C-Rank Mission

Early the next morning, Tianqi washed his face and arrived at the mission hall early. He wanted to accept a mission before waiting for Jiraiya and the others.

"Lord Tianqi, you're here. What kind of mission would you like this time? Another D-Rank Mission?" The ninja assigning missions didn't presume to choose for him this time, but asked him directly.

"Give me a C-Rank Mission today. One that pays well and looks simple." That was right—Tianqi wanted a mission like the one Naruto and the others had taken in the Land of Waves. A mission wasn't a real mission unless ninjas were fighting to the death.

"W-Well, let me take a look." The ninja assigning missions was taken aback by Tianqi's request. Simple missions with good pay were popular, and he didn't even know if there were any available. Still, he began searching for one.

About ten minutes later, the mission clerk finally found one. "Here you are, Lord Tianqi. This is the kind of simple, well-paying C-Rank Mission you asked for. It's an escort mission, though the journey is a little long."

Tianqi took the mission form and looked it over. A slight smile tugged at his lips. This was exactly the kind of mission he wanted. The form said the client was Tang He. All they had to do was escort a man named Tang He to the Land of Hot Water, and the reward was quite high. The Land of Hot Water was only a small country. Although it had no ninjas, it did have samurai. If someone had traveled all the way to Konoha to post a mission, there was bound to be something suspicious going on.

"Good, we'll take this one." Tianqi agreed without hesitation. This was exactly the kind of mission he wanted.

"Of course, Lord Tianqi. I'll notify the client right away." Once Tianqi agreed to take the mission, the clerk went to inform the client.

The client soon arrived. He wasn't an old man, but a middle-aged man in his thirties.

"Tang He, this is the team leader who'll be taking your mission. They're a four-man squad. You can trust them with your C-Rank Mission."

"Lord Tianqi, this is the client," the clerk said, introducing them.

"Can he really do the job? He looks so young." Tang He eyed Tianqi suspiciously.

"You—" The clerk started to speak, but Tianqi stopped him.

"Don't worry. I'm a ninja who's fought in a war. Even if dozens of Jonin came at me together, I wouldn't be afraid."

"Does that put your mind at ease?" Tianqi leaned in and whispered into Tang He's ear, his eyes narrowed.

"That's right. Lord Tianqi is incredibly strong. If he weren't leading a squad, he wouldn't even take a mission like this," the clerk added, singing Tianqi's praises.

Hearing them say that put Tang He at ease. "Then when are we leaving?" Now that he felt reassured, he hurriedly asked. He was eager to return to the Land of Hot Water.

"No rush. I'm just waiting for three Genin. If you're really in a hurry, you can wait for me at the Konoha Gate. Once I've picked them up, we'll set out." Tianqi could see how anxious Tang He was, so he told him to wait at the gate.

"All right. I'll head to the gate and wait for you. Try to hurry." Since he was on someone else's turf, he couldn't press too hard in case they noticed something suspicious. With that, he left.

"Let's see what kind of trick you're trying to pull," Tianqi murmured as he watched Tang He go.

Tianqi then went to the entrance of the mission hall to wait for the three little ones. He really had arrived early today. Checking the time, he saw it was only seven thirty. "Half an hour to go. I'll take a quick nap."

He sat on the ground, leaned against a pillar, and before long, he had fallen asleep, drooling from the corner of his mouth. He felt fairly safe in Konoha. He wouldn't dare sleep so soundly out in the open; if he nodded off out there, he might never wake up.

The ninjas coming to accept missions all saw someone sleeping at the entrance, with drool trickling from his mouth.

"Why's someone sleeping right by the entrance?"

"That guy's amazing. He can even sleep right outside the mission hall."

"Shh, keep your voices down. Haven't you noticed? That's Uchiha Tianqi. Who'd dare mess with someone like him?"

"Damn! It really is Uchiha Tianqi, the guy who killed hundreds of Cloud Ninja. Let's get away from here. Don't disturb him."

Jiraiya and the others arrived at the mission hall entrance, too.

"Weren't we supposed to meet here today? Tianqi isn't here. Did someone oversleep?" Jiraiya said, looking around and finding no sign of Tianqi.

"Wham! Don't talk nonsense. Tianqi would never oversleep. If he's late, he must have something to do." Tsunade punched Jiraiya on the head. She had learned everything about Tianqi the night before and was sure he wasn't the kind of person to sleep in.

"Ow! Flat-chested hag," Jiraiya muttered, clutching his head.

"Huh? Why's there a crowd over there?" Jiraiya noticed the people gathered together and pushed his way in.

"Well, look who it is—it's Tianqi! Why's he sleeping here? Tsunade, Orochimaru, come over! Tianqi's here!" When he spotted Tianqi, Jiraiya called out to the other two.

Hearing that Tianqi was over there, they hurried over, too.

"Damn, it really is Tianqi. He's not only sleeping here, he's drooling, too." Tsunade slapped a hand to her forehead, unable to bear the sight. She'd just said he wouldn't sleep in, and now here he was sleeping in the mission hall, with a crowd watching him. Talk about getting proven wrong fast.

"He's not waking up with all these people watching. How embarrassing! You idiot!" Tsunade raised her right hand and punched Tianqi in the face.

Wham!

"Who?! Who did that?! Who ambushed me? Show yourself if you've got the guts!" Tianqi woke up from the punch, clutching his sore face as he shouted at the crowd.

Seeing Tianqi's furious expression, the onlookers instinctively backed away. Jiraiya and Orochimaru backed up with them.

"It was me," Tsunade said, stepping forward.

"You bastard! How dare you hit me, Tia— Huh? Tsunade, why'd you hit me?" Tianqi had been about to curse, but the moment he saw Tsunade, he lost his nerve.

"Tianqi, you're a legendary figure, for crying out loud. You're sleeping here and drooling. Don't you feel embarrassed?" Tsunade said angrily. She'd admired Tianqi the night before and had spent all night thinking about the questions she had about him. And this was what she got the next day? Her admiration vanished in an instant.

"Oh, that's all? I came early to accept a mission, and when you guys didn't show up, I took a nap here. I didn't mean to fall asleep. Besides, we're ninjas—falling asleep while waiting for a mission isn't embarrassing, is it?" Seeing how angry Tsunade was, Tianqi came up with an excuse that barely counted as one.

"Even so, couldn't you have slept inside the mission hall? There are chairs you can sleep on. Why embarrass yourself out here?" Tsunade retorted when he tried to use the mission as an excuse.

"All right, all right, Tsunade, that's enough. All these people watching is awkward. I've already accepted the mission. Let's meet at the Konoha Gate." With that, Tianqi ran off. He'd been punched by a woman, scolded, and watched by a crowd. Even he was a little embarrassed.

"Embarrassed? Who'd believe that?" Watching Tianqi make a hasty escape, Tsunade felt a strange emotion stir inside her.

"What are you all looking at? Keep staring and I'll beat you up, too!" Tsunade threatened the onlookers.

They all recognized Tsunade, Princess Tsunade of the Land of Fire. If she hit them, they'd have no recourse. In an instant, the crowd scattered, leaving only Jiraiya and Orochimaru behind.

"Being watched by so many people is a little embarrassing," Tsunade said, finally coming to her senses.

"Come on, let's go to the gate," she said to the two of them.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru nodded frantically. Then they exchanged a glance. Anyone who'd punch Tianqi in front of a crowd and threaten a group of ninjas was someone best left alone.

With that, the three of them headed toward the Konoha Gate.