Tenten had already gone out on a mission earlier, so Natsuki stopped by the ninja tool shop to greet his cheap future father-in-law, grabbed the pre-prepared summoning scroll, and made his way toward the village gate.
On the way, he happened to pass by Team 7 who were chasing a cat.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were surrounding a cat, but their lack of coordination left them in shambles as the feline toyed with them effortlessly.
Natsuki looked up and saw Kakashi sitting leisurely on the rooftop reading Make-Out Paradise, and called out, "Kakashi-senpai, you're looking pretty chill."
Kakashi closed his book. "Oh, it's Natsuki. Judging by your gear, heading out on a mission?"
Natsuki nodded. "Yeah, Hokage-sama assigned a mission to escort a caravan to the Land of Fire. I'm heading out shortly."
"Oh, then you'd better go. Stay safe."
"Bye, senpai."
Natsuki waved and jogged off toward the gate.
"803—!" Naruto finally managed to catch the cat, but ended up with a face full of scratches. While in that miserable state, he saw Natsuki run by and realized he had just heard him chatting with Kakashi-sensei.
Curious, he asked, "Kakashi-sensei, do you know Natsuki?"
Sasuke and Sakura were also intrigued—they had heard the greeting too.
"Yeah, met him last year." Kakashi reopened his book, speaking nonchalantly, "Natsuki's a lot more mature than you three. He's heading out on a real mission. Unlike you, who can't even catch a cat."
"Yare yare… I really envy the instructor of Team 9."
"What?! Team 9 is doing missions outside the village?!"
The trio instantly panicked.
They'd been doing chores for a whole month and were already fed up, and now they heard Natsuki's Team 9 was already taking outside missions? That was unbearable!
They protested loudly, "Kakashi-sensei, we want out-of-village missions too!"
Kakashi smiled faintly. "Nope. You have to wait for Hokage-sama's orders."
After all, it involved the Jinchūriki. Kakashi didn't have the authority. Only the Third Hokage could approve that. If anything happened outside the village, no one could take the responsibility.
Meanwhile, Natsuki had arrived at the gate.
Aoba was leading the caravan and registering with the two gatekeepers, Kotetsu and Izumo. Rinya and Megumi were already there, excited about leaving the village for the first time. Natsuki was the last to arrive, but since he wasn't late, it didn't matter. (TL: Decided to change the name of Rone into Rinya. Sounds better)
However, the merchant didn't seem satisfied.
Though they called it a caravan, it was really just a mustached merchant with four people—either servants or guards.
The mustached merchant saw Natsuki arrive last and couldn't help grumbling, "What kind of operation is Konoha running? I paid good money and they send me a bunch of brats as escorts? What if we run into bandits and they freeze up?"
Rinya and Megumi immediately glared at him.
Aoba remained unfazed—he'd heard worse on missions before.
But Natsuki wasn't the type to suffer in silence. He smiled and said, "If this esteemed merchant isn't satisfied, there's still time to change the request. I suggest you spend a million ryō to issue an S-rank escort mission. Hokage-sama will definitely assign elite jōnin to protect you. So, want to make that change?"
Change... your ass!
A million ryō? What, you think I'm printing money at home?
The mustached merchant turned beet red. Even if he sold every bit of his goods in the capital, he wouldn't make more than 300,000 ryō. Only a lunatic would drop a million on a mission.
But he could tell this brat was mocking him—basically saying, "If you don't have money, shut your mouth."
He wanted to snap back, but the look in Natsuki's eyes sent a chill down his spine.
Come to think of it, these "brats" were official shinobi and stronger than his hired guards. He'd be an idiot to keep complaining.
He clammed up immediately.
Rinya and Megumi couldn't help but laugh. That's their captain—one line, and that cocky merchant was shut down completely.
Even Aoba was surprised, glancing at Natsuki with newfound appreciation. He'd expected an argument, not a precise strike to the weak spot that left the merchant speechless.
This personality... not one to suffer losses, but calm, rational, and clever.
He was growing more and more pleased with Natsuki.
"Ahem. Alright, let's get going. Natsuki, you take command," Aoba said, handing over the mission leadership.
This was all part of nurturing Natsuki. His strength was sufficient, but he lacked experience. The best way to help him grow fast was to let him try leading. Aoba would be there to back him up anyway, so Natsuki could experiment freely.
Natsuki nodded and issued instructions. "I'll take the front. The caravan follows behind. Rinya and Megumi, cover the flanks. Don't get too excited—take turns scouting. Aoba-sensei, you take the rear. You can just enjoy the show."
Rinya and Megumi chimed in, "Yeah! Aoba-nii/teacher, enjoy the show!"
Aoba adjusted his sunglasses, looking completely laid-back.
Kotetsu and Izumo were surprised—they didn't expect Aoba to hand over full control of the mission. Even though he'd be the safety net, letting a student lead their first out-of-village mission? That took guts.
Soon, the group set off.
Natsuki led from the front. It was his first time outside the village, and the novelty was real.
But honestly, the scenery in the Land of Fire wasn't that different—just fewer buildings and people than in Konoha. Mostly tall trees and forests. Not much to look at.
Even Rinya and Megumi, initially excited, quickly calmed down and focused on the mission.
They took turns scouting—Megumi used Suiton: Bōenkyō no Jutsu (Water Style: Telescope Technique), giving her visual range within a kilometer. Rinya summoned a crow for aerial reconnaissance.
For now, though, danger was unlikely.
They were still close to Konoha, and occasionally passed by other ninja. No bandit or thief would dare cause trouble this close to the village.
The real issue was the caravan's slow pace. The merchant barely carried anything himself, while his four guards pushed a cart full of goods. And this stingy man hadn't even bought a horse to pull it. After half a day, they hadn't covered much ground.
And he still had the gall to complain about young shinobi?
Buy a horse first, then maybe we'll get somewhere faster.
Natsuki glanced back at the merchant, his displeasure obvious. The mustached man broke into a cold sweat, terrified that this little ninja might suddenly turn around and punch him.
All he did was grumble a bit at the gate—was the kid really still holding a grudge?
So petty!
The group continued, stopping around noon for a meal and a rest, then continued onward until dusk—when they finally encountered a situation...
(End of Chapter)
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