C-Rank Mission (2)

"One hundred thousand ryō!" Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said.

Hearing that number and seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression, it was obvious that he had even paid some of it out of his own pocket to appease Kushina.

Chiga felt a little sympathetic toward the old man's well-intentioned efforts. He tugged at Kushina's sleeve.

"Alright, we'll take this mission!"

Kushina glanced at Chiga, stuffed the scroll into an inner pocket of her ninja vest, and led him out of the Hokage Office.

After Kushina left, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office, staring blankly at the empty room. Something seemed off.

Given what he knew of Kushina, even Minato could not make her obediently listen with a single tug like that, much less Chiga, who was only her student.

"I didn't expect that old man to be so generous this time. He actually added that much money. Looks like next time we take a mission, we should make a fuss too!"

Once they were out of the Hokage Building, Kushina grinned at Chiga before opening the scroll to look over the mission details.

Generally speaking, a C-Rank Mission paid anywhere from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand ryō, depending on its difficulty.

But the ordinary beast-subjugation mission in Kushina's hands was worth, at most, sixty thousand ryō.

"Teacher Kushina, when do we leave?" Chiga asked.

Kushina closed the scroll and said, "Let's go. The deadline is tight, but it isn't far from Konoha, so we have plenty of time. Go back and prepare. We'll leave after lunch."

"Alright!"

Chiga nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before the window and watched Kushina and Chiga's departing figures. He chuckled. "Interesting. It seems that little fellow has made Kushina quite satisfied!"

Not just anyone could make Kushina cause trouble in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi like this.

Suddenly, a man wrapped head to toe in a black robe appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi. He dropped to one knee and said in a deep voice, "Hokage, what are your orders?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not turn around. He merely said calmly, "Kushina will be taking her student out on a mission for three days. Have the two Anbu assigned to protect Kushina follow them in secret. If an emergency arises, make sure they are safe!"

"Mission accepted!"

"If the situation is truly urgent, prioritize bringing Kushina back!"

"Understood!"

The man nodded, then slowly vanished from the Hokage Office.

How could a Jinchuriki leave the village without anyone protecting her? Even within the village, someone was constantly guarding Kushina.

After parting ways with Kushina, Chiga headed straight home.

Since the mission location was not far away, Chiga only returned to replenish his ninja tools and bring along a bag of Soldier Pills. These things were essential for home and travel alike.

Chiga had originally thought he would arrive much earlier than Kushina, but before he even reached Konoha's main gate, he spotted Kushina's bright red hair in the distance as she stood there looking around.

Compared to Chiga, who had never left Konoha, Kushina—whose hyperactivity had yet to be cured—was clearly much more excited.

When she saw Chiga, Kushina hurriedly registered their reason for leaving with the gate guards, then officially set off with him toward the mission site.

Along the way, Kushina did not idle around. She explained the mission details to Chiga.

A hundred kilometers from Konoha stood a tall mountain, with a small village at its foot. Since the Land of Fire was not originally a battlefield, even if enemy ninja infiltrated the country, they would not bother attacking some small village.

Therefore, the entire village consisted of ordinary people, with no ninja among them. They lived off the mountain, relying on hunting to make a living.

But recently, a strange creature had suddenly appeared in the mountains. Several hunters who went up the mountain had already died. Unable to endure it any longer, the villagers came to Konoha and posted this mission.

"It really is a simple mission," Chiga remarked after hearing this. A creature difficult for ordinary people to deal with could be easily killed by any genin.

"Chiga, that attitude is wrong! A ninja must not let their guard down because of a mission's rank."

Kushina rarely looked so serious as she solemnly told Chiga this.

Though she usually seemed carefree and rough around the edges, she was extremely cautious when it came to missions, even a small C-Rank Mission.

"Haha, it's mainly because Teacher Kushina is here."

Chiga was telling the truth. No matter how formidable the creature was, could it possibly compare to the Nine-Tails inside Kushina?

"Alright, stop flattering me. Let's hurry. We'll try to reach that village today!"

"Yes!"

Because the distance was short, the two reached the village that had posted the mission in just half a day of rapid travel.

As soon as Kushina and Chiga arrived, they received a warm welcome from the village chief.

An elderly man with a weathered face and a head full of white hair hurried forward with the support of a middle-aged man. He said politely, "You two must be the lords who accepted the mission our village posted. I am the village chief here, Takemura Katsumi. Welcome."

"Greetings, Katsumi Village Chief. I am Kushina Uzumaki, a jonin of Konoha. This is my student, Uchiha Chiga. We are the ninja who accepted your village's request."

Kushina replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

They were both village leaders, but Kushina had never been this polite to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

In Konoha, it was Kushina's home. No matter how much she messed around, it did not matter.

But outside, Kushina was a Konoha ninja, and her every word and action represented Konoha's dignity and etiquette.

"Please, come in!"

As Takemura Katsumi led Kushina and Chiga inside, he said, "It's getting late. We've prepared rooms for you both. The village is rather modest, so please make do for the night, honored ninja."

"Thank you for the trouble. If possible, we'd like to learn about that beast right away!"

Kushina followed behind him and glanced around. This was a very poor little village with a small population. If a powerful beast had truly appeared, they indeed would have had no way to resist it.

"Of course. A young hunter in the village happened to escape the beast's pursuit. I'll send someone to call him over right away."

Hearing Kushina say that, Takemura Katsumi's expression brightened, and he hurriedly gestured to the person supporting him at his side.

That person immediately turned and jogged off into the distance.

Meanwhile, Takemura Katsumi led Kushina and Chiga into a small house, chatting with Kushina as they waited.

Chiga did not join their idle conversation. Instead, he stood by the door and looked toward the distant mountains.