First Mission

"Sunagakure currently had the intention Satoru mentioned, but they would only act once Amegakure had us Konoha pinned down and at a disadvantage."

Orochimaru took out another small map and spread it beside the mission documents. The locations of the Five Great Nations and the various smaller countries were clearly marked on it.

"Until then, they would not commit themselves fully against Amegakure. Instead, they would drag their feet or even deliberately create conflicts to steer Amegakure's forces toward us."

Orochimaru ran a finger along the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain, then tapped the Land of Rain.

"You all know that the Five Great Nations are the five strongest countries, and their hidden villages are likewise the five strongest."

The three nodded. Orochimaru continued, "But that is overall strength. In terms of individual power, Amegakure has a man regarded as the current 'pinnacle of the Shinobi World'..."

His slit pupils narrowed slightly. Orochimaru unconsciously licked his lips, a sinister curve rising at the corner of his mouth.

"The leader of Amegakure, known as the 'Demigod of the Shinobi World'—Hanzo of the Salamander!"

"'Demigod of the Shinobi World'..."

Satoru smacked his lips, while Nawaki and Mikoto stared in shock.

"Th-then, was he stronger than the Third Hokage?"

"The First Hokage's title back then was 'God of the Shinobi World,'" Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head. "This 'demigod' was on an entirely different level."

"As for the Third Hokage, though he had never fought Hanzō, I believed my teacher was only stronger than him—he was simply so renowned for mastering countless ninjutsu that the title 'Professor of Ninjutsu' overshadowed his true power."

"Hanzō was famous not only because of his individual strength. Do you know where his title came from?"

"Title? What title?"

Nawaki and Mikoto looked confused. Satoru could not hold it in any longer and laughed.

"The 'salamander.' That's his title. His name is Hanzō—his surname isn't Salamander."

"Oh..."

Only then did Nawaki and Mikoto understand. Orochimaru nodded.

"That's right. The salamander was Hanzō's Summoning Animal, and it was even more famous than he was."

"That thing was highly venomous. Combined with Hanzō's specially prepared poison, it was not only deadly in small-scale ninja battles—it was a terrifying weapon of mass destruction in large-scale war!"

"Hanzō had even beaten the Land of Iron into retreat, but it was a neutral country with a rather harsh living environment. He gained little from that move."

Though he was called the "Poison Master" among Konoha's Gambler, Pervy Sage, and Poison Master, Orochimaru did not actually use poison as his primary means of attack.

He was merely devious enough to poison all his ninja tools. The "poison" in that title referred more to the poison in his heart.

On the other hand, Tsunade, a Medical Ninja, had profound expertise in poison.

After all, medicine and poison went hand in hand.

"Furthermore, Amegakure's environment is highly unusual." Orochimaru pointed upward. "There were almost no clear days there. It rained all year round."

"Fighting in that environment gave Amegakure a very obvious advantage."

"That was why Hanzō had been so confident in declaring war on both Konoha and Sunagakure at once."

Satoru stroked his chin and nodded. What Orochimaru had said was essentially the judgment Konoha's higher-ups had reached after such a long period of localized border conflicts.

"So in other words, our mission would not only require us to cross the Land of Rain, where we would almost certainly encounter Amegakure ninja, but we might also run into Sunagakure ninja, who were effectively enemies?"

Nawaki and Mikoto came to their senses. This was practically battle merit delivered straight to their doorstep!

There was no way Amegakure and Sunagakure would let them complete their mission in peace!

"Exactly. The mission route had to pass through two conflict zones, so this was a genuine Rank A mission!"

Orochimaru nodded lightly, pleased to see that his students showed no trace of fear.

"However, under normal circumstances, this was not a mission that mere genin like you could handle."

When he said "mere genin," Orochimaru's expression became somewhat strange. He knew perfectly well what level these three genin students were at now.

It was only because they were in wartime now, with no Chunin Exams being held.

"But first, the small merchant caravan we need to escort consists of only three people—more precisely, the caravan owner and his butler. The third person is his samurai guard."

Satoru and the other two widened their eyes. A merchant caravan of three people?

"In other words, our mission objective is only to protect the caravan owner. As for the butler and the guard..."

Without continuing, Orochimaru gave a cold smile. "If necessary, your own safety comes first!"

Satoru frowned. The current Orochimaru clearly still did not care much for the weak, even if they were people he was supposed to escort.

What he cared about now was only the lives of his companions, and in the future...

But wasn't Satoru the same?

Risking his life to complete a mission... Heh.

"Well? Are you confident?"

"Of course!"

Nawaki pounded his chest confidently. "We've trained so hard. It's time to test the results!"

"We'll definitely complete the mission!" Mikoto said firmly. "I definitely won't disgrace the Uchiha Clan!"

Mikoto was full of confidence. Over this recent period, Brother Fugaku had taught her many of the Uchiha Clan's combat techniques without holding anything back.

Moreover, Mikoto had learned from Fugaku that the Uchiha Clan, as members of the Military Police Force, could not take the field in this war.

As for Uchiha clansmen who were not members of the Military Police Force, they too were subtly restricted, and most of them lacked sufficient strength and talent.

That meant that, as the only Uchiha currently able to appear on the battlefield, Mikoto's performance was, to some extent, the Uchiha's performance!

I definitely won't let Brother Fugaku down!

Mikoto silently made up her mind.

Orochimaru and Satoru exchanged an unreadable glance at Mikoto.

Having been personally informed by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Orochimaru naturally knew what was going on.

Satoru did not know the details too clearly, but anything involving the Uchiha would become sensitive.

"Fine... We'll talk after meeting the client tomorrow. Hopefully, there won't be too many fools coming to interfere with our mission."

Satoru nodded. Though it was a Rank A mission, Orochimaru was on an entirely different level from ordinary jonin.

With the three of them, who were no ordinary genin, this Rank A mission was actually manageable.

Satoru only admired the merchant for still doing business at a time like this. He headed wherever danger lay—truly someone who wanted money more than life.

"Very well. Dismissed!"

After returning, Satoru specifically went to see his three friends: Akimichi Choza, Shikaku Nara, and Inoichi Yamanaka.

They still needed at least another month of combat training before they could undergo evaluation.

The three friends expressed their envy, jealousy, and resentment toward Satoru.

For Konoha's children, being able to go to the battlefield and fight desperately to protect the village was an immensely glorious thing.

But in truth, Satoru, who had been forced onto the battlefield ahead of time, was the most helpless one.

Still, since he had to go to war, the rest could wait until he came back alive.

Satoru chatted with the three of them and left Choza enough specially made magic bread before saying goodbye.

Early the next morning, Satoru and the other two arrived at the village entrance.

Before long, Orochimaru arrived with the client for this mission: the wealthy merchant Mr. Ito, his butler, and his guard.

Satoru's first mission as a ninja—and also his first Rank A mission—was about to begin.