The Journey on the Mission
"Koki, come sit in the sedan chair with me." Kohaku peeked out from the brocade-covered sedan chair, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"No need, thank you." Koki said expressionlessly, her tone indifferent, and continued walking without stopping.
Kohaku persisted, "Koki, aren't you tired? I'll let them rest for a while."
"I'm not tired, thank you." Koki's tone remained indifferent.
"Koki, are you thirsty? Come on up and have some drinks," Kohaku said, pointing to the various exquisite drinks and fine wines displayed in the sedan chair.
"As a ninja, I need to maintain my posture. Thank you." Koki frowned slightly, a growing sense of irritation rising within her.
"Koki, are you cold? I..." Kohaku wanted to say something more.
"Are you ever going to shut up?! You don't need to worry about anything!"
Koki, unable to bear it any longer, was burning with anger. In just half a day, he had already deeply experienced how difficult this so-called son of a daimyo was to deal with.
The eight burly, powerful guards lifted the sedan chair steadily like mountains, but the person inside seemed unable to stop for even a moment.
He hadn't been Konoha long when he started yelling, "Hey, I'm starving! Get me some grilled meat!"
Left with no other choice, the entire group was forced to stop. The guards were immediately thrown into a frenzy, busily gathering the various ingredients needed to make roast meat, while also sending men to hunt wild boars.
After some effort, I finally finished cooking the barbecue and served it to him.
However, after only a few bites, he frowned and complained, "What kind of weird taste is this? It doesn't taste like the food at that shop in Konoha at all!"
Konoha? Good heavens! Do we have to turn back? Koki, standing to the side, rolled her eyes in anger upon hearing this.
Not long after, Kohaku shouted again at the top of her lungs, "Oh dear, it's so hot! Come here and fan me!"
Upon seeing this, a guard quickly grabbed his fan and cautiously Earth Flow to the sedan chair, waving it carefully.
To everyone's surprise, this action still failed to satisfy Kohaku, who scolded, "Do you even know how to fan a breeze? Using so much force, are you trying to blow me to death?!"
"Yes!" The guard was so frightened that his face turned pale. He nodded repeatedly and apologized, then quickly adjusted the strength of the fan.
"Enough! Are you going to keep fanning me? Don't you feel the biting cold? Are you trying to freeze me to death?"
Kohaku shouted angrily, causing everyone present to tremble.
The guards were terrified, their faces turning ashen. They knelt on the ground in fear and trembling, too afraid to look up.
But that wasn't the end of it. Along the way, he kept pestering and harassing her relentlessly.
Thinking of this, Koki really wished she could immediately crack open the head of the person in front of her and see what strange and bizarre thoughts were inside!
"My goodness, even when she's throwing a tantrum, she's so adorable." The speaker was Kohaku herself.
He was standing to the side, his face filled with rapture. He even exaggeratedly covered his chest with both hands, looking almost insanely infatuated. It was enough to drive anyone crazy with Koki's cuteness.
Shisui, who had been silently observing, finally couldn't hold back any longer. His eyes, which had been as calm as still water, instantly frosted over, and his whole body emanated a chilling killing intent, as if covered with a layer of ice, making it suffocating.
It seems that if anyone dares to make a move again, he will definitely kill them without hesitation.
Even the usually mild-mannered Minato gave the daimyo's son a cold glance, thinking to himself, "Sigh, if I weren't burdened with such a heavy responsibility and unable to leave, I would love to take Koki away from this extremely troublesome guy right away."
As for Hayate, he had already rolled his Byakugan to the heavens, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the actions of the daimyo's son.
Koki sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, "How could this mission be so unfortunate, encountering such a formidable opponent?"
Could this have been a deliberate arrangement by Hiruzen Sarutobi? That's a small-minded move!
The long journey was nearing its end, and the capital of the Land of Fire was only two days away. The thought of finally being able to get rid of Kohaku's entanglement made Koki feel as if a heavy shackle had been removed.
Along the way, Kohaku's unreasonable demands and relentless harassment of the guards had driven Koki to her wits' end, but now she finally saw a glimmer of hope for relief.
However, protecting the sons of daimyo also has its advantages; at least they don't have to spend the night in the wild and endure the elements, as they have stayed in top-class inns for the past week.
For example, the hot spring inn where I am staying today is hidden in a quiet valley with fresh and pleasant air.
The hotel's architecture is antique and exudes a strong Japanese style.
Upon entering the inn, the first thing that catches the eye is the spacious and bright lobby, which is decorated with exquisite detail. The wooden floors and beams exude a faint fragrance, and the landscape paintings hanging on the walls make one feel as if they are in an art palace.
The inn not only boasts hot springs, but the construction of the hot spring pools is also extremely meticulous.
At Koki noticed that the hot spring water was clear and transparent, with steam rising and a faint sulfurous aroma. The pool was surrounded by smooth stones, with comfortable lounge chairs and small tables for people to rest and enjoy tea.
What's even more surprising is that they also have a salmon feast here. Fresh salmon is sliced thinly and arranged on an exquisite plate, its vibrant color making it look incredibly appetizing.
Paired with a variety of exquisite seasonings and side dishes, it's simply a feast for the taste buds.
After looking around, Koki nodded slightly, satisfied.
After putting everything back in its place, Minato gathered the three of them for a brief meeting.
Minato's expression was serious as he said, "Although the mission is nearing completion, we must not let our guard down. Often, the moment we are closest to success is when unforeseen circumstances are most likely to arise. This mission is an A-rank, so everyone must be extremely careful."
"I brought you out here, and I'm here to make sure you return safely! Do you understand?" he emphasized firmly.
Koki, Shisui, and Gekko Hayate immediately straightened up and replied in unison, "Yes!"
Koki thought Minato-sensei was right. Although everything seemed to be going smoothly now, anything could happen before the mission was truly completed.
Back then, after Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura graduated from the Ninja Academy and Genin, they did the same boring little tasks as Koki and the others, such as finding pets and weeding.
Naruto was very dissatisfied with this. He felt that he was capable of carrying out higher-level missions. So, one day, Naruto mustered up his courage and went to the Third Hokage's office to loudly protest against this unreasonable mission arrangement.
Thanks to Naruto's persistent efforts, the Third Hokage finally agreed to give them a C-rank mission opportunity.
They happily accompanied their Kakashi-sensei to visit the client, Mr. Tazuna, a seemingly honest and kind middle-aged man who explained the mission in detail—to escort him back to his homeland, the Land of Waves.
At first, Naruto and the others did not realize the extraordinary nature of the mission, only thinking that it might be a long journey.
However, as they embarked on their journey, they gradually discovered that things were not so simple. Along the way, they encountered all sorts of strange things, such as inexplicable attacks and traps.
Kakashi sensed something was wrong and began to doubt the true difficulty of the mission.
After some investigation and analysis, they finally discovered that the client, Mr. Tazuna, had concealed crucial information about the mission.
It turned out that their enemy was Village Hidden in the Mist elite Jonin and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist Jonin the Zabuza.
This mission is far more than a C-level task; it's a major challenge comparable to an S-level mission!
The lack of intelligence dramatically increased the difficulty of the mission!
Koki silently reminded herself that she had indeed become somewhat lax and that she must remain vigilant and not let her guard down just because the mission was about to end.