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Chapter 57
"Alright, I only applied to be your team leader so we wouldn't have to reveal our true strength right away."
Seeing the completely different looks from Kushina and Mikoto, Ling Yu smiled and explained.
This was also because of his strong insistence that the old man Hiruzen had reluctantly agreed—otherwise, there might have been some stranger added to their team.
That would have been inconvenient for his plans.
Tsunade had also seen through Ling Yu's intentions and eagerly volunteered to serve as the assistant instructor for his team—precisely for the future revival of the Senju clan.
Though there were some selfish motives mixed in, overall it was still for the sake of Mikoto and Kushina.
"Mmm… fine then."
After thinking it over, Kushina realized Ling Yu made sense and stopped arguing.
"Today is our team's first official gathering—and also the day we take on our very first mission."
Seeing that both girls had no objections, Ling Yu pulled a scroll from his bag and unrolled it in front of them.
"I figured neither of you wanted to do boring D-rank or C-rank missions like weeding or catching cats, so I specially picked an A-rank mission with a bit more challenge."
Then he pointed at the several portraits drawn on the scroll and continued:
"Our mission this time is to hunt down the Konoha missing-nin shown here. Although their individual strength is only chūnin level—"
"Because they've banded together and become local bandits occupying a mountain stronghold, you won't just be facing these few people—you'll also have to deal with other bandits."
"Here are their portraits and the intel we had before they deserted, including the ninjutsu they specialize in. Study them carefully."
With that, he handed the scroll to Kushina and Mikoto so they could memorize the main targets.
While the two girls were earnestly committing the faces of the missing-nin to memory, Tsunade suddenly appeared from the side and reminded them:
"By the way—this time, Ling Yu and I will only be watching from the sidelines. We won't step in unless your lives are in real danger."
"So be extremely careful during the mission. Don't get careless, or you're going to embarrass yourselves big time."
After hearing Tsunade's warning, Kushina and Mikoto exchanged a glance—both of their eyes filled with determination.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate this lady! They're just a few chūnin—I can handle them all by myself!"
Kushina snorted coldly, suddenly standing up and clenching her fist with absolute confidence.
She refused to accept Tsunade's doubting look. There was no way a few chūnin could make her—an actual jōnin—admit defeat.
"Mm. I won't give up easily either."
Mikoto also stood and moved beside Kushina, holding her hand with a confident smile on her face.
"Good! Since you're both so confident—let's move out now!"
"Move out!"
The group then headed to Konoha's main gate to register their departure. The one handling registration was a member of the Uchiha Police Force.
Every ninja leaving the village for a mission had to register—to ensure safety and prevent infiltration by spies from other villages.
"Alright, registration complete. You may depart."
After finishing, the Uchiha ninja subtly glanced at Mikoto, his mind clearly scheming something.
Ling Yu naturally noticed the small gesture. The corner of his mouth curved upward, a spark of amusement in his eyes.
They've started noticing Mikoto already? Heh… I wonder what new moves the Uchiha will try next.
After registration was complete, Team Ling Yu left Konoha and headed toward the mission location.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha who had handled registration also left his post and hurried in a certain direction—the Uchiha clan grounds.
…
Leaving aside whatever small schemes the Uchiha clan was about to start—
On Team Ling Yu's side—
"When carrying out this mission, you need to…"
While traveling toward the destination, Tsunade—being the experienced jōnin—naturally used the time to explain key points of the mission to the two girls.
Both Kushina and Mikoto listened with extreme seriousness. For newly graduated students like them, what they lacked most was exactly this kind of experience.
The more key advice they absorbed from Tsunade, the smoother their mission would go.
After Tsunade finished explaining everything in detail, the group finally arrived at the missing-nin's location.
"This is the place. The targets are inside that bandit stronghold at the top of the mountain. Get ready and head out whenever you want. Ling Yu and I will be waiting right here."
Tsunade took out the mission scroll, double-checked the location, then pointed at the cluster of dilapidated buildings on the mountaintop and instructed the two girls.
"Mm. We're heading out."
With a nod, Kushina and Mikoto instantly vanished from sight, concealing their presence as they advanced toward the mountain summit.
"I'm telling you—you really threw them straight into an A-rank mission right from the start. Are you that confident they'll complete it perfectly?"
Only after the two girls disappeared did Tsunade pull Ling Yu into her arms, pressing his head against her chest and holding him tightly as she asked curiously.
Ever since her little brother had grown up, it had been a long time since she could be this close to him. Now that it was just the two of them, she took full advantage of the moment.
"Mmm…"
Facing Tsunade's "face-washing" attack, Ling Yu didn't struggle. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist, narrowed his eyes, and comfortably enjoyed the moment.
After a long while, Ling Yu finally lifted his head from her softness and looked at Tsunade with full confidence as he spoke:
"Ninja have to go through this eventually. I'm not worried about Kushina—she's already adapted to this kind of thing."
"Mikoto's the one who hasn't experienced real combat yet—she might struggle a bit at first. But with Kushina there, they should succeed quickly."
Tsunade's concern wasn't unreasonable.
For freshly graduated students, the standard procedure was to start with several C-rank or B-rank missions to build teamwork and experience. Only then would they be ready for A-rank or even S-rank missions that required perfect coordination.
Yet Ling Yu had thrown them straight into an A-rank mission—and one that involved hunting missing-nin and spilling blood, no less.
Although both girls were at jōnin level and had good teamwork, their actual mission experience was still extremely limited.
If something unexpected happened and they panicked, they might not even be able to bring out half their true strength.
Sometimes, as Ling Yu's big sister, Tsunade found herself understanding him less and less.
"Hehe, you really put a lot of thought into your two little girlfriends, huh?"
After listening to Ling Yu's explanation, though Tsunade still had some doubts, she finally relaxed. She loosened her hold on him and teased.
"Of course. We've trained together for so long—how could I not know their real strength?"
Leaving Tsunade's embrace, Ling Yu reluctantly rubbed his nose and gave her a confident smile.
He had invested enormous effort into teaching Kushina and Mikoto. Now, this was their first real test.
He believed the two of them would succeed.
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