C-Rank Mission

Beyond these three blades, Ye Yuexin had also conceived of a fourth: becoming the blade himself. However, it was merely a rough idea, lacking any logical foundation, so he set it aside for the time being.

Except for the throwing knives.

What Ye Yuexin took the most pride in was his movement technique.

That's right; by combining his footwork with his comprehension of wind-attribute flow, his current speed had almost surpassed the Body Flicker Technique.

Moreover, that wasn't even the technique's greatest strength. Its true power lay in the formlessness and stealth of the wind, much like the sensation of the Lingbo Weibu.

Even while in mid-air, with nothing to push off of, Ye Yuexin could now utilize his wind attribute to perform many superhuman maneuvers.

Drawing from the water-transformation characteristics of the Hozuki Clan from the Land of Water in his memories, Ye Yuexin also wanted to transform into wind. That would be even more incredible, but he had no leads on how to achieve it yet.

Nevertheless, it was precisely because of this movement technique that he was able to tie with Itachi Uchiha for first place at the academy without even using his throwing knives.

The night deepened, and the temperature gradually dropped. It was time to rest.

Ye Yuexin rolled over and jumped off the roof, walking into his room.

The room was fully equipped with all sorts of appliances and furniture. The house his old man had left him was quite decent, feeling like a two-bedroom apartment from his previous life. Naturally, it had a kitchen and a bathroom, too. Ye Yuexin was quite fond of this house he had grown up in.

He took a carton of milk from the fridge, poured himself a glass, and went to sleep immediately after finishing it. There wasn't the slightest sign of insomnia.

The next morning, Ye Yuexin was woken up by his alarm clock.

Having formed the habit, he immediately began his morning training. It just so happened that his house was very close to the forest.

Every morning, Ye Yuexin would run through the forest. It served to exercise his body and shake off the last remnants of sleep.

By the time he finished a lap, his body was slightly sweaty. Ye Yuexin had gradually transitioned from a jog to a sprint. A single lap was about three kilometers; after all, the forest was vast, and he didn't run in a straight line.

Once he had fully woken up, Ye Yuexin realized that he had already graduated yesterday.

He couldn't stick to his old habits anymore.

Just a moment ago, he had instinctively thought about creating a Shadow Clone to attend class.

After a simple breakfast of two fried eggs, Ye Yuexin headed out.

He wasn't going out to accept missions, but to make money. That's right—he was setting up a stall.

Based on what Haino Fuji had said to them yesterday, Ye Yuexin felt that setting up a stall was the better option.

Anyone who had watched Naruto knew what D-rank missions were like.

Farm work, cleaning up trash, babysitting... how was this any different from being a nanny? Ye Yuexin felt he didn't need that kind of experience. Of course, the biggest reason was simply that he didn't want to do it.

Ye Yuexin couldn't fathom the point of doing D-rank missions. If he didn't need the experience, then only the pay remained.

However, a single day of running his stall would likely earn him more than several D-rank missions combined. Why go through all that trouble?

As for his own training, Ye Yuexin felt he needed to calm his mindset.

Although his strength had improved rapidly over the years at the Ninja Academy, it felt too rushed. There were many things he could do, but he hadn't truly grasped the essence of them.

Therefore, Ye Yuexin planned to take a few days off to settle down.

He needed to think about his future growth and plans. After all, graduating was like finishing university in his previous life—it was time to step into society.

He could no longer just focus on simple strength improvement like he did in school, especially since he was someone poor and without any background.

The downtime at his stall would be the perfect time to think.

Business wasn't very good in the morning, and Ye Yuexin wondered if he should just come in the afternoon instead. After all, most people wanted something light to eat in the morning.

For some reason, a sudden chill hit him, followed by a very indifferent voice: "You're actually here?"

It gave Ye Yuexin a start; he hadn't been on guard while on the streets of Konoha.

He turned around to see it was Itachi Uchiha. "You..." He wanted to say something, but he noticed Itachi Uchiha's expression seemed off.

He looked particularly gloomy, his face somewhat dark.

"Itachi, did you get dumped?" Ye Yuexin felt he should offer some comfort. In the original work, Itachi had a girlfriend when he was young. Could it be that he had caused some plot deviation?

However, upon hearing Ye Yuexin's words, Itachi Uchiha's face seemed to darken even further. A hint of suppressed anger flickered in his eyes.

He spoke through gritted teeth, "I've been looking for you for two hours. Why are you setting up a stall here?"

Hearing this, Ye Yuexin found it strange. Weren't these clan heirs usually busy? They had just graduated yesterday; what was Itachi Uchiha looking for him for now?

However, for Itachi Uchiha to spend two hours searching, he must have assumed Ye Yuexin was training and gone to the forest to find him. He probably searched the whole place.

But Itachi Uchiha's tone just now sounded like he was interrogating him. Since it wasn't a breakup, Ye Yuexin felt no need to be polite.

He asked, "What do you want with me?"

"Let's go accept a mission. Have you become lazy now that you're a ninja?" Itachi Uchiha said quickly.

"Not going." Hearing this, Ye Yuexin refused outright. He had to be out of his mind to do D-rank missions, and that was without even mentioning the team aspect. He was making more money here—wasn't that better?

"No, we have to go, otherwise I can't accept a mission by myself," Itachi Uchiha continued, looking slightly anxious at Ye Yuexin's blunt refusal.

Ye Yuexin found this a bit strange. "Didn't the teacher say yesterday that we could accept D-rank missions on our own?" He wasn't crazy enough to think Itachi Uchiha couldn't accept missions just because he couldn't leave him.

"The teacher did say that, but there are no D-rank missions at the ninja mission hall right now."

"No D-rank missions?" Ye Yuexin was puzzled.

Itachi Uchiha continued, "As early as a month ago, due to the shortage of manpower caused by the war, D-rank missions were already cancelled. The lowest level now is C-rank."

He paused for a moment before adding, "For those of us who have just graduated, C-rank missions must be performed in teams." "Since we are the only two left from our graduating class, it is implied that we are a team."

Hearing Itachi Uchiha say this, Ye Yuexin understood. He pondered for a moment and agreed in his heart.

He was quite interested in C-rank missions. This kind of experience was the experience a ninja should be receiving.

Moreover, Ye Yuexin had a slight feeling that since they were currently in wartime, the standard of the current C-rank missions should be higher than what was shown in the anime.

As for how much higher, he would know soon enough.

"Fine, Big Brother agrees," he said to Itachi Uchiha. "Wait for me to tidy up, and I'll go with you."

Itachi Uchiha was more direct; he simply grabbed Ye Yuexin and headed toward the mission hall.

"Damn it, I haven't packed my things yet!"

"Pack them when we get back."

"No way, if I don't put them away properly, those noodles won't be usable later."

"I'll buy the remaining ingredients."

Ye Yuexin fell silent at that.

This was exactly why he loved being friends with the wealthy.

Before long, they arrived at the mission hall. To Ye Yuexin, the hall felt like the lobby of a high-end hotel from his past life, except there were four counters labeled A, S, B, C, and D.

Looking at it, it seemed A-rank and S-rank missions shared a counter, likely because there weren't that many S-rank missions.

There weren't many people in the hall. The war was one reason, but more importantly, personnel didn't linger in the hall.

Basically, people only came here for two things: to pick up missions or to turn them in. The employers issuing the missions were in rooms inside the hall to verify and submit their requests.

However, Ye Yuexin still managed to observe the D-rank mission counter.

Sure enough, no one was working there. The desk had already been cleared, and it lacked the documents present on the other counters. It looked like it had been idle for some time.

Itachi Uchiha led Ye Yuexin straight toward the C-rank counter.

Upon reaching the counter, Itachi Uchiha didn't say a word and simply picked up the mission log to look through it.

It gave Ye Yuexin the impression that he was very experienced. It seemed this wasn't Itachi Uchiha's first time here. Being from a clan really had its perks.

"I'll leave the choice to you this time; you pick one," Itachi Uchiha said after a brief look, handing the mission booklet to Ye Yuexin.

The booklet consisted of cards containing mission information, fastened together with something like a stapler. After taking the booklet, he scanned through it roughly.

There were still plenty of missions, much like he remembered; C-rank missions mostly consisted of clearing out bandits and thieves. In times like these, especially during wartime, bandits and thieves were like locusts—impossible to wipe out completely.

After all, when people were driven to desperation, they would do anything to survive. Don't look at how the residents of Konoha lived; that was because this was a ninja village. In these times, outside these walls, let alone being well-fed and warm, one could lose their life at any moment without even realizing it.

[New book, seeking support... I suggest adding it to your library first... let it grow before binge-reading. I need your support. Could you please add it to your library? Thank you, everyone.]