Chapter 82: The First Mission

After everyone had introduced themselves, Tenzo explained to Natsuro how their team would communicate with each other.

They had expected that with a new member joining, it would probably be a few more days before they got a mission. However, to their surprise, the very next day after the new recruit arrived, a mission was directly assigned to them.

At home, Natsuro quickly saw the team assembly notification and left a letter for his mother. He then put on his mask, strapped on his sword, and headed to the assembly location.

Tenzo, seeing Natsuro arrive first, was impressed. It seemed that his claim of speed was not an exaggeration; he really did arrive quickly.

After a while, Hyena and Fox arrived, albeit a bit late.

"Everyone's here. Let's check out the mission. It wasn't assigned by me, but was specifically designated for us. Take a look," Tenzo said, unrolling a scroll and laying it on the ground for everyone to see.

"Hey, isn't this a rookie's mission? Why is it assigned to an elite team like ours?" Hyena's dissatisfied voice rang out. Rookie missions typically meant lower rewards.

"Hyena, we have a rookie in our team," Fox said quietly. He had no objections; in fact, he was relieved. He was not interested in dangerous missions and preferred ones with minimal risk…

It seemed Ink's presence might not be such a bad thing after all, Fox thought. At least this way, they might not be assigned particularly dangerous missions.

"Well, I suppose…" Hyena glanced at Ink and nodded in agreement, not saying anything more.

Natsuro looked at the mission, his eyes flashing. Then he asked Tenzo, "Captain, do we really need to undertake this mission together?"

"Yes, as a team, we should undertake all missions together, regardless of the type," Tenzo answered firmly.

"Alright." Natsuro nodded and didn't ask further. He thought that this mission seemed simple enough that he could handle it alone, considering there were no enemy ninjas listed as opponents! Assigning an elite Jōnin and three Chūnin to such a task seemed like an overkill.

"Since you find it easy, we'll expedite the mission. We'll reach the site and complete the task within two days," Tenzo declared.

Hyena and Fox did not comment. Natsuro calculated the distance and concluded that two days was more than enough.

However, Hyena, following his usual thinking, said, "Fox, have Gray Fang carry you."

"No need. Let Ink take the ride," Fox replied. He thought that Ink, being the rookie, was the one who needed the most care.

"I don't need it. My speed is good enough," Natsuro said directly.

"Fox, you ride Gray Fang," Tenzo decided. He had seen Ink's speed when he arrived and knew it was impressive. He was curious about his stamina though.

"Understood." Fox did not object. There must be a reason for the captain's decision.

"Then, let's move out," Tenzo said, vanishing from sight. Hyena and Fox, who was riding Gray Fang, silently followed.

For the first time, they deliberately slowed their pace. When they saw Ink keeping up effortlessly, they gradually increased their speed.

In fact, Hyena even started to race forward, increasing the pace beyond their usual travel speed, seemingly trying to test Ink. Tenzo and Fox found this amusing but continued at the adjusted pace. Was this an attempt to show the rookie what's what?

Unfortunately for Hyena, Natsuro found his speed to be just average. Natsuro, categorized as a speed and stamina type ninja, soon caught up.

"Hyena might be embarrassed…" Tenzo thought silently as he watched.

Sure enough, Hyena couldn't sustain such speed for long and soon began to breathe heavily. Thanks to Fox's Gray Fang, he seemed less affected, as animals generally had better stamina.

"Hyena, slow down. I'm getting a bit tired," Natsuro said, noticing Hyena's exhaustion. He found the situation somewhat amusing.

"...Alright, slow down. And don't feel you need to go easy on me. I underestimated you. Your speed and stamina are impressive," Hyena admitted. He could tell that Ink was giving him an opportunity to save face, but since Ink had offered a way out, Hyena's attitude towards him improved.

Natsuro was a bit taken aback and then thought highly of the team. They were indeed a good team, both the captain and the members.

As for showing off or proving himself? He had no interest. His current goal was to integrate into the team quickly and improve survival and task efficiency, not to show off or settle scores…

Tenzo and Fox, observing the scene, each smiled. Although their faces were hidden by masks, the atmosphere in the team was noticeably more harmonious compared to when Natsuro first joined.

Nighttime.

Unless it was an exceptionally urgent mission, rest at night was crucial to maintain the team's combat effectiveness. It wasn't always about how quickly they could get there.

Tenzo arranged the night shifts as usual: Fox for the first half of the night, Tenzo for the middle, and Hyena for the last stretch until dawn.

Natsuro was not assigned a shift this time, probably because it was his first mission.

"Captain, I'm also a sensory ninja. Fox is a medical ninja, so let Fox rest. I can handle the first half of the night," Natsuro offered.

Fox didn't say anything. Tenzo looked at Natsuro and said, "It's not that I don't want to assign you, but as you can see, this mission is tailored for you. You will be taking the lead later, so it's better for you to rest now. Just focus on preparing for the task."

"Captain, I don't need special treatment. Just follow the most practical arrangement," Natsuro said firmly.

Indeed, the most practical arrangement would be for Natsuro and Hyena to handle the sensory and reconnaissance tasks, while Tenzo, being the strongest, took the most challenging part of the night shift.

Seeing his determined gaze, Tenzo's normally impassive expression softened slightly. He finally nodded and said, "Alright, Fox, from now on, the first shift will be taken over by Ink."

"Understood," Fox said, handing Natsuro a piece of wood.

"What's this?" Natsuro asked, examining it. The wood had a button on it.

"It's something the captain made. Pressing it will immediately sound an alarm to alert everyone," Fox explained.

"Got it," Natsuro said, taking the 'alarm' and putting it away.

Tenzo, Fox, and Hyena then settled into their sleeping bags to rest, leaving Natsuro alone by the fire.

As he watched the firelight, a smile appeared on his face. This team… was not bad...

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