Renjiro looked at his students' faces and chuckled.
Mieko was annoyed. She asked, "Why are they coming with us too?"
Renjiro answered, "It's a joint mission. You didn't expect to take on more than a dozen ninjas with just us four, did you?"
A scowl formed on Mieko's face. Hoka sighed and said, "It would have been fun to fight them ourselves."
Fujin said, "Apart from that big guy who has a lot of chakra, the others don't seem that strong. So we should be getting more opportunities to fight than you think."
Hoka smiled and said, "That's more like it!"
Renjiro was speechless at his students once again. He thought, 'Did they just hope that their allies fail in completing the mission just so that they get to fight more?'
He let out a cough to attract their attention and said, "Take a rest for the day. You need to be in top condition tomorrow morning."
The trio nodded. Fujin asked, "Sensei, when you take the rank S missions, do you perform them alone or do you go with a team?"
Renjiro was surprised by the question. He answered, "Depends on the mission. For example, in missions like these that include elimination, I have a team. We need members to find them and to ensure that none of them run away."
Fujin heard the reply and thought, 'That makes sense. I guess the solo missions could contain protecting someone secretly or an assassination mission.'
He looked at Renjiro and asked, "Sensei, do you have information regarding Tokuhei and Mitsuzuka?"
Renjiro answered, "I checked Tokuhei's information before taking this mission. He is a veteran Jounin and was one of the commanders of the Village Hidden in Hot Springs in the previous war.
But there isn't much of a record of him fighting. His job was to ensure that they don't get caught in between our and Kumo's clashes. Apart from that, he is known for his Earth Release and high physical strength.
As for Mitsuzuka, he specializes in Water Release like most Kiri ninjas. And he is quick on his feet. I fought him a couple of times in the previous war."
Renjiro looked at Fujin and chuckled, "His fighting style is actually quite similar to yours. Though he knows a few rank A jutsus, he prefers to indulge in hit-and-run tactics and fights from a long range."
Mieko and Hoka's faces scowled on hearing that. Both snorted and looked at Fujin. Fujin wondered, "Oh, I wonder how I would fare against him!"
Mieko and Hoka were about to protest. They didn't want Fujin to fight the enemy leader while they dealt with scrubs. However, Renjiro spoke first.
Renjiro's face got serious as he spoke, "He will be my target. I am confident that I can win against him, but you three need to stay on guard. If he manages to slip a water clone away, he will attack you in the back when you are in midst of battle. So keep your guard up all the time."
The three recognized the seriousness in Renjiro's voice. They nodded their heads immediately.
Renjiro added, "Just like the last fight, there won't be any weaklings among them. And unlike last time, we won't have the advantage of being in home territory. Also, don't chase them if they manage to escape into the sea. Neither of you three is trained in how to fight a battle in the sea."
They agreed. The Kiri ninjas had fought in seas all their life. While they could fight on water, they would be at a disadvantage against Kiri ninjas. Especially as only Hoka had some affinity to the Water element.
The trio asked for more information from Renjiro. Renjiro provided the information he knew as well as warned them about several things they should pay attention to. They also decided on some strategies to follow during the mission. After discussing, they spent the rest of the day doing light warm-ups and meditation.
While Team Renjiro was discussing, Tokuhei and his subordinates were discussing as well. While Shunso was showing Team Renjiro the rooms, Tokuhei's subordinates began expressing their displeasure.
Seo Shusaku said, "We asked Konoha for strong reinforcements. Why did they send little brats?"
Etsuko Nakamura added, "Yes. These brats could get in our way when we fight. If they let their opponents getaway, we could end up getting ambushed. Tokuhei-sama, we need to consider this joint mission carefully!"
Tokuhei heard them. He began analyzing the actions of Konoha. Seeing that he was lost in thoughts, Nakamura called him out again, "Tokuhei-sama?"
Tokuhei looked at him. He replied, "Let's not jump to conclusions. Konoha has an excellent track record of completing missions. So they might have some plans for sending those kids."
His subordinates gave him a weird look. Shusaku said, "Do you really think that those kids will be any useful?"
Tokuhei shrugged his hands. He answered, "If they weren't, why would Konoha send them? And Renjiro wasn't bothered when I looked at them skeptically.
Besides, we wanted to complete this mission on our own anyways. So their strength doesn't matter much. In fact, if we perform far better than Konoha's squad, then I can persuade the Daimyo to increase funding to build a proper ninja force in our country. If we manage to do that, then we won't have to depend on Konoha."
The eyes of his subordinates widened! Shusaku said, "That's a great plan Tokuhei-sama!"
Tokuhei nodded and said, "So give your all to this mission. As long as we outperform Renjiro's squad, we will be able to get some benefits from the Daimyo."
They waited for Shunso to return. When he did, they discussed their strategy and tactics for the next day.
The next day, at 3:45 AM, Renjiro's and Tokuhei's squads gathered in the mansion. Fujin, Hoka, and Mieko observed Tokuhei's squad. In addition to the four they saw the day before, there were 3 more chunin level ninjas in his squad!
Along with their own squad, they now had 12 ninjas! Fujin observed them and thought, 'As long as we manage to kill a few Kiri ninjas in the initial sneak attack, we should outnumber them. So this might be an easy mission as well.'
Tokuhei looked at Renjiro and smiled. He asked, "Renjiro, did you guys rest well?"
Renjiro nodded and replied, "We did. Are you guys prepared?"
Renjiro looked at Shunso and asked, "Have you marked the locations on the map?"
Shunso nodded and laid a map on the floor.
Everyone observed the map carefully. The towns and villages in the Land of Hot Water were marked on the map. And a location was marked on the Southeastern coastline.
Shunso pointed at the map saying, "This is our current location. According to what we have calculated, their base is around here. Which is around 40 kilometers from our location."
Renjiro nodded. He looked at the map once again and then said, "Alright, let's move. We will hit them before the Sun rises."
Some of Tokuhei's subordinates frowned upon hearing that. Shusaku said, "I have something to say."
Renjiro looked at him.
Tokuhei said, "Go ahead."
Shusaku said, "Though we have calculated their current location, we still have to be careful about any traps they may have set up. So we need to proceed slowly and carefully. It would be preferable to attack when the sun rises."
Renjiro shook his head and replied, "Don't worry about the traps. We will take care of them. Let's move."
Without waiting for their reply, Renjiro turned around and began leaving the mansion. His students followed him while secretly laughing. Shusaku was mad at having his suggestion dismissed so lightly. However, Tokuhei looked at him and shook his head. Soon, they too followed Renjiro.