The next morning, Renya led the three of them to the mission assembly hall.
Inside the hall, shinobi came and went, most of them leading freshly graduated students like Renya.
Before taking on a mission, he reminded the three:
"From today onward, you will officially carry out missions as a team. Remember, no matter the mission's scale, you must give it your all."
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Although the three had the potential to become Konoha's legendary Sannin in the future, right now they were just gifted kids.
One careless death would erase everything.
Only those who truly grow can be called geniuses; those who die halfway are just unlucky kids with some talent…
Different times required different teaching methods.
During wartime, shinobi were sent directly to battle; only those who survived the slaughter could quickly become strong.
Of course, the death rate was extremely high.
Even talented lower-rank ninjas had little chance of surviving on such a battlefield; most were cannon fodder.
In peacetime, newly graduated lower-rank ninjas could be given long periods to develop. While they would still face dangers, the risk was far lower than during wartime.
At least talented shinobi could safely grow out of their weak years.
"Finally, we can show what we've got! Renya-sensei, let's take a really tough mission—like hunting down mountain bandits!" Jiraiya excitedly pumped his fist.
Tsunade rolled her eyes and said with disdain,
"You fool. We just graduated. How could we take on a mission like that right away?"
"The mission rank should be decided by Renya-sensei… You don't even know that?" Orochimaru glanced at him coldly. "You really are a fool."
Jiraiya: "..."
Saying it like that makes me look dumb.
He just wanted to show his value to Renya-sensei, yet his two teammates openly insulted him.
Renya ignored their discussion and told them to wait while he walked alone to the mission board.
"Renya-sama." A staff member greeted him respectfully. "This is your team's first mission. I suggest starting with a D-rank mission."
Since the war ended, Renya's status in the village had risen dramatically, and his title had changed from Jonin to '-sama.'
By both merit and background, he deserved it.
"C-rank," Renya said after a moment of thought. "I want them to get used to real combat early."
The three were the strongest among their peers, and sending them to herd cats or play with kids would be a waste.
Better to go straight into actual missions and see how they perform.
Of course, the difficulty couldn't be too high. They needed a chance to train without facing life-threatening danger.
Escort missions and intelligence-gathering missions were perfect.
Even if they faced real danger, Renya could handle it himself.
"Very well, Renya-sama. Please wait a moment." The staff member began searching for suitable C-rank missions.
Around them, Chunin whispered among themselves. Usually, rookie teams started with D-rank missions…
"Who's leading the team? This is crazy!"
"Exactly. What if the students get into danger?"
"Oh, it's Renya-sama leading them. Then it's fine."
No wonder the Chunin reacted strongly. Usually, a newly graduated ninja's instructor was a Chunin.
Jonin were scarce high-level forces and couldn't be expected to babysit a group of rookies for free.
Only exceptionally talented or well-connected students might get a Jonin as their leader.
"Ha! Finally, a C-rank mission!" Jiraiya cheered.
He hadn't expected Renya-sensei to assign them a C-rank mission immediately. He had to perform well to earn Renya-sensei's recognition!
"Don't get overconfident. C-rank missions have risks," Tsunade warned Jiraiya. "Don't die because you were careless…"
"Tsunade, can't you just cheer me on?" Jiraiya glared, feeling unlucky to have such teammates.
Orochimaru watched the bickering and silently sighed.
"Renya-sama, there's a C-rank escort mission for a merchant caravan. Shall we accept it?" The staff member presented the mission scroll.
Renya took the scroll and read it. The mission was simple: border bandits had become more rampant recently, and rumors suggested wandering ninjas were among them. The caravan owner requested Konoha shinobi to escort the caravan safely to the River Country.
"Alright, this mission it is." Renya handed the scroll to the three. "We depart first thing tomorrow morning."
"Yes! Finally, real combat!" Jiraiya rubbed his hands excitedly. "Maybe we'll even run into some bandits!"
He was already imagining them getting beaten up by him.
"Hehehe, with me, Jiraiya, around, those petty bandits don't stand a chance!"
Tsunade and Orochimaru watched Jiraiya's foolish grin and sighed helplessly.
"Idiot."
The next morning, the merchant caravan slowly left Konoha.
Renya led from the front, Jiraiya and Tsunade guarded the sides, and Orochimaru brought up the rear.
The caravan owner's daughter peeked out curiously: "Are you really shinobi? You look so light!"
"Hahaha, don't be fooled by our size. We'll grow up to be powerful shinobi!" Jiraiya puffed out his chest proudly.
He aspired to become as strong as Renya-sensei and a hero of the village, respected by all!
"Don't mind this idiot… We'll get you to your destination safely," Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Idiot teammate… always a burden," Orochimaru muttered quietly.
"Hey, Orochimaru, are you criticizing me behind my back again?"
"Quiet, all of you," Renya reminded them. "We're on a mission."
"Understood, Renya-sensei." The three instantly became obedient.
After a day's travel, the caravan left Fire Country's territory and entered a canyon area.
Suddenly, dozens of bandits appeared, blocking the caravan's path.
The bandit leader sneered, "Hand over the goods and women! I might let you live!"
Renya noticed that the bandit leader was a lower-rank ninja, and several others were also ninjas.
Has the bar to become a bandit become so high?
Although just wandering ninjas, they were a breeze against ordinary people.
Fortunately, this wasn't Fire Country, or they would have been wiped out long ago.
Renya silently stepped behind the caravan and whispered to the three:
"Protect the caravan and take down the enemies quickly."
A band of wandering ninjas forming a bandit gang wouldn't require him to act—perfect practice for the students.
"Understood, Renya-sensei!" The three launched their attack.
"You insolent brats! Brothers, take them down!" The bandit leader waved his weapon and charged at them.
The rest of the bandits immediately followed suit.
Battle was about to erupt.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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