Konoha Notes

Chapter 25 Leaving Mustard Harbor

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was smoking as usual, handling official business. He looked at Shuuji as he entered, and without any pleasantries, went straight to the point:
"The team building work is excellent, and your teamwork has been good during this time." The Third Hokage's voice carried a hint of approval as his gaze fell on Shuuji's face. "Based on your judgment, is it ready for a mission, Shuuji?"

“Mitarashi Anko’s mentality has basically recovered,” Shuji replied cautiously. “Therefore, my assessment is that our team can handle a Rank B mission.” He specifically emphasized “Rank B” because it was their first official mission, and he needed to give the team some breathing room. He didn’t want the village to throw a hot potato at them directly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled eyes twitched almost imperceptibly. The old Shuuji had been more direct and forceful, rarely showing this kind of near-weakness when faced with a difficult mission. Was it the shadow of losing his comrades in the previous serious injury? Or the sensitive eight-year-old Uchiha in the team? Or perhaps…? A fleeting thought crossed his mind, but it didn't affect his actions.

"Hmm." The Third Generation responded, precisely pulling one scroll from a stack on the table. With a flick of his wrist, the scroll arced through the air and landed in Xiu Si's hand. "Rank B mission: escort a caravan to Chujie Port."

A guard mission? Classified as B, the core risk lies in the possibility of engaging in combat with ninjas. Shuji picked up the scroll, untied the rope, and quickly scanned the neat handwriting on it.

Client: Hongshan Cheng.

Occupation: Cloth merchant.

Goods: A batch of high-quality fabric from the Land of Fire.

Destination: Chujie Port.

Task Level: B.

The content itself is clear and concise, seemingly just a routine cross-border trade escort mission. However, the B-level rating is the biggest problem.

Izuku Port is located on the southwestern coastline of the Land of Fire, and is nominally part of the Land of Tea—a country with a rather unique geographical location.

The Land of Tea has two unconnected enclaves on the continental plate, located in the southwest and southeast corners of the Land of Fire's territory, separated by the vast territory of the Land of Fire.

In addition, it owns two large islands overseas: Nagasaki and Ouzu. Its total land area even exceeds that of the Land of Water.

However, the Land of Tea has no ninja villages.

Its unique geographical location (bordering only the Land of Fire by land) and its lack of military power have made it a stable mission reserve for Konoha, with almost all important missions within the country flowing to Konoha.

Makoto Hiroyama's caravan is currently stationed at Minami-no-Kami Post Station, south of Konoha Village. Traveling from the heart of the Land of Fire to Izuku Port in the Land of Tea, which is also under Konoha's influence, carries the risk of encountering ninjas.

Shuji raised his head and looked calmly at the Third Generation: "Are there any other objectives for this mission?" The risk of the guards themselves is not enough to justify a B-level rating, there must be unspoken additional factors.

"Truly perceptive." Hiruzen Sarutobi was not surprised. He picked up his pipe, took a puff, and the smoke he exhaled blurred his expression for a moment. "A group of wandering ninjas have recently appeared at Izuku Port, and they are quite troublesome."

“I understand.” Shuuji nodded; this explanation made sense. “Does the village have any detailed information about this group of rogue ninja?”

“A team of five,” the Third Hokage said, taking two thinner scrolls from the drawer and placing them on the table. “They call themselves the ‘Black Eclipse Clan.’ They are elusive and possess some rather insidious secret techniques, making them not easy to deal with.” He pushed the two scrolls forward. “In addition to ensuring Mr. Hongshan’s caravan arrives safely at Chujie Port, I hope your team can also investigate the background of this ‘Black Eclipse Clan.’”

He pointed to the two scrolls: "Level A mission: expel or annihilate the Black Eclipse; Level B mission: reconnoiter and obtain detailed intelligence on them. You can decide which one to complete based on the actual situation of your team in the area." He paused, "If the on-site assessment determines that the risk is too high and you are unable to complete it, you are allowed to complete only the core caravan escort mission and return safely."

“Also,” Hiruzen Sarutobi added, “your squad number will remain the same as your previous squad, Squad 5.” Shuji’s gaze lingered for a moment on the scroll cover that bore the inscription “Squad 5.” The squad number of his predecessor, the one with whom he had fought side by side on the border, the one that ultimately escaped with only him and the intelligence… He silently put away the two scrolls containing the Black Eclipse’s mission information as well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, walked around the large desk, and went to Shuji's side. He reached out and patted Shuji's shoulder with a consoling gesture, but his gaze was fixed on the bustling scene of Konoha outside the window. His voice lowered: "The quota entrusted by the Land of Tea is crucial to the village's current finances and cannot be lost." He withdrew his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness, "The Kumogakure delegation is about to arrive, and the village is short-handed. Both the Anbu and regular troops need to prioritize the delegation's safety and the peace talks... I can only trouble your Team 5 to go to Izuku Port and check the situation first."

Shuuji nodded slightly, his face revealing no extra emotion: "Yes, Hokage-sama."

He put away the three scrolls, turned, and left the Hokage's office. The heavy wooden door closed behind him, shutting out the smell of tobacco and the weighty entrustment. The corridor was dimly lit, but Shuji's steps were steady as his mind raced.

The Black Eclipse Clan... the Rogue Ninja... investigation and even expulsion... the mission's difficulty is clearly not low. Itachi's genius is limited by age and stamina, and while Anko's condition has recovered, she has not yet returned to her peak. Their first official mission involves venturing deep into an area potentially harboring powerful enemies with dual objectives, significantly increasing the risk factor.

But the Hokage's meaning was also very clear: In the past ten years, the village had only been peaceful for one year between Konoha 50 and 51. No matter how wealthy Konoha was, it was under great financial pressure, and it was even more important not to abandon the Land of Tea.

“Class 5…” Xiu Si murmured the newly reactivated number, and that memory surged back. Although he hadn’t experienced it firsthand, it still made Xiu Si feel somewhat complicated.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his distracting thoughts, Shuji quickened his pace, heading towards the third training ground. It was time to prepare for the new journey of Class 5.

On the training ground, the sun was already scorching. Anko was practicing the angles of her Hidden Shadow Snake Hands attack repeatedly against a reinforced wooden stake, sweat soaking the back of her dark purple trench coat, but her gaze remained focused. Itachi, on the other hand, stood in an open area nearby, eyes closed, seemingly simulating some kind of chakra manipulation technique.

Seeing Shuuji return, Anko stopped what she was doing, wiped her sweat, and asked with a hint of anticipation, "Captain, what did the Hokage call you for? Is it a big mission?" Her eyes were eager to try, and the training of the past few days had clearly helped her regain some of her form.

Itachi opened his eyes and quietly looked at Shuuji.

Shuji walked to the center of the field and spread the three scrolls out on the sand. "Rank B mission: escort a cloth merchant caravan to Izuku Port in the Land of Tea," he said succinctly, pointing to the core mission scroll.

"Leaving Akuta Port?" Red Bean raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that place pretty peaceful? Rank B? Are there foreign ninjas causing trouble along the way?"

“Peace was in the past.” Shuji’s voice was calm. “Now, a group of ninja calling themselves the ‘Black Eclipse Clan’ has appeared near Izuku Port. They possess secret techniques, act mysteriously, and threaten trade routes.” He pointed to two other scrolls. “Additional mission: Investigate information about the Black Eclipse Clan (Rank B), or, depending on the situation, expel or even annihilate them (Rank A).”

Red Bean gasped, "A-rank?! Such a huge undertaking on their very first mission?"

"The Hokage has given us the choice," Shuji emphasized. "Our priority is ensuring the caravan's safe arrival. Whether to investigate or expel them will depend on our local situation and our own circumstances." His gaze swept over the two men. "The mission is quite risky; our opponents are naval ninjas whose intelligence is unknown, so we must be careful."

He paused, his voice steady: "The Fifth Squad's objectives are: First, to ensure the Hongshan Cheng caravan arrives at Chujie Port unharmed. Second, to gather as much intelligence as possible about the Black Eclipse Clan without endangering our own safety. Third," he looked at Anko and Itachi, "is to expel the Black Eclipse Clan, understand?"

"Understood!" Hongdou suppressed her previous surprise, her expression turned serious, and she nodded vigorously.

Itachi responded clearly, "Yes, senpai."

"Very good." Xiu Si put away the scroll. "Destination: Nan Shouyi. The caravan will depart tomorrow morning. Dismissed now. Go back and prepare your luggage, ninja tools, and medicine. Meet at the village entrance before 6:00 AM tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)