Preparing to Leave the Village

"Captain, what do you think of this mission?"

Neji pondered for a moment, then handed the mission scroll to Yugito.

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

Neji scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "First, it's just an escort mission. We're escorting a shipment of grain, which isn't worth much, so no one would hire ninja to ambush the convoy. Second, the destination is the Land of Grass, so we won't have to deal with ninja from the four great nations. Even if danger arises, it'll still be within our control."

Yugito smiled and praised him. "Not bad, kid. You've thought it through."

To a ninja, intelligence was paramount. When taking a mission, the first thing to do was analyze the information in the mission scroll.

Hearing Yugito's praise, Neji shrugged indifferently.

Actually, there was one more important reason he hadn't mentioned.

He had been in this world for three years, but his activities had been confined to the village. Curious about the outside world, he really wanted to go out and explore.

The Land of Grass was a long way from the Land of Lightning, which meant there'd be plenty to see along the way.

Yugito took Neji to collect the mission credentials and his permission to leave the village.

Outside the Mission Hall, Yugito waved the exit permit in her hand. "Go home and pack your things properly today. This mission will probably keep us away from the village for a month, so don't forget anything. Meet at the gate tomorrow morning at eight."

Neji didn't linger. He hurried out of the Mission Hall.

Yugito watched Neji's back until he disappeared into the crowd, then turned and headed straight for the Raikage's Office.

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

Samui wasn't home.

Looking at the empty house, Neji felt a little down.

Usually, when he got home, Samui had already prepared dinner and had been waiting for him.

But ever since he'd officially become a ninja and teamed up with Yugito, Samui seemed like a different person. She trained harder than ever and often didn't come home all night.

Samui was eighteen years old. She'd become a Special Jonin in Kumogakure two years ago, an achievement that would be considered outstanding in any village.

This was a cruel world where bloodlines decided everything.

Hard work might not do much, but without it, you had no chance at all.

For an ordinary person to close the gap with a bloodline genius, they had to work a hundred times harder.

Neji sighed quietly and went into the kitchen to make dinner.

He made enough for two. After eating his portion, he sat in the living room and waited for Samui to come home.

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

The mission details surfaced in his mind.

Mission: Tokugawa Takayama, patriarch of the Tokugawa family in the Land of Grass, purchased 50 tons of grain in the Land of Lightning. An elite ninja squad is needed to escort the shipment to Kusagakure in the Land of Grass. Accompanying personnel: 200. Guards: 50.

Rank: C-Rank

Requirements: Depart on October 10, Year 53 of the Cloud, and safely escort the grain shipment to Kusagakure within 20 days.

Reward: 70,000 ryo

Neji glanced at the items on the table: twelve Kunai, thirty-six shuriken, two coils of wire, nine Explosive Tags, two bottles of Soldier Pills, two rolls of bandages, and two packets of hemostatic powder.

Judging from the mission details, the 50 tons of grain weren't particularly valuable, so they probably wouldn't encounter any fierce battles.

Still, to be safe, Neji packed two sets of supplies.

The village covered all his expenses, so he didn't have to worry about money and could prepare at his leisure.

He packed the ninja tools on the table along with a few changes of clothes into a storage scroll. That was all the preparation he needed.

Neji lay down on his bed and soon drifted off into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Neji had breakfast but didn't rush out. Instead, he waited quietly for Samui.

At 7:59, with no sign of Samui, he activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode and dashed out of the house.

Kumogakure Gate.

The gate bustled with people coming and going. Most eye-catching was the line of grain carts arranged outside.

The convoy consisted of a hundred wagons, with more than two hundred people accompanying it.

"Captain, I'm here."

Neji arrived right on time, appearing out of nowhere.

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

More punctual than Lan Lingwang and Kakashi.

"You're finally here. Come on, let's go meet the client."

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

But soon, she seemed to think of something. She took a pair of goggles from her Ninja Tool Pouch and handed them to Neji.

"These are for you. Put them on!"

"Can I go without them?"

"Be good!"

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

His identity was sensitive. The goggles concealed his Byakugan and could help him avoid unnecessary trouble.

Neji understood Yugito's intentions.

The main reason he was reluctant was that the style of goggles Yugito had picked reminded him of a certain Uchiha.

Ninja had to show an exit permit to leave the village. If they were caught sneaking out, they could be labeled rogue ninja, especially if the offense was serious.

So using the Shadow Clone Technique to sneak out wasn't very practical.

If anyone could just slip out whenever they wanted, wouldn't that ruin the reputation of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?

After handing their exit permits and mission credentials to the gate guards and completing the formalities, the two stepped through the gate.

At the front of the convoy stood two men and a woman: two adults and a child. The middle-aged man at the front was the client for the escort mission, Takayama Tokugawa. The other two were an alluring woman in her thirties and a boy who was not yet ten.

Yugito glanced at the woman and the boy, then raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Tokugawa, these two don't seem to be included in the mission details."

The mission details didn't quite match the situation.

The only client was Takayama Tokugawa, and they were escorting grain. But the woman and boy were clearly neither guards nor servants.

Takayama Tokugawa looked a little nervous. "Ninja Lord, these two are my relatives. They decided at the last minute to visit family in the Land of Grass."

Yugito's expression was stern. "That isn't allowed."

"It was urgent, and I didn't have time to add them to the mission."

Takayama Tokugawa apologized sincerely, then said, "How about this? I'll add five thousand to the reward. No, ten thousand ryo."

Hearing that, Yugito nodded, tacitly agreeing.

"Mr. Tokugawa, we'll inspect the convoy first. Once we've confirmed everything is in order, we can set off."

"Sorry for the trouble, Ninja Lord," Takayama Tokugawa said respectfully.

Neji followed Yugito as they inspected the convoy, listening carefully as she shared her experience.

"For a large escort mission like this, you need to memorize the number of people and what they look like before setting out. Otherwise, an enemy could use the Transformation Technique to infiltrate the group. If you don't notice, things could go wrong at any moment..."