https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-340-Special-Training-Conclusion-and-Rewards/12558453/
Chapter 341: Admiring the Hero
Chapter 341: Admiring the Hero
"What is it? Tell me!" Deidara looked at Kazahana Wada with anticipation.
Wada recalled and briefly replied, "It's a mission to act as a bodyguard for a princess, issued by the Snow Country."
"Bodyguard? Isn't that similar to rescuing a princess? Let's take this mission!" Deidara eagerly wanted to accept the task.
In Deidara's mind, since it involved escorting someone, they would surely encounter enemies, and thus, it would turn into a princess-rescuing mission.
"Unfortunately, no." Wada flipped through the scroll and shook his head regretfully.
"Why not? You're teasing us, Wada-san! You told us about it, but now you say we can't take it," Deidara said anxiously.
This was the closest he had ever come to experiencing what a protagonist in a ninja novel would go through.
"Is it because the mission is ranked B-class or above?" Kakashi analyzed and asked.
Since Wada had mentioned the mission, he must have intended to let them take it. If they weren't allowed, it must be due to an issue on their end.
Wada nodded and explained, "I just confirmed the mission's rank. It's an A-class mission. To take on an A-class mission, you'll need to be led by Minato-san, a jonin."
Deidara's face fell instantly as Minato had recently left on a mission to the battlefield.
"Wada-san, please make an exception. You know the strength of our team," Deidara pleaded, not wanting to give up this opportunity.
"I can't make exceptions. If I let you take this mission, you won't see me here again," Wada said, indicating that he wanted to continue working for a few more years.
Deidara sighed. He was no longer a novice when it came to missions, so he understood Wada's dilemma to some extent.
"Deidara, why don't we choose another mission? Minato-sensei won't be back for a while," Hinata suggested.
"I know, but..." Deidara's expression was conflicted.
Not only was it a task he longed to do—escorting a princess—but it was also a chance to visit a country he had never been to. The allure of this mission was too great.
"Does it have to be Minato-sensei? Wouldn't any jonin do?" Kakashi asked, having noticed Deidara's enthusiasm. Besides, according to his knowledge, Snow Country was an island nation far to the north, untouched by the war between the great ninja villages. In other words, the likelihood of an accident was slim.
Wada nodded in agreement, "Any other jonin would do. But for an A-class mission, the minimum requirement is to have a special jonin leading the team."
Hearing Wada's words, Deidara's eyes lit up again. Although Minato was away on a mission, Mu Yue was right here in Konoha, and she had just finished the special training at the Ninja Academy, enjoying a well-deserved rest.
"Let's go! We're off to find Mu Yue-sensei," Deidara turned and hurried out of the Hokage Building, heading in the direction of Mu Yue's home.
Seeing Deidara's haste, Kakashi shook his head and quickly followed suit.
Kakashi was actually thinking of asking another jonin he knew, but Deidara's mind was set, and Kakashi was aware that the Ninja Academy would be opening soon.
Seeing the two of them leave, Hinata also followed, exiting the Hokage Building.
Fearing that someone else might take the mission, Deidara ran. He wanted to get to Mu Yue's place as quickly as possible.
Along the way, he even passed by Hiruzen Sarutobi without stopping to greet him.
"Why does the Third Hokage seem to have a bit of blood on his nose? Am I seeing things?" Deidara wondered. Who was strong enough to make the Hokage bleed in Konoha?
Deidara didn't dwell on it, as his primary concern at the moment was to accept the mission as soon as possible.
With the breathing technique boosting his speed, Deidara soon arrived at Mu Yue's residence.
"Mu Yue-sensei, are you home?" Deidara called out loudly from outside the door.
Fortunately, Mu Yue was at home, studying sealing techniques.
Mu Yue put down the scroll in her hand and opened the door, asking, "What's the matter, Deidara?"
"Mu Yue-sensei, can you please take us on a mission? There's this mission to protect a princess that I really want to do, but it's an A-class mission, and a jonin must lead the team," Deidara explained his purpose and reasons.
Mu Yue furrowed her brows in thought. Due to the special training, an extra week had been added to the curriculum, and although the holiday training had just ended, the start of the new semester at the Ninja Academy was imminent.
"Which country's princess is it?" Mu Yue didn't immediately agree but instead asked about the specifics of the mission.
Usually, missions involving the protection of a princess or important figures of a country were ranked S-class, and renowned strong ninjas from Konoha would be specifically requested to take on such missions. A-class missions were less common in such cases, as a special jonin with a few chunin and genin could handle them, thus setting a relatively low threshold for team strength.
Mu Yue considered three possibilities. First, the country might have already arranged for protective forces and was simply seeking peace of mind by sending a request to Konoha. Second, the princess might not be valued highly. And third, the mission itself might not be very dangerous, and the request was made to ensure extra safety.
"It's the princess of Snow Country," Deidara shared everything he knew.
Hearing this name, Mu Yue's mind was flooded with memories. Her memory was excellent, allowing her to recall even things she had seen a long time ago.
Mu Yue immediately dismissed the second possibility. According to her recollection, the princess named Fuka Yukimuro was the sole heir to Snow Country and couldn't be neglected.
"Could Kakashi's visit to Snow Country be related to this mission?" Mu Yue wondered. In the Snow Country storyline, Kakashi had been to Snow Country twice. The first time, he was still a teenager, and the second time, he went with Team 7 as a reliable adult ninja.
During Kakashi's first visit to Snow Country, he fought the Snow Ninja and rescued Fuka. On his second visit, he helped Fuka reclaim Snow Country.
Then, Mu Yue shook her head. Based on Kakashi's conversation with the Snow Ninja, he had already been able to copy ninjutsu during his first visit, indicating that Deidara had already turned to the dark side at that time. However, Deidara was only nine years old now, which didn't match the timeline.
"So, the coup d'etat must have happened a few years later," Mu Yue analyzed the situation based on the information she had. She found the third possibility to be the most plausible, followed by the first, while the second was simply impossible.
"Mu Yue-sensei, why don't I ask another jonin? After all, you still have your work at the Ninja Academy," Kakashi suggested, seeing Mu Yue deep in thought.
"Oh yes, it's already September," Deidara realized, remembering the upcoming school term.
"Sorry, Mu Yue-sensei. I forgot about that," Deidara apologized with an embarrassed smile. He hadn't considered that, as his mind was solely focused on the mission.
The Snow Ninjas were quite formidable, and if it were an ordinary Jonin along with Obito and his team, an accident could very well spell disaster.
"Great!" Excitement flashed across Obito's face, as having Mu Yue with them meant he had no worries about unforeseen circumstances.
Hearing this, Kakashi's expression also relaxed a little, as undertaking a mission with Mu Yue indeed brought a strong sense of security.
"Teacher Mu Yue, thank you so much." Rin Nohara felt that Mu Yue was truly kind-hearted.
After sealing some essential items into a scroll, Mu Yue led Obito and the others back to the Hokage Building.
Obito was concerned that someone might snatch the mission away, so as soon as they arrived at the building, he immediately inquired with Kazutada Wada, feeling relieved only after confirming that the mission was still available.
"We'll take on this task." With Obito's expectant gaze upon her, Mu Yue accepted the escort mission.
Kazutada immediately completed the registration and handed the relevant documents to Mu Yue. He could tell that Obito truly wanted to undertake this mission.
"Yes!" Obito exclaimed joyfully, as if he could already envision the beautiful princess and formidable foes. In his mind, their team would defeat the enemies, rescue the princess, and ultimately become heroes of the land.
Even before their departure, Obito's imagination had already run wild, picturing himself as a successful autobiographer in the future.
When Obito had been at the bottom of his class, he loved reading ninja novels and longed for the adventures the protagonists experienced. For Obito, the identity of the princess didn't matter; what mattered was rescuing her, as that would make him a hero.
Following the information provided by Kazutada, Mu Yue located Asama Santayo, who had come to Konoha to issue the request.
"I am Mu Yue, a Jonin from Konoha, and I will be undertaking the mission to escort the princess of the Snow Country." Mu Yue introduced herself briefly.
Asama gave her a few appraising glances and nodded, but when he noticed Obito and the others behind Mu Yue, he frowned slightly and said, "They aren't even ten years old yet, and the Snow Country is very cold."
Although Asama didn't anticipate any danger for the princess, he felt it was a bit inappropriate to send three young children from a foreign land to his country's frigid environment.
The Snow Country and the Fire Country had vastly different climates, and Asama felt that the Fire Country's weather was akin to paradise, perfectly suited for human habitation.
Before Mu Yue could explain, Obito spoke up indignantly, "Don't underestimate us just because we're young. We're elite ninjas of Konoha and have already advanced to the level of Chunin. The weather won't affect us."
"They're already Chunin?" Asama was a bit surprised. While he wasn't entirely ignorant about ninjas, he did have some knowledge of their ranking system.
"Although they are young, they are all qualified ninjas of Konoha," Mu Yue added.
Asama was a man who understood propriety. Seeing that there were no issues, he instructed his men to prepare their belongings for the journey.
Since the Snow Country was an island nation, Mu Yue and her team had to travel to the eastern port of the Fire Country to board a ship.
However, Asama had already made all the necessary arrangements, and Mu Yue's group only needed to walk to the port and board the vessel.
Although Obito felt a bit displeased at being looked down upon, through their conversation along the way, he realized that Asama wasn't the type of person who belittled children. His concerns were understandable, and their interaction remained pleasant.
"Big Brother Asama, is the princess of your Snow Country beautiful?" Obito asked curiously as they were about to board the ship.
He had never seen a real princess, and his image of them was entirely derived from novels.
"Haha, of course, she's the cutest princess," Asama replied with a hearty laugh.
"She definitely isn't as cute as Little Rin," Obito refuted in his mind.
Of course, he dared not voice these thoughts aloud; he wasn't that bold in reality.
"It's truly boundless," Rin remarked as she gazed upon the endless ocean, her hands clasped behind her back and a smile on her face. It was her first time visiting the seaside.
A gentle breeze blew, ruffling Rin's long hair and lifting the hem of her pink dress.
Standing at Rin's left, Obito took in the adorable side profile of her face, her gently swaying hair, and the skirt dancing in the wind, all set against the backdrop of the vast ship and the endless blue sea. He was momentarily transfixed by the scene.
Coming back to his senses, Obito took out his camera and captured a photo of Rin. He was glad he had brought it along.
"What is it?" Rin turned to face Obito and asked.
"It's nothing," Obito waved his hand, his face slightly flushed as he replied, "I just feel that the seaside is very beautiful, and we should take more photos to commemorate this trip."
Rin nodded in agreement, "Yes, we rarely get to come here, so we should take more photos as souvenirs."
After taking some commemorative photos, Mu Yue and the others boarded the ship and set sail for the Snow Country.
As it was his first time on a sea voyage, Obito was initially excited, but he soon calmed down as there wasn't much to do on the ship.
Although there weren't any particular attractions, Obito was content to have Rin by his side, and he chatted with her throughout the journey.
Meanwhile, Mu Yue conversed with Asama to gain a better understanding of the mission details.
"In October, we will hold our country's most important festival, the Snow God Festival. Your escort mission will conclude after the festival ends," Asama explained.
The Snow God Festival was a long-standing tradition in the Snow Country, where the people would pray to the Snow God to lessen the snowfall so they could catch more fatty fish.
Asama, well-versed in the history of the Snow Country, even knew that several hundred years ago, the feudal lord had to perform the ritual personally, although that was no longer the case.
Mu Yue nodded, now clear about the specifics of the task.
It wasn't much different from a typical escort mission, except for the change in location and the person being guarded.
Mu Yue was curious as to why the Snow Country, with its own Snow Ninja Village, would go to the trouble of issuing a request to Konoha, which was far away. Moreover, the feudal lord should have some protective forces at their disposal.
After some thought, Mu Yue decided that this question wasn't important. Issuing an A-rank mission was a trivial expense for a feudal lord, even a small country one. Thus, there wasn't much need for an explanation.
PS: I've been rewatching the Snow Princess' Ninja Scroll several times recently to study the details, so the updates have been a bit less frequent. I'll try to write more in the coming days.
Since the movie is an anime original content, the settings may be a bit exaggerated, such as the Snow Country's technology being almost on par with Boruto's era. I will make some minor adjustments to make the overall story more harmonious.
(End of Chapter)
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