Kirigakure Gamer : Rise of the mist-Chapter 39: Operation Hydra (2)

[Island of Steel, Kirigakure Settlement]

An hour passed since Takeshi had received his mission scroll.

'Operation Hydra'

A mission that was not D-rank or C-rank. It was his first B-rank mission since he had become a Kirigakure shinobi. When he had first entered the island of steel, he was nothing but a mere academy student who had just graduated.

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Now, however, it was different. He had formed his own team. In the short span of a month, Naya had leveled up thrice, and Yukiko five times. If they suceeded in completing the coming mission, then Yukiko would surely be promoted to chunin, just like he did with the North Coast mission.

B-rank missions were usually reserved for jonins, so that said a lot about the stakes at play for 'Operation Hydra'. Casualties were piling up in the Kirigakure settlement. They had been blessed enough to have Yukiko mending their wounds every time they got injured, but the same could not be said for the others.

Walking in the settlement would leave nothing but chills. Sakutsu, who had overseen him for his first patrol mission, was now missing an arm. After getting poisoned, his arm had to be amputated.

[Takeshi - Level 38 Chunin]

[Yukiko Anata - Level 29 Genin]

[Naya Tori - Level 44 Chunin]

They had gotten stronger, but for the coming mission, this much was necessary.

[Operation Hydra - B-rank compulsory mission

Operation Hydra is a meticulously crafted strategy that deploys a network of the stealthiest and most lethal shinobi, equipped with chakra sensors and strategically hidden along the North Coast. The operation aims to significantly reduce the Kumogakure forces by exploiting their predictable military structure and eliminating their personnel through coordinated skirmishes. By ensuring that every mission is flawlessly executed, Otuka intends to prevent the enemy from adapting or calling for reinforcements, thereby securing a decisive advantage for Kirigakure.

Task - Intercepts the enemies in the location indicated on the minimap for the next week

Rewards - 10 000 EXP, 10 000 Ryô, 30 Reputation points with Otuka, 50 Reputation points with Kirigakure, 20 Reputation points with Naya and Yukiko]

"Are you surprised?", Naya asked him directly

Takeshi looked at his mission logs and shook his head. Besides the 7 C-rank missions he had completed on the Island of Steel, the number of enemies he had personally slain far exceeded the count of average chunins.

[Trial of Steel - A-rank mission

Optional task - Kill 100 Kumogakure Shinobi (29 / 100)]

He had already met the requirements for the second optional task, already filling as much as twenty nine percent of it. Among them, there were two jonins, a rare achievement.

In other words, Takeshi knew the value of his team. They were not the strongest attribute-wise, or level-wise. However, he had observed the battlefield and refined his strategy in a world where skirmishes were the only strategy shinobi knew of.

In konohagakure, the Nara clan possessed intelligence, but lacked wisdom. Otherwise, they would not be so lazy. Had there been a Nara Hokage, countless perilous events would have been avoided in the series. Instead, they had decided to put monkey, a gambling addict, and a naive only child as leaders. This was pure madness.

Takeshi was different. He was not all brains - like the Nara (their hidden art being quite limited truthfully), and he had more than just muscles. And it showed on the battlefield. Ambushes, traps, pathing...He had grown proficient in the enemy's routes and took advantage of that. He also knew better than anyone the strength of his subordinates and Naya played her role of meat shield to the perfection.

His records had been noted by the commander, and he was being used.

"I am not surprised", Takeshi smiled, "Our team is probably one of the most efficient at ambushes. We iterated many strategies over the past month, and we have grown used to each other's strengths and weaknesses. Unprepared enemies are no match for us"

"Are you not worried", Yukiko asked, trembling slightly at the thought of handling a B-rank mission

"Don't worry, Yukiko. Although it is a B-rank mission, it is only ranked as such due to the stakes. The majority of Kumogakure jonins stay in the settlement, in fear of a frontal assault. The old man knows it, and that's why he is planning on lowering their numbers aggressively. The only problem might be the numbers. We have never been so close to their settlement before, and with missing patrols, they will only mutiply the search teams. One surviving Kumogakure scum and we can say goodbye to the juicy rewards of the mission", Takeshi said

The others blinked.

They knew Takeshi's strategic mind, but to understand the macros of a battlefield without being part of the war council...Now that was scary. More than his affinity to water ninjutsu, or kenjutsu. Terrifying, even.

"Let's go. The old man has already indicated to us the location of the net. If we are lucky, we might even get our hands on nice spoils of war", Takeshi grinned

His teammates were left bewildered. Not surprised, as they had seen Takeshi's weird antics about killing enemies at all costs and looting them. They thought he was seeing the battlefield as a game...as a means of protection, and they accepted this side of him. But still...sometimes this felt too much like excitement for such a dangerous mission!