Konoha's lexicon of ninjas

Chapter 21, First Mission! (Please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets to follow this story!)

Positioning Shuichi Hoshino as a medical ninja can be seen as a form of care and protection from Minato Namikaze.

Knowing full well what was going on, Hoshino Hideaki immediately declared, "Then you can all rely on me!"

Uchiha Shisui and Kurama Yasunari laughed in unison, "We will also protect Shuichi."

Minato Namikaze secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene; the atmosphere was unexpectedly pleasant.

Given the unique nature of this newly formed team, Minato Namikaze didn't arrange for them to steal the bell to test their teamwork. Instead, he directly announced the mission: "When I went to meet the Third Hokage just now, I received a mission. A summoning beast has appeared in the Forest of Death. Our mission is to investigate this matter. If there is indeed a summoning beast, we need to track it down and capture it intact if necessary."

Uchiha Shisui asked, "Minato-sensei, is there any more information about summoning beasts?"

Minato Namikaze shook his head and said, "No."

"It's because the wild beasts in the Death Forest have become unruly, leading to the speculation that spirit beasts have appeared."

"Any more questions?"

The three of them, including Hoshino, shook their heads in unison.

"Set off!"

At Minato Namikaze's command, he set off first, followed by Shuichi Hoshino and the other two.

For Shuichi Hoshino, the first day after graduation was clearly beyond his expectations.

They didn't try to grab the bell; they went straight for the intensity.

If there's a summoning beast, then this mission can be classified as a C-rank?

After all, summoned beasts are just as dangerous as ninjas.

After traveling far away from the core area of ​​Konoha Village, the group arrived at the entrance to the Forest of Death in less than fifteen minutes.

"There are many wild beasts and poisonous insects in the Death Forest, so be careful."

Minato Namikaze gave a brief instruction before leading Shuichi Hoshino and the other two inside.

Ancient trees reach for the sky, making people appear very small when they are among them.

The four of them moved through the area, stopping from time to time to analyze the tracks left by some animals.

Those who spoke were mainly Minato Namikaze, Shisui Uchiha, and Sanyo Kurama, while Shuichi Hoshino was a student listening to the lecture.

And Minato and the other two clearly intended to take care of him.

Hoshino Shuichi humbly sought advice from the three, eagerly absorbing knowledge from them and gradually transforming the theoretical knowledge he had learned at the Ninja Academy into practical experience.

From his pursuit, he also realized that, aside from Minato Namikaze, Shisui Uchiha was clearly more skilled at tracking traces than San'yō Kurama.

Of course, Kurama Sanyo, who comes from a prestigious family of illusionists, is also a good choice.

Those skilled in illusion are often very attentive to detail.

An hour later, four figures landed one after another on a thick tree branch.

Uchiha Shisui said, "Minato-sensei should be here."

Kurama Yamayo laughed and said, "The activity of wild beasts in the surrounding area has obviously decreased, and there are signs that they are migrating to the surrounding areas. This place has probably been occupied and become the territory of the summoned beasts."

Wild animals are territorial, especially powerful ones.

And summoned beasts are no exception.

Minato Namikaze said, "Judging from the traces, this summoning beast should be a wild cat. Its advantage should be speed, so everyone must be on high alert."

The three, including Hoshino, nodded in unison: "Yes, Minato-sensei."

Minato Namikaze gave a hand signal, and the four of them immediately moved forward, forming a semi-circle around each other.

Suddenly, Uchiha Shisui made a gesture, and Hoshino and the other two immediately stopped and looked in the direction Uchiha Shisui was pointing.

On a tree branch, in the sunlight filtering through the leaves, a black cat was lying lazily, its tail swishing back and forth.

Minato Namikaze immediately gave the signal.

outflank!

Apart from Uchiha Shisui, Hoshino Shuichi and his two companions immediately took action to surround and encircle the Black Cat.

However, the black cat was very alert. Before the encirclement was even complete, it sensed something, stood up, and then, with a meow, leaped into the air, heading precisely towards the gap in the encirclement of Hoshino Shuichi and the others.

"Stop it!"

Minato Namikaze shouted.

Now that it's been exposed, there's no need to be so careful anymore.

Instantly, Hoshino and the others unleashed chakra beneath their feet and used their Body Flicker Techniques to pounce on the black cat.

But the black cat was surprisingly fast; at least Hoshino Shuichi felt that he was slower than the black cat, especially in this environment.

However, Minato and his two companions were even faster.

shhhhhh!

The kunai flew and pierced the branch in front of the black cat.

It was a kunai thrown by Minato Namikaze.

The black cat was immediately frightened and changed direction.

Immediately afterward, Hoshino Shuichi saw the black cat, which had just landed on the tree branch, change direction and pounce directly on Uchiha Shisui.

"It's an illusion!"

Hoshino looked at Kurama Yama, who had just put his hand down.

Then he saw Uchiha Shisui and the black cat face each other in mid-air. The next moment, the black cat fell down and was caught by Uchiha Shisui.

Sharingan hypnosis!

Great.

So, did Kurama Sanyo use the "here is not where" technique?

Hoshita Shuichi secretly speculated.

Minato Namikaze laughed and said, "The teamwork was excellent."

"Then, the mission is successfully completed. Let's go back."

The four of them left the Death Forest without any hesitation.

However, Hoshino Shuichi discovered that another leaf had been added to the word tree in his mind.

[Tracking Expert]

Acquisition Requirements: Track down enemy activity at least five times during missions.

Effect: Tracking talent increased by 100%, trace sensitivity increased by 100%.

Another expert entry; even Hoshino Shizuka is getting a little numb to it.

However, the conditions don't seem too difficult, because the previous task has already been included in the list of eligible tasks by the term tree.

In other words, he does not need to track down the enemy successfully on his own.

Looking at the three people in front of him, including Minato Namikaze, Shuichi Hoshino felt that the "Tracking Expert" title might be the easiest and fastest one for him to obtain.

With a smirk to himself, Hoshino Shuichi caught up with Kurama Sanyou ahead of him, walked alongside him, and asked him about illusion techniques.

Of course, he only asked about theoretical things and did not discuss specific ninjutsu.

Kurama Sanyo was very generous in answering all questions.

Back at the Hokage Building, Minato Namikaze handed in the mission, received his commission, and distributed it. Shuichi Hoshino immediately received 6000 ryo.

That's all for this morning. I'll treat everyone to barbecue for lunch.

As they exited the Hokage Building, Minato Namikaze laughed.

Hoshino and the other two immediately thanked them in unison, and then headed towards the barbecue restaurant.

On the way, Minato Namikaze asked, "Shuichi, what's your next training direction?"

"Fire Release?"

Although he had never personally witnessed Hoshinoichi using Fire Release ninjutsu, he had obtained information from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Knowing that Hoshino Shuuichi was able to recover from a classmate's Fireball Jutsu just by watching them use it, his ninjutsu talent is indeed outstanding.

Fire Release?

Hoshita Shuichi shook his head: "Minato-sensei, I have already mastered five Fire Release ninjutsu, covering close, mid and long range."

"For me, there's no need for more Fire Release ninjutsu because of chakra limitations."

These words startled Minato and the other two.

Kurama San'yo couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Are all the newcomers this good these days?"

He graduated more than a year ago, and he still hasn't mastered more than five illusions.

Minato Namikaze nodded and continued, "So, Shuichi, will your focus going forward be on close-quarters combat techniques and swordsmanship?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the Ama-no-Murakucha Blade on Hoshino's lower back.

Hoshino Hideyuki nodded: "Yes, Minato-sensei."

"Due to the limitations of chakra, I think I'll mostly be using close combat on the battlefield."

"Physical qualities are the foundation of a ninja, so my training will focus on improving my physical fitness, taijutsu, ninja tools, and swordsmanship."

Minato Namikaze smiled and praised, "A very wise choice."

Uchiha Shisui then said to Hoshino Hideaki, "Shuichi, if you need anything regarding ninja tools or swordsmanship, don't hesitate to ask me."

Kurama Yamayo also laughed and said, "My physical skills are so-so, but I think I should have no problem being a sparring partner."

Xingxia Xiu, with a thick skin, was not polite at all: "Then I'll have to trouble you guys from now on."

(End of this chapter)