Chapter 129: Joint Mission

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."

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?"

Tokuhei nodded.

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.