After listening to Mikoto's request, Aoshi paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. "With the relationship we have, something this minor is naturally no problem."
He agreed because he genuinely felt he needed the experience. After all, true strength was honed through real combat.
Over the past month, thanks to persistent training and discipline, his abilities had improved significantly compared to a year ago. According to Kosuke, he was now not far off from jōnin level.
Of course, there was another reason—this mission would take them to the Land of Rain. With a bit of luck, he might even encounter Nagato and be able to use the Copy Scroll on him—maybe even replicate a pair of Rinnegan eyes.
A man must have dreams. And if it worked, the payoff would far exceed copying a Sharingan.
Even if he didn't come across Nagato, using the scroll on Mikoto later was still a viable plan.
Upon hearing his agreement, Mikoto's face lit up with excitement. "That's great! Thank you, Aoshi. Once the mission's done, dinner's on me."
"Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'a beauty is a feast for the eyes'?" Aoshi remarked with a playful glint in his eye.
The moment the words left his lips, a soft blush blossomed across Mikoto's delicate cheeks, adding a touch of warmth to her already striking features—making her appear all the more captivating.
Seeing her flustered reaction, Aoshi didn't tease her any further. "Mikoto, wait here for a moment. I need to request leave from the deputy chief."
Konohagakure was located in the Land of Fire, while the Land of Rain was a neighboring small nation. Even with a ninja's speed, the journey would take several days. And since the mission involved escorting a merchant caravan, their pace would be even slower.
Naturally, Aoshi couldn't just disappear from the hospital without notifying anyone.
"Aoshi, is something the matter?" Minako, who was on duty at the time, smiled as she noticed him approaching.
Ever since Tsunade instructed her to focus on nurturing Aoshi's potential, she had taken it seriously and had been quietly paving the way for his future.
That said, Aoshi's qualifications were still shallow, so he hadn't been promoted yet. Otherwise, not even her own status would be enough to earn everyone's acceptance.
Fortunately, Aoshi's medical skills were solid, and his personality and work ethic were widely admired—his future looked exceptionally bright.
"Chief Minako, I'm planning to take on a C-rank mission. I'll need to take some time off from hospital duties."
Minako's brows furrowed slightly at his request. Aoshi was someone Tsunade had high expectations for—what if something happened to him on the mission?
In combat, medical-nin were often at a disadvantage compared to front-line shinobi.
After all, mastering medical ninjutsu required massive time and effort, which left little opportunity to develop offensive jutsu.
She also remembered that, before becoming a medical-nin, Aoshi had been just an ordinary genin. He had chosen this path precisely because he lacked the combat talent most shinobi relied on.
She wanted to dissuade him. But it was clear from his eyes that Aoshi had already made up his mind. Her words wouldn't change anything.
Left with no other choice, she approved the leave. At the same time, she tried to reassure herself: it was only a C-rank mission—surely nothing serious would go wrong.
After receiving approval, Aoshi didn't head out immediately. Instead, he went home first to make preparations. By the time he arrived at the designated meeting point, the others had already gathered.
What surprised him was a familiar face among Mikoto's team.
"Minato? What are you doing here?"
Back during the Second Great Ninja War, Aoshi's squad had once collaborated with Jiraiya's team, so he was familiar with Namikaze Minato.
At that time, Aoshi hadn't yet acquired his system but already understood the importance of building good relationships. He had looked out for Minato like a dependable older brother.
Minato—the future Fourth Hokage—had certainly been worth the attention.
"Aoshi-senpai, long time no see! I'm now a member of Mikoto-senpai's team." Minato greeted him with a sunny smile.
Back then, Jiraiya-sensei had often taken on high-ranking solo missions, leaving the genin behind. Fortunately, Aoshi had stepped in and looked after them, even taking them on assignments.
If not for him, Minato might have lost his life during the war.
After the war, with his teammates gone and Jiraiya away from the village, Minato had trained alone for a long time. He'd been surprised when the Third Hokage assigned him to Mikoto's team.
"I see." Aoshi nodded, then turned his gaze toward the other two genin—a boy and a girl who appeared even younger than Minato.
"Nice to meet you both. I'm Hirakawa Aoshi. Feel free to call me Aoshi-senpai like Minato does."
"I'm Yukimura Tomoki, the future Fourth Hokage!" The boy announced with full confidence—his eyes brimming with resolution. Clearly, he was filled with self-assurance.
"To think I get to go on a mission with the future Hokage—I must be pretty lucky." Aoshi smiled in amusement.
Tomoki beamed, puffing his chest with pride at being acknowledged.
"Aoshi-senpai, you just take care of the client. I'll handle all the protection. I'm super strong, y'know!"
"You sound dependable, Tomoki-kun."
"Nice to meet you, Aoshi-senpai. I'm Sasaki Ayame." The girl introduced herself politely. Compared to Tomoki, she was clearly more reserved and said no more after her introduction.
Aoshi didn't mind and returned her smile warmly. Though it was their first meeting, he already knew about Ayame from Mikoto.
She was the youngest member of the team, having just graduated from the academy earlier that year. She had been placed on Mikoto's team from the start—and was the only one of Mikoto's original three students who had survived.
After getting acquainted with the team, Aoshi followed Mikoto to meet the client.
The man awaiting them was a middle-aged merchant wearing a perpetually worried expression.
"My name is Ide Jūchirō, and this is my son, Ide Hiroya." Juchiro was a food merchant from the Land of Rain. This trip to the Land of Fire was to restock his supplies.
Unlike the Land of Fire, which was rich in resources and blessed with a pleasant climate, the Land of Rain suffered from constant precipitation and rarely saw sunlight. Farming there was virtually impossible.
As a result, merchants like Juchiro played a vital role—traveling abroad to purchase food and supplies. In the past, he had always traveled alone. But this time, his son had begged to come along, fascinated by the stories of the Land of Fire.
And upon arrival, the vibrant scenery amazed the boy, who had never left the gloomy Land of Rain before. In his excitement, he ended up injuring his leg while playing.
"Please, ninja-sama, I leave my son in your care during the journey."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," Aoshi replied with a calm and reassuring smile.
There was something gentle in his expression—an aura that seemed to naturally put people at ease. For the first time since the injury, Juchiro's furrowed brow began to relax.
The tension on his face slowly melted away.