The next day, Amane and the other two arrived at the bulletin board. The Instructor Ninja's lips curled slightly before he immediately switched to a serious expression, looking at the three of them and saying, "You can't withdraw from a commission today. Also, let me reiterate the rules: you can take D-rank missions as you please, but for a c-rank mission, it has to pass my scrutiny."
"Hmph! Putting on airs."
Ringo Yuriko let out a disdainful snort, while Ye looked at the Instructor Ninja with an apologetic gaze.
[His acting is too poor; he should at least try to make it look real. But I still have to give him some face.]
Amane, however, nodded with a smile while inwardly snorting in disdain.
They had arrived early enough today that there were even more missions on the bulletin board than they had seen yesterday. But most were manual labor like moving supplies or helping out in the fields.
Ninety percent of the so-called E-rank missions were this kind of thing, and the remaining ten percent were the 'find the cat' type often seen in anime.
According to what she remembered from the anime, c-rank missions covered a variety of tasks such as personal protection, character investigation, and capture; although there might be minor injuries occasionally, the overall difficulty was moderate.
For instance, Amane saw a guard mission to accompany a certain lord's daughter. The introduction stated that the Young Lady wanted to go flower viewing at a place near the outskirts of the stronghold.
[This mission is worth a try; the pay is far higher than a D-rank mission.]
After looking at several other c-rank missions, Amane made her decision.
But first, there was one thing she wanted to test. Her hand slowly reached toward a commission to catch a cat... [As expected, Ringo Yuriko's gaze is a bit piercing...]
Although the three had reached a consensus in a certain way yesterday, in the end, it was just a quick friendship between children; becoming a true bond would require the tempering of time.
If she really took this kind of mission now, Ringo Yuriko could endure it once or twice at most. Doing so would destroy the hard-won results of yesterday, bringing a hundred harms and not a single benefit.
[After all, these so-called teams are entirely made up of children. If there were a powerful elder to lead us, there wouldn't be these troubles, or if I could really use my full strength to beat Ringo Yuriko into submission.]
So, Amane's hand shifted smoothly and touched the mission to escort the Young Lady.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past her ear!
Pa! X2
Amane caught the instructor's sudden punch, while the other sound was the instructor intercepting the attack launched by Ameyuri Ringo.
"Coordination and reactions are both good. Go on."
With that, the strength of all three relaxed simultaneously, and the commission was torn from the bulletin board.
Ye's gaze shifted constantly between the three, her body involuntarily trembling.
It wasn't that she hadn't reacted; in fact, she had also noticed the instructor's sudden move. But the moment it happened, her mind was filled with the question, "Why did he move suddenly?"
[How do they think and act so fast?]
Looking at Ringo Yuriko, who was taking the commission to read the details, and Amane, who suddenly patted her shoulder and asked what was wrong, Ye asked this question out loud.
"There's no time to think; that's too much of a luxury in a sudden battle."
"The body moves on its own."
"..."
The thought that she was actually the one who was abnormal began to sprout in Ye's heart.
After the three left, a playful smile appeared on the instructor's face, followed by a 'bang' as he transformed into an incredibly beautiful young woman.
"You were right; they indeed have great potential."
Mei Terumī nodded with satisfaction.
"Lady Terumi, are you really going to come personally?"
The original instructor stepped out from the side and said tremulously. Given the current situation in Kirigakure, Mei Terumī was one of the top experts, busy as could be with daily missions; did she really have time to lead students?
"Why not? That Young Lady Ameyuri Ringo has mastered Lightning Nature Transformation at such a young age, Hibiki Tian Yin has outstanding sensing abilities, and from the information you passed on yesterday, she also has great tactical sense and leadership talent. As for that girl from the Yuki Clan..."
"That girl is indeed a bit inferior. Do we need to swap Chōjūrō in?"
Seeing Mei Terumī pause, the instructor offered his opinion, completely failing to notice that Mei Terumī suddenly rolled her eyes at him.
Chōjūrō was indeed an excellent talent, and like the previous member of the Hozuki family, he was hailed as a prodigy. However, unfortunately, his excellence lay in Precise Chakra Control and swordsmanship; he was a candidate for the Ninja Sword Inheritor, while she, Mei Terumī, specialized in Ninjutsu and Bloodline Limits.
Letting her lead Chōjūrō? Ao would be more suitable than Mei Terumī.
Looking at Amane's team again: one genius who had already mastered Lightning nature, one unpolished gem who possessed Water and Lightning Chakra but hadn't learned many Ninjutsu, and one with the Ice Release Bloodline Limit.
"No need. You did a good job with the grouping this time, so I'll reward you with three days of paid leave, and every day you'll receive the reward of a B-rank mission. As for after that... new heavy responsibilities will be assigned to you."
"Thank you for the reward, Lady Terumi!"
The Instructor Ninja tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth. Although Kirigakure had not yet been liberated, what heavy responsibilities could be arranged for him as an instructor other than being the principal? Thinking that he could achieve his life's ideal at only twenty-five or twenty-six, the Instructor Ninja really wanted to burst into song and dance.
But now was not the time to celebrate; he needed to endure and must maintain control over his expression in front of Mei Terumī!
[It's decided! I'll laugh the moment Lady Terumi leaves!]
"Work hard. I believe you will do a great job in the position of Dean of Students."
The Instructor Ninja immediately felt as if he had failed to master Sage Mode and turned into a stone statue.
In a school, that position was not just normally tiring!
Ignoring this little episode, Amane's team had already arrived in front of the client.
"Oh, you seem to be the child of that Mr. Nakamura."
Amane took the center position, while Ringo Yuriko and Ye stood behind her on either side very consciously. Naturally, this behavior made the client take Amane as the leader.
[Damn, I didn't even discuss this with you two beforehand, how did you two become so coordinated?]
Although Amane was confident in her social training, being at least a level above her past self, combined with this cute face, she was indeed the most suitable candidate.
But Ye aside, why did you, Little Apple, back down so obediently this time?
"Do you know Mr. Nakamura?"
Amane looked up, her azure eyes shimmering with a light of admiration.
Ringo Yuriko's body began to stir behind her, her face showing not just disdain but also disgust.
"Well, I am a retired Jonin after all. He was truly a steady man, but rather than a Ninja, he was a bit like a Samurai from the Land of Iron."
The client habitually stroked his beard.
"That's... I heard Mr. Nakamura say that when he was young, he had the idea of joining the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, so he visited the Land of Iron."
She nodded; that explained his temperament and skill in swordsmanship.
To become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist... the client immediately understood why Nakamura Iku only said he had this idea when he was young, and couldn't help but chuckle.
Anyone who had seen those seven swords would understand.
Tilting her head, Amane seemed very confused by the client's sudden strange behavior.
"Ahem, it's nothing. Since you are Mr. Nakamura's child, you must be very good at Kenjutsu."
[This client is a bit off.]
He hadn't mentioned a single word about the mission content, but instead began to investigate Amane's background and what she was good at.
"It's just average; I've never received Mr. Nakamura's recognition. By the way, where is your daughter, the target of the commission?"
The client was suddenly caught off guard. Amane's forced change of topic really had some skill; she timed it perfectly to interrupt the moment he was about to speak. If he continued to ignore the mission content, it would be too unnatural.
Exchanging a glance with the subordinates behind him, the target of the commission finally appeared before Amane's team amidst the sound of geta stepping on wooden boards.
Her looks were ordinary, but the patterns on the clothes she wore were very gorgeous; she was the epitome of looking expensive.
Other than that, there seemed to be nothing unusual. Including her temperament in every move and her physical fitness, she was just an ordinary girl with very shallow cultivation.
[Am I being too sensitive? I'll use my Sensing Technique on the road to observe her properly.]
"Father, I'm leaving now."
She bowed with a smile and then introduced herself to the three.
Toyama Kei was the name of the person they were guarding.
After Amane and the others also announced their names, the group of four began this c-rank mission.