Chương 20: C-Rank Mission

Hiruzen cleared his throat and straightened in his chair.

"Anyway, a C-rank mission is a major step in your journey as shinobi. Konoha was built on the will of fire. That flame lives inside every one of you. It is the belief that our village is worth protecting, that our comrades are worth fighting for, that the next generation deserves a better tomorrow than the one we have today. You are young, but you carry that same fire. Every mission, no matter how small it seems, adds fuel to that flame." Hiruzen leaned forward, his voice growing stronger.

"Out there, beyond our walls, the world is hard. War takes lives. Greed turns good people into bandits. Fear makes men forget their humanity. But we do not fight because it is easy. We fight because it is right. Because someone has to stand between the innocent and the darkness. That someone is you." He looked straight at them, "Today. Tomorrow. Every day you wear that headband. Let the will of fire guide your hands, your hearts, your blades. Protect what matters. Never give up. Never back down.

And when the time comes to choose between your own safety and the safety of others, choose the harder path. That is what makes a true shinobi of Konoha." He paused, letting the words settle.

"This mission will test you. It will show you what it means to draw blood for a cause greater than yourselves. Face it with courage. Return with honor. And remember: the village is not just stone and wood. It is the people inside it. Every life you save, every wrong you right, keeps that flame burning bright." Shunsui almost yawned during the speech. The words were beautiful, stirring, everything a Hokage should say.

But he had heard variations of it in his past life through the manga, anime, and some political speeches on television.

'And now I know why every genins get their first C rank mission from the Hokage. It's because he can brainwash them himself. Will of fire... my ass. But damn, he is good at it. It's just a pity that I know of this stuff or even I would be forced to lay down my life for no reason for the village.' Shunsui thought as he did his best to look awed and amazed. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

He widened his eyes, clenched his jaw slightly, and stared at Hiruzen with what he hoped passed for determination. It was not a good performance. His laziness bled through to his face. His mouth twitched like he was fighting a sigh. Shikaku noticed it. The Nara genius looked up from his paperwork, eyes half-lidded, and let out a small chuckle.

"I told the Hokage to just make it short," he muttered under his breath, loud enough for the room to hear.

"But he never listens. Gets carried away every time." Hiruzen coughed into his fist. A faint blush touched his cheeks. He took noticed the bored looks of the genins. The only one who seemed to listened to his entire speech was Guy whose eyes burned with determination. Hiruzen thought, 'At least, One of them understands the will of fire. I should remind myself to not send Shunsui on missions regarding infiltration. His acting skills are terrible.'

"Ahem. Yes. Well." He shuffled a few papers on his desk to regain composure.

"Your first mission will be to hunt down a bandit group." He spread a small map across the desk.

"Due to the war, many people have turned to banditry. Villages are being raided by them and travelers are getting ambushed. Some of these groups are led by rogue shinobi who deserted their posts. Your target is one such group. They have been attacking merchant caravans on the road between Konoha and the Land of Tea border. They number around fifteen to twenty men. At least one is confirmed former chunin-level shinobi. The rest are armed civilians with basic training." Choza stepped forward.

"The mission is simple on paper: locate their camp, eliminate the threat, recover any stolen goods if possible, and report back. But make no mistake. These are not training dummies. They will fight to kill. You may have to take lives today. That is part of being a shinobi in wartime." Hiruzen nodded.

"Choza has assured me you are ready to engage with other shinobi. He has trained you well enough that he believes that you are capable of taking down Chunins. Trust your sensei. Trust each other. And come back to the village safely."

'A C-rank bandit mission to get us experience with killing,' Shunsui thought as he stared at the map.

'So we do not freeze later when the situation is much more dangerous. It is cruel for having the kids getting their first kills, but smart. The Hokage and sensei want us blooded before we face real war. Better to learn now against bandits than against more experienced shinobi who can actually kill us in one move.'

'But sending Genins to fight chunins. Is that wise even with sensei with us? Well, Now that I think about it, did not Team Kakashi face Demon brothers of the mist, Gozu and Meizu who were both chunins on their first C rank mission. I guess that it is not that uncommon for genin teams on Konoha to fight chunins.' Shunsui compared their team to team 7 and knew that they were stronger than Team 7 barring the lack of protagonists luck.