Hinata's First Mission Experience

"Even the Hokage..." Hinata quietly repeated Uchiha Jie's words.

"Alright, alright, you're still a long way from becoming Hokage. At best, you're a Genin, and you might not even be able to beat Sasuke Uchiha in a fight right now."

Uchiha Jie patted Hinata's head, dispelling her fantasies, and continued to instruct her:

"Also, you need to go to bed early today. Since I think you have the strength of a Genin, I'll take you on a Genin mission tomorrow."

Genin? I already have the strength of a Genin?

Hinata lay on the soft bed, with a plush toy almost as big as her beside her. The chubby white bear was a thing of the past. Uchiha Jie had bought her a large red carp, the latest model, perfect for hugging to sleep.

According to her original understanding, she would have to graduate from the Ninja Academy in about five years. Only then could she wear a forehead protector, become a true Genin with a ninja certificate, and then start from D-rank missions, climbing her way up step by step.

And according to her Teacher, some people graduated from the Ninja Academy and became Genin at an age even younger than hers.

Some of those people died young, while most of the rest had already become mature, reliable, and powerful Ninja. No matter where they were, they could handle things on their own. Even among Jonin, they were the cream of the crop.

Am I a genius? With this thought, she smiled and drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't until the next morning, when she told her master her thoughts, that she realized how terribly wrong she was.

"Many people think they are geniuses. I just feel a bit sorry for them, joining the Ninja Academy at two or three years old, graduating at six or seven, and then starting their ninja careers."

Uchiha Jie shook his head, helping Hinata tidy up the small ninja tool bag at her waist. It was also second-hand, something he had used when he was at the Ninja Academy.

It contained many exquisite designs unique to the Uchiha clan, making it more convenient to retrieve ninja tools, and it had several extra small pockets for more supplies.

"I feel a little bad about taking you out of Konohagakure and putting you on this path, but there's no other way."

His voice carried a hint of regret. He then crouched down to check Hinata's other equipment.

Hinata didn't have a single new piece of equipment. Even within Konohagakure, there were few people who could become ninja at the age of seven or eight.

The various equipment used by these geniuses were all custom-made by their clans.

If Hinata had still been in Konoha, Hyuga Hiashi would have handled it. But now, it was different; she could only use second-hand items.

However, Hinata could completely feel the thoughtfulness put into these second-hand items.

The soles of the ninja boots hid small mechanisms. As soon as she bent her toes, small, cold, gleaming daggers would pop out.

The fine chainmail covered almost her entire body. It could defend against most kunai and shuriken casually thrown by ordinary Genin.

It just didn't seem to fit very well. It was said to be Sister Yue's old armor, and it felt a bit tight around the chest. Fortunately, it wasn't to the point of affecting her breathing.

Over the chainmail, she wore an azure robe. It was her master's old clothes, with a large patch sewn on the back, covering the original Uchiha clan crest.

A small ninja sword hung on the inside of the robe, so it wouldn't be exposed immediately when encountering enemies.

There were also other small items, like the antidote developed by Lady Tsunade, which could be taken immediately. It was almost universally effective and could neutralize most poisons in the ninja world.

They didn't leave through the front entrance of the hot spring inn. Instead, they jumped directly onto the roof from the backyard and quietly left the small village.

"Master, you still haven't told me what the mission is."

As she moved through the forest, leaping from one treetop to another, which was already very easy for Hinata, she couldn't help but get distracted.

This was also because although Uchiha Jie had her equipped, he hadn't told her what a Genin mission entailed.

She had once heard Genin from her home complain about D-rank missions being too boring, as they neither helped her improve herself nor earned much money.

But she knew very little about what Genin were supposed to do. Her father had told her some ninja stories, but those were about famous and powerful figures who appeared as Jonin and saved the world with their actions.

Seeing a relatively flat forest path that could accommodate carriages, Uchiha Jie slowed down and leaped down from the treetops with Hinata, walking along the path.

"A group of bandits has gathered on the hills to the north," he said, pointing to the side of the road where another hill rose, with more mountains behind it.

This forest path led to a small town much larger than Lishan Village, and it was a commercial route.

"Wipe out the bandits and protect the merchant convoy. This is a typical C-rank mission for Genin. Usually, their captain doesn't need to intervene. Three Genin who have graduated from the Ninja Academy can easily handle it if they cooperate well."

"Most Ninja wouldn't deign to associate with bandits, so you don't have to worry about encountering enemy Ninja."

"Alright, we're here. From now on, starting with gathering information, everything until all the bandits are eliminated is your responsibility."

After speaking, Uchiha Jie suddenly turned into a puff of smoke, leaving Hinata standing alone in the middle of the road.

She suddenly felt lost. What was the first thing her master had told her to do when gathering information? It seemed to be to identify the target of the information gathering.

But since she already knew she had to gather information on a group of bandits, did she have to return to the village from the wilderness, or continue along the road to the town ahead?

Just as she was pondering this, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind, and the ground trembled slightly. She looked back and saw a small merchant convoy.

Three to five horses, four to five carts, with their cargo covered by canvas. The leader was a young man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, riding a tall horse with a gleaming katana at his waist.

Hinata saw the merchant convoy, and the convoy quickly noticed the little girl standing on the road.

"Little girl, are you alone?"

The young man with the katana seemed to be the leader of the small merchant convoy. He had others slow down and rode forward himself, but still maintained a certain distance from Hinata.

"Bandits, there are bandits ahead."

Even without activating her Byakugan, Hinata's eyesight was much better than that of ordinary people. She clearly saw the configuration of the merchant convoy. Besides the young man who rode forward, there was only one other guard with a sword in the entire convoy.

They were not Ninja. If, as her master said, a group of bandits was holed up ahead, this small merchant convoy would surely not escape their clutches.