You’re an Old Hand—You Win!

Note: Don't Forget to join my Patreon.com/flokixy to get access to +30 Advance Chapters I have to stop if there is no support

"I believe you're all aware of the events that transpired earlier. Relying on your teammates to work together and complete missions is fine, but I hope you don't become overly dependent. Many times, you'll find that the only person you can truly rely on is yourself."

Sakumo's words left Shikamaru Ei and Haruno Sakura stunned. This was completely different from what their teachers at the academy had taught them—unity is strength, and the collective power of a team surpasses that of an individual. There were countless vivid examples to support that idea.

But now… those principles had been overturned.

"You didn't panic too much, which makes me happy. That's all I'll say for now—I'll leave the rest for you to reflect on. Let's get moving. Our mission begins. It might feel different from when Tsunade led you, but I hope you'll adapt."

Though Tsunade had a bad temper, she gave off a nurturing vibe when leading her team. Sakumo, however, was direct and to the point, making it hard for his students to keep up.

I hope you really can adapt.

Ronglin glanced at the other two and followed Sakumo's lead. Meanwhile, the "troublemaker duo" of Shikamaru Ei and Haruno Sakura were still in a daze. As for the details of the mission, no one seemed to care at the moment.

The group quickly left the village and began sprinting through the forest. Unless necessary or traveling with a caravan, shinobi rarely used roads. Moving through the forest was faster, as roads would slow them down.

"Uncle Sakumo, what's our mission this time?"

After a rare moment of silence, Haruno Sakura finally spoke up. Shikamaru Ei remained his usual self, though he looked preoccupied. Clearly, Sakumo's words had shaken him deeply. Only Ronglin showed little reaction.

Regardless of who the team leader was, his goal remained the same: to train harder and grow stronger.

"Our mission is to eliminate a group of rogue shinobi causing trouble along the border. Their numbers are significant, and they're quite strong. Their leader is a jonin, with over ten special jonin, numerous elite chunin and chunin, and a large number of genin under him. These rogues have been obstructing supply caravans, so our task is to wipe them out."

Sakumo explained calmly as he led the way.

"Huh?"

Haruno Sakura, the weakest of the three, stumbled, nearly crashing into a tree. Such a powerful enemy force—and they were sending Tsunade's team to deal with it? Was that even possible?

Shouldn't a mission like this require a stronger squad or members of the Anbu Black Ops?

Shikamaru Ei's expression darkened. His worst fears had come true. Though he respected Sakumo, this felt reckless!

Even Ronglin couldn't help but take this mission more seriously. The rogue shinobi group was indeed formidable.

Each of the three reacted differently, but Sakumo's lips curled slightly into a faint smile—unfortunately, the trio behind him couldn't see it.

"The Land of Rain?"

When Ronglin heard the destination, he was immediately taken aback.

"Yes, the Land of Rain. That's where our mission will take place," Sakumo confirmed with a nod.

"But as far as I know, relations between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire have been strained ever since the Second Shinobi World War. There hasn't been much interaction between the two countries…"

Ronglin trailed off, his meaning clear enough. Without any real contact, there wouldn't be any trade caravans passing through. Even caravans heading to other countries would avoid crossing directly through the Land of Rain.

Under the leadership of Hanzo the Salamander, the impoverished and backward nation was highly unwelcoming to outsiders. Moreover, the tensions between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain had only deepened since the Second Shinobi World War. Merchants were well aware of this and would rather take detours than pass through directly.

This so-called mission barely made sense. So what was Sakumo's real purpose? Training?

If it was just for training, the scale of this mission was far too grand.

"That's correct."

Faced with the implausibility of the mission, Sakumo casually countered:

"Do you think rogue shinobi stay in one place waiting for prey to come to them? The Land of Rain is poor, and passing caravans are like fat sheep ripe for the picking."

"..."

For some reason, Ronglin found himself at a loss for words. All he could think was: You're an old hand—you win. Everything you say makes sense, and I'm thoroughly convinced.

No matter how far-fetched the reasoning, Sakumo was still their team leader. Whether right or wrong, the three members of Tsunade's team had no choice but to accept it.

"Pick up the pace. What will you do if you encounter an emergency mission or need reinforcements? Will you act like this then?"

Not long after leaving the village, disaster struck Haruno Sakura—the weakest of the group. After prolonged high-speed running, her chakra reserves quickly depleted, leaving her gasping for breath and drenched in sweat.

Shikamaru Ei fared slightly better, while Ronglin showed no change, maintaining his speed as he followed closely behind Sakumo.

The poor performance of the "troublemaker duo" immediately drew Sakumo's disapproval. He frowned and scolded them harshly, causing Haruno Sakura and Shikamaru Ei, who had wanted to request a break, to grit their teeth and persevere. After all, Ronglin, who was three years younger, was still going strong—how could they fall behind? If word got out, they'd lose face entirely.

With Sakumo watching, the two had no choice but to push forward.

"Alright, we'll take a break."

Their rapid journey finally came to an end just before Haruno Sakura, the weakest of the group, nearly collapsed. Finally, it was time to rest. The "troublemaker duo" collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to move even a finger.

Sakumo observed their condition, shaking his head and sighing more than once along the way.

He couldn't understand why these two had been grouped with Ronglin. While it was true that teams were often balanced in terms of strength, the gap between them was so vast that it became a headache.

Following standard procedures benefited Haruno Sakura and Shikamaru Ei, but it offered no real training value for Ronglin.

If they pushed the pace to match Ronglin's level, the other two wouldn't be able to keep up.

Sakumo found it hard to comprehend why the three had been assigned to the same team.

It wasn't just Sakumo who was confused—even Tsunade, who had initially taken charge of the team, found it strange. She had questioned and protested several times, but to no avail. The three remained grouped together.

At first, even Ronglin himself had harbored some doubts, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He couldn't be sure whether the Third Hokage's arrangement was deliberately testing him.

Pulling out some rations and water, Ronglin quietly moved to the side to recover his strength. Though he could endure, prolonged exertion still drained him significantly. Maintaining peak condition was essential to facing enemies with full strength when the time came.

While resting, he didn't forget to look after his overly exhausted teammates, earning Sakumo's approval. Though Ronglin offered no words of comfort, his actions spoke volumes.