The next day at noon, in the Land of Cedar.
"Hoo… Hoo… Finally, we're here…"
"This is the mission destination: Sugi no Sato Town."
Four figures—one tall and three shorter—stood at the entrance of the town, panting under the scorching sun as they looked up at the five large characters on the gate tower.
Of course, the ones panting were mainly Taro and Jiro. As an elite jonin, Kakashi naturally didn't lose his breath from a little exertion.
As for Ishikawa, though his breathing was slightly accelerated due to physical exertion, he was far from being as miserable as his two teammates thanks to his improved stamina.
"Now let's meet the mayor to gather details and recover our strength. If all goes well, we'll move into action tonight." Kakashi glanced at Ishikawa with visible surprise and appreciation, then motioned for him to lead the way into town.
He hadn't expected Ishikawa's physical abilities to be so solid. It seemed he had underestimated the boy's potential!
"Keep in mind, it's not that there isn't a ninja village in the Land of Cedar—it's just that, for some reason, their hands seem tied. That's why the mayor commissioned this bandit suppression mission through Konoha."
"Although it's common practice for clients to hire any village they choose, the unspoken rule is that if the country has its own ninja village, it should handle the job unless there's no other choice."
"So if you run into Cedar Ninjas, don't make a scene."
"Eh? The Land of Cedar has its own ninjas?" Ishikawa asked, surprised, feeling an odd twist in the mission.
He had originally assumed this obscure country didn't have a shinobi force, which was why they turned to Konoha. But things clearly weren't so simple!
Although Taro and Jiro said nothing, they turned to Kakashi with concern.
"Oh, relax! It's just a C-rank mission. Those Ninjas wouldn't dare challenge us from Konoha," Kakashi said casually, waving his hand. "Even if something does happen, I'll protect you."
Did they really think his reputation as the Copy Ninja was just empty talk? He wasn't afraid of any leader from some minor, no-name village.
"I believe in you, Kakashi-sensei," Ishikawa responded immediately to the confident Kakashi, and the unease in his heart faded away.
With Kakashi around, their safety was basically guaranteed—unless they ran into a Kage-level enemy or a team of elite jonin.
Even the protagonist Naruto, with Sasuke and Sakura, met Zabuza on their first C-rank mission out of the village. Ishikawa couldn't possibly be that unlucky, right?
No need to overthink it. Worrying over nothing…
---
At that same time, outside the Town—
A tall, muscular man with tan skin, spiky yellow hair, and a white cloak with a gold belt carried an injured subordinate into an abandoned house. The wounded man was drenched in sweat and groaning in pain.
"Karai, hang in there! Amayi will arrive tonight. With his medical ninjutsu, he'll definitely save you!" The burly man's voice was firm yet worried. The injured shinobi had a spider-shaped bulge swelling from his torso, his face twisted in pain.
"Damn those Sugi Ninjas! They hired mercenaries from the Nokizaru Group… Nigai… Nigai didn't even leave his body behind to protect us… We have to avenge him, Lord Raikage!"
The man's words—choked with agony and anger—stung the heart of the one called Raikage, dredging up the bitter memory from last night.
He, the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village—one of the Five Great Nations—had failed to protect his subordinates. One was dead, another seriously wounded. It was beyond humiliating!
And yet, the enemy's abilities weren't ordinary. They'd planted bombs on his men without detection—nearly impossible to guard against.
If he didn't understand the enemy's ability—even just a little—he could face the danger of self-destruction!!
"I really can't accept this! I managed to seize the secret ninjutsu of Sugi Village, yet this is how it ends." Thinking of the moment his companion Nigai exploded, Karai, lying on the stone slab, looked sorrowfully at the bulge in his chest.
It felt as if they were the victims, despite being the ones who looted and robbed!
"I'm sorry, Karai. My Lightning Release is restrained by the Nokizaru Group people. Even when I hit them with my fastest speed and strongest power, it's useless! That smoke and explosion ability, which ignores physical attacks, is too strange." The Fourth Raikage A clenched his teeth in frustration.
The Nokizaru Mercenaries must die!!
But before confirming their abilities, he couldn't act rashly. Otherwise, not only would they fail to get revenge, but they'd also be throwing their lives away.
"Lord Raikage, I believe you will definitely avenge us. But you must leave here first. In this condition, I could explode at any time and hurt you." Seeing Raikage's firm resolve, Karai—who understood his leader's temperament—gritted his teeth and showed unwavering determination.
He could die. But Lord Raikage must not suffer harm!
"Don't worry about that. I'll be fine." The Fourth Raikage flatly refused, his eyes wide with conviction. As a Raikage, how could he abandon a comrade just to protect himself?
Even if that moment truly came, with his Lightning Armor, he'd suffer at most some minor injuries. It wouldn't matter much.
"Lord Raikage!!" Karai trembled as he heard this, hot tears flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks...
Among all five great nations, perhaps only Lord Raikage would treasure his subordinates so deeply! Wuwuwu… If he survived this, Karai would swear loyalty for life—to serve Raikage-sama until death—for the sake of Hidden Cloud Village!!
While the bond between master and subordinate deepened with emotion, over at the mayor's mansion…
---
"Alright, I've received the detailed information. Then please, Mr. Mayor, arrange guest rooms for us to rest. Leave the rest to us." After gathering the intel, Kakashi stood up and made his request.
"This is my duty—right this way, please..." The well-prepared mayor rose quickly with a welcoming smile, leading them to their accommodations.
Of course, he had every reason to be delighted—he'd actually managed to invite the legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi for a C-rank mission!
As the mayor of the Sugi Town, even he had heard of Sharingan Kakashi. The money spent on this mission was clearly worth it…
Soon, Ishikawa and his team were led to a spacious suite that had been prepared in advance. The mayor even thoughtfully arranged food, fruits, and bathwater to welcome them.
"This mayor's really generous. I didn't expect going on a mission outside the village would be this comfortable."
"Yeah, I agree!"
Taro and Jiro devoured the delicious fruit, smiling with satisfaction. Such luxurious delicacies were rare for orphans like them—this was a true treat.
"Haha, if it tastes good, eat more," Kakashi said casually. Then his face turned serious.
"Even though we've gathered information, we still need to confirm its accuracy before taking action."
"So tonight, I want you all to head into town and investigate the thieves' gang. If the intel checks out, we'll begin the suppression operation at 10 p.m."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!" Ishikawa and the others responded in unison, without any complaints about the plan.
History was full of shinobi who died because of missions based on inaccurate intelligence. Kakashi was passing down valuable experience—and they would take it seriously.