Mission Plan

Shinnosuke nodded upon hearing this. "What you say makes a lot of sense, but I still don't understand why we aren't heading directly east, which is the closest, instead of moving north?"

Uchiha Hikari explained to her slightly confused teammate with a smile: "Didn't Nawaki just say it? These bandits have reached a tacit understanding and are very familiar with one another. If we wipe out the eastern bandits first, the news will spread easily. Once they are alerted, they will likely band together, and the mission will become much more difficult."

Shinnosuke suddenly realized: "So we're supposed to defeat them one by one! But why head north? Why not go south?"

Nawaki spoke up: "Shinnosuke, as a ninja, you must have a certain understanding of the geography of various countries to better complete your missions! The south and southeast of the Land of Fire have no other countries, and the Land of Rivers to the southwest has a very harsh, undeveloped natural environment that is difficult for ordinary people to traverse, let alone ninjas. Since Konoha is located in the center of the Land of Fire, no cross-border merchant caravans travel through the south of Konoha. Therefore, I speculate that the people behind these bandits are primarily targeting cross-border trade, which means most of these bandits should be distributed to the north of Konoha."

"So... so impressive, you analyzed all of this so quickly? As expected of Nawaki!" Shinnosuke praised.

Torifu Akimichi, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "That is why you still have a long way to go, Shinnosuke! A ninja doesn't just need strength; they must also possess the corresponding intellect. You should learn to use your brain more. Nawaki, are you planning to start by picking off the bandits from the northernmost point?"

Nawaki nodded and continued his analysis: "Based on the distribution of the major nations, we can roughly divide these bandits into three directions: west, north, and east. Since the Land of Fire shares the longest border with the most countries to the north, and the distance between the village and the northern border is the shortest, the bandits in this direction must be distributed laterally."

"If we can quickly wipe out all the bandits along the straight line between the village and the northern border, the bandits in the Land of Fire will be split in two by this central line, isolating the eastern and western portions from each other. That will make things much easier for us."

"Furthermore, since this 'dividing line' is quite short, there should be very few bandits distributed there. We still need to scout the exact numbers, but I am confident we can wipe them out quickly."

After hearing Nawaki's plan, Torifu Akimichi said with a serious expression: "But if we do this, we will have to target all the bandits within the Land of Fire! And most of these bandits are not within the scope of our mission!"

Nawaki said while continuing their trek: "From the very beginning, these bandits could not be considered isolated incidents; they are a single entity. You could say that pulling one hair affects the whole body. If we want to complete the mission, we must solve them all at once to prevent future trouble, otherwise, they will just make a comeback. If we can root them all out at once, the consortium behind them will certainly have no resources left to build armed forces and will have no choice but to conduct trade according to Konoha's rules!"

Torifu Akimichi understood immediately. The so-called "Konoha's rules" meant registering in Konoha and paying commercial taxes, which would inevitably lead to a surge in Konoha's fiscal revenue. So, the merchants and consortiums behind the bandits were the real targets? But this plan seemed too massive; could their team of five really pull it off?

Torifu Akimichi asked the question weighing on his mind: "But if we do this, it won't be as simple as a dozen B-rank missions! The mission difficulty has already reached A-rank, or even S-rank!"

Nawaki nodded upon hearing this: "That's right. Strictly speaking, it can indeed be counted as an S-rank mission, though unfortunately, no one is paying for it. However, after the mission is complete, Teacher Torifu can join me in submitting the detailed mission report to the Hokage. I believe that by then, every member of our squad will have an S-rank mission completion record in their ninja file!"

"Really? If we complete an S-rank mission, we should be able to be promoted to Chunin, right?" Shinnosuke asked excitedly.

"It's more than that! An S-rank mission is a basic requirement for becoming a Jonin!" Nawaki replied in a relaxed tone.

"Even without payment, I must complete it!" Hearing that it was related to becoming a Jonin, Shinnosuke became even more eager.

"An S-rank mission? I feel my blood burning! Let us strive for youth together!" Might Dai, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

"You scared me! And speaking of which, you didn't have a single question when Nawaki was analyzing the mission earlier. Are you hiding your true intelligence?" Shinnosuke couldn't help but ask. Was he the least intelligent person in the squad?

"That? Although I didn't understand it at all, I just need to listen to Teacher Nawaki's orders, right? That's what youth is! No need to think too much," Might Dai said with a look of complete certainty.

Shinnosuke's head was covered in black lines as he retorted: "Don't always use youth as an excuse, you guy! You're just simple-minded!"

Uchiha Hikari laughed from the side: "I always feel like Shinnosuke and Dai are a perfect match!"

Shinnosuke shuddered awkwardly at her gentle gaze. "Hikari! Don't always say such strange things..."

"Hehehe..."

Torifu Akimichi said helplessly: "Do you guys even understand the situation? This is an S-rank mission! Even a Jonin must treat it with caution! You still have the heart to joke around? This is going to be very dangerous!"

"Aren't there two Jonin, Nawaki and Teacher Torifu, with us? Besides, our strength isn't weak either, so there won't be any problems!" Shinnosuke said carelessly.

Nawaki also spoke up: "Don't worry, Teacher Torifu. Although the enemies seem numerous, as long as we make preparations and ensure the plan proceeds smoothly, we can defeat them one by one and significantly reduce the difficulty of the mission."

"I have already obtained a map of the bandit distribution throughout the Land of Fire through the person in charge of my clan's merchant caravans. Although I don't know the specific situation of the bandits, their general locations can be determined. What we need to do now is to scout the bandit camps along our route. At our speed, all scouting missions can be completed by the morning."

"After determining their specific strength and the situation regarding the hostages, we will rest while formulating the combat plan. Once night falls, I will take advantage of the darkness to wipe out all the bandits on the 'dividing line'."

"After that, we will move the rescued hostages to a safe place overnight, and the first step of the plan will be complete."

Torifu Akimichi frowned, however: "But our squad doesn't have any scouting ninjas from the Hyuga, Aburame, or Inuzuka clans..."

Nawaki said confidently: "Leave it to me! I have inherited my grandmother's sensory secret technique and can act as a scout ninja."