Setting Out! First Mission!

Early three days later, in the Mission Hall of the Hokage Building, Team 11, led by Kurama Heiji, accepted a C-rank Mission: eliminate the bandits in the western part of the Land of Fire and restore peace to the local villages.

At this time, there were not yet any tedious D-rank missions for rookies to practice on. It was only after the arrival of the peaceful era that D-rank missions—which were difficult for ordinary people but rather a Chicken Rib to ninja—stepped onto the Historical Stage.

After resting for the previous three days, Team 11 was thoroughly prepared. Once they accepted the mission, they arrived at Konoha's gates. After handing over the Mission Order, the group of four left the village and headed for the mountainous region in the west of the Land of Fire, their mission destination.

Aside from their team leader, Kurama Heiji, it was the first time Jiogan and the other two had left the village and traveled such a long distance. They were all quite excited and full of drive along the way.

After nearly half a day of travel, the team had put some distance between themselves and Konoha. They temporarily stopped beside a small river to rest and replenish their strength.

Kurama Heiji had originally planned to rest there for an hour, use Military Rations Pills to restore their strength, and drink water by the river.

However, Jiogan spotted fish in the river. After catching one, he found that it was quite fresh and delicious, so he said to everyone, "Everyone, the fish in this river are delicious. Let's catch a few and grill them instead of eating Military Rations Pills!"

Inuzuka Yoru and Kurama Feiyun both knew that Jiogan was excellent at grilling fish, and their eyes immediately lit up.

"Sure, I'll go find some dry branches!" Inuzuka Yoru said.

"Then I'll make a simple grill rack!" Kurama Feiyun added.

"Alright, then I'll catch a few more fat fish. Just wait and enjoy them, everyone!" Jiogan said.

Watching the three of them divide up the tasks for grilling fish among themselves, Kurama Heiji merely shook his head and said nothing. He sat in a tree by the river, keeping watch.

This place isn't far from Konoha, so it's fairly safe. I've long heard Feiyun mention that Jiogan is good at grilling fish. This is a good chance to try it. Once they're done eating, I'll teach them some of the taboos of wilderness survival during missions, Kurama Heiji thought.

Very quickly, in just fifteen minutes, the grilled fish was ready. Each of the four received two fish. After taking his first bite, Kurama Heiji gave Jiogan a thumbs-up. This kid's grilling skills truly lived up to their reputation!

After the four finished eating heartily, Jiogan immediately used a Water Release: Water Gun Technique, washing the scraps and ashes into the river, where they quickly disappeared with the Water Stream.

Watching Jiogan's actions, Kurama Heiji nodded inwardly. This kid has good wilderness survival awareness. He knows to erase the traces he leaves behind so they can't be used by enemies to track him.

Still, he explained the taboos of wilderness survival to the three of them. Starting fires and producing smoke were the easiest ways to expose one's whereabouts. Since they were close to Konoha, the risk was not too great, but once they reached the outskirts of the Land of Fire, the borderlands, or even the territory of other villages, it would be suicidal. Military Rations Pills naturally had their value!

The three quickly acknowledged his words and continued toward their mission destination.

"Jiogan, did you learn that Water Release Ninjutsu, the Water Release: Water Gun Technique, in the past few days? You learned it way too fast!" Inuzuka Yoru said to Jiogan as they traveled.

"Yes. The day after the Class Gathering Banquet, I went to Sensei's house and looked through several Water Release Ninjutsu. So far, I've only learned the Water Release: Water Gun Technique, a Single Target Offensive Ninjutsu, to make up for my Ninjutsu Shortcoming first!" Jiogan replied.

"Jiogan-kun is already amazing. You learned a Ninjutsu in only three days!" Kurama Feiyun praised.

"Hehe, not really. Water Release: Water Gun is a very simple Water Release Ninjutsu. It barely counts as a C-rank Ninjutsu, and its Training Difficulty is only slightly greater than the Three Body Techniques. Since I already had experience practicing the two C-rank Water Release techniques, Water Wave and Water Wall, I learned it a little faster!" Jiogan scratched his head and smiled shyly, though Feiyun's praise pleased him greatly.

"Jiogan really does have great talent in Water Release, but hard work is what matters most. You two should learn from Jiogan's diligence. I've seen him go to the training grounds to practice every day!" Kurama Heiji encouraged the two of them.

The two nodded in agreement.

Night soon fell. They were now far from Konoha, so the four set up camp in a forest, specifically choosing an area where they could advance to attack or retreat to defend. Their so-called camp was simply taking sleeping bags out of a Sealing Scroll and resting on the spot. Jiogan and Kurama Feiyun kept watch during the first half of the night, while Kurama Heiji and Inuzuka Yoru took the second half. No one started another fire to grill fish; they merely replenished their strength with Military Rations Pills.

Early the next morning, everyone was refreshed and continued on their way, erasing the traces of their campsite as well.

Near noon, the four finally arrived near their mission destination.

"Jiogan, you will formulate the battle plan for this mission. I am not part of the plan. I will only act if you are in danger, but the situation on a battlefield can change in an instant. Rescue may not arrive in time, so your plan must be meticulous. Otherwise, there is still the risk of injury or even death!" Kurama Heiji said.

"Yes, understood, Heiji-sensei!" Jiogan said, then immediately laid out his plan.

"This mission is to eliminate bandits. The commission was submitted by the nearby villagers, but the number of bandits and whether there are ninja among them are unclear. Therefore, we first need to infiltrate and get a clear grasp of this group of bandits, while also studying the terrain around their base so we can formulate our attack and Retreat Route!"

"Yoru, you and Ranmaru are skilled at tracking and can sense the enemies' threat levels. If the threat level is high, it means there are ninja among the bandits, and we need to eliminate them first. So, I'll leave the task of counting the bandits and determining the number of ninja to you!"

"My Taijutsu Skill is the best, and I'm the fastest, so I'll scout the surrounding terrain and plan the attack and Retreat Route! Feiyun, observe from a distance. If Yoru and I are exposed and a fight breaks out, support us immediately!"

After Jiogan assigned the scouting plan, the three dispersed and split up to carry out their respective tasks.

Two hours later, the three gathered again.

"We were lucky this time. We weren't exposed, and I've already mapped out the detailed terrain around us. How about your side, Yoru?" Jiogan asked.

"I sensed that there are fifteen bandits in total. Three of them give off a sense of threat. Two have a Low Threat Level, while the other has a high threat level. Ranmaru becomes uneasy whenever he gets close to that person!" Inuzuka Yoru replied.

"In other words, among the fifteen, there are at least three ninja. One of them may even be a Chunin. What kind of bandits are these, to have a Chunin-level person living as an outlaw? I didn't expect our first mission to involve fighting a Chunin." Jiogan frowned.

"The bandits' lair is located halfway up the mountain. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack, but there's a stream nearby, so it won't affect my Water Release," Jiogan analyzed.

"Yes. The person with the greatest threat level is at the very back of the lair, while the other two are mixed in with the ordinary bandits," Inuzuka Yoru added.

Jiogan pondered for a moment, then drew a map of the bandits' lair and the surrounding terrain on the ground. "We'll launch our attack while they're having dinner. Everyone will be gathered then, making it easier to wipe them all out in one go. We'll clear out the small fry first, then focus our fire on that suspected Chunin!"