Escape From Konoha

"This mission is a B-level escort mission."

In Kakashi's team, the leader of the team stood at the gate of Konoha Village, and said to the three team members with a serious face.

"B-level escort mission? It's really rare."

A Chunin was surprised when he heard the words of leading the Jōnin.

Another Chunin in the team also nodded in agreement.

General escort missions are mainly C-level missions, and B-level missions have already involved battles between ninjas.

"Then who is the target to be escorted?"

Kakashi doesn't care about the task level, he just wants to understand the content of the task faster and complete the task as soon as possible.

After Kakashi finished speaking, the two Chunin in the team looked at him and took a step back, obviously not wanting to stay with Kakashi very much.

Seeing this scene, the leader Jonin sighed quietly in his heart.

Knew it would be like this.

It was also a helpless move for him to stuff Kakashi into his team. On the one hand, it was Hokage's entrustment, and on the other hand, his team's combat effectiveness was indeed a bit insufficient.

Adding Kakashi to the team can just make up for the lack of combat power.

It's a pity that Kakashi's problem is not that he is not strong enough. It is too shocking to become a Chunin at this age.

This also proves that Kakashi's strength is not bad, otherwise it would be impossible to pass the extremely difficult Chunin exam.

"The caravan of the ghost country."

Said Jonin who led the team.

"The country of ghosts? Is it that far away?"

Not only Kakashi, but even the other two Chunin frowned.

The Kingdom of Demons is a rare neutral country in the ninja world. It is adjacent to the Country of Snow and the Country of Earth in the north, the Country of You and the Country of Bears in the south, and the Country of Water and the Country of Thunder to the west across the sea.

Although it is adjacent to many countries, it is not bordered by the Land of Fire.

The country of ghosts and the country of fire are separated by several countries, and it takes a long journey to get there.

"Don't worry, this mission doesn't require us to go to the Kingdom of Ghosts. In fact, we just need to wait for the caravan in the Kingdom of Rain."

Seeing that the three people in the team were unknown, Jonin explained, "Because the land of fire and the land of ghosts are far apart, the other party has hired Iwa Shinobi to travel from the land of ghosts to the land of rain. Escort. As for the second half of the journey, we Konoha ninjas will escort us. Hokage-sama has already discussed this matter with Tsuchikage-sama in secret, and there will be no diplomatic issues."

After listening to the explanation of the leader of the Jonin, the three of them finally understood.

Indeed, in the early days of the last ninja world war, Iwanin was also a participant in the war. He fought against Konoha a few times in the Land of Rain, but the main strength of Iwanin was to deal with Hanzo of Ukage Village, and the friction with Konoha was not deep.

However, Konoha and Yanyin are not allies, and the relationship has always been lukewarm.

This kind of special task that requires two village ninjas to hand over the escorts together does require the leaders of the two parties to discuss in advance, so as to avoid some diplomatic disputes in time.

"If there is no problem, let's start now."

◎

In the Great Forest of the Land of Fire, Konoha's team of four was running fast inside.

"Speaking of which, Captain, why did the caravan from the Kingdom of Ghosts come to the Kingdom of Fire?"

A Chunin member caught up with the lead Jonin and couldn't help asking.

In the process of rushing, it is actually very boring, and I can only find some topics to talk about.

The Jonin who led the team replied: "Not entirely true, the caravan we escorted this time is stationed in our Konoha Village."

All three of Kakashi were surprised.

"Aster Flower Pharmaceutical Technology Company, have you heard of it?"

"Well, I've heard of it. Although it was established only recently, the drugs developed by this company are much better than those on the market. They have been sold in several surrounding countries and have made a lot of money."

"That's right, the caravan escorted this time is the delegation of the Ziyuan Flower Company. They plan to open a branch drugstore in Konoha, and this matter has been approved by Daimyo and Hokage-sama."

"It's really amazing. It seems that this company has been established for less than half a year."

The Chunin said with emotion.

"This is someone else's ability. If the medicine they developed is ordinary, they will not get the consent of Daimyo and Hokage-sama."

Of course, the neutral status of the ghost country also provides a lot of convenience.

If the backstage of Ziyuanhua Company is the land of earth, the land of wind and other big countries, the daimyo of the land of fire, and their Hokage-sama, no matter what they say, they will not agree.

This is like the country of iron can open a ninja shop in Konoha. The neutral country does not participate in the ninja world war, and the reputation of the country of iron has always been recognized by all countries, so Konoha will open the door of convenience.

Not only that, many ninja villages have weapon merchants from the country of iron settled in, opened branches, and provided excellent weapons.

And Ziyuanhua Company's current business method is just the same as that of Iron Country.

Good reputation, neutral status, and excellent drug research and development capabilities are the important reasons for obtaining permission to settle in.

"I heard that the monthly turnover of this company is very scary. It must be a number that ordinary ninjas like us can't imagine."

"Then work hard to complete the task."

The leader of the team said encouragingly.

"Captain, it's only a few dollars to do the mission."

The Chunin complained.

Not to mention the D-level and C-level tasks, the rewards of thousands or tens of thousands of taels have been accumulated, and after supplementing the ninja tools, there is not much money left.

"Then I can't help it. Maybe you can find a part-time job in normal times."

"It's impossible to do it. You still need to practice in normal times. After all, ninjas need to exercise their strength before they can choose higher-level tasks, and then they will get higher rewards."

Kakashi said at this time.

"makes sense."

The leader of the Shinobi nodded.

And vice versa, the lower the strength of the ninja, the lower the level of tasks that can be received, and the rewards, etc., can barely live on their own.

Think about it carefully, the profession of ninja really has no money.

It will only change a little when you reach Jonin.

For an A-level task, the minimum cost is more than a hundred thousand taels.

As for the S-level task, if you complete one, you will be paid at least several hundred thousand taels.

"Okay, let's hurry up, we must rush to the meeting point of the Land of Rain as soon as possible. Be careful when you arrive in the Land of Rain, the environment there will be very chaotic."

"yes."

After leading the Jonin, Kakashi and the three of them were all in awe.

Although they haven't gone deep into the Land of Rain, they also know that the current domestic situation in the Land of Rain is turbulent, bandits are rampant, and there are even rebellious ninjas and wandering ninjas mixed in it.

◎

The Land of Rain, the northern border.

When the Konoha ninja team arrived here, it was already around three o'clock in the afternoon the next day.

At the entrance of a rainy town, I saw a caravan delegation from the Aster Flower Company from the land of ghosts.

There are a total of twelve carriages used to transport medicines, and each carriage is filled with precious medicines.

After handing over the task with the four-member team of Iwagakure, Konoha's Jōnin led the team and signed the paperwork, and that Iwagakushi Jōnin left with three Iwanin teammates.

Afterwards, the Jonin who led the team looked at the representative of the Ziyuanhua company caravan.

It was a short young man, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with round black sunglasses on his face, a spotless black suit on his body, and an umbrella in his hand.

The young man's name is Cardo.

The president of Ziyuanhua Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd., a big businessman with extremely powerful business methods.

In less than half a year, from an unknown person to a hot businessman in the world today, the four Konoha dare not underestimate him, an ordinary person who is not a ninja.

As a rookie representative among businessmen, a reward of five million taels for his head has already been offered on the underground black market.

This is already a very expensive reward price for an ordinary person.

Presumably, as Ziyuanhua Company's rolling capital increases, the price of his head will also rise, reaching more than tens of millions of taels.

Because of the sudden entry of Ziyuanhua Company, many small companies in the pharmaceutical industry were on the verge of bankruptcy and squeezed out the interests of others. It was only natural that Kaduo was offered a reward in the black market.

"Everyone in Konoha, let's rest in this small town tonight. I've already booked a hotel. How about leaving early tomorrow morning?"

After Kado shook hands with the lead Jonin, he pushed the black sunglasses on the bridge of his nose with his fingers and smiled calmly.

"That's fine, it's really inappropriate to walk at night at this time."

What's more, the carriage is full of precious medicines, so it would be bad if there was an accident.

Looking at the two guards beside Kado, who were wearing black windbreakers, and the aster flower logo was printed on the back of the black windbreakers, he knew that these people were not ordinary guards.

Not only that, beside the twelve carriages full of items, there were nearly twenty more guards, all wearing the same style of black windbreaker, with the aster flower logo printed on the back.

Means they are from the same power.

After thinking about it, he was relieved to lead the Jonin.

Although Ziyuanhua Company has not been established in the ghost country for a long time, it is probably only a matter of time before it becomes a giant company in the pharmaceutical industry.

There must be a special department for training armed personnel to protect the safety of their own goods.

However, equipped with so many guards, it seems that the total value of this batch of medicines is so high that ordinary people can't imagine that they need so many guards to protect them.

In short, this is not something to consider.

The task of my team is to escort the caravan delegation of Ziyuanhua Company to Konoha safely.

The rest of the business cooperation is the job of Hokage.

◎

The next morning, Konoha's four-member ninja team and the guards of Ziyuanhua Company escorted the twelve carriages loaded with medicines and set off towards Konoha, the country of fire.

Because of the need to escort these valuable medicines, the speed of the convoy is very slow.

It wasn't until two o'clock in the afternoon that I slowly arrived at the junction of the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire.

"Mr. Cardo, go through the canyon ahead, and after a short walk, you will reach the border of the Land of Fire."

Leading the team, Jōnin pointed to the huge canyon submerged in the rain ahead, and pointed out the direction for Kado.

"Let the people behind move faster."

Kado nodded and said something to the guard next to him.

The guard went down to convey Kado's order.

"When you get to the border of the Land of Fire, you don't have to worry about bandits on the road. There is our Konoha border defense force at the border."

The leader said with a smile.

"The ability of Konoha Ninja has always been the best in the ninja world, and our company can trust this. In fact, we also came here this time with the attitude of cooperation and win-win."

Cardo also responded with a smile.

While talking, the convoy has slowly entered the canyon.

When we got here, the rainfall began to decrease, but the road under our feet was still muddy. Not only was it difficult to walk on foot, but the speed of the convoy also needed to be reduced to ensure the safety of the medicines in the carriage.

Regarding this, Jonin and Kado didn’t say anything. In a country like the Land of Rain, which has been in chaos for years, it can’t even guarantee the safety and life of its own people, let alone invest excess funds in road construction. up.

"team leader……"

Kakashi and the other three Chunin came up together at this time, and whispered softly beside the leading Jonin.

"Ah, I know."

Ever since entering the canyon, the lead Jonin has noticed that the atmosphere here is not right, and there is a cold taste mixed in the rain.

boom!

The explosion came too suddenly, but the guards escorting the convoy, as well as Konoha Ninja, were not too scared.

As the fire burst on the rock wall, huge rock blocks fell from above.

Kakashi took the lead and pulled out the White Fang dagger on his back, and swung it vigorously at the falling rock.

The rock was divided into two halves from the middle, and then using the still falling rock as a pedal, he began to attack towards the top of the rock wall.

Behind him, the JNin captain and two Chunin teammates also rushed up.

What greeted them was a large number of kunai and shuriken thrown down from the sky.

Kaduo stood in the line calmly, and the two guards in black windbreakers standing beside him also had unchanged expressions, like stone pillars standing in the rain.

As for the guards wearing black windbreakers, half of them stayed behind to protect the vehicle, and half of them cooperated with the four Konoha ninjas to annihilate the incoming enemies.

"Really, I couldn't help but want to do it when I got here. It seems that I overestimated these people."

Kado sat on the pedal of a carriage, unmoved by the sound of fighting that appeared in his ears.

Since he took over the company, he has been subjected to such assassination attacks several times a month, but he is still alive and well, which is a proof of the strength of Ziyuanhua Company.

"It can't be helped, after all, the value of this batch of medicines is too attractive."

"It's worth watching as a sideshow. Let's settle it quickly."

"yes."

It is Cardo's task to develop the company and make the company profitable.

It is their job to destroy the enemy.

Kakashi, who was fighting the attackers, immediately understood the identities of these people through fighting. They were samurai and knew some chakra applications. Some of them were wandering ninjas and knew a little practical low-level ninjutsu.

For him who has learned Bai Ya's saber technique, these people's strength is not enough to pose a threat.

But for those two Chunin companions, it might be a little troublesome.

Seeing the two of them fighting hard, they were almost hit by the enemy's attack several times, but Kakashi just glanced at it to make sure that his leader Jonin was not far away, and the lives of the two would not be in danger.

Therefore, Kakashi ignored the bitter battle those two faced.

Rather than thinking about this kind of thing, destroying the enemy faster and completing the task as soon as possible is what he wants to do.

As one enemy after another fell, Kakashi shuttled through the rain, the blood on the White Fang dagger in his hand was continuously washed by the rain, red and white, white and red again, changing repeatedly.

The battle was over after ten minutes.

At the cost of minor injuries to a few people, all these people were defeated, and some people saw that the situation was not good, so they ran away directly, and no one went to pursue them.

"Mr. Cardo, we can continue on our way."

Leading the team, Shinobi wiped off the blood on his shoulders and clothes, and the pungent smell of blood was very faint in the rain.

When Kado pushed the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose and ordered the convoy to move on, Kakashi seemed to have a dispute:

"Hey, Kakashi, what's the matter with you? Didn't you see that we were sending you a support signal just now?"

After the battle, the two Chunin who cooperated with Kakashi for the first time were very dissatisfied with Kakashi's indifferent attitude just now.

Because of the large number of enemies who besieged the two of them, they got a lot of color.

"With the strength of the two of you, I feel that even without my assistance, you will live in peace."

Kakashi spoke the truth.

The strength of these two people is also there, and in the situation of being surrounded, it is enough to defeat the besieging enemies.

To be able to destroy as many enemies as possible, considering the situation at the time, Kakashi thought this was the best choice.

Eliminating the enemy sooner means that the safety of this batch of medicine will be out of danger sooner.

"What did you say? Have the guts to say it again? Aren't we a teammate?"

The Chunin grabbed Kakashi's collared shirt.

"As I said, I judged that when the two of you are not in danger of life, destroying the enemy as quickly as possible is the top priority at that time. The longer the time drags on, the more dangerous the convoy will be. Compared with you, The safety of this batch of drugs is even more important."

The faces of the two Chunin were ashen, completely ugly.

"Okay, you three, don't make it like this for the first time you cooperate. I was also watching at the time, and nothing will happen to the three of you."

Leading the team, Jonin smiled apologetically at Kado, and then reluctantly walked to the side of the three to dissuade the relationship between the three from further deteriorating.

"Cut. I can't get along with this kind of person at all."

The two Chunin gave up and began to treat the wounds on their bodies.

"I just want to minimize the risk of mission failure."

Kakashi also turned his head to one side, apparently still thinking that his choice was correct.

The Jonin captain scratched his head, feeling extremely hurt.

He knew it was like this, Kakashi was more difficult to deal with than imagined.

It is estimated that he won't be able to stay in his team for long.

I really hope that some jonin can educate this genius kid well, and then get it out to perform tasks.

Otherwise, if this continues, a team will not be able to form a good collaborative relationship.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cardo, let you see such an embarrassing side of our Konoha."

"It seems that Jnin is not easy to be."

Cardo said with a smile.

The captain of the ninja gave a helpless smile.

He is really not very good at being a jounin.

But he could also understand why Kakashi became like this.

But he found that Kakashi's psychological problems were more serious than he imagined, so he gave up the idea of ​​correcting him.

◎

Two days later, Jonin Captain arrived at Konoha with the target escorted by the mission.

After leaving the three of Kakashi behind, Captain Jonin went to the Hokage Building to report on his work.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Ri Zhan smiled at the name of the ninja.

"It's nothing. Although there was a little accident on the road, the problem is not very big and has been successfully resolved."

"Maybe I figured it out already."

Hirizhan looked at the work report submitted by the Jonin captain, and his face became serious.

"Hokage-sama, do you have anything to add?"

"Kakashi, is there really no way to correct his problem?"

Ri Zhan asked the question he was most concerned about.

"With my personal ability, I can't correct his problem. I don't know how long I can let him stay in the team, but Kakashi is like this... It is estimated that it will take a month at most before I need to find another family."

Jonin Captain answered truthfully.

It was understandable for Kakashi to become like this, but he didn't want such a member of his team to destroy the team relationship.

After all, he had to start with the interests of the team as a whole, not just accommodate Kakashi alone.

"I see, I will think about it carefully. You go down first."

"Please forgive me, Hokage-sama."

Captain Jonin bowed to Hirizhan and walked out of the office.

After Captain Jonin walked out of the room, Hirizhan fell into deep thought.

"Are you really going to arrange him in the Anbu?"

Too young.

Experience is not enough.

Can't reach the passing level of Anbu.

Moreover, Kakashi entered Anbu in this state, which made Hirazan even more worried.

Confused about which one is more important, the quest or the companion, the answer to this kind of question...

Hirizhan sighed in his heart, he was ashamed to tell Kakashi the answer to this kind of question.

Because telling Kakashi one answer, one must deny the other.

How to explain Shuo Mao's death?

This is an extremely contradictory question.

In other words, he himself did not have a standard answer for reference.

"Master Hokage, Mr. Kado, the person in charge of the Aster Flower Company, would like to see you."

An Anbu walked in from the outside and reported to Hizhan.

"I see, let him in."

Ri Zhan tidied up his sad face, and gave instructions to Anbu.

Now Ziyuanhua Company has cooperated with Yan Yin and Sand Yin, and successfully opened branch pharmacies in the two ninja villages. It is said that the problem of shortage of medicines in the two villages has been greatly alleviated, and the results have been considerable.

Therefore, this business cooperation is also very important to Konoha.

Then he couldn't be rude in front of the guests.

◎

In the evening, Konoha Cemetery.

Only Kakashi stood here, standing in front of the grave of his father Sakumo Hatake, staring blankly at the black and white photos placed there.

The man looked at himself with a gentle smile, and his eyes contained love for the world.

But this loving gaze gave Kakashi the urge to run away.

He was neatly dressed at the moment, but the overall impression he gave was one of distress, like a stray dog ​​with nowhere to live.

"Father, tell me...why..."

Kakashi's eyes showed a look of bewilderment.

He can't understand.

I can't understand what I am now, what to do, and how to do it.

The father who rescued his companions and abandoned his mission was insulted and slandered, and chose to commit suicide.

Then he chose the task first, and his companions second, so why was he rejected?

Kakashi couldn't understand how to answer this question.

As an honor student who graduated from ninja school at the youngest age, it was the first time for Kakashi to be so confused about a question.

The will of fire he has learned should start from the starting point that all the people in the village are a family.

Everyone in the village is their own companion, a family-like existence, and something that must be protected even if they die.

But... his father committed suicide.

Because of his behavior of saving his companions, the mission failed.

Therefore, the ninja should give priority to the task, it is just a tool to perform the task, and the tool does not need to be too kind, so when necessary, the life of the companion can be given up at will.

Then what is the use of the will of fire that I learned in school...? Kakashi was taken aback by his outrageous thoughts.

As a result, the words "partner" and "mission" kept jumping in my mind, and I began to do the most intense and cruel struggle.

At this moment, Kakashi suddenly covered his head, his face became contorted.

no more.

I can't stand it anymore.

My head hurts to the point of bursting.

It was the only thing Kakashi could feel right now - a headache.

Which is the correct answer?

Why did I choose the mission and they still didn't accept me?

If I was wrong, then what my father did was right. Why did my father commit suicide?

Should I choose companions or quests?

What exactly is the Will of Fire?

Kakashi, who was tortured by these two thoughts until his will almost collapsed, couldn't hold on in the end, and just knelt in front of the grave with his hands on the ground, cold sweat dripping down his face.

"...Damn... My head hurts... Tell me... What is the right thing to do, Father..."

In the woods next to the cemetery, a figure was leaning on a tree with his back, only half of his face was exposed, the other half of his face was shrouded in darkness,

It was the face of a young male.

It was Shiraishi.

Leaning against the tree like this, with his hands in his trouser pockets, he quietly listened to Kakashi's vaguely painful moans.

After staying there for a while, he disappeared from behind the trees without leaving a trace.

(PS: The Kakashi chapter will end soon...)