Team Sakumo's First Mission

The next morning, Qi Luna arrived at the village gate early. Shirokumo Hayama and Yakushi Nonou arrived shortly after, and the three of them waited for their teacher, Hatake Sakumo, in high spirits.

Before long, Sakumo appeared. He looked the three of them over and nodded with satisfaction. "Very good, all of you are punctual."

"This mission involves traveling to a remote village to wipe out bandits who have been harassing the locals. Although this is only a C-rank mission, its nature dictates that combat will occur. Furthermore, unless you encounter a life-threatening crisis, I will not intervene. Therefore, you must learn to be cautious and prudent on your own."

The three replied in unison, "Yes, Teacher!" They then followed Sakumo as they set off on their journey.

Along the way, Qi Luna activated his Kagura Mind's Eye, perceiving scenery vastly different from that of the Land of Whirlpools. This was his first time leaving the village since arriving in Konoha so long ago.

As they traveled, seeing the three of them looking so fascinated by the sights outside the village, Hatake Sakumo said earnestly, "When executing a mission, you must remain calm and focused."

"If you encounter danger, do not panic. You must make quick judgments and take action."

"At the same time, pay attention to teamwork. Maintain close communication with your teammates, support one another, and complete the mission together."

"Also, be adept at observing and analyzing the situation. Understand the enemy's weaknesses and strengths to formulate the best strategy."

"Finally, do not forget to protect yourselves. You only have one life; safety is the most important thing."

The three members of Team Sakumo listened intently to their teacher's words of experience, silently committing these points to heart.

Qi Luna knew that only by being fully prepared could one achieve victory in actual combat and truly grow. After all, even for a slacker like him, the principle that "if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles" was something he had known by heart in his past life.

The evening glow spilled across the land, gilding the figures of Hatake Sakumo and his companions. They finally arrived at their destination—a remote and dilapidated village.

At the entrance to the village, several ancient trees stood like loyal guards, silently protecting the tranquility of the place.

Hatake Sakumo stood at the front of the group, his deep eyes scanning the surroundings. He brushed the dust off his clothes and said to Qi Luna and the others, "Everyone, rest here for a moment. I am going to speak with the client to understand the situation."

The three nodded. Qi Luna immediately reactivated his Kagura Mind's Eye to confirm the situation in the vicinity, while Shirokumo Hayama and Yakushi Nonou began to recover their chakra.

After all, they had been rushing along the road from dawn until nearly nightfall, having only rested twice for no more than fifteen minutes each time. Since they were neither a Jonin like Hatake Sakumo nor possessed the naturally vast chakra reserves of Qi Luna, they were already nearing exhaustion.

At this moment, the villagers seemed to have sensed their arrival. A few of the bolder ones slowly emerged, curiously sizing up the group of outsiders.

An elderly villager stepped forward and asked with a hint of wariness, "Are you the ninjas from Konoha who accepted our request and traveled all this way?"

Hatake Sakumo stepped forward and smiled. "Yes, elder. I am Konoha Jonin Hatake Sakumo, and these three are my subordinates."

A flash of grief crossed the old man's eyes, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. He hurriedly said, "That's wonderful, you've finally come! Recently, the village has been frequently attacked by that group of bandits in the mountains behind us. They often come to the village to loot; not only do they steal money and grain, but they also take the women and children. Even my daughter was... Ninja-sama, you must save them!"

Hatake Sakumo frowned and nodded. "Please rest assured, we will find the root of the problem and restore peace to your village."

As night fell and the village began to glow with scattered lights, Hatake Sakumo led the three members of Team Sakumo to the vicinity of the bandits' lair.

"Just as I said this morning, this mission will be completed independently by the three of you; I will not intervene. As for how the mission is executed, when it is executed, and to what extent, you will decide everything yourselves."

Having said that, without waiting for a response from Qi Luna and the others, Hatake Sakumo used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished, leaving no trace within their field of vision.

"Teacher Sakumo seems to have gone quite far. Qi Luna-kun, why don't you tell us what to do? After all, whether in terms of strength or other aspects, you are the most outstanding among us. We are both willing to follow your command if you act as our temporary captain," Shirokumo Hayama said first, speaking with great solemnity.

"Yes, Hayama-kun is right. Qi Luna-kun, tell us your plan and then assign our tasks," Yakushi Nonou added, squinting with a smile.

"You two are clearly just trying to be lazy and don't want to use your brains. You're just buttering me up; planning things is such a pain," Qi Luna complained casually. Ignoring the two who were secretly smirking, he immediately began to think.

Before long, Qi Luna had formulated a simple and practical plan.

"It's still early. Let's wait until three to five in the morning, when people are at their most exhausted. Nonou, you will be responsible for infiltrating. I will use my Kagura Mind's Eye to observe the whole time. Once you find the location where the hostages are being held, send me a signal by slightly altering your chakra flow. At that point, Hayama and I will launch a frontal assault to draw their fire. You only need to focus on protecting the hostages; Hayama and I will handle the rest."

Hearing Qi Luna's arrangement for her, Nonou nodded in agreement.

Since she only excelled in medical ninjutsu and the Transparent Escape, her frontal combat ability was relatively weak. This type of infiltration mission actually suited her better, so after a brief moment of thought, she readily accepted.

"Hayama, once Nonou sets off, I will use my Kagura Mind's Eye to scout the enemy's situation. I will point out the locations of all their sentries. You can use Wind Release or your swordsmanship to assassinate them; try not to alert the others. Once I receive Nonou's signal, we will charge in together."

Wind Release was formless and intangible, and his own swordsmanship style was sharp and swift, making it perfect for assassination missions. Compared to Qi Luna's flashy Water Release ninjutsu, it was better to leave the sentries to him. Thinking of this, Shirokumo Hayama had no objections and immediately agreed to the task assigned by Qi Luna, replying, "No problem."

Hearing Shirokumo Hayama's response, Qi Luna nodded and began to conserve his energy, waiting for the right moment to arrive.

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Building in Konoha...

"Sarutobi, border conflicts between the nations are becoming increasingly frequent. That ambitious man, Salamander Hanzo, has already declared war on Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and our Konoha! The Second Great Ninja War is like an arrow on a full-moon bow; it will erupt completely at the slightest disturbance. At a time like this, you actually agreed to let a brat from the Uzumaki Clan leave the village to carry out a mission? Have you gone senile?!"

Note:

Here is an explanation of the Transparent Escape: In the TV version, a young Jiraiya mentioned that he knew the Transparent Escape, and Sarutobi Hiruzen responded by saying they should go peek at the women's bath together—ahem, scratch that—test the Transparent Escape. Therefore, in this book, the Transparent Escape is set as a secret technique, not a Kekkei Genkai.