Chapter 237: Kira's Special Mission
Kumogakure was still unaware of the upheaval in Asuka Castle. At this moment, the Third Raikage and Dana were having a headache over another matter.
"Listen well, Kira. I have a very important mission to entrust to you."
"Yes, sir!"
Inside the Raikage's office, Kira stood under the double pressure of the Third Raikage and Dana-sama. He had been told this morning that a secret mission was coming his way. Although he had always believed that "heaven gave him talent, so it must be put to use," when the day finally arrived, his legs were trembling.
He was just too excited!
The Third Raikage glanced guiltily at Kira, who was so excited he could barely contain himself, and sighed. "Dana, you explain it."
Dana nodded, steepling his fingers and pushing up non-existent glasses on his nose. He lowered his voice. "Chunin Kira! Are you loyal to the village?"
Kira snapped to attention, standing straight as a rod, and shouted, "I am absolutely loyal! I would offer my heart without hesitation!"
Dana continued, "Do you have the resolve to face the unknown?"
"Nothing can stop my footsteps in executing a mission!"
Dana: "Do you have a strong heart?"
"A strong will is a necessary ability for a ninja!"
Dana nodded. "Good! That's good. Then the village can rest assured entrusting this arduous task to you."
Kira swallowed hard. Not out of fear, but because he had shouted so loudly his throat was dry.
"There is a very, very important person in the village who plans to travel the ninja world. You need to accompany him closely. There is no set time limit for the mission, and the rank is tentatively set at S-Rank. Do you have confidence?"
An S-Rank mission for a Chunin like me? Kira's adrenaline spiked.
As expected, I am the rising star of the village!
Suppressing his excitement, Kira put on a serious face. "I understand! This person is a spy from another village, and I need to watch him closely, never missing a single opportunity to find evidence, right?"
Dana shook his head. "No. This person is loyal to the village."
"I see! It must be because hostile forces have targeted him. As soon as he leaves the village, he will be intercepted, so he needs a powerful ninja for protection. And that person is... me!"
Dana shook his head again. "Not at all. For now, no one knows he is leaving, and he has no enemies."
Kira clapped his hands together. "I've got it! It's because this person wants to defect! I need to find an opportunity to take him out!"
Dana looked at the Third Raikage, giving him a look that said: See? I told you he was the most suitable candidate.
The Third Raikage returned a look that said: Indeed, he looks quite stupid.
After a series of denials, Kira was confused. If it wasn't any of those things, what was the meaning behind this mission? And how could it be rated S-Rank?
After all, he had never even been on an S-Rank mission before.
"Um... Dana-sama, then what exactly is my mission content? Do I just... accompany this very, very important person while he wanders around?"
Dana shook his head. "Your tasks are numerous. For example, you must ensure everyone eats well, dresses well, sleeps soundly, and has a place to stay. You must ensure no psychological pressure builds up. Usually, you will need to serve tea, pour water, light fires, and chop wood. You must ensure the target remains in a good mood and experiences no negative emotions. Furthermore, maintain constant communication with the village. If anything bizarre or incomprehensible happens, report it to the village immediately."
Kira's jaw dropped. "This... isn't this just like a servant... Am I going to be an exclusive servant?"
Dana corrected, "Actually, no. accurately speaking, you are a servant for two people."
"Eh?"
Yes, this arduous task was to accompany the rejuvenated Yoshitoki on his travels.
Yoshitoki had previously expressed his desire to wander the ninja world again. After careful consideration, the village decided they shouldn't restrict his personal freedom.
Leaving without notice and applying for permission were two different things. Kumogakure wasn't a prison.
However, considering Yoshitoki's importance and uniqueness, the village made certain arrangements.
originally, Dana wanted to send an elite squad to ensure absolute safety—not only for combat protection but also to prevent Yoshitoki's thoughts from straying too far into madness.
He still couldn't forget that pig that vomited its own heart and then walked to the kitchen on six legs.
But Yoshitoki rejected this arrangement, proposing to bring only his head disciple, Mamoru Anzai.
Anzai had the strength of an Elite Jonin, but with only one person, Dana felt it was insufficient. Plus, Anzai was someone who could easily be led astray by Yoshitoki. Without a third person with a high SAN value (Sanity points), Dana really couldn't rest easy.
However, Yoshitoki claimed that with his youthful body restored, he possessed Jonin-level strength. Since his travel was already causing trouble for the village, he didn't want to waste more manpower and resources.
Claiming Jonin strength was hard to verify, but Dana felt Yoshitoki probably wasn't lying. He was even a bit curious—was young Yoshitoki really that good at fighting?
Yoshitoki said that when he was young, there were no ninja villages yet, let alone the system of Genin, Chunin, and Jonin. Although he focused on medicine, ordinary bandits couldn't stop him.
According to his understanding, when he was young, he was at least a Jonin.
At least. That was the key point.
So, after some planning, they needed someone who could run errands, do chores, wouldn't be rejected by Yoshitoki, and could act as a mental stabilizer. Yes, ideally an optimistic idiot with high SAN values.
Listing all the conditions, Dana slapped his forehead. Isn't this Kira?!
Hot-blooded, Chunibyo (delusional teen), and an idiot—the three great poisons gathered in one body. Such a character wouldn't be mentally polluted; he might even reverse-pollute the target!
And so, today's scene unfolded.
Kira repeatedly confirmed his mission details. When he finally accepted that he was just playing the role of an errand boy, he deflated like a punctured ball.
He couldn't understand how this counted as an S-Rank mission.
As for Dana's subtle emphasis on monitoring the respected scientist's mental state, Kira selectively ignored it.
What mental state does a scientist grandpa have to report? Do I report if he wets his pants?
Just then, there was a knock on the Raikage's office door.
A middle-aged bald man walked in, smiling amiably. "I heard my travel companion has finally been decided? Is it this young man?"
Kira scratched the back of his head. He felt this person was somewhat different from the scientist grandpa he had imagined.
Dana introduced him. "This is Kira, a Chunin of the village. Feel free to order him around when the time comes."
Kira: "???"
Yoshitoki smiled. "Having a young person in the team will give us some vitality. This way, we have the old, the middle-aged, and the young—three generations traveling together. Haha, I'm looking forward to it."
The Third Raikage spoke up. "Yoshitoki, the village won't restrict your freedom, but you must pay attention to your safety. If things become unmanageable, remember to notify the village. The Heavenly Transfer Technique can provide support."
Yoshitoki waved his hand with a smile. "I'm just looking around, revisiting places I went to in my youth. I'm not going out to cause trouble. Anyway, thank you, Raikage-sama, for approving this. I've already handed over the matters at the research base. We depart tomorrow."
Yoshitoki patted Kira on the shoulder like a friendly neighbor uncle.
"By the way, Kira-kun, what food do you like?"
"Me? Favorite food? I like chicken wings!"
"Chicken wings... I see. That can be easily solved."
Kira asked naively, "Yoshitoki-Oissan (Uncle), are you planning to do the cooking? I thought I was supposed to be responsible for that..."
Yoshitoki laughed. "We can take turns cooking, but personally, I'm quite good at processing ingredients."
"Wow, that sounds amazing. Yoshitoki-Oissan is really nice..."
Dana thought to himself: I have to call him Grandpa, but you call him Uncle... Forget it. One should speak kindly of the dead... Wait, no!
Watching Kira's back as he left the office with Yoshitoki's arm around his shoulder, Dana couldn't help but silently cheer for him.
"Kira! Make sure you come back alive..."