Chapter 28: The First Mission
Daedara fell silent. Although he recognized the man, the man did not recognize him. Moreover, Daedara did not want to attract his attention.
It must be noted that Uchiha Itachi had defected. According to the manga, he had slaughtered his entire clan to test his own capabilities, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, and leaving behind only one younger brother. Although this reason sounded a bit absurd, in this crazy world, anything was possible, right? Daedara now regretted not finishing that "Naruto" manga.
However, regret was of no use. After all, a manga is just a manga, and this was a real world. Even if he knew the manga, it could only serve as a reference.
From the strength of the other Akatsuki members in the manga, one could gauge Uchiha Itachi's current strength; he was at least at the level of a semi-kage, enhanced by the Mangekyō. Even a full kage would not be an opponent to be taken lightly.
If such a powerful character noticed him, it would be uncomfortable, regardless of whether the attention was good or bad. However, what were they doing in Iwagakure?
Daedara recalled the information he had regarding the Akatsuki. This organization initially took on missions, gathering wealth, before embarking on their tailed beast capture plan. After that, Daedara wasn't too knowledgeable about their activities, so they were still in the first phase of gathering wealth, meaning they were mercenaries for Iwagakure.
With that thought, Daedara relaxed. Since they were there for a mission, they certainly wouldn't want to provoke trouble.
As long as he didn't act recklessly, he should be fine.
"Boss! A big bowl of char siu pork bone ramen, plus some oden and fried eggs!" Daedara shouted. When Uchiha Itachi and Jūzō saw the golden-haired little boy, they ignored him further.
"Hey, you're back again!" the ramen chef greeted warmly. "Congratulations, Daedara! You graduated early! Another genius has come from Iwagakure!"
Daedara slapped his forehead. What a pig teammate! As expected, he felt the gaze of others on him again, but it didn't linger for long, and soon they lost interest.
Daedara sighed in relief and started enjoying his ramen.
Itachi and Jūzō had left early, and after finishing his meal, Daedara didn't feel the urge to pursue them out of curiosity. After all, a being who could kill someone of his level in one move would find it as easy as crushing an ant.
Returning home safely, Daedara continued researching the Earth Release: Light-Heavy Rock Technique and Earth Release: Heavy Rock Technique. The confidence he gained from successfully performing the Light-Heavy Rock Technique once encouraged him to tackle the Heavy Rock Technique first!
The two members of the Akatsuki were merely an interruption. Even though it was an S-rank task, to the duo, there was hardly a hint of challenge. They would soon return to hand in their task, collect their reward, and leave Iwagakure.
Daedara paid close attention to them, and when they finally left, he truly felt at ease. After all, these were extremely dangerous individuals.
Once the two departed, Daedara worked harder on his research. If he possessed the strength of a jōnin or even a semi-kage, would he still need to live in such fear?
Thus, he gained yet another reason to become stronger.
The next day, Daedara arrived at the designated meeting spot. Akatsuchi was already there, but Kurotsuchi had yet to arrive. However, the time was nearing, so she would likely show up soon.
Before long, Kurotsuchi arrived, but she wasn't alone. She came with her father, Kōtsuchi.
Seeing this, Daedara had a hunch. It seemed that their supervising jōnin was Kōtsuchi! After all, Kurotsuchi was the beloved granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, and with Daedara's extraordinary potential, having a semi-kage strongman to protect them was not unwarranted.
Also, Akatsuchi appeared to be the candidate for the next Earth Release successor under Ōnoki. Thus, he was equally significant.
However, Daedara reminded himself not to think that way. Relying too heavily on others was not wise.
The path to becoming stronger was a lonely journey, a solitary endeavor. Only by following this path can one truly become strong.
As expected, as soon as Kōtsuchi arrived, he spoke, "We're all familiar with each other, but let's still introduce ourselves. I am Kōtsuchi, a jōnin from Iwagakure, proficient in Earth Release ninjutsu."
"I'm Daedara, skilled in taijutsu and Earth Release ninjutsu." "I'm Akatsuchi, good at Earth Release ninjutsu and some taijutsu." "I'm Kōtsuchi, adept in Lava Release, as well as Earth and Water Release."
"Um, that's the introductions done." Kōtsuchi didn't expect his straightforward introduction to be met with similar brevity from the three kids. "Since you already have experience working together, let's head off to complete the mission! Besides, even if you're not familiar with coordination, you'll gradually improve during the task."
The three had no objections and followed Kōtsuchi into the mission reception hall. Watching Kōtsuchi select a mission, they could only wait, as younger ninjas had no right to be picky.
Seeing Kōtsuchi only searching for D-rank missions, Daedara couldn't help but speak up, "Um, Kōtsuchi-sensei, can't we select a task with a bit more difficulty? Maybe something that involves combat with other ninjas?"
The other two remained silent, but their expressions conveyed everything—they shared the same desire to avoid those D-rank missions.
The reason was clear: the tasks were like caring for children, helping the elderly cook, farming, moving items, and even catching cats. What Daedara found most intolerable was having to wash someone's back at a bathhouse!
What kind of tasks were these!!
However, the unyielding gaze from Kōtsuchi made the three of them settle down again. As expected, Kōtsuchi chose a task that involved weeding a large plot of farmland.
"Well, you're still beginners, so take it slow. Once you've grown a bit, I'll take you on more challenging missions," Kōtsuchi reassured them and dragged the helpless trio away from the mission hall toward the task location.
When Daedara and the others arrived at the large expanse of farmland, he immediately retracted his earlier bravado. The farm was comparable to a large neighborhood, and when the employer confirmed that this was indeed the plot of land, Daedara dashed forward, starting to work on the weeding.
"Hey, be careful! You can tell the difference between weeds and crops, right? Don't pull the wrong ones!" the employer hurriedly warned as he watched Daedara's actions.
Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, seeing Daedara so eager, quickly joined in.
"Don't worry! If I pull the wrong ones, I'll just take it out of their payment," Kōtsuchi's slow voice came, making the three feel a mix of annoyance and frustration.