First Mission

Early the next morning, after washing up and getting ready, Torikaze set off for the place he had agreed to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Since they were heading out on a mission, robes would definitely be inconvenient, so Torikaze changed into the standard ninja combat uniform of the village.

Remarkably, there really was a ninja combat uniform at home that fit someone his age.

When he reached the meeting place, Torikaze was surprised to discover that he was the last to arrive. He had thought he was already early.

He had not expected these people to be even earlier.

Among the group, Torikaze spotted a very familiar figure.

"Hey, Torikaze!"

Chisato waved happily, signaling for Torikaze to hurry over.

"Chisato? Why are you here too?"

Torikaze was quite confused. Hiruzen Sarutobi should not have agreed to this.

Chisato clenched her little fists threateningly. "My brother agreed to let me come, and no one else has any objections. You don't have any objections either, right?"

Facing Chisato's "threat," Torikaze put on a frightened expression and quickly said, "Of course not, of course not. With Chisato here, we'll definitely finish this mission easily."

Kagami could not stand watching any longer. He reached out and thoroughly ruffled Chisato's hair, leaving it a complete mess.

"Remember this, Chisato! This time, you have to stay right by my side. I'm not expecting you to kill any Mountain Bandits. Just make sure you don't get killed yourself."

Chisato was neither angry nor argumentative over her brother's lack of trust. She merely said that she would behave herself.

Torikaze raised an eyebrow. Chisato was acting very strangely.

Actually, Chisato did not want to be so meek either, but who knew how much she had begged and pleaded the previous night before her brother agreed to bring her along.

She had tried every method imaginable, from threats to bribes, before Kagami Uchiha reluctantly agreed.

Torikaze had actually anticipated this. A competitive girl like Chisato would never miss an opportunity like this.

The main reason Hiruzen agreed to Chisato's unreasonable request was Kagami Uchiha's guarantee that he alone would take responsibility for Chisato's safety during the mission.

"All right, since everyone's here, let's set off!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said enthusiastically. After all, this counted as their graduation exam! If not for the heavy Chakra consumption yesterday,

he would probably already be in the Mountain Bandits' den by now!

Everyone checked their equipment pouches. They had brought enough Shuriken, Kunai, Exploding Tags, and the like.

There were also enough Soldier Pills for the round trip.

With everything ready, Konoha's gates slowly opened, and Torikaze and Chisato formally set foot on the path of carrying out missions for the first time.

They were only fortunate enough to have been born in a relatively peaceful era. Before the village was established, six-year-old children had already been sent to the Battlefield to kill enemies.

Ninjas of that era were considered long-lived if they made it to thirty. How tragic.

They took the main road, so they traveled quickly. It was worth mentioning that ever since awakening the system, Torikaze had no longer had any spare time to play in that forest from before.

Every day was filled with all kinds of training.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowed his pace and said to everyone, "Come closer, everyone. I'll tell you the specific Intelligence. My father got it."

The others immediately did as he said. Hiruzen's father, Sarutobi Sasuke, was an extremely powerful ninja in the village and also the head of the Sarutobi Clan.

He had led the Sarutobi Clan into Konoha and enjoyed tremendous prestige within the village.

As for the Intelligence Hiruzen mentioned, it had probably come from some bounty organization or the Black Market.

Those Intelligence dealers wished war would break out every day so they could profit from it.

"Of the five samurai, their leader is comparable to a First-Rate Ninja in the village. The rest are nothing to worry about."

Everyone nodded in understanding. Hiruzen and the others had dealt with many samurai before, but most of them were merely useless trash.

They had none of a samurai's bearing and were utterly incapable of putting up a fight.

"The two Rogue Ninjas from Sunagakure are twin brothers. One specializes in Fire Release, while the other specializes in Wind Release. They work together extremely well."

"After escaping Sunagakure's pursuit, they fled into the Land of Fire and claimed a mountain as their stronghold."

"Their combined Wind and Fire attack is extremely powerful. Be especially careful and separate them before taking them down!"

"Understood!"

The Intelligence consisted of only a few short lines, but it was enough to give everyone an idea of the enemy's strength.

That would prevent them from becoming careless and suffering irreversible consequences.

After thinking for a moment, Kagami spoke. "The main purpose of a Wind and Fire combination is to strengthen the fire. If we have sufficiently powerful Water Release to suppress it, they won't be much of a threat."

"Koharu, you specialize in Water Release. Can you suppress them successfully?" Danzo asked from the side.

Utatane Koharu shook her head uncertainly. "I can't judge without fighting them, but I can reduce the power of their Ninjutsu."

The greatest taboo during a mission was boasting or failing to recognize one's own strength.

If someone rashly took on an important task in team combat and ultimately failed, it would become a fatal crisis for the entire team!

"I specialize in Water Release too. Sister Koharu and I should be able to do it," Torikaze said calmly from the side.

Hiruzen smiled. "Little Torikaze! I never expected you to be skilled in Water Release too?"

"More accurately, I'm skilled in all five types of Ninjutsu." Though this sounded like boasting, no one looked down on Torikaze for it.

Everyone had personally witnessed Torikaze's strength, so naturally, they believed him.

During his previous spar with Hiruzen, they had only seen a portion of his Crystal Release Ninjutsu. As for Torikaze's true strength,

to be honest, they still only had a vague understanding of it.

But a qualified ninja should be like Torikaze, never letting anyone know their true strength!

Koharu smiled. "If we can't separate the two of them and take them down individually, then Torikaze and I will use Water Release to deal with them."

Everyone nodded. Although their battle plan was not yet very refined, it should be enough to complete this mission.

After that, they stopped chatting and focused on traveling.

Meanwhile, Chisato sulked as she ran. She was somewhat angry at how everyone had ignored her earlier.

But there was nothing she could do. She had insisted on coming along shamelessly. If she could join the team through strength like Torikaze, she would probably be acknowledged too.

How lamentable. A Genius of the Uchiha Clan like her could only rely on throwing tantrums and making a scene.

The gap between her and Torikaze truly was enormous.

If I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, perhaps I could catch up to Torikaze in strength?

Chisato thought to herself, but awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan was incredibly difficult. Even her brother had not awakened it yet. It was impossible for her to awaken it before him, wasn't it?

No matter what, I'll do my very best and show my worth in this mission.

Though Chisato was rather humble, pride was an attribute that flowed through the blood of the Uchiha Clan.

Kagami turned to look at his puffed-up sister and could not help smiling faintly.

Keep it up, Chisato. Let me see just how far you can go.