[So you just left us here to sleep for an entire day?!]
Staring at Orochimaru, Haku roared in disbelief.
A whole night had passed since Orochimaru's attack. That bastard of a teacher had ambushed them yesterday and knocked them all unconscious. Then he'd left them here, sending away Duy, who'd come looking for him and Yu, as well as the Hyuga clan members who'd come looking for Raccoon.
Faced with Haku's accusation, Orochimaru replied calmly.
"Haku! Your vigilance is far too poor. Just because you're in the village, why didn't you consider the possibility that you might be attacked? All three of you are pretty capable, but you have no teamwork at all. Leaving you here to sleep for a night is your punishment."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Haku began to wonder whether he could have done better yesterday. Then Orochimaru said something that sent Haku, Uchiha Yu, and Hyuga Riko over the edge.
"In light of your performance, I'll test your squad from time to time from now on. If you fail, I'll leave you outside to reflect again. Heh heh!"
Ignoring the murderous looks the three of them gave him, Orochimaru reached into his clothes, pulled out a scroll, and tossed it to Haku.
"This is your squad's first mission, a B-Rank Mission. Go back and get ready. Tomorrow, you'll head out on a mission with another squad."
"Since this is my first mission as your team leader, don't embarrass me!"
When Haku heard Orochimaru say that their squad's first mission was a B-Rank Mission, he nearly bristled. But then he remembered that Orochimaru was powerful enough to take on S-Rank missions without a problem, and turned to consider what benefits he could get out of this mission.
But before Haku had time to feel relieved, Orochimaru's calm voice sounded again.
"Of course, I have other, more important missions, so I won't be going with you this time."
After saying that, he ignored Haku's murderous glare and left the training ground on his own.
As they watched Orochimaru leave, the three squad members fell silent. B-Rank missions could involve enemy ninja, who were nothing like the wild animals they might encounter on a C-Rank mission. Having a B-Rank mission as their first assignment was going to be difficult for them.
"What do we do?"
Uchiha Yu, who was more familiar with Yu, broke the silence and asked.
"Given our squad's abilities, I'd guessed we wouldn't be assigned D-Rank missions, but I didn't expect our first mission to be B-Rank. I thought we'd get a C-Rank mission, maybe run into some bandits at most, and get used to killing."
Haku spoke with difficulty.
"But with our abilities, we can handle this mission. We'll just need to be careful along the way."
Hearing Haku's words, Hyuga Riko chimed in. "The mission's already been assigned to us, so there's no changing it. And when the village gives a mission to a ninja, they can't refuse. Like Haku said, we'll just have to be careful while we're carrying it out. I'll keep my Byakugan activated as much as possible to check our surroundings. Nothing will go wrong."
Uchiha Yu followed up on Hyuga Riko's words. "Let's look at the details of the mission first. The village wouldn't assign us a mission that's certain to get us killed. Maybe this mission will be an opportunity for us, too."
After hearing Yu's words, Haku stopped hesitating. There was no point in speculating before they'd seen the details. It was better to look over the mission first, then prepare the weapons and tools they'd need.
Half an hour later, the three of them went their separate ways to prepare the supplies they'd need for the mission. They agreed to meet at the village gates early the next morning.
Hokage's Office
"Orochimaru, which mission did you assign them as their first?"
Looking at Orochimaru, the Third Hokage felt a headache coming on over his student. Orochimaru had once been the student he had the highest hopes for, and he'd intended to groom him as the next Hokage. But after Nawaki's death, Orochimaru seemed to care less about the Hokage's position.
"The mission to the Land of Grass to deal with the bandits. A ninja squad carried it out before, but new bandits have appeared there. The Intelligence Division suspects that ninja from another village have set up an intelligence post there."
Hearing about the mission Orochimaru had assigned to Haku's squad, the Third Hokage furrowed his brows deeply.
"That's a B-Rank Mission. It's too soon for them. Give them a C-Rank mission for their first assignment, so they can get some practice. I have a mission here to deliver a letter to the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire. Should we switch them to that one?"
"No need. Let them take this mission. Another squad will be carrying it out as well, and I'll follow them secretly. Once they finish, I'll use the Land of Grass as a route to the front lines of the war with Kumogakure."
Before you continue