Shinnosuke nodded. "You make a lot of sense, but I still don't understand why we aren't heading straight to the nearest bandits in the east. Why go north instead?"
Uchiha Hikari smiled as she explained it to her somewhat confused teammate. "Didn't Nawaki just say? These bandits have already reached an understanding with one another, and they know each other well. If we wipe out the bandits in the east first, word could spread easily. Once the others are on alert, they might join forces, and the mission will become much harder."
Only then did Shinnosuke see the light. "So we're taking them out one by one! But why head north? Couldn't we go south?"
Nawaki spoke up. "Shinnosuke, a ninja must have a solid understanding of the geography of every nation. That's how you complete missions more effectively! To the south and southeast of the Land of Fire, there are no other nations. The Land of Rivers to the southwest is a harsh, undeveloped wilderness that ordinary people can hardly cross; only ninjas can travel through it. Konoha is at the center of the Land of Fire, so no cross-border trade caravans pass through the south. The people behind those bandits are mainly interested in trade between nations, so I believe most of the bandits are concentrated north of Konoha."
"Wow... That was amazing! You figured all that out so quickly? No wonder you're Nawaki!" Shinnosuke praised him.
Torifu Akimichi, who had been silent until then, spoke up. "You still have a long way to go, Shinnosuke! A ninja can't rely on strength alone; you need to use your head, too. You should learn to think things through. Nawaki, are you planning to start with the bandits in the far north and take them out one by one?"
Nawaki nodded and continued his analysis. "Based on the locations of the various nations, we can roughly divide these bandits into three groups: west, north, and east. The Land of Fire borders the greatest number of nations to the north, and its northern border is the longest. The village is also closest to the northern border, so the bandits in that direction must be spread out from east to west.
"If we can quickly wipe out all the bandits along the straight line between the village and the northern border, that dividing line will split the bandits in the Land of Fire in two, isolating the eastern and western groups from each other. That will make things much easier for us.
"Besides, that dividing line is very short, so there shouldn't be many bandits along it. We'll need to scout to find out the exact number, but I'm sure we can eliminate them quickly."
After hearing Nawaki's plan, Torifu Akimichi said gravely, "But that means we'll have to target every bandit in the Land of Fire! Most of them aren't even included in the mission!"
As they traveled, Nawaki replied, "From the start, these bandits couldn't be treated as separate incidents. They're all part of the same whole—pull one thread, and the whole thing unravels. To complete the mission, we have to deal with them all at once and root them out for good. Otherwise, they'll rise again. If we can wipe them all out in one go, the Consortium behind them won't have the strength to establish another armed force. They'll have no choice but to conduct their trade by Konoha's rules!"
Torifu Akimichi understood. Konoha's rules meant registering in the village and paying commercial taxes, which would surely boost Konoha's revenue. So the real targets were the merchants and the Consortium behind the bandits? But the plan seemed far too ambitious. Could the five of them really pull it off?
Torifu Akimichi voiced his concerns. "But if we do that, this won't be as simple as a dozen or so B-Rank Missions! The difficulty will be A-Rank, or even S-Rank!"
Nawaki nodded. "That's right. Strictly speaking, it does count as an S-Rank mission, but unfortunately, no one's paying us for it. After we finish, though, Teacher Torifu can submit a detailed mission report to Lord Hokage with me. I think everyone on our team will have an S-Rank mission completion added to their ninja records!"
"Really? If we complete an S-Rank mission, could we be promoted to Chunin?" Shinnosuke asked excitedly.
"Not just that! Completing an S-Rank mission is a basic requirement for becoming an elite ninja!" Nawaki replied casually.
"Even without pay, I'm definitely going to see this through!" Hearing it was connected to becoming an elite ninja, Shinnosuke was even more fired up.
"An S-Rank mission? I can feel my blood burning! Let's strive together for the sake of youth!" Might Dai, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke.
"You scared me! By the way, when Nawaki was analyzing the mission, you didn't have a single question. Are you secretly a genius, too?" Shinnosuke couldn't help asking. Was he the least intelligent one on the team?
"About that? I didn't understand a word, but I just have to follow Teacher Nawaki's orders, right? That's youth! No need to overthink it." Might Dai said with a perfectly straight face.
Shinnosuke was speechless. "Don't always use youth as an excuse, you idiot! You're just simple-minded!"
Uchiha Hikari smiled. "I get the feeling Shinnosuke and Dai really hit it off!"
Shinnosuke glanced at her gentle expression and shuddered awkwardly. "Hikari! Stop saying weird things all the time..."
"Hehehe..."
Torifu Akimichi said helplessly, "Do you even understand the situation? This is an S-Rank mission! Even elite ninjas have to treat it with caution! And you're still joking around? This could get dangerous!"
"Isn't Nawaki and Teacher Torifu here? You're both elite ninjas! Besides, we're strong, too. It'll be fine!" Shinnosuke said carelessly.
Nawaki spoke up as well. "Don't worry, Teacher Torifu. The enemy may look numerous, but if we prepare properly and make sure the plan goes smoothly, we can take them out one by one and greatly reduce the mission's difficulty.
"I've already gotten a map of the bandits' locations across the Land of Fire from the person in charge of my family's trade caravans. We don't know the bandits' exact situation, but we can pinpoint their general locations. All we need to do now is follow our planned route and scout the bandit camps along the way. At our speed, we can finish all the scouting this morning.
"Once we know their strength and where they're holding the hostages, we can rest while making our battle plans. Then, after night falls, I'll use the darkness to wipe out all the bandits along the 'dividing line.'
"After that, we'll move the captured hostages somewhere safe overnight, and the first step of the plan will be complete."
Torifu Akimichi frowned. "But our team doesn't have a scout from the Hyuga, Aburame, or Inuzuka Clan..."
"Leave it to me!" Nawaki said confidently. "I inherited my grandmother's Sensory Technique, so I can fill the role of a scout."
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