Chapter 211: One Month on a B-Rank Border Defense Mission

The one-million-ryo bounty had little to do with Kazuki's team, they continued their training as usual.

Despite Kazuki's confidence in his strength, he knew he couldn't guarantee his team's safety at all times. He had no intention of creating another tragedy like Obito's.

The biggest concern was Black Zetsu, who had gone into hiding after Obito's death, and hadn't resurfaced since. Kazuki had assigned Nagato and Konan to keep an eye out, but they hadn't found any signs of him. Given Nagato's and Konan's diminished strength without the Rinnegan, it was understandable that they hadn't noticed anything.

Kazuki himself wasn't certain if Black Zetsu had been around his territory, his sensory techniques were mostly proactive, and Black Zetsu's techniques were subtle enough to avoid detection. Still, he wasn't too worried—Black Zetsu held little power of its own, and as long as Kazuki was around, he had no reason to fear any disruptions. Besides, he wasn't about to worry endlessly over what might happen after his death.

Another month went by. Under Kazuki's guidance, his team completed eight D-rank missions, and now they were ready to take on C-rank missions. However, when Kazuki went to take a mission, he found there were no C-rank tasks available!

"All the C-rank missions are taken?" Kazuki asked.

"Yes," replied Gekko Himan, nodding cautiously. "Lately, the enthusiasm among the ninja has been high, and with the growing number of ninjas, there's hardly any low-ranked missions left."

"You didn't know?" Himan added, "With the increase in Konoha's ninja ranks, the Land of Fire doesn't have a single bandit or dangerous beast left. All the bandits and man-eating creatures have been taken care of by our Konoha ninja!"

Kazuki raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "In the original world, even after the peace, ninja never lacked for missions. This seems a bit extreme."

"Even C-rank missions…" he muttered, almost to himself.

"Don't the wealthy merchants and nobles need protection? Surely they'd want to hire ninjas for their journeys?" he asked.

"Those are B-rank missions," Himan explained. "These rich folks have their own personal guards and samurai, so they don't worry about attacks from non-ninjas. Only if they fear ninja-level threats do they post missions."

Hearing Himan's explanation, Kazuki could only shake his head.

"Fine, give us a B-rank mission, then."

"Please wait a moment!" Himan sifted through a pile of scrolls, selecting several B-rank missions, and placed them before Kazuki.

"These are all B-rank missions."

Kazuki picked one at random and opened it.

[B-Rank Mission: Proceed to the Fire Country-Water Country border, support Kirigakure, and eliminate the invading Kumogakure ninjas! Reward: 200,000 ryo!]

Next.

[B-Rank Mission: Guard the Fire Country's border for one month to prevent sudden attacks from Kumogakure! Reward: 80,000 ryo!]

Next.

[B-Rank Mission: Infiltrate the Land of Wind for reconnaissance. Reward: 100,000 ryo!]

Next.

[B-Rank Mission: Infiltrate Iwagakure territory for reconnaissance. Reward: 150,000 ryo!]

Next.

[B-Rank Mission: Assassinate a wealthy merchant named Kiyama in the Land of Earth. Reward: 200,000 ryo!]

Kazuki sighed after going through several scrolls, each more challenging than the last.

Finally, he decided on a mission within the Land of Fire.

Mission: Head to the Fire Country border to guard against possible Kumogakure incursions!

At present, the tensions between Kumogakure and Kirigakure were high, so it was unlikely that Kumogakure would choose this moment to invade Konoha. If Kumogakure refrained, this mission would be relatively easy.

Kazuki's team—Kawano, Rika, and Soryu—could use this mission to learn how to handle guard duty, practice reconnaissance, and train. It was a good balance of experience and safety.

Of course, there was a risk involved. If Kumogakure did happen to attack Konoha, this simple B-rank mission would turn into an S-rank crisis.

This was the very reason Kazuki hesitated to bring his team on such missions in the first place. For them, an S-rank mission would be too overwhelming. Missions that were too difficult would not only challenge them but also bring mental strain and real threats to their lives.

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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg