Once the late-arriving Kōki had rejoined the team, Mamoru Uehara addressed Kōki and the others before him. "Our mission this time is to escort a shipment from Konoha to the Land of Rice Fields. There should basically be no danger."
The place name sounded familiar to Kōki, as though he had heard it somewhere before. Then a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. The Land of Rice Fields-isn't that where Orochimaru went after defecting?
Although Kōki had been living in the world of Naruto for some time, he still remembered quite a few things. The Land of Rice Fields was one of them. In the original story, this country was where Orochimaru had hidden after defecting, and he had also founded Otogakure there. The original story had devoted quite a bit of attention to the people of Otogakure.
But Orochimaru's defection was still a long way off, let alone Otogakure.
At present, the Land of Rice Fields was nothing more than a small country, so Kōki thought this mission should pose no difficulty. Still, he had a question. Wasn't the village preparing for war and no longer issuing missions abroad? Why were they now escorting goods to the Land of Rice Fields?
"Teacher, isn't the village forbidding us from leaving the Land of Fire right now? Why have we been given an escort mission to the Land of Rice Fields?" Masato Yoshino had the same thought as Kōki and asked Mamoru Uehara directly.
"I specifically requested this mission from Lord Hokage because I wanted to take you out to see the world." Mamoru Uehara seemed to have anticipated the question and made no attempt to hide it.
After speaking, he walked aside and soon returned with a weather-beaten man.
"This is our client for this mission, Mr. Genichi Watanabe. He has a shipment he needs our help escorting. Of course, he has guards of his own, so ordinary bandits won't require our attention. We only need to act if ninja appear."
Mamoru Uehara clearly explained the mission to Kōki and the others. Beside him, Genichi Watanabe wore a grateful expression.
"Thank you all from Konoha for agreeing to escort my goods. My shipment is rather urgent, and the situation in the Shinobi World isn't looking right. I need to get home quickly."
Genichi Watanabe spoke very politely, though there was a trace of urgency in his words.
Kōki could understand that. With war about to break out in the Shinobi World, who would still want to wander around? Especially amid such turmoil, an ordinary merchant without strength could easily end up being fleeced like a fat sheep if he was careless.
Before long, once Genichi Watanabe had completed the formalities for leaving Konoha, Kōki and the others set off for the Land of Rice Fields. The journey was peaceful, and nothing happened. This should have been a good thing, but to Kōki, it was a waste of time. He had graduated early to grow stronger quickly, not to travel around sightseeing like this.
His teammates, Katsuto and Yui, were delighted. To them, a mission where they could simply enjoy the scenery without fighting was the best kind. There was not a hint of danger. They both treasured this leisurely time on a mission.
Walking beside Kōki, Mamoru Uehara noticed the impatience on his face.
"Kōki, a ninja needs patience while carrying out a mission."
"The strong are all people with extraordinary willpower. They can always overcome all manner of obstacles."
"If you want to become strong, strength alone isn't enough. You also need to temper your will."
Hearing Mamoru Uehara's words, he recalled something similar Jiraiya had said in the original story.
"A ninja is someone who can endure. A ninja's most important talent isn't how many Ninjutsu they can master. What matters is the perseverance to never give up, to forge straight ahead, never go back on their word, and never give up, no matter when."
Although his strength was already approaching that of a Jonin, his will was still very weak. Even a tiny setback was more than he could bear. On the path to power, he would never become the strongest with a mindset like this.
With that thought, Kōki pulled himself together again. He began to slowly endure his irritation and adjust his mindset, gradually working to overcome that feeling.
Meanwhile, seeing Kōki's thoughtful expression, Mamoru Uehara could not help recalling what Hiruzen Sarutobi had told him before they left.
"Mamoru, Kōki has extraordinary talent. His strength is considerable, but his will is rather lacking. Perhaps his exceptional talent has left him without the perseverance and patience ordinary ninja possess. I have an escort mission to the Land of Rice Fields here. I hope you can gradually guide him during the mission."
In truth, Mamoru Uehara had not requested this mission. Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned it, with the aim of helping Kōki understand a few things.
But only now did Mamoru Uehara truly appreciate what Hiruzen Sarutobi had meant by exceptional talent. He had offered Kōki only a slight hint, yet Kōki had immediately grasped something and begun adjusting his state of mind.
He could not even put such astonishing comprehension into words. At the same time, such an outstanding child filled him with anticipation. He wanted to see just how far Kōki would ultimately go.
Before they knew it, their group had reached the destination of their mission, the Land of Rice Fields.
In a small town in the Land of Rice Fields, Genichi Watanabe's men began unloading the goods, while Genichi Watanabe himself stood beside Mamoru Uehara, bowing, shaking his hand, and thanking him repeatedly.
"Thank you all from Konoha. Without you, the journey would never have been so peaceful." He had made many business trips and understood perfectly well that the peace along the way did not mean there were no bandits. It was simply that the bandits had seen the Konoha ninja guarding them and had not dared show themselves. He knew very well how intimidating Konoha ninja were to these bandits.
"Thank you for all your hard work on the journey. Here is the remaining payment." As he spoke, Genichi Watanabe took a stack of banknotes from his pocket and handed it to Mamoru Uehara. This was the final payment for Genichi Watanabe's mission. A portion was paid when the mission was posted in Konoha, and the rest was paid upon completion.
Once they received the remaining payment, Kōki breathed a sigh of relief. This boring mission was finally over. Although he needed to train his patience, that required a balance between tension and relaxation. Simply enduring everything was not the right approach.
"Teacher Uehara, when are we going back to the village? Can we take a break?" Katsuto, who had enjoyed the scenery all along the way, asked cheerfully. It had been some time since he had encountered such an easy mission, and he could not help wanting to stay another day in the Land of Rice Fields.
The team's only girl, Yui Fujino, looked equally agreeable. It had also been a long time since she had carried out such a comfortable mission, and for the moment, she was a little reluctant to head straight back.
Kōki did not share their feelings quite so strongly. He had only carried out two missions so far. As far as he was concerned, returning early to take another mission was fine, but resting for a day or two was no problem either. He could also sort through the issues that had come up along the way.
Still, the final decision would depend on Mamoru Uehara.