Facing Yagyu's initiative greeting, Kakashi responded kindly, and the Third Hokage nodded with satisfaction.
Iruka, who had been Yagyu's homeroom teacher for six years, looked at him with pride.
"Sōsuke, long time no see."
Yagyu smiled when he heard Iruka's words.
For this teacher who had guided them for six years, Yagyu genuinely respected him.
Teachers were a noble profession.
Even though people like Mizuki sometimes appeared among them, teachers like Iruka might not possess extraordinary ability, but their unwavering sense of responsibility was enough to earn the respect of anyone with even a little conscience.
In short, Yagyu respected Iruka.
"Sōsuke!"
The most excited person was Naruto.
"You've become so amazing! Lately I have been hearing stories about you everywhere!"
Ever since the graduation exam night, Naruto had truly regarded Yagyu as a friend and comrade.
So hearing those stories about him genuinely made Naruto happy.
Facing Naruto's enthusiasm, Yagyu nodded.
"It's nothing special."
Beside them, Sakura smiled politely.
"Sōsuke, long time no see."
Sasuke simply nodded coolly.
After greeting everyone, Yagyu looked at the Third Hokage.
"Old man, give me a C rank mission. I have been idle for too long lately, I should get back to doing missions."
The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe.
"Alright, no problem."
While speaking, he glanced at a C rank mission scroll in his hand.
"Sōsuke, you have not taken an escort mission before, this time you can try a C rank escort mission. There happens to be a target who is suitable for you to protect alone."
As he spoke, the Third Hokage handed the mission scroll to Yagyu.
Opening it and taking a quick look, Yagyu froze for a moment, then his expression became strange.
"So this is Team Seven's Wave Country mission, and I just stole it right in front of them. What a coincidence."
Yes, the escort target mentioned by the Third Hokage was the same client who originally hired Team Seven for their first high level mission.
The bridge builder, Tazuna.
And it was indeed suitable for Yagyu, because the protection target was only Tazuna himself.
"I will take this mission."
After putting away the scroll, Yagyu said calmly.
"I will be heading out then."
With that, Yagyu turned around and left the mission hall.
The mission itself was not difficult.
The payment did not matter much, but this mission was perfect for building reputation.
Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist there were some weak members, but the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza, still had a reputation.
If Yagyu defeated Zabuza, his record would gain another impressive achievement.
For someone who needed reputation, this mission was worth doing.
After Yagyu left, Naruto, who had already been demanding a higher level mission, became even more restless.
The mission hall quickly turned noisy.
One hour later.
At the gates of Konoha.
After completing the departure registration, Yagyu turned toward an old man waiting nearby.
"Mr. Tazuna, the registration is done."
Looking at him calmly, Yagyu said,
"We can leave now."
Tazuna looked at Yagyu with obvious doubt.
He asked again,
"Kid, are you really the only one doing this mission? You do not have teammates?"
Yagyu glanced at him strangely.
He roughly understood the old man's worries, or perhaps Tazuna felt a bit guilty about something.
Before Yagyu could answer, Kotetsu Hagane, who had just handled the registration, spoke.
"Sir, please do not worry. Although Lord Sōsuke is young and technically still a Genin, his strength is no weaker than a Jonin. Protecting you from wandering samurai or bandits will not be a problem."
After hearing that, Tazuna opened his mouth but said nothing more.
He could only nod.
"Then, I will leave my safety to you."
Yagyu smiled faintly.
"Do not worry."
He nodded calmly.
"In Konoha, you can always trust Yagyu Sōsuke. As long as I still have breath left, I will never allow my companions or the people I protect to suffer any harm."
After saying that, Yagyu stepped forward and began walking down the road out of the village.
For some reason, Tazuna suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of confidence in this young Genin.
He followed behind him.
Meanwhile, the two eternal Chunin guarding the gate, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, were momentarily stunned.
Then they replayed Yagyu's words in their minds.
"In Konoha, you can always trust Yagyu Sōsuke."
As long as he still had a breath left, he would never allow harm to come to his companions.
That sentence sounded extremely reassuring.
Very reassuring.
The moment they heard it, Kotetsu and Izumo felt genuine comfort.
Watching the young man's departing figure, they felt an overwhelming sense of security.
"In Konoha, you can always trust Yagyu Sōsuke."
Both of them murmured the words again.
They etched that sentence firmly into their hearts.
The sun shone brightly.
But it was not scorching, and the air felt fresh rather than oppressive.
The Land of Fire truly was a good place to live.
Walking behind Tazuna, Yagyu looked relaxed, but in reality his perception was constantly spreading outward.
Within a radius of one kilometer, any chakra fluctuation would be detected instantly, nothing could escape his awareness.
Although the Senju Sage Body could not develop sensory techniques like the Uzumaki clan's Kagura Mind's Eye, it still greatly enhanced perception.
At the very least, Yagyu's sensory ability was far superior to most ninja.
After leaving Konoha, about half a day later, two weak chakra signatures appeared in Yagyu's perception.
"So they finally arrived."
Yagyu did not react outwardly.
"Just two cannon fodder, I really wonder how Kirigakure trains its ninja. If this level qualifies as Chunin, it is honestly pretty mediocre."
While silently mocking them, Yagyu continued locking onto those two chakra signatures.
If nothing unexpected happened, they were the Demon Brothers, the subordinates of Momochi Zabuza.
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