Preparing to Leave the Village

"Captain, what do you think of this mission?" Neji pondered for a moment before handing the mission scroll to Yugito.

Yugito glanced at it, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. "Why did you choose this one?"

Neji scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "First, it's just an escort mission, escorting a batch of grain. It's not valuable, so no one would hire ninjas to intercept the convoy. Second, the destination is in the Land of Grass, so we won't have to deal with ninjas from the Great Nations. Even if danger arises, it will be completely within our control."

Yugito smiled after hearing his explanation and praised him, "Kid, your analysis is spot on. Well done."

For ninjas, intelligence is paramount. When accepting a mission, the first step is to analyze the information from the mission scroll.

Neji shrugged indifferently upon hearing Yugito's praise.

Actually, there was another important reason he didn't mention.

He had been in this world for three years, his activities confined to the village. He was curious about the outside world and really wanted to explore.

The Land of Grass was far from the Land of Lightning, and the journey would be full of excitement.

Yugito led Neji to get the mission credentials and the village exit permit.

Outside the mission hall, Yugito waved the exit permit in her hand. "Go back and pack your belongings properly today. This mission will likely take us away from the village for about a month, so don't miss anything. We'll meet at the main gate at 8 AM tomorrow."

Neji didn't linger outside and quickly left the mission hall.

Yugito gazed at Neji's retreating figure until he disappeared into the crowd. Then, she turned and headed straight for the Raikage's office.

By the time Neji returned home, it was already evening.

Samui wasn't home.

Looking at the empty house, Neji felt a bit disappointed.

Usually, when he came home, Samui would have already prepared dinner and be waiting for him.

But ever since he officially debuted and teamed up with Yugito, Samui seemed like a different person. She trained harder than ever before and often stayed out all night.

Samui was eighteen this year. Two years ago, she had already become a Special Jonin of Kumogakure. Such an achievement could be considered excellent in any village.

This was a cruel world where bloodline determined everything.

Effort might not be very useful, but not making any effort was completely useless.

Ordinary people had to put in a hundred times the effort to bridge the gap with bloodline geniuses.

Sighing softly, Neji walked into the kitchen and started preparing dinner.

He made enough for two people. After eating his portion, he sat in the living room waiting for Samui to return.

It was ten o'clock at night, and Samui still hadn't returned. Neji put the dinner in the refrigerator and went to his room to rest.

The mission information surfaced in his mind.

Mission details: Takayama Tokugawa, the Tokugawa Patriarch in the Land of Grass, purchased 50 tons of grain from the Land of Lightning. A squad of elite ninjas is required to escort the grain convoy to the Land of Grass, Kumogakure. Accompanying personnel: 200 people, guards: 50 people.

Rank: C-rank

Mission requirements: Depart on October 10th, Year 53 of Kumogakure. Safely escort the grain convoy to Kumogakure within 20 days.

Reward: 70,000 Ryo

Neji glanced at the items on the table: 12 kunai, 36 shuriken, 2 rolls of steel wire, 9 explosive tags, 2 bottles of soldier pills, 2 rolls of bandages, 2 packs of hemostatic powder.

Judging by the mission information, 50 tons of grain wasn't a particularly valuable treasure, so there shouldn't be any intense combat.

However, just in case, Neji prepared a double portion of supplies.

All his expenses were reimbursed by the village, so he didn't have to worry about money, which allowed him to be so calm and collected.

He packed the ninja tools on the table along with a few changes of clothes into a storage scroll. His preparations were complete.

Neji lay on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, Neji didn't rush to depart. Instead, he quietly waited for Samui.

It wasn't until 7:59 AM that he, still not having seen Samui, activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode and quickly rushed out of the house.

The gate of Kumogakure.

Crowds of people bustled in and out. Most conspicuous were the rows of grain wagons lined up outside the gate.

The convoy consisted of one hundred horse-drawn carriages, and the accompanying personnel alone numbered over two hundred.

"Captain, I'm here."

Neji appeared precisely on time.

This was Yugito's first time leading a team out of the village. After making complete preparations, she had arrived half an hour early.

She was more punctual than Lan Lingwang and Kakashi.

"You're finally here. Let's go, we need to meet the employer."

Yugito glanced at the panting Neji but didn't ask any further questions. She led him out of the village.

However, she suddenly thought of something and took out a pair of goggles from her ninja pouch, handing them to Neji.

"This is for you, put it on!"

"Can I not wear it?"

"Be good!"

Neji looked at the goggles, then at Yugito, who had her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face. He obediently took the goggles and put them on.

His identity was sensitive, and the goggles covered his Byakugan, which could reduce unnecessary trouble.

Neji understood Yugito's intentions.

The main reason Neji was a bit resistant was that the goggles Yugito chose reminded him of a certain Uchiha.

Ninja needed to present proof of departure when leaving the village; otherwise, if caught leaving without authorization, those with serious offenses could be classified as rogue ninja.

Therefore, using a Shadow Clone Technique to sneak out was not very realistic.

If they could easily sneak out, wouldn't the Five Great Shinobi Villages be shooting themselves in the foot?

After presenting the departure permit and mission credentials to the gate ninja and completing the procedures, the two of them stepped through the gate.

Standing in front of the grain convoy were two men and one woman, three people in total, two adults and one child. The middle-aged man at the front was the client for this escort mission, Takayama Tokugawa. The other two were a seductive woman in her thirties and a boy under ten years old.

Yugito glanced at the beautiful woman and the boy and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Mr. Tokugawa, these two don't seem to be part of the mission details