69novels Chapter 517 The D-Rank Mission of a Genin from the Land of Stars
Chapter 517 The D-Rank Mission of a Genin from the Land of Stars
Chapter 517 The D-Rank Mission of a Genin from the Land of Stars
Shikamaru and his group followed Naruto and Sasuke, quickly crossing the streets of the northern district of the Star City, and then running along a railway line that stretched northward.
As elites among Konoha's new generation, whether it's Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, or the girls like Tenten and Yakumo, they all have a solid foundation in taijutsu.
Even the seemingly quiet Ino and Sakura are no less impressive when they run; their steps are light and steady, making the railway line feel like flat ground.
The group first traveled quickly through the city. As they sped up, the surrounding high-rise buildings gradually receded into the distance, replaced by lower bungalows. Eventually, even these residential areas were left behind, and a vast plain appeared before them.
The railway line stretches straight into the distance, flanked by the vast plains of Youhe River.
This gathering took place during the autumn harvest season. The golden rice fields stretched as far as the eye could see, and farmers were busy in the fields. Some were driving harvesting machinery through the fields, some were bending over to bundle the harvested rice, and others were drying the grain on the ridges.
Some rice straw, stripped of its husk, was bundled into neat piles and stacked along the edge of the field. A small section of rice stubble remained in the paddy field; that was ratooning rice.
As Shikamaru ran, he kept looking back.
The outline of the bustling metropolis of Star City is gradually receding into the distance, eventually merging into the horizon.
He turned his gaze away and looked ahead.
Ahead lay even more expansive fields and scattered villages, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys and the sounds of chickens and dogs filling the air—a scene of peace and tranquility.
Naruto ran at the front of the group, his orange clothes fluttering in the wind, his golden hair blowing back in the wind, looking as energetic as ever.
About half a step behind him was the silent Sasuke, whose steps were steady and whose black eyes vigilantly scanned the surrounding environment, maintaining a fighting stance even while traveling.
"What kind of training have these two guys been going through these past few days?" Shikamaru wondered to himself.
By noon, they had reached the edge of the Youhe Plain.
The terrain ahead began to become uneven, and the originally flat and open plains were gradually replaced by rolling low hills.
The railway line began to wind its way through the hills, passing through tunnels and bridges from time to time, with trains occasionally passing by, making a rumbling echo.
They continued north.
In the afternoon, the terrain became even steeper.
The hills transformed into a continuous mountain range, with lush forests covering the slopes, and occasionally clear streams cascading down from the mountain ravines, making a gurgling sound.
The railway line traveled through the valley for a distance before finally ending at a small station.
The mountain road ahead was too steep for even a railway to be laid.
But they did not stop.
Naruto pulled out a communicator that looked like a cell phone, glanced at it, confirmed the direction, and led the way into the denser forest.
The mountain roads are rugged and difficult to traverse; in some places, there are no roads at all, and one can only jump and traverse between bushes and rocks.
But for ninjas accustomed to navigating complex terrain, this is not a significant challenge.
The sky gradually darkened.
As the last rays of the setting sun pierced through the treetops, the birdsong gradually thinned out, replaced by the chirping of insects and the low growls of unknown wild beasts in the distance.
The temperature in the mountains began to drop, and a mountain breeze brought a touch of coolness.
By evening, the group was still on their way.
Choji finally couldn't resist any longer. As he ran, he pulled out the potato chips he'd bought at a store along the way from his ninja tool pouch, expertly tore open the packaging, grabbed a handful, and stuffed them into his mouth, crunching away as he mumbled a question to Naruto ahead: "How much further, Naruto?"
His voice sounded tired; they had been traveling for eight or nine hours straight since morning.
At their pace, they could probably cross most of the Land of Fire by the end of the day.
And the Land of Stars still has such a vast expanse of land that we haven't explored yet.
The size of this country far exceeded their imagination.
Naruto took out the communicator from his pocket, turned on the screen, swiped it a few times with his finger, then looked up at the mountains ahead and said, "Almost there, almost there. According to the map, once we cross that mountain, we should be at the rendezvous point."
"You said the same thing an hour ago," Ya muttered from behind, but he didn't slow down.
On the contrary, Xiao Li became more and more energetic as he ran, with sweat on his forehead. He gave the others a thumbs up and said, "Don't be discouraged!"
Youth should be blossomed like this!
This earned him a glare from Shikamaru, Sakura, and the others.
Naruto chuckled, offering no rebuttal, but simply quickened his pace.
The group followed him and climbed a mountain peak.
The moment everyone stood on the mountaintop, the sight before them stunned them all.
The valley ahead was brightly lit.
That was a highway under construction.
A winding roadbed has been carved out of the steep mountainside, like a giant gray python coiled around the mountainside and extending into the depths of the mountains further north.
The roadside was lined with a dense array of searchlights, illuminating the entire valley as if it were daytime.
Under the lights, a large number of construction machines can be seen working through the night.
Excavators swung their massive mechanical arms, digging up rocks and loading them onto dump trucks; bulldozers roared as they leveled and compacted the piled-up earth and rocks; road rollers rolled back and forth on the roadbed, producing a dull, rhythmic sound.
Some workers wearing fluorescent vests are busy at work.
Even more astonishing is that on the steepest and most dangerous sections of the road, ninjas were using their ninjutsu to assist with the construction.
Several ninjas dressed in the blue-gray uniforms of the Land of Stars stood on the edge of the cliff, formed hand seals, and then pushed forward in unison.
"Earth Release·Earth Style Wall!"
Accompanied by a deep shout, the mountain wall ahead emitted a muffled rumble. Large chunks of rock, as if sliced by an invisible giant blade, split cleanly and then rolled down in the predetermined direction, filling the deep valley below.
Smoke and dust rose, only to be dispersed by the night wind.
Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Lee, Tenten, Yakumo, Ino, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke, all on the mountaintop, were dumbfounded.
Tian Tian opened her mouth, and after a while, she finally found her voice: "What...what are you doing?"
"This is a construction site for a national highway that extends north to the northernmost port of Snow County."
A gentle voice sounded from behind them.
Everyone turned around abruptly.
Suddenly, they saw Ma standing in the shadows not far behind them, his hands in his pockets and a faint smile on his face.
The moonlight and the lights from the distant construction site cast interplay of light and shadow on his face, making his expression somewhat inscrutable.
He took a few steps forward, stood beside the crowd, and looked down at the brightly lit construction site. In a calm tone, he explained, "This highway is 1,470 kilometers long, connecting the Star Capital with the northern port of Snow County. Once completed, the transportation time from the Star Capital to the northern port will be reduced from the current fifteen days to less than three days. This will greatly promote the economic development and the flow of goods in the northern part of the Star Kingdom."
He paused, turned to look at everyone, and tilted his head slightly: "Let's go, Chino and the others have arrived."
After saying that, he took the lead and jumped down, his figure drawing a smooth arc in the night sky as he landed on the brightly lit construction site below.
Naruto and Sasuke followed closely behind, and the others followed suit.
Like birds returning to their nests at night, the group swooped down from the mountaintop, through the night wind, through the night sky interwoven with lights and shadows, and finally landed steadily in front of the gate of a camp.
This is a temporary camp built with steel frames and corrugated steel plates.
The gate was made of thick steel pipes welded together, with a huge blue iron sign spanning above it, on which several large characters were written in white paint.
"Star Kingdom Second Construction Group Route 7 Construction Base"
On the walls on both sides of the gate, various slogans are painted: "Safety is above all else, responsibility is heavier than Mount Tai", "Roll up your sleeves and work hard to build good roads for the people", "Quality is the life of the project", and so on.
The handwriting was neat and strong, and stood out prominently under the searchlight.
The camp was filled with rows of neat, blue-roofed houses. Some workers, having finished their shifts, gathered in twos and threes. Some played chess under the streetlights, some chatted and smoked, while others carried thermos flasks to the water dispenser to get water.
The aroma of food wafted through the air, a blend of chili peppers and oil, making one's appetite soar.
Choji's stomach made a very timely and loud "gurgle".
Menma heard the voice, turned around and glanced at Choji, then smiled and said, "Perfect timing, they should be eating in the cafeteria at this time. Let's go eat together."
"Yay!" Choji immediately perked up, his eyes shining.
"I'm starving after traveling all day!"
The group followed Mianma through the camp's passageway toward the canteen.
The canteen is a larger factory-style building with a steel frame structure, a corrugated steel roof, and ventilation on all four sides.
The room was filled with long tables and plastic chairs; although simple, it was clean and tidy.
It was already quite late, and only about half the people were sitting in the cafeteria, but it was still very lively.
The workers sat together in small groups, eating and chatting, their laughter and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks filling the air.
Shikamaru's gaze swept across the crowd, and he quickly noticed a few figures that stood out from the crowd.
Several people wearing blue-gray Star Ninja vests sat at a long table near the window.
They wore Star Ninja headbands on their foreheads or arms. Although they ate at the long table like the other workers, their posture and demeanor were clearly different from the ordinary workers around them.
Their backs were straighter, their eyes more alert, and even while eating, they maintained a posture that suggested they were ready to respond to any unexpected situation.
Most importantly, the workers around them were all adults over eighteen years old, while these few people looked like they were only twelve or thirteen years old, just like Naruto and the others.
One of the petite girls spotted Mianma walking into the cafeteria at a glance.
She immediately put down her chopsticks, stood up, and waved vigorously at Mianma: "Mianma-ge! Over here!"
Menma nodded to her and led Naruto and Shikamaru over.
"Let's go, Chino and the others have already started."
As he got closer, Shikamaru finally saw what the girl looked like.
She wasn't very tall, and looked to be two or three years younger than them. She had short white hair, beautiful light purple eyes that were now curved into crescent shapes, and a happy smile on her face.
Beside Chino sat three boys who looked to be about the same age as Naruto, around twelve or thirteen years old. They were wearing brand-new Star Ninja uniforms and their headbands were polished to a shine.
At this moment, the three of them were curiously observing Menma and the group of unfamiliar faces behind him.
Shikamaru noticed that one of the girls had a pair of pure white eyes.
Roll your eyes?
He was slightly startled.
Isn't that the Hyuga clan's bloodline limit?
Could this girl be a member of the Hyuga branch family?
"Please sit down," Menma said, then sat down opposite Chino.
Naruto and Sasuke naturally sat down on either side of Menma, and the others also found seats.
The long table was filled up in no time.
Mianma looked at the table and saw that there were already many dishes on it: braised pork, stir-fried greens, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a large bowl of steaming tofu and fish soup.
He laughed and said, "You ordered so much?"
Chino chuckled and said somewhat embarrassedly, "The construction site canteen has its own special kitchen, and since I rarely come out, I ordered a little extra."
Mianma smiled but didn't say anything more.
He turned to Naruto and the others and said, "Let me introduce you all. This is our team leader for this grassroots practice activity, Chino Miyagi. Don't let her young appearance fool you; she's already a Jonin and fifteen years old."
"Menma-kun! He's sixteen! He'll be sixteen after the New Year!" Chino immediately corrected her, her face showing a hint of dissatisfaction and protest.
"Okay, okay." Menma waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of indulgent laughter.
Shikamaru's brow twitched slightly.
This girl, who looks even younger than them —
Is he already sixteen?
Or a Jonin?
At this age, he would definitely be considered a genius in Konoha.
Moreover, the surname Oya-shiro—
He felt like he had heard it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it.
Chino stood up, cleared her throat, and said in a serious tone as if she were a teacher, "Hello everyone, I'm Chino Oyashiro. This is my first time leading a team on a grassroots practice activity, so please take good care of me!"
As she spoke, she pointed to the three boys and girls sitting next to her: "These three little ones are my students, Yuu Hayama, Oozora, and Chiyo Chizuru."
The three boys and girls whose names were called stood up one by one and gave brief self-introductions.
"Yuu Hayama, 12 years old, Genin, skilled in swordsmanship, water release, and earth release." The first to stand up was a boy with short black hair and brown eyes. He had a well-proportioned figure, a calm expression, and a tone of voice that gave him a mature air for his age.
His gaze swept over the Konoha students of his age across from him, finally settling on Sasuke with a hint of curiosity and scrutiny.
"My name is Oozora, I'm thirteen years old, a genin. Um, I'm good at taijutsu, fire release, and earth release!" The second person to stand up was a tall boy, much taller than his peers, with short black hair, black pupils, and a faint scar on his jaw.
His voice was loud and clear, his tone was casual and easygoing, and he had a simple and honest smile on his face, making him seem like a straightforward person.
"Hello, my name is Chiyo Chizuru, I'm twelve years old, a genin. I'm skilled in water jutsu, medical ninjutsu, and ninja tool throwing!" The third person to stand up was a girl with long brown hair. She had a clear voice and a lively smile on her face, and seemed to have a cheerful personality.
It was the girl with the Byakugan that Shikamaru had noticed before.
After the three introduced themselves, Menma introduced Naruto and the others: "These are guests from Konoha: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee, Tenten, Yakumo Kurama, Ino Yamanaka, and Sakura Haruno. Please get to know each other."
Upon hearing that they were guests from Konoha, Yuu and his companions became even more curious.
They looked at the boys and girls opposite them, who were about the same age as them, with a sense of novelty in their eyes.
Naruto grinned and greeted them, "Yo! Hello!"
Sasuke nodded slightly, which was considered a greeting.
Shikamaru nodded politely, but his attention was more focused on Chiyo and Chizuru's white eyes.
He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Excuse me—are your eyes the whites of your eyes?"
Chiyo Chizuru blinked her pure white eyes, then nodded and readily admitted, "Yes, it's a transplanted cloned eye."
"Transplanted?" Shikamaru was slightly taken aback.
"Yes!" Chiyo Chizuru nodded vigorously, knowing what the other party had misunderstood, and explained with a light laugh, "I'm not a member of the Hyuga clan, I'm just a commoner from Kuma County."
As she spoke, she leaned closer so Shikamaru could see more clearly: "Look, it's the same as the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan! Although it's not as powerful as those born with Byakugan, it's already very useful for sensing and assisting in battle!"
Chino, smiling, added, "This year's Star Capital Ninja Academy has many geniuses, but only Chizuru managed to undergo a bloodline limit transplant at the age of twelve through a matching surgery!"
Shikamaru paused for a moment, then nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Cloned white eyes —
Transplantation surgery —
Ordinary people can also obtain bloodline limits —
Has the Star Kingdom's technology developed to this level?
Sasuke and the others also showed expressions of surprise.
At that moment, Sasuke suddenly remembered something and asked, "I remember, the graduation age at the Star Capital Ninja Academy is fifteen, right?"
During this time, in addition to receiving special training from Menma and Uchiha Hikaru, he and Naruto also had to attend cultural classes at the Star City Ninja Academy every week, and had already gained some understanding of the Star Country's education system.
The Ninja Academy in the Star Capital is a nine-year system; students enter at age six and typically graduate at age fifteen.
After graduation, there is a year of internship and two years of training. During these three years, there are mainly various training and low-level missions. It takes until the age of eighteen to grow into a qualified ninja.
This training period is much longer than that of other ninja villages.
After all, in places like the Hidden Leaf Village's ninja academy, you can graduate and become a genin at the age of twelve.
However, the ninjas trained by this long-term education system are significantly better than their peers from other ninja villages in all aspects.
In particular, the cultural courses and ideological education that run throughout the entire learning process give students a deeper understanding of the world.
They know where the wars and injustices of this world originate, they know why they fight, and they know where their strength should be used.
The education system of the Star Kingdom has begun to bear fruit.
Upon hearing Sasuke's question, Chino chuckled and explained, "My students are all the best graduates of the Class of '63, which is why they were allowed to graduate early!"
She said, a hint of pride on her face, "And they're all geniuses from humble backgrounds!"
In previous years, Chino was too young and didn't get the chance to be a mentor to the outstanding graduates.
Seeing my friends around me, like Yukimi, Itada Suke, and Suzuhara Ai, all of them have become mentors, I'm so envious!
This year it's finally her turn, and she's really taking good care of these students!
Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others on the other side couldn't help but glance at Yuu and his companions a few more times when they heard the keywords "graduating early" and "commoner genius".
In any ninja village, those who can graduate from the ninja academy ahead of time are geniuses among geniuses.
And these three young men and women in front of us are actually from commoner backgrounds?
This is almost unimaginable in Konoha.
In Konoha, those who graduate early are mostly children from ninja clans.
For example, Kakashi, Itachi, and Shisui.
While there are outstanding ninjas from commoner backgrounds, almost none of them are able to graduate early.
But the Star Kingdom seems to be breaking this pattern.
Menma watched this scene, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.
The Star Kingdom's education system has been deeply cultivated for many years, with a population base of over 50 million.
When educational resources are no longer monopolized by a few ninja clans, and when every child has the opportunity to receive systematic education and training, those geniuses hidden among the common people will emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
In recent years, the phenomenon of an explosion of ordinary geniuses has become increasingly apparent.
The phenomenon of a classroom filled with ninja clan members, like in Konoha, would never occur in the Land of Stars.
This is the most precious asset of the Star Kingdom, and the true foundation for the country's future.
Mianma snapped out of her thoughts, clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention, and said, "Alright, let's eat first. While we eat, I'll briefly explain tomorrow's objectives."
Everyone started eating.
After a long day of travel, everyone was hungry.
Choji didn't hold back at all, picking up a piece of braised pork and stuffing it into his mouth, a happy expression on his face.
Kiba handed a piece of meat to Akamaru, who was lying next to him. Akamaru happily wagged its tail, grabbed the meat, and jumped to the ground to eat it.
Xiao Li ate very quickly, wolfing down his food.
Tenten, Ino, Yakumo, and the other girls chatted quietly while eating, discussing what kind of mission they would have the next day.
While eating, Mianma briefly introduced tomorrow's action goals.
Only then did everyone realize that the place they were going to the next day was a resettlement village.
The village was located in the mountains further north, in a valley next to the planned Highway 7. It was inhabited by refugees who had recently fled from other countries, as well as civilians who had been relocated from villages along the planned Highway 7 route.
Their mission was to go to that village and provide assistance to the villagers.
Helping to repair houses, clean roads, distribute supplies, provide basic medical care, teach children, and—learn about their stories and listen to their voices.
"Sounds like a D-rank mission?" Ino asked, tilting her head.
"You could say that," Menma nodded.
"The purpose of grassroots practice activities is to allow the future ninjas of the Star Kingdom to experience firsthand the lives of ordinary people at the grassroots level and understand their needs and difficulties. Only in this way will they be able to make decisions that are not divorced from reality in the future."
This is part of the "grassroots practice" course in the Star Country's ninja education system.
Every Star Ninja participates in various practical activities regularly from the time they begin at the Ninja Academy.
Before becoming a formal ninja, most low-level missions involved long periods of time spent working at the grassroots level.
They want to go to the most rural areas, live with the most ordinary people, understand their hardships and needs, and understand how the country works.
Menma said this was to remind every ninja that power is not for oppressing the weak, but for protecting them.
Shikamaru listened silently while eating, seemingly lost in thought.
Menma's words sounded as simple as the D-rank mission they had just completed when they graduated from the Ninja Academy, but upon closer examination, they contained profound truths.
In the Land of Fire, ninjas carry out missions and receive rewards, but there is an invisible barrier between them and ordinary people. Most ninjas will never truly understand the lives of ordinary people in their entire lives.
While Konoha does have a significant number of civilians, their numbers are not comparable to the tens of millions of civilians in the Land of Fire.
The Star Kingdom is deliberately breaking down this barrier.
After finishing their meal, Mianma stood up and said to everyone, "We'll rest here tonight and set off early tomorrow morning. Our accommodations have been arranged in the guest room area on the east side of the camp."
Everyone stood up, preparing to leave the cafeteria.
Menma walked at the back, looking at Naruto and Kiba who were fighting and bickering ahead, and Choji wiping Akamaru's mouth. He felt like someone was missing.
He frowned and counted the heads.
Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Rock Lee, Tenten, Ino, Sakura, Yakumo —
It seems like everything is complete, right?
Mianma shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and followed the others out of the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, in the Star City late at night.
After finishing a full day of training, Kimimaro said goodbye to his teammates and, dragging his somewhat tired body, returned home.
He turned on the light in the entryway and was about to change his shoes.
Suddenly, I saw a figure lying on the floor of the entryway.
The figure was curled up in a ball, like an abandoned little animal, and slowly raised its head after hearing the door open.
Shino, pale-faced, slowly stretched out her hand toward Kimimaro, her voice plaintive and weak: "So...so hungry..."
[PS: There's one more chapter, it might be a little late.]