No Mission Without Surprises

The information reported by the ninja at the mission desk made Might Duy feel a little ashamed. Just as he was about to tell Feng Ye that he would work desperately hard and give it everything he had so he would not hold him back, Feng Ye spoke first.

"It's fine."

"Senior Duy is very strong. He can handle many situations."

Hearing Feng Ye's two sentences, Might Duy was moved to tears again. He instinctively wanted to give Feng Ye another hug, but held himself back when he remembered that it would trouble him.

Very strong...

The ninja at the mission desk's mouth twitched. This was the first time he had heard anyone describe Konoha's Eternal Genin as very strong—and it had come from a genius ninja like Feng Ye. For a moment, he had no idea how to respond.

Perhaps this was how geniuses trained. Difficult missions were no longer enough to temper themselves, so they had to bring along someone who would hold them back to sharpen themselves further.

"Hmm, there aren't many C-rank missions left either."

Feng Ye stood before the notice board and looked it over. Only a third of it was covered with C-rank mission requests, while most of it remained empty.

Though there were few requests, every one of them offered a high reward, usually around one hundred thousand ryō. Most were escort missions.

"Escort a merchant caravan from the Land of Grass back to their country, reward of one hundred fifty thousand ryō... Let's take this one."

Feng Ye studied the listings for a while before choosing the one with the highest reward.

The main purpose this time was to help Might Duy earn some money, and Feng Ye himself also needed some funds to replenish his finances. Otherwise, he would not have enough for his usual daily expenses.

Going on a scouting mission with Might Duy, who was poor in every regard except strength, would basically mean he had a hole in his head. An escort mission like this was the most suitable.

I hope nothing unexpected happens.

Feng Ye muttered inwardly. Even if something unexpected did happen, he could handle it with Might Duy by his side, but no surprises were still far more reassuring than surprises.

"This one? All right."

The ninja at the mission desk took the request form, checked the information, and registered it. "The people who posted the request are staying at the Konoha Inn right now. You can find them there."

Feng Ye nodded and called to Might Duy, "Senior, let's go."

The two left the mission desk beneath a wave of strange looks.

After Feng Ye had walked out, one of the ninjas nearby who was handing in a mission looked at the Chunin at the desk and asked, "Hey, is this really okay? You're letting him take that Eternal Genin on a mission? No matter how much of a genius he is, this seems to be his first mission, right?"

"Everything was done according to the rules."

The Chunin at the mission desk spread his hands helplessly. "There was no violation of the regulations, so there's no way I could stop him. But the merchant caravan from the Land of Grass probably won't accept them. They'll most likely come back and choose again."

"That's true."

The ninja nodded thoughtfully.

Leaving aside whether the Land of Grass caravan knew of Might Duy's reputation as the Eternal Genin, even if they did not, they would be able to tell at first glance that Might Duy was unreliable. He looked weak, while Feng Ye, though a Chunin, was very young and did not look particularly reliable either.

There was a high chance they would be turned away and asked to replace them.

Konoha Inn.

After leaving the mission office, Feng Ye led Might Duy straight there. Before long, they found the merchant caravan that had requested an escort at the Konoha Inn.

There were only seven people in the caravan. Supposedly, they had brought a batch of goods to the Land of Fire to sell, and having sold everything, they were now preparing to return to the Land of Grass.

"You're saying you accepted the escort mission?!"

A younger boy in the caravan looked at Feng Ye and Might Duy in shock. "There are only two of you?"

"Yes."

Feng Ye nodded.

The boy's eyes widened slightly as he said in dissatisfaction, "Hey, what's going on here, people of Konoha? Can the two of you really take an escort mission?!"

Might Duy stepped forward, his voice incomparably resolute. "Please rest assured. Even if I must give everything I have, I will protect everyone's safety!"

The boy still could not accept it and was about to say something else when a bearded middle-aged man suddenly leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

The boy was slightly taken aback.

The middle-aged man stopped the boy from speaking further, then smiled amiably at Feng Ye and Might Duy. "I am Urabe Daisuke, the leader of this merchant caravan. We trust in the strength of Konoha's ninjas. Our safety will be in your care from here on."

Feng Ye's brow rose almost imperceptibly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "All right. Then please cooperate with us from here on. Make your preparations, everyone. We'll meet at the village entrance tomorrow."

"Much obliged."

Urabe Daisuke nodded.

Feng Ye gestured to Might Duy, and the two promptly left the inn.

Not long after they left, the boy immediately turned to Urabe Daisuke. "Why didn't you ask Konoha to replace them? Those two ninjas look third-rate..."

"The less conspicuous they are, the better."

Urabe Daisuke looked at the boy and spoke gravely. "Funds are scarce right now. Even if we spent all our money, we could at most hire a Konoha Jonin squad for the escort. But that might draw their attention. It is better to proceed quietly like this... Please rest assured, Young Master. I will do everything in my power to return you to your territory!"

The boy's expression shifted repeatedly before he finally sighed.

Outside the Konoha Inn.

As they walked, Feng Ye said, "Oh, right, Senior Duy. Let's split the reward for this mission evenly."

"Huh?"

Might Duy froze.

Feng Ye said with a hint of apology, "I'm a little short on funds too. But if you think that won't do, Senior, you can take sixty percent."

"No, no... That's not what I meant."

Might Duy came back to his senses and hurriedly waved his hands. "Splitting it evenly is already absurd. You're the Chunin team leader."

Feng Ye smiled at that. "Then we'll split it evenly. You needn't worry too much either. There may be a chance to earn more reward money from this mission."

Might Duy, who was feeling overwhelmed by the unexpected favor of receiving half, could not help asking in confusion when he heard Feng Ye's words, "...More reward money?"

"Yes, but it's only a possibility."

Feng Ye nodded.

Because of Cell Activation, his hearing was two or three times better than an ordinary person's. He had vaguely caught what Urabe Daisuke whispered into the boy's ear.

The words had been brief, but the information they revealed was that the boy seemed to have some sort of identity as a Young Master, and this merchant caravan was not as simple as it appeared.

To be safe, the best choice would have been to switch to another mission.

However, given the results of his current training and Might Duy accompanying him, they could be said to be thoroughly prepared. Even if there were some unforeseen complications, they could handle them. And if the situation truly did not match the mission description, they could demand that the other party make up the difference for a higher-ranked mission.

Perhaps the reward from a single mission would be enough to cover more than half a year of his expenses. Once the war began, his superiors would also distribute supplies regularly, so it would basically be enough.

As for Might Duy, his expenses were not as great as Feng Ye's. With a mission like this, he likely would not need to worry about making a living for two or three years.

After weighing the pros and cons, Feng Ye reached a conclusion.

They could take this mission.