65 To the Capital (1)
Team Ten was gathered by Asuma not long after he had given us day off. We had been walking around trying to decide where to go for dinner before Asuma suddenly showed up infront of us. He seemed… agitated, even if his face didn't look that way. He had on a fake smile, one that looked like the casual, laidback expression he usually had on. But it was different.
"Good news, we just got a C-ranked mission." He announced cheerily announced, but the joy in his voice sounded hollow. Although it didn't seem like Shino nor Hinata perceived it as they reacted naturally without question.
"So soon?" Shino asked, an eyebrow cocked.
Asuma nodded, "Yep. I will fill you in on the details tomorrow morning, but for tonight pack the essentials and get ready for a two week mission. We will be meeting at the village gate at first thing in the morning so make sure to get enough rest tonight."
"Should we be expecting any trouble?" I asked, though my voice was hinting at what I assumed was being left unsaid, judging by Asuma's strange behavior.
The man turned to me and replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary."
I shrugged, maybe his weirdness didn't have anything to do with the mission.
"Where are we headed, Asuma-sensei?" Hinata inquired.
"To the Capital."
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The next morning Team Ten assembled at the village gates. Us three genin arrived at pretty much the same time while Asuma was already there waiting for us with a cigarette in his mouth – a tad bit too early for that don't you think, sensei? Hinata and Shino carried backpacks with everything they needed for a two week mission and so did I. I could have stored everything I brought in my inventory, but it would have been way too transparently bizarre since I had no storage scrolls on me.
Ah yes, Fuinjutsu, the technique of sealing objects, beings or chakra within another object, was undoubtedly a very useful skill. It was also a subject that I had tried learning when I was in the academy. The problem was that Fuinjutsu was fucking difficult. At least, it was for me.
The first scroll I read on the subject was titled The Fundamentals of Fuinjutsu. Turns out, the fundamentals of a subject as esoteric as Fuinjutsu was still way too complicated for a person with next to no knowledge on the topic. It was as though I was reading something written in another language. Jargon like matrixes and arrays were being thrown around by the author of the text as if they expected a complete beginner to understand what was written even without a glossary of terms.
Imagine reading a textbook on advanced quantum mechanics when you were still learning that one plus one equalled two – that was how I felt leafing through the Fuinjutsu textbook. Worst thing was, I didn't even receive any INT stat gains because I couldn't absorb the information in the scroll.
I knew that I wasn't exactly the smartest guy around, but I had assumed with an INT stat as high as I had, I could at least be somewhat proficient in Fuinjutsu. I was wrong. If I had to justify my complete and utter lack of talent in the sealing arts, it would be that some people had a natural gift for seals while others just couldn't comprehend a single iota of the technique.
Sure it sounded simple enough on paper; but once you got into the nitty gritty details, the science and mathematical equations behind it, then none of it made sense! Even something as simple as storage seals was mystifyingly complicated. Space folding and pocket dimensions were the basics of Fuinjutsu… how the fuck was anyone, let alone a twelve year old, supposed to be well versed in such incomprehensible concepts?
My miserable lack of talent in the subject could possibly be attributed to my comprehension and familiarization of conventional physics. Basic conservation of mass and energy, and three dimensional space was what I was used to. But Fuinjutsu required you to throw every preconceived notion of how the world was supposed to work out the window and start to lay a new foundation of universal ideas.
It was no wonder people like Naruto and Jiraiya excelled in the art since it required a unique perspective and understanding of the world that did not conform to traditional conventions in order for one to acquire an expertise in the subject. One would require a real flair for the study of runes and seals to become proficient. Others like the Sandaime probably brute forced their way through pure memorization into learning Fuinjutsu.
My INT was as of yet not high enough to do something similar. Runic script looked like squiggly lines to me that appeared more like a madman's incoherent doodles rather than an established language writing system that it was supposed to be. I could only hope that in the future when my INT, and by extension my cognitive abilities, were high enough that I could begin similarly brute forcing my way into learning Fuinjutsu.
For now however, I would have to rely on a good old rucksack to carry my belongings. Silver lining, being encumbered from my backpack constituted as physical training so I could probably get stats from that too.
"G'mornin' sensei." Hinata blearily greeted while stifling a yawn and rubbing the sleep from a corner of her eye. It seemed that she was perhaps too excited last night and as a result she couldn't get enough sleep or something. Cute.
Asuma waved us over before taking one last puff from his cigarette, littering it on the ground and extinguishing the butt with the sole of his sandal.
"Morning," He replied, "Good that you're all early. The client isn't here yet, so I'll take this time to brief you on the mission details before he arrives. We have been tasked with escorting the client, Kurokawa Yoshiro, to the Land of Fire's Capital city. The mission duration will be at most two weeks if nothing unexpected occurs, though I do not expect anything out of the ordinary either."
"Now I must warn you – there was considerable resistance for a genin team as green as you three to take a C-ranked mission only a month after graduation. The usual standard is at least two to three months of D-rank missions before a team is even qualified to receive any higher rank missions. But, fortunately for you, our employer is an old friend of mine who specifically requested for me, and by extension, you. And I reported that I believed the three of you are ready to take this mission."
Asuma narrowed his eye in a rare display of authority and adamance, "Do not prove me wrong. Is that understood?"
""Hai Sensei!"" The seriousness in his voice woke us up from our drowsiness and we refocused our ourselves.
He continued, satisfied with our response, "I expect the three of you to be on your best behavior. Remember, mission completion is only one aspect of our job. Professionalism brings back return customers. Treat the client with respect and be polite. We are professional shinobi, so the least we can do is be courteous to the man paying our wages."
"Nobody in the village will openly say this out loud, but Konoha and the service it provides is ultimately a business. Meaning profit making is largely why we exist. Of course we do not participate nor tolerate the more heinous requests like human trafficking or narcotics distribution, nor requests that would be against the interest of our village and the Land of Fire. However, there is more at stake than just a mission reward whenever we accept a request; Konoha's reputation is on the line here too."
"The reason why we are so prosperous and widely recognized as the strongest hidden village is not just a matter of military might, though that definitely plays a significant role too. Rather, it is our reputation as a trustworthy, responsible and competent hidden village that attracts business from those that can afford our services."
I blinked, not really expecting an impromptu lecture from Asuma first thing in the morning but listened attentively regardless. I was sure that the man was also anxious that he put his own reputation on the line when he recommended us to take on a C-rank mission so soon after graduation. A jounin had to take into account so many different factors during a mission, even if it was just a C-rank and that was not to mention bringing three green genin along as well. So I could hardly fault him for being strict.
"Without going too deeply into the economics of the village, C-ranked missions are not as profitable as one would imagine, especially not if an elite jounin like myself is participating in it. Now, I'm not bragging here; it is a simple matter of opportunity costs. The time I spent on a simple escort mission could be used for a more lucrative assignment that would bring in more than ten times the income."
"But to get those high-paying jobs, we have to do less-rewarding work that improves our marketshare in the shinobi industry. Thus, C-ranked missions are generally more for the purpose of building a reputation, attracting new clients and training novice shinobi like you. That is not to say that they aren't important, because they still bring in a substantial income for the village, though not nearly as much as say A or even B ranked missions."
"Now, before we head out of the village, the very first time for some of you I'm sure, there are some things I need you to understand." Asuma's voice took on a more grave tone, "Things outside the safe and secure walls of our village are not nearly as idyllic as the life you have experienced in Konoha. I don't think the three of you needs me to reinforce just how dangerous being complacent is. Just because you're shinobi who knows how to use chakra doesn't mean that you are invincible. Just… remember that you're not that special outside of these walls. There are plenty of enemy operatives out there who have very real grudges against our village over past conflict and being careless can only lead you to an early grave."
The three of us exchanged looks, flummoxed at our sensei's sudden solemnity. It was strangely bizarre seeing the man who was usually a laidback, carefree individual adopt such a stern demeanour. I could kind of understand where he was coming from though. We were his treasured disciples, and even if a simple C-rank mission promised little excitement, the old adage that is Murphy's Law dictated that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
