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[The Land of Departure]
No one truly knows the limits of this power. It's hidden knowledge—no one has ever witnessed it with their own eyes.
In fact, Uzumaki Naruto was even more impatient than Ye Dou had expected.
After just a little over a week, he couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm never doing this kind of mission again!"
In Konoha's mission hall, when Sarutobi Hiruzen offered yet another D-rank mission for Team 7 to choose from, Naruto shouted out in protest.
"Give us something more important!"
He was the kind of person who was all energy and impulse—the type who loses interest as soon as the novelty wears off.
But to be fair, even Uchiha Sasuke, who rarely agreed with Naruto, didn't argue this time.
In the ninja world, missions are ranked by difficulty—D-rank being the lowest, mostly involving chores and errands.
In just a single week, Team 7 had already completed three delivery tasks and had helped find lost pets twice. These were the kind of everyday duties assigned to genin to build responsibility.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Umino Iruka could only patiently explain the importance of these early tasks, hoping the team would understand their value.
But Naruto wasn't listening. He sat down right on the floor, throwing a tantrum.
"In that case, I'll give you a higher-ranked mission—an escort assignment," Hiruzen finally said, giving in.
He thought to himself: A C-rank mission is a bit more dangerous than a D-rank, but with Kakashi leading the team, there shouldn't be a problem.
He had complete faith in Hatake Kakashi and Konoha's process of mission vetting. The client had already been investigated—there shouldn't be any issues.
When Naruto heard this, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Send the client in!"
Just as Hiruzen finished speaking, the mission hall door swung open.
"Tch. A bunch of little brats."
Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged man dressed like a carpenter, wearing round glasses and carrying a sake bottle. He reeked of alcohol and looked half-drunk—clearly an old drunkard.
But that was only on the surface. In truth, he wasn't an alcoholic who couldn't live without liquor.
His disheveled appearance was a front, born out of guilt. According to Konoha's mission system, the escort mission he submitted should've been ranked at least B-class—or higher.
However, lacking the money to pay the appropriate fee, he lied and disguised the true danger of the mission, gambling on luck and his acting.
He drank to calm his nerves, terrified his deception would be discovered.
Naruto, irritated by the man's dismissive tone, couldn't help but yell back.
Ye Dou, meanwhile, remained silent and composed.
He had his own reasons for accepting the mission. Whether or not Tazuna was lying made no difference to him.
After all, when it came to returns, no official mission reward could match the potential spoils of fighting someone like Gato—the shipping magnate who ruled like a tyrant.
Soon after, Team 7 left the mission office. This escort would take them outside the village, so they needed to prepare for possible combat and travel.
After discussing the details with Tazuna, a departure time was agreed upon. The team dispersed temporarily to make preparations.
Ye Dou had nothing more to get ready. He'd already prepared everything nearly a week in advance.
He returned to his usual training ground, drew his sword, and began practicing his slashes with precise, fluid movements.
At dawn the next day, with a sealing scroll tied to his back and his shinobi blade strapped to his waist, Ye Dou stepped out of his small wooden house, ready to depart.
But when he turned around, he saw Hyūga Hanabi standing nearby, smiling softly.
"I heard from Naruto that you're heading out of the village on a high-level mission," she said, walking over and holding out a small package.
"Here—something for you to eat on the road. I didn't have much time, so I couldn't prepare a lot."
Ye Dou accepted it without a word. He didn't refuse her kindness.
Once again, Konoha's young shinobi were stepping forward into the world.
"It's your first mission outside the village," Hanabi added. "Make sure to listen to Kakashi-sensei."
"…Okay."
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