Chapter 197: Bird Summoned Beast
"I wonder what kind of enemies we'll face this time. If it's a Chunin, that would be perfect—I could really show off my strength," Obito said eagerly as they made their way toward the Hokage Building.
He knew his limits. A Jonin was still out of his league, but a Chunin? That he could handle. After all, Kakashi was also a Chunin.
"What are you talking about?" Kakashi sighed. "The last mission was a rare accident. C-Rank missions don't involve fighting Ninja."
He'd done plenty of C-Rank missions, and only once during their last mission had they actually encountered enemy Ninja.
"If it happened once, it can happen again," Obito countered. He was secretly hoping for another "accident."
After all, that last mission had earned him over a hundred thousand ryo in rewards—the most money he'd ever seen.
"The Academy should really add a theory section to the graduation exam," Kakashi muttered dryly, "to stop people with no common sense from becoming Ninja."
"So what if your theory's good? Strength is what matters! What use is theory if you can't win a fight? Guy's theory is as bad as mine, and he still kicked you so hard you couldn't move!"
Kakashi's expression darkened. Obito's words hit home, but he didn't argue further. He merely aimed for Obito's weakest point—his poor academics—and struck without mercy.
Mugetsu didn't interfere. Letting them argue was good training in its own way—it kept their fire alive.
They bickered all the way to the Hokage Building.
When they arrived, they quieted down—other teams were present, and neither wanted to embarrass themselves before Mugetsu.
"I'd like to accept a C-Rank mission," Mugetsu said to the registration Ninja.
The man nodded and unrolled a scroll filled with mission listings.
Among the normal assignments, Mugetsu also spotted several marked as war missions.
Konoha rarely forced all its Ninja to the front lines unless necessary. Non-critical assignments were posted for volunteers, while only the most vital operations were directly ordered by higher-ups. Still, the presence of war missions here meant one thing—war was advancing into its next stage.
Mugetsu had already suspected this when Jiraiya visited his home. The Sage rarely returned to Konoha unless circumstances demanded it.
Even so, the current timeline was still far from the war's peak. Obito hadn't graduated yet, and Kakashi's promotion to Jonin was still years away.
"Jonin Mugetsu, you're permitted to take C-Rank missions," the registration Ninja said, "but since you have interns under your instruction, you're not allowed to accept war missions."
It was a regulation set by the Third Hokage to prevent reckless instructors from dragging students into dangerous combat zones.
"Understood," Mugetsu replied calmly. He hadn't planned to anyway. Facing the current Kage-level powerhouses—the Third Hokage, the Third Tsuchikage, or the Third Raikage—was not on his agenda.
Obito, however, perked up. "Huh? What missions aren't we allowed to take?"
Smack!
Without even looking up, Mugetsu tapped Obito squarely on the forehead.
"Did Teacher Mugetsu develop a Ninjutsu just for hitting me? How do you always hit me so accurately?" Obito asked, rubbing his head.
"Because I have good eyesight," Mugetsu said mildly, still scanning the mission list.
Most C-Rank missions involved either driving away wild beasts, subduing bandits, or escorting merchants. Anything harder required higher pay—and a higher rank.
Mugetsu's main concern wasn't the difficulty, but the location.
He immediately ruled out the Land of Grass. The border skirmishes between Konoha and Iwagakure made it a risky zone.
After reviewing the options, he finally selected a mission in the Land of Rivers—to drive away a dangerous wild beast.
According to the mission description, a giant black eagle had been terrorizing the residents of Kawakita Town, preying on livestock—chickens, ducks, even pigs.
That level of strength could only mean one thing: it was a Nin-Beast.
Mugetsu checked the posting time—it was fresh, issued just the night before.
"This one will do," he decided.
If things went smoothly, it would be a straightforward C-Rank mission. If something unexpected happened—well, it might be a chance to capture a powerful aerial summon.
Flying creatures were rare in the Ninja World, and a bird-type Nin-Beast could be invaluable. It would certainly make escaping from powerful foes much easier.
As they left the mission hall, Obito craned his neck to peek at the mission slip.
"Huh, it's not in the same country as last time," he said, sounding disappointed.
"What, do you prefer the Land of Rice Fields?" Mugetsu asked.
"Not really," Obito grinned. "It's just that we're more likely to run into enemies there."
Mugetsu nearly sighed. To Obito, it seemed the Cloud Ninja were simply convenient sparring partners—or worse, walking bounties.
Still, Obito wasn't entirely wrong. The odds of an encounter in the Land of Rice Fields were indeed higher. Kumogakure wouldn't let the disappearance of an elite squad go unanswered.
If not for the promising black eagle in the Land of Rivers, Mugetsu might have requested a mission in the Land of Rice Fields himself.
After all, the Third Raikage wouldn't come personally to investigate... would he?
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