Chapter 95: S-Class Supervision for a B-Rank Babysitting Job

Chapter 95 - S-Class Supervision for a B-Rank Babysitting Job The three members of Team 1 continued sparring through the afternoon, running drills and coordinated combat simulations across Training Ground 1. With Yugao finally back in the village, the team dynamic felt complete again. After wrapping up, the trio decided to head to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate her return. As they ate, Yugao animatedly talked about her stay in the Iron Capital, detailing the culture, the strict kenjutsu training, and, much to Ren's growing discomfort, some of the more "personal" interactions between Juichi and Sayo. Ren slurped his Ramen and thought to himself, 'Well, I guess it'll always be weird to hear about your parent's love life, no matter the world.' He tried to tune out the story once Yugao mentioned the word "moonlight picnic." The evening passed quickly with laughter and idle teasing. Once they were done, the three of them walked together until their paths diverged. Just before they could part ways completely, Yugao stopped Ren and held out a scroll. "Here," she said. "Master asked me to give this to you. He said to tell you he'd be out of contact for a while." Ren raised an eyebrow as he took the scroll and asked, "So, did he actually take you in as a student, or are you just strutting around calling him 'master' on your own whim?" Yugao's expression turned sharp, almost like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. "Hmph! He just keeps delaying things with one reason or another. It even got to the point where Sayo-Sensei started teaching me things while he just kept waving it off." Then her tone lightened, and she added with a grin, "But now that the two of them are together, I'm sure Sayo-Sensei will make him agree." Ren sighed as he looked at her smiling and lost in her own imagination. He gave her a small wave and turned away. "Right, good luck with that." With that, he headed back home, the scroll tucked under his arm. As Ren settled into his room after a quick shower, he finally turned his attention to the scroll Yugao had handed him. He sat cross-legged on his bed, the room dimly lit, and placed the scroll in front of him. There was no trap seal, no advanced locking technique, just a clean, simple closure. That in itself already told Ren that this wasn't some top-secret technique or mission directive. It was something personal. He undid the seal and unrolled the parchment. "Oi, brat. Yugao should've handed you this. If she forgot, you're allowed to bonk her on the head once. Lightly. Maybe. Nah, forget it, she's a good kid. First off, happy birthday in advance. I know it's a little too early, with this being March and your birthday being in October. But I figure I've got the right to repeat it as many times as I want. You're getting stronger fast, and I'm proud of how far you've come, even if I won't say that out loud in front of anyone else. Can't have you getting too full of yourself. I saw your name mentioned a few times in the village reports. Caused trouble. Solved bigger trouble. Talked your way out of things. That's my kid. Keep that balance. Listen, I'll be away for a while, no contact. Nothing bad, just something I need to do before I really settle back into village life. There are a few old things I have to finish, some debts I need to check in on. You know how it is. I won't write down details, because if you're anything like me, you'll try to follow me, and that's not happening for now. You've got Utakata watching over you. And from what I hear, you've managed to keep your team in one piece. Good. That's more than a lot of Jonin can say. You don't need me or anyone else breathing down your neck all the time. But I want you to remember something, no matter how far you go, how strong you get, or how complicated things become, I'm still your old man. If you're ever in real trouble, you send for me. Keep your head straight. Watch your back. Trust your instincts. And stop doing that smug little grin when you win. It's creepy. -Your dad, Juichi." Ren stared at the letter for a few long seconds, expression unreadable. However unknown to him, a small, tired smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He carefully rolled the scroll back up and stored it away in the chest where he kept only a few personal belongings. He sat still for a moment longer, arms resting on his knees. 'Stay safe, old man,' he thought. 'I hope your training arc bears fruit.' As he closed his eyes and laid down, one last thought came to him, 'Why didn't he just write all this in the letter where he said that, he and Aunt Sayo are dating?' ~~~ The next morning, the sun had barely crested the treetops when Team 1 assembled at the southern gates of Konoha. The three of them arrived at the scheduled time, which meant they were actually fifteen minutes early, because when Utakata said a time, he usually meant "get there earlier." Utakata stood by the checkpoint, reviewing a small scroll as he waited. When he saw them approach, he tucked it away and gestured them closer. "Good. You're on time," he said, voice neutral as always. "This won't take long." He took out a larger scroll and unrolled it partially, revealing a rough map that marked a winding trade route from the Land of Fire, crossing into the Land of Rivers and ending at an outpost near the Rain border. "The noble you're escorting is named Lord Mizuka. A second son of a minor noble family in the Land of Rivers. His caravan is currently stationed in Suiren, a border village just outside Fire's edge," Utakata said, his finger pausing on the marked settlement icon. "Your mission is to rendezvous with him there, confirm his identity, and escort him safely to this outpost near the Land of Rain." He tapped the point. "Your arrival there should take three days if everything stays on schedule, and another five for the full escort. Considering standard delays, your return is expected within two weeks." Letting that sink in, Utakata continued, "Mizuka has a retinue of six guards, two servants, and a cart driver. He requested Konoha shinobi specifically, apparently due to a prior contract during the war. He claims he doesn't trust his own country's mercenaries." Ren gave a slow nod, absorbing the details. "So he might be expecting trouble." "Possibly," Utakata replied. "But it's just as likely he's paranoid." "Do we know what kind of threats to expect along the way?" Yugao asked, arms folded, her expression back to its usual sharp focus. "No specific intelligence," Utakata said. "The route's officially safe, but that status is never reliable. You'll pass through a few independent villages and some known smuggler trails. Bandits are likely. Mercenaries or missing-nin are possible. Rain-nin interference is unlikely, but not impossible if you wander too close to the border." Hitoshi's insects stirred slightly. "Does this noble hold any political or military significance?" Utakata gave a faint shrug. "None we're aware of. But his family has connections to a major trade consortium in the region. So even if he's not valuable politically, he's important economically." Ren muttered, "That's basically the same thing in these lands." Utakata actually gave the faintest of smiles. "Which is why you need to keep him alive." He rolled the map back up and handed a smaller scroll and a report form to Ren. "As I said before, Ren will be the team lead on this one. You've had informal chances to lead before, but this is your first official mission lead. Everything that happens from here on out, your call, your responsibility." Ren took the scroll and gave a curt nod. "Understood." From the side, Yugao smirked. "Let's make sure nothing goes wrong, 'leader.'" She exaggerated the title just enough to be annoying. Ren gave her a flat look. "This is not one of your third-rate novels, and I am not Fang Yuan. Not every mission is destined to go sideways." He tuned her follow-up muttering out and looked back to Utakata. "Are we allowed to handle emergencies we encounter along the way?" Utakata regarded him for a moment. "You're the lead. It'll be your discretion. But remember, every decision has a cost. You'll be responsible for what happens." Ren nodded. He had already assumed as much. 'I doubt they'll actually leave us completely alone, but it's better to assume no help is coming and prepare accordingly.' Utakata clapped once. "Alright. It's getting late. You should leave. I'll be waiting for your return." And with that, he flickered away. Ren turned back toward Yugao and Hitoshi. "Let's go." They approached the checkpoint, where the stationed guard gave them a once-over, clearly noting their age but not saying anything. Ren handed over the mission form. After stamping it, the guard returned it, and Team 1 departed. ~~~ High above the walls, Utakata stood watching them go. Hiruzen flickered beside him with a casual chuckle. "Don't worry. I've already sent two of my personal guards to shadow them. And besides..." He glanced sideways. "The mission only got promoted to B-rank because it's cross-border and involves a noble. In truth, it barely qualifies as C-rank." Utakata nodded but didn't relax. "Then why send them alone? If you just wanted to test Ren's leadership, I could've hung back and observed quietly." Hiruzen's voice turned slightly firmer. "Utakata, after this mission, they'll be participating in the Chunin exams. After that, all three of them will be inducted into ANBU. Once they're there, they won't have anyone to fall back on. They'll need to lead. Decide. Act." He looked at Utakata again. "It's better they learn now." Utakata remained silent but nodded in the end. "Don't worry," Hiruzen said once more, his eyes following the shrinking figures of Team 1 on the road. "Nothing will go wrong." And then he flickered away. ~~~ Team 1 continued traveling in silence for nearly half a day, their pace brisk and efficient, the road passing beneath their feet in a blur of dirt and sparse underbrush. The sun had risen high, casting dappled shadows through the leaves above. It was only when the group came to a small clearing near the fork of a narrow forest path that Ren finally stopped walking. He turned slightly, glancing at Hitoshi. "Did you find them?" Hitoshi, as if already expecting the question, nodded. "Yes. There are two of them. They've taken all the precautions against insects, standard suppression seals, minimal chakra output, and masking scents." He raised a finger, revealing a small, nearly transparent insect perched delicately on the nail. "But this one is a cross-breed I developed. It tracks the faintest of ground vibrations, just enough to let me know there are two shinobi trailing us. I still can't pinpoint their exact location, but they've been following us since we left the gates." Ren shook his head, unsurprised. "Good work. I just wanted to confirm whether we were being watched or not." Yugao raised an eyebrow as she glanced behind discreetly. "Yeah, I figured something was off. There's no way the village would just send three genin on a cross-border mission without a failsafe." "But I don't think that they're going to intervene," she added. "You think they're just here to watch?" Ren started moving again as he replied, "That's what I think. Surveillance, not protection. They're likely here to evaluate how we handle things on our own." He glanced back. "You remember what sensei said, if we do well, he'll recommend us to the ANBU." Both Yugao and Hitoshi nodded silently at that. After a moment, Yugao broke the quiet. "Do you want to join the ANBU?" ~~~~~ {Just withdrew my first payout from pat. Feels nice. Thanks Dragonslayer29, Austin and des for becoming members.} {You can read advanced Chapters on P-A-T-R-E-O-N (I'm already at 2nd stage of chunin exams) h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / / Z e e n o n} {You can just search for my name too, it's the one with tom's pic (from tom and Jerry)} {Also, why was the reaction so down in the last Chapter, so few comments and even less stones. Buckle up guys, if you aren't joining the Pat at least contribute with stones.} {STONES!!!! }