Kaiji wasn't shocked at the news that he got his first mission already. Not when many, including Hiroshi, had gotten a mission yesterday.
He went to where Ryota told him his assigned team was and tell that the team captain, his senior, would tell him the mission details.
He went to the open field of the Genin Corps department.
There, he saw four figures standing. Out of those four, he recognized and knew two.
One was Shin, and the other was Sato. Both were his batchmates and now members of the Genin Corps, like him.
The other two were seniors to them, who had also been members of the Genin Corps for a year or two.
Kaiji walked towards them and bowed towards his two seniors as a greeting.
One was a man named Kuita, and the other was a Kunoichi named Nao.
They responded to him with slight nods.
Kuita spoke first and asked directly, "What's your name?!"
"Kaiji."
He nodded and said, "My name is Kuita, and for this mission, I am team leader."
Then the Kunoichi spoke. "And my name is Nao," she introduced herself.
She also offered them reassurance, "You three don't worry, as your seniors we will protect if anything dangerous occurred, though chances are less."
With the introductions made, all of them moved towards the Village gates and then out of the village for the mission.
Kuita began telling them the details of the mission while they walked.
"The mission is basic C-rank bandits extermination," he explained.
"Though simple for the level of C-rank missions, but for you three it will be your first real combat experience."
He added a caution, "And even if Bandits usually are weaker than Ninjas, there is sometimes possibility for one of the members especially leader of group being a missing-nin with Genin or Chunin level, so you three stay alert."
They nodded, taking in the information.
They moved towards the direction of the mission, which was a small village on the eastern side of the Land of Wind.
The village name was Sunaka no Sato.
It was situated towards the eastern edge of the Land of Wind, nestled between larger, undulating sand dunes that offered some degree of natural windbreak.
This village could be said to be one of the important small villages within the nation because its exact position was near slightly more fertile ground found in depressions or wadis.
Unlike most areas and places of the Land of Wind as purely barren desert, this village thrived by cultivating specific Wind-Hardy Herbs.
This small source of fertile ground existed because the village was near the Land of Rivers.
It produced Medical and Culinary Herbs that Sunagakure also obtained from this village.
And now, a group of Bandits had been tormenting the villagers, disrupting this vital supply.
Nao spoke with a small smile, "That place is a little far, and with including our necessary rest periods, it might Takes 3 or 4 days to reach."
She gave them a final piece of advice for the journey, "So don't get frustrated during Travel, okay!"
A slight sigh accompanied her words, hinting at her own past experiences.
The team, after departing out of the village gates, began their travel.
Their initial journey involved passing through the outskirts of the village and onto established desert paths or routes before venturing into more open terrain.
The journey was demanding. The heat of the relentless sun beat down upon them.
The landscape was shifting and featureless in many areas. They rested in a few smaller villages along the way, and sometimes even had to rest in the open area under the stars.
As Nao had said that Kaiji, Shin, and Sato might get frustrated from the travel and should be prepared, they really did become more frustrated as the days went by.
This was especially because of the continuous travel in intense heat with little but necessary rest periods.
They complained in unison, "When will we arrive there, Nao-san, Kuita-san?!" they grumbled, their voices weary.
Nao and Kuita chuckled. They had expected this reaction, as they themselves had felt this frustration during their initial missions.
Kuita offered a common piece of advice.
He said, "You will get used to it, and remember what taught at Academy, tough situations makes a person stronger."
The three of them just grumbled in response. Kuita's words weren't particularly encouraging them under the intense heat of the relentless sun.
Given how frustrated they were, they felt they might just directly attack the bandits the moment they saw them, simply because they were the reason for this arduous journey.
The journey, despite small rests and continuous travel, was still slower than optimal.
This was especially true during the hottest parts of the day, with them favoring early morning travel when the sun was less intense.
As Nao had estimated, they reached the village within 3 and a half days, arriving during the mid-day time.
Once they reached the village, they were greeted by a middle-aged man.
He was in his late 40s or early 50s, standing with a few other villagers beside him.
The spokesperson of the village, that middle-aged man, was named Baku.
He was the respected head of the village.
He first invited the team into his small house and offered them something to eat and drink.
While Kuita and Nao were experienced with missions and protocols, Kaiji, Shin, and Sato were not the same.
Whereas Kuita and Nao were sitting politely and having the snacks offered by the head of the village, Baku, the three new Genin were not so modest.
They were filling their mouths with snacks and drinking water without much care for appearances in the world.
Kaiji took a large gulp of water. Shin and Sato stuffed their cheeks with food, giving a faint chew.
Kuita, as team leader, felt a little embarrassed at their actions.
He apologized to Baku and said, "Sorry about them. Please tell us about the situation."
Baku sighed heavily, a long weary sound.
He then began telling the details of the situation caused by the bandits tormenting his village.
***