Retrieving Tsunade

"An A-rank mission?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen flicked his wrist, feeling a touch of surprise. Could they really take on A-rank missions so soon?

Fearing that Namikaze Minato might not grasp the profound implications of the squad system, Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment before offering counsel: "Minato, you would do well to reconsider."

"Leading a graduating class on a mission is fundamentally different from executing one solo; you must understand this."

"Your three team members are all promising children, but aside from Kakashi, who has been executing missions for several years, Uchiha Mai and Might Guy have only just graduated."

"To foster their growth, the initial missions should ideally be ones they can complete independently, with you, the jonin leader, merely providing support and filling in the gaps."

"Only in this way can they receive the best training. It is not about you rushing in to cut down enemies like vegetables while they cheer you on from the sidelines."

"I suggest we start with a B-rank mission instead."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke with earnest, painstaking sincerity.

When Team 7 first executed a mission outside the village, they had Kakashi as their jonin leader, and even then, the Third Hokage only assigned them a C-rank mission in the Land of Waves.

The fact that he was now willing to arrange a B-rank mission for Namikaze Minato's team showed he already held this squad in high regard.

Namikaze Minato glanced at his students, then shook his head and said, "Lord Hokage, I am certain that my students already possess the strength to complete an A-rank mission independently."

"An A-rank mission concerns the safety of the nation and the village; it requires the collaboration of one jonin or several chunin to complete. You must think this through."

"Yes, I have thought it through." Namikaze Minato nodded.

Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. It seemed Namikaze Minato was full of confidence in his team's strength.

Was it that Kakashi had made further progress and now possessed strength approaching that of a jonin, or had Uchiha Mai's strength improved to the point of rivaling Kakashi?

Hmm, both were possibilities. If that were indeed the case, and the team's coordination was sound, they might truly be capable of completing an A-rank mission.

Sarutobi Hiruzen subconsciously dismissed the possibility of Might Guy having a sudden breakthrough.

It wasn't that he looked down on Might Guy, but for this type of hardworking genius, the possibility of a sudden power spike in the early stages was virtually non-existent.

Kakashi and the Uchiha were different; both clans were prolific in producing geniuses who could improve their strength just by getting into a scuffle with some brat.

"Since that is the case, I happen to have an unassigned A-rank mission here that is quite suitable for you to take."

Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk, pondered for a moment, then pulled a document from the stack beside him and handed it to Namikaze Minato.

Uchiha Mai took a glance, but because he wasn't tall enough, he could only vaguely make out the words "protect" and "bring back."

The less composed Might Guy simply jumped up to see the contents of the document, filled with curiosity about his first mission in life.

Master Minato carefully reviewed the contents of the file and said in surprise, "Princess Tsunade hasn't returned to the village yet!?"

Tsunade?

Uchiha Mai raised an eyebrow. This mission actually had something to do with Princess Tsunade.

After finishing his review, Master Minato handed the file to Uchiha Mai beside him. Kakashi and Might Guy hurriedly leaned in; with the matter concerning Princess Tsunade, one of the strongest in Konoha, no one could remain indifferent.

The document stated the requirements of the mission: bring back Princess Tsunade, who was currently in Tanzaku Town, or if she could not be brought back, remain there to protect her.

There was no time limit for the mission, and the reward was tiered: 800,000 ryo for bringing her back, or a monthly bonus of 80,000 ryo for the squad if they remained to protect her.

Bringing her back was clearly the more cost-effective option.

Sarutobi Hiruzen crossed his fingers and sighed: "This is not an easy mission to complete, but its difficulty and nature are well-suited for your team."

"After the Second Shinobi World War ended, Princess Tsunade became despondent and has spent her days drifting between major gambling dens. Not long ago, intelligence arrived from a ninja who spotted her tracks in Tanzaku Town."

"The scent of gunpowder has grown heavier recently, and the village urgently needs Princess Tsunade to return to provide a deterrent to other shinobi villages."

There was a hint of worry in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, and Uchiha Mai understood what the Third Hokage was concerned about.

The timeline before Shippuden was rather chaotic; in his past life, some believed the Sannin left Konoha after the Second Shinobi World War, while others thought they hadn't.

Since Uchiha Mai had transmigrated, he had constantly heard news of Jiraiya and Orochimaru from the elders of his clan; these two should not have left Konoha yet.

Princess Tsunade, however, was rarely mentioned; she had likely left Konoha in a substantive sense, much like a professional athlete retiring from the sport.

Without the Sannin, no matter how many geniuses the new generation of Konoha had, they could not fight four nations at once.

Dan Katō and Nawaki had both died in the Second Shinobi World War, and ever since then, Princess Tsunade had suffered from Hemophobia, her combat effectiveness greatly diminished.

She was the only one of the Sannin with a reason to leave Konoha, and the only one to leave before the shinobi world was completely settled, yet Konoha had not been in a rush to bring her back.

But now, the situation was different.

The landscape of the shinobi world was becoming increasingly chaotic. Although Princess Tsunade's return might not bring much substantive help to Konoha, it could strategically constrain the deployments of other shinobi villages.

Princess Tsunade did indeed have Hemophobia, but who knew that?

Furthermore, leaving Princess Tsunade out there—what if something went wrong one day, and she was assassinated by a few jonin from an enemy village?

There were idiots who would try to stab a Susanoo with a Kunai; one couldn't rule out the possibility of some chunin or jonin idiots daring to assassinate Princess Tsunade.

Konoha was currently bluffing, holding a 3 and a 4 in Texas Hold'em while pretending to have a pair of Kings. Despite their excellent acting, they could only bluff some experts.

The real fear was an opponent who didn't care about the losses and would go all-in just to see your hole cards. It was safer to bring her back.

"Very well."

Namikaze Minato clapped his hands together and promised, "Although this isn't the type of mission I most wanted to take, this one is also quite good."

"Within a week, we will definitely bring Lady Tsunade back."

Master Minato was full of confidence; how hard could it be to bring one person back? As a Konoha ninja, would Lady Tsunade really dare to defy the Hokage's orders?

Sarutobi Hiruzen was amused by Master Minato's misplaced confidence. If the Hokage's words were truly effective, this mission wouldn't have been ranked as an A-level task.

"Half a month—no, let's say a month. If you bring her back within a month, the mission is considered complete."

"If you fail to bring her back, your team must remain by Tsunade's side. Wherever she goes, you must follow, and you must ensure her safety at all costs."

"Yes!"

With the mission accepted, Master Minato gave his students a few instructions, set the departure time, and dismissed the team to make their final preparations.

When they gathered the next day, Uchiha Mai and Kakashi were both calm, while Might Guy was far more excited, chattering incessantly to his teammates.

"My dad said that Lady Tsunade is Konoha's most powerful taijutsu expert and medical ninja, and the dream lover of countless Konoha shinobi."

"I really want to reach Tanzaku Town as soon as possible and ask Lady Tsunade for guidance."