"This... we are just... abandoned by the teacher?" Shisui murmured to himself, his tone full of disbelief.
A Genin team, without Jonin leading the team, independently executes C-Rank Mission for the first time out of the village? This is probably not something that has many precedents in the history of Konoha.
Just when Shisui was at a loss and Senju Chen's mind was racing, there was no wave on Maruboshi Kosuke's ancient and calm face. He just calmly folded the scroll with "Test" written on it carefully and put it into his arms.
He turned around and glanced at the two teenagers with his cloudy but calm eyes.
"The task is the task." His voice was hoarse but it contained a strange calming power. "With or without an instructor, it must be completed. Let's go, our employer must be waiting impatiently."
These extremely simple words were like a huge stone thrown into Shisui's panicked heart, instantly calming all the waves.
Yes, they are ninjas.
The vocation of a ninja is to complete the mission.
Seeing Mr. Kosuke's calm appearance in the face of danger, Shisui took a deep breath and nodded vigorously. The confusion in his eyes was replaced by perseverance.
Hearing Maruboshi Kosuke's calm and calm voice, Senju Chen's mentality gradually calmed down. He is now very happy that he has brought Maruboshi Kosuke into the team.
"Mr. Kosuke is right, let's go!"
The three-person team, led by Maruboshi Kosuke, walked towards the caravan on the side of the village entrance.
The leader of the caravan was a fat, middle-aged man wearing luxurious silk. He was pacing back and forth anxiously, with beads of sweat covering his forehead. When he saw the three people approaching, an almost flattering smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, three ninjas, I've been waiting for you!" He said, wiping sweat with his sleeves, but looking at Maruboshi Kosuke unconsciously, "Are you the team leader?"
This question made Shisui, who had just calmed down, feel unnatural again on his face.
Maruboshi Kosuke took a step forward and replied in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "That gentleman has other important matters, and the three of us will be fully responsible for this task. Mr. Tokugawa, please rest assured that we have enough ability to protect your safety and goods."
His tone was calm, but with a kind of battle-hardened confidence.
The businessman named Tokugawa was stunned for a moment. A flash of disappointment and deeper anxiety quickly flashed in his eyes, but was immediately covered up by a more enthusiastic smile.
"That's it, that's it! I'm worrying too much! Then let's... set off now?"
"Let's go." Maruboshi Kosuke said it concisely and to the point.
The team officially embarked on the road to leave Konoha.
As soon as he stepped out of the village and entered the vast forest, Shisui was like a bird released from its cage, full of curiosity about everything around him. Maruboshi Kosuke, on the other hand, began to show off his amazing, textbook-like knowledge of wild survival.
"Shisui, look here." He pointed to an inconspicuous soil turning mark on the ground, "This is the hoof print of a wild boar. Judging from the wetness of the mark, it passed here for less than half an hour. It is not small in size. Let's avoid it."
"Little Chen, please be careful where you step. Those red berries are highly poisonous and must not be touched."
"When walking, land with your toes first and keep your body light. This can minimize the sound and traces..."
He did not give long lectures. He just imparted decades of experience engraved in his bones to the two teenagers bit by bit while traveling. These are valuable knowledge that can never be learned in the Ninja Academy's class.
Shisui's eyes lit up when he heard it, he kept nodding his head, and asked questions like a curious baby.
Senju Chen acted as a perfect student, listening carefully and occasionally asking one or two just right questions, but his admiration for the legendary Genin deepened in his heart.
This is the real ninja.
Not relying on the powerful Kekkei Genkai and the gorgeous Ninjutsu, but relying on the simplest and most practical experience to survive in the cruel world.
As night fell, the team camped in an open space with its back against the mountain wall and a water source next to it.
Maruboshi Kosuke commanded the two men, skillfully setting up several simple early warning traps around the camp, and planning the order of the vigil. After doing all this, he took out the iconic big black pot from his bag.
The guards of the caravan gnawed on the hard food pills and looked at the three Konoha Genin who had been "abandoned" by the teacher with a hint of sympathy in their eyes.
However, their eyes soon changed from sympathy to shock, and finally to naked envy.
I saw Maruboshi Kosuke setting up the pot, pouring in water, and taking out the processed dried meat, wild vegetables and some secret seasoning packets from the luggage. After a while, a rich and mouth-watering aroma of broth filled the camp.
"Gulu..." Shisui couldn't help but swallowed his saliva and stared straight at the food churning in the pot.
"Okay, eat it while it's hot to replenish your energy." Maruboshi Kosuke filled a large bowl for each of them.
Shisui couldn't wait to take a sip. In an instant, he felt that his whole soul was sublimating. The delicious taste dispelled the fatigue of the whole day and warmed his whole body.
"It's so... so delicious!" He praised vaguely, moving his hands faster, "Mr. Kosuke, the food you cook is more delicious than the best chef in our family!"
Senju Chen also took a bite, and his eyes suddenly lit up. This taste is simple, pure, but just right. It is the most original deliciousness of food.
He looked at the old man in front of him who was sipping soup with a satisfied smile on his face, and was filled with emotions in his heart.
A living, like-minded Shisui is worth much more than a pair of Mangekyō.
And the value of a veteran who is experienced, knows how to survive on the battlefield, and can even make a good meal is equally immeasurable.
Just when the atmosphere in the camp was peaceful, the businessman Tokugawa came over with a smile on his face, holding his own water glass.
"You three adults have worked really hard." He said politely at first, then his eyes fell on Senju Chen and Shisui, and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Looking at the temperament of the two young adults, they must be from the big family of Konoha, right? They have such strength at a young age, they are really young and promising!"
Shisui has a straightforward personality. He was about to say something, but Senju Chen beat him to it.
"Mr. Tokugawa, thank you." Senju Chen had an innocent smile on his face, but his tone was neither humble nor arrogant, "We are just ordinary Genin from Konoha, responsible for completing tasks. As for the family, it is not worth mentioning."
As he spoke, he observed Tokugawa keenly.
He found that when the businessman mentioned the words "big family", a strange light flashed deep in his eyes. Moreover, the knuckles of the hand holding the water glass were a little white from exertion, and his smile seemed a little stiff.
This is not normal.
For an ordinary silk merchant, the escort mission is B-level at best. Usually he only worries about encountering bandits and robbers on the road. As for the strength of the escort, the stronger the security, the more at ease.
But this Tokugawa, when he learned that Jonin was not leading the team, it was understandable that he expressed disappointment and anxiety; but when he inquired about the identity of himself and Shisui, he seemed overly eager and nervous, which is not normal.
His nervousness doesn't seem like he's afraid of the enemy, but more like he's afraid... or rather, he's afraid of what the other party will find out.
Senju Chen's heart sounded a little alarm.
This mission may not be as simple as what is written on the scroll.
At night, it was Senju Chen's turn to guard the first shift. He sat beside the campfire, adding firewood quietly, and Kakkō reflected his young face in uncertain light and shade.
He closed his eyes and slowly injected a trace of Chakra into his eyes.
When he opened it again, a touch of strange blood quietly appeared in the depths of those dark pupils, and a pitch-black Tomoe slowly rotated in it.
The whole world became different in an instant.
He could clearly see the night birds preening their feathers in the forest in the distance, he could hear the caravan guards snoring slightly in their sleep, and he could even "see" Tokugawa in his tent, tossing and turning, not sleeping at all.
Orochimaru... You guys, didn't you know that there was something fishy about this mission a long time ago, so you threw us out as a pathfinder, right?
Or is it just a simple coincidence?
Anyway...
This journey has been interesting...