A Very Ordinary Mission Escalation

Otherwise, why would this big shot in front of us be leading the team?

"Lord Shingen, please give me a definite answer, is everything really alright?"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. It's normal business practice for us to handle your request. Protecting our clients has always been Leaf Village's principle. You're overthinking it."

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you."

Leaf Village's reputation is indeed solid. When Uchiha Shingen said this, the Daigo Territory him increased dramatically, and he felt ashamed of his inappropriate behavior.

He waved to the side, and immediately a butler brought over several gift boxes.

"Shingen, please accept this gift to express my apology, and I will also increase the mission reward."

"Daigo, thank you for your generosity, but the village's rulings on mission fees are based on standards. If there are no changes to the mission content, no additional fees can be added. Furthermore, we are not allowed to accept gifts privately. Although this money may not be much to you, as Konoha Ninja, we must act in accordance with the village's regulations, otherwise the punishment will be severe."

After some refusals, the Daigo Territory's gift was ultimately not sent.

After inwardly marveling at the exceptional professionalism of the Konoha Ninja, the Daigo Territory began to explain to everyone the reasons for issuing this mission.

It's not actually that complicated; the main reason is that the Land of Rivers has become less peaceful in recent years.

The reason is that the ninja community in this country has been reshuffled.

The original Land of Rivers relied on various ninja organizations and underground Bounty Exchange systems to handle daily security tasks. Although it seemed chaotic, it was actually quite stable because both sides knew each other well.

Now, all former partners have been wiped out. Not only Sand Village and Leaf Village, but also Rain Village and Kusagakure ninjas are appearing in the Land of Rivers. In addition to these villages, wandering ninjas from other countries have also entered, making the situation in the Land of Rivers very complicated.

Faced with this situation, the most distressed were small lords like the Daigo Territory.

All sorts of shady characters see him, a minor lord, as the perfect target for trouble.

When a lord issues a mission to a ninja village, it is usually for two main purposes: protecting production on the territory and ensuring the safety of their family. However, the minor lords have limited resources and can only prioritize protecting their families.

"I see, Daigo Taigo. Can you confirm that no ninjas are currently causing trouble in your territory?"

"Yes, if there are any ninjas, I will immediately request additional mission funds from Hidden Leaf Village."

"Yes, Daigo, you don't need to worry. We won't stop the mission because of this uncertainty. Don't underestimate them just because they're young; they're all very skilled ninjas. Even if the mission is upgraded to B-rank, we can still carry it out. The village won't change teams because of this."

"That's wonderful!" The Daigo Territory was overjoyed.

The change in missions is something not only the ninja village dislikes, but also the clients. If the mission team has to be replaced, it will be a real disaster.

Uchiha Shingen roughly understood why the mission center had assigned this mission to him; the Daigo Territory must have explained this situation when issuing the mission, leaving an opening.

His own strength, combined with the quality of these three kids, indeed allows him to seamlessly advance the mission's progression under these circumstances.

"Then, please let us meet your other family members first, so I can arrange work," said Uchiha Shingen.

"Okay, please follow me."

Gathering a few students, Uchiha Shingen followed the Daigo Territory quarters.

Just as Uchiha Shingen was leading the newly formed Team 7 on a mission, a dark figure emerged from the earth on the land of the Land of Rivers.

[That Obito guy really has no taste in choosing a place.]

Black Zetsu looked at this land and thought that opening a branch base here would be a really good idea.

This area is a much less dangerous zone compared to the former Land of Grass. It is also a coastal country with a well-developed water system, thick soil, and lush forests, making it the perfect environment for raising White Zetsu.

Back in the Land of Iron, those Rock Ninja and Cloud Ninja have been fighting for so long that it's been digging underground for two years.

The training of White Zetsu has been suspended; they've been busy digging in the soil.

This fueled Black Zetsu's resentment.

You can treat it like a tool, or not, but you can't keep holding it back when you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I really believed Uchiha Obito back then and went there to set up my main base.

If Uchiha Shingen were on its side, he certainly wouldn't have made such a basic mistake.

However, Black Zetsu felt that although Uchiha Shingen was not on the same path, he had developed Leaf Village into what it is today, so the Land of Rivers would surely be very peaceful.

Although the Land of Rivers is also a war zone between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, it is far from the high-risk area where the powers of several major countries intersect, and the frequency of war is still very low. Apart from the Sand Ninja Army and the Leaf Village Ninja Army, no other ninja village would fight here.

Even if a fight breaks out, it certainly won't be like the battles Rock Ninja and Cloud Ninja, where they fought for a year or two and then refused to leave.

Although it found a lot of bandits and the like after arriving in this country, that wasn't a problem; they were just ordinary people that the White Zetsu could handle.

It just wanted to quietly plant some White Zetsu and wait for Uchiha Obito to complete Uchiha Madara's plan.

Black Zetsu disappeared back into the ground and continued to dive southward.

Its branch base must be as close to the sea as possible. It had inquired and found out that there was a minor lord named "Daigo" whose territory was right by the sea. This guy was also a minor lord who quietly farmed in a remote place and was not interested in fighting the world.

This kind of personality suits it very well.

Chapter 8: The very common phenomenon of leveling up through quests.

Black Zetsu always found the concept of "empathy" that Uchiha Shingen had mentioned to it to be very interesting.

It and the Daigo are both farmers, so they will definitely get along well.

The base in the Land of Iron was entrusted to the White Zetsu's main body for management. It had been digging enough. Although it no longer needed to dig and the cultivation work had resumed, it still felt uncomfortable looking at that place.

It's still more pleasant to open a branch base.

Once its branch base is operational, it will create a dedicated White Zetsu squad to help Daigo deal with those so-called bandits, ensuring that Daigo Territory becomes a paradise in the Ninja World.

Don't be too grateful for it; it's just a mutual appreciation between farmers.

As the last Yin-Yang Release creation before the Progenitor of Chakra in this world was sent to heaven, Black Zetsu's ability to activate his chakra within the earth is extremely smooth and his speed is top-notch.

You don't even need to stick your head out; you can just follow the moisture in the soil.

Even under these conditions, it can still clearly perceive everything moving on the ground; the earth and the forest are its eyes.

Then it sensed it.

There are ninjas here.

Therefore, Black Zetsu stopped his escape and instead surfaced.

A sufficient number of ninjas are both the foundation for the return of great beings to this world and an obstacle to it.

Black Zetsu targeting any particular ninja or ninja organization. In this nursery, it hopes that healthy and strong saplings can grow strong and provide nutrients for that towering tree, but weeds that affect the tree must also be cleared away.

Soon, in a jungle on the ground, an eye opened on the trunk of a tree.

Black Zetsu saw the group of ninjas he had sensed.

It was quite a large event, with several dozen people.

As night fell, the sky was adorned with starlight. The forest had no particularly tall trees, allowing the starlight to spill down and fall upon a group of ninjas resting by a campfire.

"Boss, are we really going to rob a lord?" a ninja asked by the campfire. "He's a nobleman after all. If we rob him, he might hire the ninja village to deal with us."

"How do you commission a dead person?" the leading ninja said coldly. "This country has seen quite a few nobles die in the past."

"Boss, that's not how it works. Those are Leaf Village and Sand Village."

"Let's pretend to be from Leaf Village. I'm really looking forward to seeing if those nobles dare to cause trouble for Leaf Village."

"If this is discovered, the 'Hannya Group' will truly cease to exist."

"Isn't Leaf Village supposed to have all kinds of Ninjutsu? This is the Land of Rivers. A lord died from Fire Release. Of course, Leaf Village is the prime suspect. Even if Leaf Village says they didn't do it, what good will it do?"

"Boss, what's the point of us doing this?"

"It is only right to avenge our fallen comrades and families. Although Shimura Danzō is dead, Leaf Village still exists."

Black Zetsu, hiding in the tree, understood.

This is a group of ninjas who have a grudge against Leaf Village.

But... damn it, why is it that wherever it sets up a base, people like this seem to follow it like a shadow?

It's one thing to lure Leaf Village ninjas here, but what if it's Uchiha Shingen?

Black Zetsu know how Uchiha Shingen had discovered Uchiha Madara and his underground base in the Land of Grass, but that didn't stop him from inferring that Uchiha Shingen had strong reconnaissance abilities.

These guys need to be killed.

Black Zetsu submerged back underground, waiting for the right opportunity.

Based on its observations, this group is currently very wary and it's not yet the right time to take action.

As he expected, the group of ninjas stayed there all night, preventing Black Zetsu from finding an opportunity.

This made it somewhat regretful that it hadn't brought another White Zetsu.

In this way, it can use the White Zetsu Cells to perform Wood Release.

After that, Black Zetsu followed the group of ninjas all the way towards the Daigo Territory.

At this time, in the Daigo Territory, Team 7, led by Uchiha Shingen, had officially begun its protection mission.

For ninjas in this world, as long as they don't participate in battles, the difficulty of missions is really not high, even for C-rank protection missions.

Genin, in the conventional sense, can only undertake missions that are difficult to even get injured at the beginning. This is not because they are too weak, but to cultivate their teamwork.

Catching cats can also help develop tactical skills.

In terms of combat ability, a Genin ninja) should have no problem defeating an elite samurai of ordinary rank.

These elite samurai pose less of a threat to a Genin than large beasts. When large beasts become the targets of a ninja's missions, it proves that the situation is extremely dangerous. Beasts that fight for survival are far more ferocious than samurai who are only trying to make a living or get promoted.

In the original timeline Naruto Uzumaki, while in the Land of Waves, instantly defeated two elite samurai under Gato's command.

In this timeline, Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke are far stronger than in the original timeline. In addition, they have been friends since childhood, and their mischievous traces are all over Hidden Leaf Village. Without excellent teamwork, they would not have been able to do this.

Hinata Hyuga may not have that kind of chemistry, but she's trying her best to keep up with their pace.

Therefore, the three of them did a pretty good job on their first protection mission.

Seeing that the teamwork between the three was improving at a considerable pace, Uchiha Shingen was quite satisfied.

But leisurely times are always fleeting.

On this day, the Daigo Territory received an urgent report from his retainers that a group of ninjas of unknown origin had appeared in his territory.

Not only were they of unknown origin, but they were also extremely aggressive, heading straight for his town, having already robbed several villages along the way.

This is clearly a hostile move.

The horrific image of ninjas scaling walls and beheading people in the Land of Rivers was recalled by the Daigo Territory, and he was terrified.

He immediately sent someone to invite Uchiha Shingen to discuss the matter.

Upon meeting Uchiha Shingen, the first thing he said was...

"Lord Shingen, I want more money!"

"Daigo Taigo, what has happened?" Uchiha Shingen looked at the customer in front of him who was acting like he was on steroids, and knew that something must have changed.

"Yes, a large group of wandering ninjas has entered my territory and is now heading straight for my city."

"So arrogant?" Uchiha Shingen was surprised.

The ninjas and nobles always maintained a tacit understanding.

People only talk through money.

Even a wandering ninja wouldn't use his superior martial prowess to bully nobles.

After all, the underground Bounty Exchange business was supported by the nobles.

Eliminating the nobility is easy, but having nobility is essential for maintaining stable social output.

Ninjas are not samurai; they don't study such a wide range of skills, but rather focus on combat techniques.

The administrators of the ninja village rely primarily on their own strength to manage the ninjas.

If wandering ninjas go and harass nobles, they will be wiped out by the ninja village.

The ninja village can even do this service for free.

"Daigo Uchiha, I don't doubt that you're lying, but please think carefully, have you had any enemies recently?" Uchiha Shingen asked.

"No, Lord Shingen." The Daigo Territory felt the world had gone mad. "I'm just a small country lord, who could I possibly have offended?"

"Don't worry, we're here. You and your family will be safe," Uchiha Shingen reassured him first. "My men and I will stay by your side every step of the way from now on."

If these ninjas really were here to rob us, Uchiha Shingen could only say they were desperate for money.