First Border Patrol Mission

It is worth mentioning that the Land of Iron is also to the east of the Land of Fire and borders it. However, the Land of Iron is a Permanently Neutral Country, entirely composed of samurai, and does not participate in the disputes of the ninja world.

This Border Patrol mission will not just involve the four members of Team 11. They will gather at the Konoha outpost stationed on the eastern border with other Konoha ninja carrying out patrol missions. Under the arrangement of the outpost commander, they will form larger teams, and the Jonin or Special Jonin leading them will be reassigned.

The commander of the Konoha eastern border outpost is Torifu Akimichi, a member of the Akamichi Clan and a comrade of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, as well as a member of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's guard.

Upon reaching the border outpost, Jiogan and the other two might have to separate from their Team Leader Kurama Heiji to carry out their missions. As a Jonin, and a rare Illusionary Technique specialist, Kurama Heiji will likely be given a more important role at the border.

Therefore, on the way to the outpost, Kurama Heiji had already prepared Jiogan and the other two for what was to come, mentally preparing them.

Jiogan was fine; he was already prepared. Kurama Feiyun and Inuzuka Yoru, however, were noticeably nervous. Their strength had not yet reached the Chunin level, and they lacked confidence.

"Feiyun, Yoru, don't be nervous. It's not wartime now. The outpost will assign missions as much as possible according to your strength. With your abilities, you won't be assigned overly dangerous missions. You must follow Jiogan's arrangements during the mission," Kurama Heiji said.

"Jiogan, I might not be able to escort you the entire time. Remember, safety is the priority. Don't be reckless, and don't be greedy for merit. This mission might take at least two months. I don't want to hear any news of any of you getting hurt!" Kurama Heiji's tone was low.

"Teacher, please rest assured. I will do my best to complete the mission and protect Feiyun and Yoru. We will all survive." Jiogan knew that great danger awaited them in the next two months, but his words were filled with determination.

He would not let any of them get hurt!

Two days later, the group arrived at the eastern outpost. After verifying their identities and checking their Mission Request forms, they entered the outpost to await further patrol mission assignments from the outpost commander.

Soon, the commander Torifu Akimichi summoned Team 11. Jiogan and the others had arrived just in time for the outpost's weekly rotation. The rotation was tomorrow. Tomorrow, a batch of Konoha ninja would return to the outpost for rest, while Jiogan and the others would replace them to patrol the designated area for three weeks.

This meant that Team 11 would spend tonight at the outpost and depart for the rotation tomorrow. Kurama Heiji, under Torifu Akimichi's arrangements, would temporarily be stationed at the outpost, awaiting further mission assignments. However, this was no longer relevant to Jiogan and the other two. Missions undertaken by Jonin, especially those of A-rank or higher, were not something Jiogan and the others could participate in.

As night fell, several more squads arrived at the outpost, having received missions from the village. Jiogan also saw a familiar stranger: Maruboshi Kosuke!

"It's him! The strongest Genin, Maruboshi Kosuke! This is the first time I've seen him! He was one of my favorite characters when I watched the anime!" Jiogan was clearly a little excited, and at the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems Maruboshi Kosuke is also in this rotation. I should be on the same team as him. Even if Maruboshi Kosuke's strength hasn't reached the peak level of an Elite Jonin yet, he definitely has the strength of an ordinary Jonin. The safety of this mission has greatly increased!" Jiogan thought that heaven was treating him well.

At the same time, Maruboshi Kosuke sensed Jiogan's gaze and looked over. Seeing Jiogan's age and attire, and his excited expression, he immediately made a judgment: "Is this a child who just graduated not long ago? So full of energy. It seems this mission won't be boring."

Then, he smiled kindly at Jiogan. "Hello, my name is Maruboshi Kosuke. I'm a Genin from the village. We should be comrades on the same rotation team. Please take care of me on this mission!"

"Hello, Senior Kosuke! We are Jiogan from this year's Team 11. This is Kurama Feiyun, and this is Inuzuka Yoru. Please take care of us on the upcoming mission!" With that, he bowed deeply to Maruboshi Kosuke along with Feiyun and Yoru.

This greatly surprised Maruboshi Kosuke. He rarely saw such polite children. Since Maruboshi Kosuke vowed to remain a Genin, he had now reached his youth. Many ninja who didn't know the truth would look down on him for being at the Genin level at his age, and disdainful glances were commonplace.

Joking aside, Jiogan knew Maruboshi Kosuke's strength. Kurama Feiyun and Inuzuka Yoru were also easygoing people, so they didn't feel anything was out of the ordinary.

After chatting with Maruboshi Kosuke for a while longer, everyone returned to their tents to rest.

The next day, the rotation team returned to the outpost. After reporting to Commander Torifu Akimichi, Jiogan and his group were summoned.

Upon entering the Command Tent, Torifu Akimichi explained the mission patrol area to everyone: "Your patrol area is along the coastline directly east of the Land of Fire. The situation in that area is currently relatively stable, but enemy ninja could attack at any time. Our main opponents are from Kirigakure. Your mission is to eliminate all invading enemies and protect the stability of our eastern coastline."

"The outpost will provide each of you with three Signal Flares. If you encounter enemies that are too powerful or a large-scale invasion, release the flares! Other nearby patrol teams will provide rapid support! Your patrol time is three weeks. You will contact the outpost daily at noon and midnight using communication hawks for intelligence exchange!"

'Your squad consists of six people. In addition to the original members of Team 11, Genin Maruboshi Kosuke, Genin Anima, and Genin Okamura Taro have also been assigned to the patrol squad, making it Patrol Squad 36! The commander is Maruboshi Kosuke!' After saying this, Torifu Akimichi looked at Maruboshi Kosuke with a complex expression.

As a member of the escort team for the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Torifu Akimichi knew Maruboshi Kosuke's situation and was aware of his strength, so appointing Maruboshi Kosuke as the squad leader was beyond doubt.

'The mission arrangements are complete. Patrol Squad 36, depart immediately!' Torifu Akimichi said.

'Yes!' After the six voices responded in unison, Patrol Squad 36 walked out of the Command Tent and Outpost, and rushed towards the patrol area on the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire!

The Outpost was three hours away from the eastern coastline. During the journey, the members of the patrol squad introduced themselves and their areas of expertise, so that Maruboshi Kosuke could make tactical arrangements.

Maruboshi Kosuke, needless to say, was skilled in Water Release, Konoha-style Swordsmanship, and Shurikenjutsu. Anima was skilled in Fire Release and Trap Setting, and Okamura Taro was skilled in Earth Release and Senbon.