large carts forming a large circle to protect everyone inside.
By the campfire, Yangping was excitedly recounting the interesting stories he had learned from the guards at the gate that day. Taiyi also realized that he had been foolishly keeping a close watch on his surroundings without saying a word.
Captain Yamaguchi and Saori listened to Yohei's story with great interest. Only after Yohei finished did Taichi interject, "Captain, is this how we've been planning our journey?" The implication was that it was too simple and boring.
"We're in the Land of Fire right now, so it's not a big problem yet. But once we enter the Land of Rivers, you'll have to be on your guard," the captain warned. "The Land of Rivers isn't as peaceful as our own country; there are plenty of bandits there."
Taiyi seemed to be deep in thought; it seemed the key to the mission lay in the second half.
At this moment, Masao Ishihara arrived with his wife and son to Taichi and the others: "Captain Yamaguchi, thank you for your escort. Tonight is the first night, so it's relatively safe. Everyone, relax." As he spoke, he looked at the guards and grooms who were singing and dancing around the campfire on the other side.
Yangping felt a strong urge to join in, glanced at the team leader, and seeing that he didn't object, he went over and started playing with everyone.
At this moment, Mrs. Ishihara took the little boy's hand and sat down next to Saori, speaking softly.
Taiichi and Yamaguchi exchanged a glance: "Then, Captain, I'll go on guard duty first, and you can relieve me later."
Seeing Captain Yamaguchi nod, Taiichi came to the perimeter of the caravan and began patrolling around the carriages.
The ninja world is free from environmental pollution, so the night sky is filled with stars, and a bright moon hangs in the sky. Who would have thought that the huge celestial body was actually created by man, and that the progenitor of chakra in the ninja world, Kaguya Otsutsuki, is sealed inside it?
The crowd remained lively for another hour before gradually calming down. After all, they had to continue their journey the next day, so everyone went to rest, and the guards were assigned to night duty.
Nothing happened that night. At dawn, Yangping came to relieve Taiyi on guard duty, and Taiyi went to his tent to rest.