Mission! Leaving the Village!

He followed the flow of people and headed straight to the Mission Hall.

The hall bustled with activity, filled with ninjas preparing to accept missions or turn them in.

Seated behind the counter was a Special Jonin named Tanaka Kaiichi.

Tanaka Kaiichi flipped through the documents in his hand, catching sight of Chiba approaching the counter from the corner of his eye.

He curled his lip disdainfully.

He had some impression of that unlucky bastard, Chiba.

Mediocre talent, a worthless fool who had only survived the Third Shinobi World War by hiding among piles of corpses.

"What mission do you want?"

Tanaka Kaiichi did not even raise his head, his voice carrying the detached coldness of routine official business.

"Senior Tanaka, I've been a little short on cash lately."

"I'd like to take a C-Rank escort mission with a higher reward."

Ye rubbed his hands together.

He even forced a faintly ingratiating smile onto his face.

"They're all here. Pick one yourself."

Tanaka Kaiichi pushed a stack of scrolls before Chiba.

Ye thanked him repeatedly and began searching through them with feigned seriousness.

His movements were slow, but his eyes rapidly scanned every mission.

He could not directly look for a mission heading to Tanzaku Street.

That kind of clearly targeted selection would easily arouse suspicion.

He first picked up a mission bound for the capital of the Land of Fire, then shook his head because the "reward was too low."

Next, he pulled out a mission heading to the border of the Land of Hot Water, only to put it back with distaste, claiming that "the route was too dangerous."

He went back and forth through more than a dozen scrolls.

Tanaka Kaiichi's impatience had become obvious.

Just then.

Ye's fingers came to rest on a slightly worn scroll.

He deliberately hesitated for quite some time before gritting his teeth and pulling it out.

"Senior, I'll take this one."

Tanaka Kaiichi took the scroll and gave it a glance.

[C-Rank Mission: Escort a batch of valuable medicinal herbs to Kikyo Town in western Land of Fire.]

That town was very close to Tanzaku Street, only half a day's journey away.

Missions with remote routes and rewards only slightly higher than ordinary C-Rank missions were usually unwanted.

Therefore.

Tanaka Kaiichi's gaze toward Chiba became even more contemptuous.

He was willing to take such a miserable assignment just to earn a few thousand more ryo.

What a pathetic nobody.

"Take the commission papers."

"Gather at the village gate at two this afternoon."

Tanaka Kaiichi stamped the mission seal and tossed the documents back.

Ye accepted the documents with both hands and bowed repeatedly once more.

The moment he turned away from the counter.

His previously hunched back straightened ever so slightly.

The first step was complete.

That afternoon.

Before Konoha's broad main gate.

A merchant caravan of three carriages was conducting its final inventory.

The caravan's owner was a fat merchant named Yamada, who was currently wiping away sweat with a handkerchief.

"Konoha only sent one person?"

When he saw Chiba approaching alone.

Merchant Yamada immediately frowned.

"Rest assured, Merchant Yamada."

"I know this route well. I can absolutely guarantee the safety of the medicinal herbs."

Ye stepped forward at an unhurried pace, speaking calmly.

He had smiled submissively before Tanaka Kaiichi because there had been too many ninjas in the Mission Hall.

Ye did not dare expose himself carelessly.

But Yamada was just an ordinary person and did not deserve such treatment.

"Get on the carriage already."

"Don't delay the journey!"

Yamada grumbled a few complaints in dissatisfaction.

But in order to save the hefty cost of hiring an entire squad, he could only grit his teeth and accept it.

At that.

Ye leaped directly onto the driver's seat of one of the carriages.

The guards at the gate were still the old partners, Izumo and Kotetsu.

They checked Chiba's mission credentials and verified his chakra mark.

"Safe travels."

Izumo waved his hand, signaling for them to pass.

The carriage wheels slowly began to turn, rolling over the white line at the village gate that marked the boundary of the barrier.

The instant he passed through the barrier.

The boulder that had weighed on Chiba's heart was finally crushed to pieces.

The air of freedom flooded into his lungs through his nose.

He lowered his head, a trace of wild ambition flashing in his eyes.

That evening.

The caravan encountered several Wandering Samurai who did not know their place.

With only a few precise Kunai throws, Chiba easily dealt with those petty bandits.

When Yamada saw how decisively Chiba killed.

His attitude changed from initial disdain to eager flattery.

At night.

The caravan made camp in the woods.

Ye took the initiative to volunteer for night watch.

He sat cross-legged atop a thick tree branch.

After confirming that no one was nearby.

Ye slowly raised his right hand.

No hand seals were needed.

A faint green light quietly bloomed in his palm.

Immediately after.

A thumb-thick sapling emerged from the surface of Chiba's skin.

Its vibrant green leaves swayed gently in the night breeze.

Ye felt his scalp tingle.

This was Wood Style!

This miracle of creating life from nothing completely defied the physical laws of conventional ninjutsu.

As long as he poured in more chakra.

This thumb-thick sapling could instantly transform into a towering tree that strangled everything in its path.

No wonder someone as proud and ruthless as Uchiha Madara had repeatedly suffered before Wood Style.

This simply was not a power that ordinary ninjas could contend against.

A moment later.

Ye immediately withdrew his chakra.

The sapling instantly withered, turning into a small puff of ash that scattered into the wind.

He did not dare attempt anything on too large a scale.

Out here in the wilderness, causing too much commotion could easily attract unnecessary trouble.

His top priority now was to find Tsunade.