Konoha's C-Rank Mission?

"Sister Kuchiki Kei."

"What is it?"

"What kind of place is the Land of Waterfalls?"

On a small path through the woods, a carriage slowly rolled by, accompanied by a white-haired man and a blonde boy walking alongside it.

Kuchiki Kuroi was at the front, driving the carriage, while Yueshu, Kushina, and Mikoto sat inside with Kuchiki Kei. Minato Namikaze, being sensible, had voluntarily gone outside to help Jiraiya escort the carriage.

It must be said that women's friendships are truly strange; in just a few days, Kushina and Mikoto had already grown close to their employer, Kuchiki Kei.

Yueshu leaned back inside the carriage, his eyes fixed on the three women chatting.

"The Land of Waterfalls, you ask?"

Kuchiki Kei pondered for a moment, as if lost in memory.

"It's a very, very small place. Extremely small. Calling it a country is more like calling it a village; it might not even be as big as Konoha."

Kuchiki Kei smiled, and it had to be said that her smile held immense charm—pure and innocent.

Honestly, Yueshu admired Kuchiki Kuroi, who was driving the carriage outside. For a businessman to have a daughter so pure and innocent, Kuchiki Kuroi was truly something else.

"Eh? It's that small?"

Kushina was stunned, and Mikoto listened quietly from the side.

"Mhm. Very, very small, and the people are, too."

"Then why are you going out to do business? How do you manage it?"

Kuchiki Kei listened to Kushina's question and smiled again.

"Who told you we were going to do business?"

"Because that's what it said on the mission scroll."

Kushina and Mikoto looked at Kuchiki Kei with innocent curiosity, and Yueshu's gaze shifted toward her as well.

So, not a merchant?

Yueshu narrowed his eyes. In his view, this mission was far from a C-rank task, which was why he had remained vigilant of his surroundings the entire time.

"In a way, that's not wrong, because everything in this carriage was bought with money pooled together by everyone in the village. My father was a merchant when he was young, so the task of procurement was left to him."

"Is that so?"

"Because the village is so small and remote, everyone is very honest and stays within the village. They've never seen the outside world, so I suppose they're a bit afraid."

As Kuchiki Kei spoke of her village, her eyes softened.

Anyone who saw her would likely think she was a gentle person.

"Is that so? Sister Kuchiki Kei, you're truly amazing."

"You're so kind, Sister Kuchiki Kei."

Kushina and Mikoto were immediately moved by Kuchiki Kei's actions. Not to mention them, even Yueshu, standing to the side, couldn't help but admire her.

Crossing national borders for the sake of the people in her village—it was truly noble, but also very strange!

To go to such lengths just for daily necessities was, frankly, a bit too bizarre.

Yueshu's sense of logic was always particularly strong.

As he thought this, a sudden turn of events struck.

The carriage was forced to a halt. Since it hadn't been moving fast, the sudden stop didn't cause any major issues.

The people inside were jolted a few times, and then the sound of an explosion reached their ears.

"Yueshu, Kushina, Mikoto, protect Miss Kuchiki Kei!"

Jiraiya's voice came from outside the carriage, sounding incredibly grave.

Although Yueshu usually appeared lazy and laid-back, at this moment, he shifted his posture in an instant.

The posture of a ninja.

"Protect Miss Kuchiki, we're heading out first."

Yueshu said to Kushina and Mikoto before leaping out of the carriage himself.

Inside the carriage, it was impossible to see the situation clearly; getting outside to assess the state of affairs was the right choice.

Once outside, he saw Jiraiya locked in combat with three people, while Minato Namikaze was busy protecting Kuchiki Kuroi.

Clearly, as one of the Sannin, Jiraiya held the advantage even while fighting three opponents at once, but Minato was at a disadvantage.

With enemies attacking from all four sides, even the genius Minato was being suppressed, especially with Kuchiki Kuroi, a civilian, behind him.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!"

The situation was dire, and Yueshu couldn't be bothered to hide his strength anymore. He formed the hand seals and unleashed the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.

As Yueshu's voice fell, one Yueshu after another began to emerge, shocking everyone on the scene—including Kushina and Mikoto, who had just stepped out of the carriage.

Yueshu took advantage of this brief opening to organize his shadow clones and charge forward.

Some used taijutsu, while others used simple D-rank ninjutsu.

The suppression of numbers immediately gave Yueshu's side the overall advantage once again, and the pressure on Minato Namikaze was finally eased.

As Minato Namikaze's enemies were repelled, the three masked ninjas confronting Jiraiya exchanged glances.

"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Song Technique."

"Wind Style, Hurricane Blade."

As if they shared a single mind, two of the three unleashed a combined ninjutsu, while the other enemies circling nearby received a signal from the third person and began to retreat one after another.

The fire, shaped like a dragon, grew even more ferocious as it rode the wind, surging toward Jiraiya in rolling waves.

Yet, behind Jiraiya were four brats and two civilians.

Jiraiya had no choice but to face it head-on; he could not retreat because he had people behind him to protect.

"Water Style, Water Dragon Bullet."

Jiraiya completed the hand seals within a second.

In this area devoid of water, a mass of water was forced to appear out of thin air, coalescing into the shape of a dragon as it charged toward the incoming fire dragon.

Sizzle.

The water dragon and fire dragon collided, and steam billowed continuously.

One must say that Jiraiya, who is called one of the Sannin, truly lives up to the name; with just a single Water Dragon Bullet, he successfully neutralized the enemy's combined ninjutsu.

Steam drifted through the air, and the surroundings grew hot and humid, as if they were in a sauna.

Yueshu and Minato Namikaze guarded Kuchiki Kuroi, while Kushina and Mikoto protected Kuchiki Kei. Jiraiya looked at the empty space ahead and let out a breath.

This attack had come quite suddenly. If it weren't for Jiraiya's quick reflexes and his timely deflection of the incoming kunai with Explosive Tags, the enemy might have actually succeeded.

Of course, Minato Namikaze's excellent performance was also indispensable; otherwise, pinned down as he was, he would not have been able to protect Kuchiki Kuroi.

It had to be said that this ambush was very well-executed; if it had been an ordinary Jonin, they might have truly succeeded.

Moreover, there were three Jonin involved.

Jiraiya thought, his expression turning grave.

This was no longer the level of a C-rank mission; it was an A-rank mission bordering on S-rank.

After all, there were a full three Jonin present.

Jiraiya thought, his face serious, before turning toward Kuchiki Kuroi.

"So, shouldn't I be getting an explanation?"

"Mr. Kuchiki."

Jiraiya stared at Kuchiki Kuroi, who felt the gaze and broke into a cold sweat.

"Let me explain instead, Lord Jiraiya."

Before Kuchiki Kuroi could speak, Kuchiki Kei—his "daughter"—stepped forward to speak first.

Everyone looked at Kuchiki Kei, all wondering what she was about to say.

"It happened like this—"