Chapter 341: Yearning for a Hero
"What is it, what is it?" Obito leaned forward, eyes shining as he stared at Sawada Kazuya.
"It is a bodyguard mission for a princess, commissioned by the Land of Snow," Sawada answered after recalling the details.
"A bodyguard?" Obito's eyes lit up even more. "Isn't that basically the same as rescuing a princess? We will take this mission!"
In Obito's mind, a princess bodyguard job guaranteed enemy ambushes, and enemy ambushes meant a princess rescue. The script was already playing in his head.
"Unfortunately, you cannot," Sawada said with a regretful expression, shaking his head after looking through the scroll.
"Why not? Uncle Sawada, are you messing with us? You tell us about it, then say we cannot take it!" Obito was anxious.
This was the closest he had ever been to living out the life of a ninja novel protagonist.
"Is it because the mission rank is B Rank or higher?" Kakashi asked calmly, thinking it through.
If Sawada had brought it up, then the mission definitely existed. If they could not accept it, the problem had to be on their side.
Sawada nodded and explained, "I just confirmed the rank. It is an A Rank mission. To accept an A Rank mission, your team needs at least a Jonin like Minato to lead it."
Obito's face instantly collapsed. Minato had just gone back to the front lines not long ago.
"Uncle Sawada, can you not make an exception? You know how strong our team is," Obito tried one last time, unwilling to let this chance slip away.
"There are no exceptions for this," Sawada replied firmly. "If I really push it through for you, you will not see me working here next time."
He still planned to keep this job for a few more years.
Obito let out a long sigh. He was no longer the rookie who had just started doing missions and could understand Sawada's position.
"Obito, why do we not pick another mission? Minato sensei probably will not be back anytime soon," Rin suggested gently.
"I know that, but…" Obito's expression twisted with conflict.
This was exactly the kind of mission he had dreamed about: guarding a princess, in a land he had never visited before. Everything about it tugged at him.
"Does it have to be Minato sensei?" Kakashi thought for a moment and asked, "As long as there is a Jonin leading us, it should still be fine, right?"
He could clearly see how badly Obito wanted to go.
From Kakashi's memory, the Land of Snow was a northern island country far from the great villages' battlefields, with little chance of getting dragged into a major war.
Sawada nodded. "Any other Jonin is fine. An A Rank mission only requires at least one Special Jonin to lead the team."
As soon as he said that, the light returned to Obito's eyes.
Minato was gone on a mission, but Mugetsu was still in Konoha. He had just finished the Academy's special training and was currently resting.
"Come on, let us go find Mugetsu sensei!" Obito spun around and dashed out of the mission office, heading straight toward Mugetsu's house.
Watching his retreating back, Kakashi gave a small shake of his head and quickly followed.
He had originally been thinking of asking other Jonin he knew. Obito was not thinking that far ahead, but Kakashi knew the Academy term was about to start.
Seeing them both leave, Rin hurried after them as well.
Worried that someone else might snatch the mission first, Obito ran at full speed, determined to get to Mugetsu's place as fast as possible.
He even passed Hiruzen Sarutobi on the way and did not have time to greet him.
"Why does the Third Hokage's nose look a little red, like he has a nosebleed? Did I see that wrong?" Obito blinked, puzzled.
Who in Konoha could possibly make the Hokage's nose bleed?
He did not dwell on it. Right now, all his thoughts were focused on accepting that mission.
With the boost from his Breathing Technique, Obito's running speed was frightening, and he soon arrived at Mugetsu's house.
"Mugetsu sensei, are you home?" Obito shouted from outside the door.
His luck was good. Mugetsu happened to be at home, researching sealing techniques.
Mugetsu set down the scroll in his hand, stood up, and opened the door. "Obito, what is the matter?"
"Mugetsu sensei, can you lead us on a mission?" Obito blurted out. "There is a princess escort mission I really want to take, but it is an A Rank mission and we need a Jonin to lead the team."
He explained his purpose and the situation in one breath.
Mugetsu's expression turned thoughtful. Because he had added an extra week of special training, even though the holiday training had just ended, it was already very close to the Academy's opening day.
"Which country's princess is it?" he asked instead of answering right away.
Normally, escort missions for princesses or important state figures would be rated S Rank, or at least specify particular top level Konoha shinobi by name.
A Rank missions were more flexible, meant for a Special Jonin plus a few Chunin or Genin. The minimum team strength for those was lower.
Mugetsu considered several possibilities.
First, the country might already have arranged its own security and only requested Konoha ninja as added insurance.
Second, the princess might not be that important to the country.
Third, the mission itself might not be particularly dangerous and was more for stability than crisis.
"From the Land of Snow," Obito said quickly, telling Mugetsu everything Sawada had shared.
The name immediately stirred up a flood of old memories in Mugetsu's mind.
His memory was excellent now. Even things he had only seen once, long ago, were easy to recall.
He immediately ruled out the second possibility.
If his memory was correct, the princess Fuyuki Kazahana was the only heir of the Land of Snow. There was no way she would not be valued.
"Was this the mission where Kakashi went to the Land of Snow?" Mugetsu wondered.
In the original story, Kakashi had gone to the Land of Snow twice.
Once as a boy, and again later as the reliable adult leading Team 7.
The first time, he fought Snow ninja and rescued Fuyuki Kazahana.
The second time, he helped her retake the Land of Snow.
However, Mugetsu quickly shook his head.
Based on Kakashi's interactions with the Snow ninja back then, he had already become the Copy Ninja, able to copy Ninjutsu in battle.
That meant Obito had already fallen into darkness by that point.
Right now, Obito was only nine years old, so the timelines clearly did not match.
"Then the coup must be at least a few years away," Mugetsu concluded.
Judging from what he knew, the third possibility seemed the most likely, followed by the first. The second was impossible.
"Mugetsu sensei, why do I not ask another Jonin?" Kakashi said when he saw Mugetsu's thoughtful expression. "You still have your Academy work to deal with."
"Oh, that is right. It is already September," Obito said, suddenly remembering the Academy's opening day as well.
"Sorry, Mugetsu sensei. I completely forgot about that."
Obito scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. He really had only been thinking about the mission.
"I can arrange things with the Academy," Mugetsu said at last. "You three wait here for a bit. I will pack some things."
Based on the plot, the Land of Snow coup should not happen yet.
But Mugetsu was not the type to trust the original story blindly. Events had already proven that the timeline was shifting.
The Snow ninja's strength was not low either.
With just a normal Jonin plus Obito and the others, one bad accident could easily leave them buried in that snow country.
"That is great!" Obito's face lit up. With Mugetsu there, he was no longer worried about accidents.
Kakashi's shoulders also relaxed slightly.
Doing missions with Mugetsu gave him a feeling of absolute safety.
"Mugetsu sensei, you really are too kind," Rin said softly. She felt he was truly gentle.
After sealing some essential supplies into a scroll, Mugetsu took the three of them back to the Hokage Building.
Obito, still afraid that someone might steal the mission, rushed straight to Sawada's desk as soon as they arrived and checked.
Once he confirmed the mission was still there, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
"We will take this mission," Mugetsu said, accepting the escort request under Obito's burning gaze.
Sawada immediately registered the acceptance, filled out the paperwork, and handed the documents to Mugetsu.
He could clearly see how much Obito wanted this.
"Alright!" Obito cheered, throwing a fist into the air.
He could almost see it already.
A beautiful princess, dangerous enemies, their team battling powerful foes, rescuing the princess, and finally becoming heroes of that country.
They had not even departed yet, and Obito was already imagining himself writing his own autobiography after achieving fame.
Even when he had been the class dead last, he had always loved reading ninja novels and fantasizing about the main characters' adventures.
To him, whoever the princess was did not matter.
What mattered was rescuing a princess, because that would make him a hero.
Using the information Sawada provided, Mugetsu quickly found Asama Santaifu, the man who had come to Konoha to issue the request.
"I am Hayate Mugetsu, the Konoha Jonin assigned to guard the Land of Snow's princess," Mugetsu said with a simple self introduction.
Asama Santaifu looked Mugetsu up and down for a moment, then nodded.
However, when his gaze moved to Obito and the others behind Mugetsu, his brows drew together slightly.
"They are not even ten years old, are they? The Land of Snow is very cold," Asama said.
Although he did not believe the princess would encounter real danger, sending three small children from another land into such a harsh environment seemed questionable.
The difference in climate between the Land of Snow and the Land of Fire was too great.
To Asama, the Land of Fire's weather felt like paradise, perfectly suited to human life.
Before Mugetsu could respond, Obito spoke up, clearly displeased.
"Do not look down on us just because we are young! We are Konoha elites. All of us have already been promoted to Chunin. Weather like that will not affect us!"
"They are all Chunin?" Asama's eyes widened slightly.
He was not completely ignorant about ninja matters. He knew the basic rank structure.
"Even if they are a bit young, they are all fully qualified Konoha shinobi," Mugetsu added.
Asama was a man who understood rules.
Once he confirmed the rank and qualifications matched the mission requirements, he did not object further.
He ordered his subordinates to prepare their luggage and get ready to depart.
Because the Land of Snow was an island country, Mugetsu's group first had to travel to a port on the Land of Fire's eastern coast and then sail by ship.
Fortunately, Asama had already arranged everything.
All Mugetsu and the others needed to do was accompany them to the port and board the vessel.
Although the initial underestimation had annoyed Obito, their conversations during the journey soon made it clear that Asama was not someone who despised children.
He was simply concerned.
Once Obito realized that, he had a much better impression of the man, and their interactions grew quite friendly.
"Brother Asama, is your Land of Snow princess pretty?" Obito asked curiously as they were about to board the ship.
He had never seen a real life princess before.
All his images of princesses came from his books.
"Haha, of course she is beautiful. She is the cutest princess," Asama replied with a hearty laugh.
"Definitely not as cute as Rin," Obito thought to himself.
Of course, that was something he only dared to say in his heart.
He would never be that direct in real life.
"It really is endless," Rin murmured, gazing at the vast expanse of sea before them, hands clasped behind her back, a smile on her face.
It was her first time seeing the ocean.
A gentle sea breeze blew past, lifting Rin's flowing hair and lightly curling the pink hem of her clothes.
Obito stood to her left.
Close by was Rin's adorable profile, her slightly lifted hair and skirt.
Far away, a large ship rocked on the endless blue sea.
For a moment, Obito was completely captivated by the scene.
When he snapped back to himself, he quickly took out his camera and snapped a photo of Rin.
At that moment, he was incredibly grateful he had thought to bring it.
"What is it?" Rin turned to look at him, a bit puzzled.
"Nothing. I just think the seaside is beautiful, so I should take more photos," Obito said, waving his hand. His cheeks were faintly red.
Rin nodded in agreement. "It really is. Since we rarely get to come here, we should take more pictures as souvenirs."
After taking a few simple commemorative photos, Mugetsu and the others boarded the ship and set off for the Land of Snow.
It was Obito's first time traveling by sea.
At first he was excited, but after a while he calmed down.
There was nothing particularly special about being on the ship itself.
Even so, Obito was happy simply because Rin was right beside him, and he kept chattering away with her, never running out of topics.
Mugetsu, on the other hand, was discussing the mission details with Asama.
"In October, our country will hold its most important festival, the Snow God Festival. Your escort mission ends once the festival is over," Asama explained.
The Snow God Festival was an ancient and important celebration in the Land of Snow.
On that day, the people prayed to the snow god to lessen the heavy snow so they could catch more fat fish.
Asama, who knew his country's history well, even mentioned that centuries ago, the Daimyo himself had been required to perform the ritual.
That tradition, however, was no longer practiced.
Mugetsu nodded as he listened, mentally organizing the mission outline.
In truth, there was no essential difference from a standard escort mission.
Only the people and the location were different.
He was a bit curious why they had come all the way to Konoha instead of hiring ninja from the Snow Ninja Village.
The Daimyo also had his own forces.
Why reach so far?
After thinking about it, Mugetsu decided it did not really matter.
For a Daimyo, even of a small country, the cost of an A Rank mission was trivial.
He could commission it simply because he felt like it.
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