Mission Start

"Mo, are you looking for a mission?"

Minato Namikaze wore a sunny smile as he bent down beside Uchiha Mo.

Mo turned his gaze back and resumed searching through the mission board.

Not receiving a response, Minato felt slightly awkward, but he still struck up a conversation enthusiastically.

"Couldn't find one you liked? I have a mission assigned by Lord Hokage—do you want to take a look? I heard a minister visiting from the Land of Birds is returning home, leaving the day after tomorrow. Though it's a C-rank mission, they specifically requested that someone formidable from Hidden Leaf lead the team."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo immediately turned back to him. Looking into Minato Namikaze's azure eyes, he did not rush to answer and instead asked first, "Why aren't you going?"

Minato smiled. "Team 7 only returned to Hidden Leaf not long ago. It was Obito and Rin's first time going out on a mission, so they need some time to adjust. If you're willing to take this mission, I'll discuss it with Lord Hokage."

He waved the mission scroll in his hand, his face seeming to radiate a warm light.

Uchiha Mo took the scroll from Minato Namikaze, opened it, and began reading it carefully.

The employer's requirements were written at the very top of the mission scroll. Mo merely glanced over them before lowering his eyes to the route plan.

A line ran straight from Hidden Leaf to the border of the Land of Fire. Upon entering the Land of Rain, it began twisting sharply back and forth. After winding through the Land of Rain several times, it reached the border of the Land of Birds, then went in a dead straight line to the capital of the Land of Birds.

Uchiha Mo frowned slightly. Without saying anything further, he rolled up the scroll and stuffed it back into Minato's hand.

"I owe you one."

Minato was briefly stunned, then the corners of his mouth lifted.

"I understand. I'll discuss it with Lord Hokage."

With that, a flash of golden light appeared, and Minato vanished from where he stood.

"Yellow Flash..."

Mo murmured slowly. Only when Minato Namikaze had placed a hand on his shoulder had he realized that the man was already at his side...

"Looks like my strength is nothing special after all."

Mo shook his head and turned to leave the mission hall.

The next day, Minato delivered the mission scroll and news that the handover had been completed to Uchiha Mo.

After putting away the scroll, Mo returned to his room and began studying it.

Although the route planned by the employer was extremely strange, Mo did not pay it much mind. There were too many odd people in the shinobi world, especially among the nobility. This minister might have some peculiar habit of his own.

He spread out a map of the Land of Birds and began comparing several major black-market merchant gathering sites he had marked with the mission's route.

Before long, however, Mo's brows furrowed tightly.

After circling around several times within the Land of Rain, the route charged toward the capital from the border of the Land of Birds at an extremely bizarre angle, steering far clear of every major black market.

"A coincidence...? No, as a minister of the Land of Birds, he most likely knows about the changes in the black markets as well..."

With that thought, Mo put away the scroll. His right fingertips rubbed together as his dark eyes rested on empty space, lost in thought.

On the third day, at the appointed time, Uchiha Mo brought the three children of Team 8 to the mission hall's reception area to meet with the employer. Unexpectedly, Hiruzen Sarutobi was there as well.

He sat in the middle behind a long table and spotted the four members of Team 8 at once.

"Mo, you're here. You've come to meet Mr. Yusuke, right?"

The Third Hokage waved at them and spoke with a smile.

With their official mission about to begin, Asuma was exceptionally excited. He shouted loudly, "Old man, quit wasting time! Hurry up and bring out whoever it is already—I can't wait any longer!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly. He wanted to take out his pipe and have a few puffs, but held himself back out of consideration for the surroundings.

Just then, a well-dressed, rosy-cheeked, somewhat portly middle-aged man entered the hall through a side door.

He had clearly heard the commotion in the hall. After glancing at the members of Team 8, he immediately asked, "Are these the shinobi who accepted my mission?"

Terada Yusuke looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with some doubt in his eyes.

Looking at the four members of Team 8, each only ten years old, Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed awkwardly twice before slowly explaining, "Mr. Yusuke, please don't be hasty. Although they may not look particularly strong, this one..."

Before he could finish, Terada Yusuke sighed and interrupted him. "Lord Hokage, forgive my bluntness. Although a shinobi's strength cannot be judged solely by age, these children look... far too young."

The moment Terada Yusuke finished speaking, Asuma bristled.

"What the hell do you mean by that?! Looking down on—"

"Enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sternly cut Asuma off. Asuma immediately shrank back in fear, and Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Terada Yusuke with an apologetic look.

"Mr. Yusuke, I sincerely apologize. Asuma, he..."

Terada Yusuke waved a hand, completely unconcerned.

"It's fine. Anyone would feel displeased when questioned, and I understand that. But Lord Hokage, I cannot treat my own safety as a joke. So even if I understand, I cannot carelessly entrust my safety to a group of children. I hope you understand."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, looking seriously into Terada Yusuke's eyes as he said:

"Mr. Yusuke, there's no need to worry about that."

He pointed at Uchiha Mo and continued, "His name is Uchiha Mo. Perhaps you're unfamiliar with that name, but he has another title—the Blood Ninja!"

"Blood Ninja?" Terada Yusuke's pupils contracted.

"That's right. Mo is one of the best in the village as well. Mr. Yusuke can entrust this matter to him without concern."

Terada Yusuke nodded in astonishment, then turned his gaze toward Uchiha Mo and said in surprise:

"I never expected the Blood Ninja to be so young. In that case, I'm relieved."

Terada Yusuke had clearly heard of the Blood Ninja's reputation. The moment he learned Mo's identity, he no longer had any doubts.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled faintly in satisfaction. Mo stepped forward and said, taking advantage of the moment:

"Since there are no problems, let's go."

"No problem."

Terada Yusuke nodded and readily agreed.

And so, after Uchiha Mo collected the mission pass, the group of five left the mission hall and headed toward Hidden Leaf's gates.

After leaving Hidden Leaf's gates and reaching the main road, Uchiha Mo glanced at the chattering crowd ahead before suddenly asking:

"The Land of Birds' minister came to the Land of Fire as an envoy without any guards or support staff accompanying him?"

Terada Yusuke paused slightly, seemingly not expecting Uchiha Mo to ask such a question. But after recovering, he answered casually:

"Of course I had them. I simply sent them back ahead of time. Since I decided to have Hidden Leaf's ninja escort me, ordinary guards would only be a burden. It's better to keep the group small—the level of safety improves as well."