"Of course!"
Satoru, Minato, and Yoshime nodded immediately.
"Alright then, now—lunch together! After lunch, head home, rest well. Gather tomorrow! I'll teach you how to do quests," White Fang invited them to lunch. It was a simple way to bond; perhaps he didn't want team relations too tense.
After lunch, obeying the teacher's order, all went home. Satoru did the same, of course. After a good sleep, he was at the meeting spot from early morning.
Soon everyone gathered. Sakumo first took them to the quest assignment area.
Quests could be accepted not just in the Hokage's office.
D-rank quests, for example, posed no danger, so they could be taken right at the desk.
At first, all were full of enthusiasm, eager to shine in the shinobi world. But seeing the D-rank quest list, each felt deep disappointment.
Find a lost cat, help a farmer weed, catch bugs... fix broken furniture...
"We really have to do these quests?" Yoshime saw such tasks for the first time and naturally couldn't believe her eyes.
White Fang just nodded slightly:
"Of course. Don't underestimate D-rank quests. Doing them earns not just reward but a record in your ninja file."
"In future, it'll help greatly for promotion to chunin, jonin, and higher."
"Besides, only after D-rank quests can you access C-rank. After C-rank, you can take harder B- and A-rank quests," the mentor explained convincingly.
Hearing this from their mentor, they didn't dare refuse.
And at that moment, the transmigrator suddenly heard a familiar voice.
---
Greetings, Master! You've activated a new Quest.
New Quest content: within one year, complete 500 D-rank quests and 100 C-rank quests!
Reward for completing the Quest: another purification of your chakra!
---
Satoru was stunned:
"System? Purify my chakra again?! Complete 500 D-rank and 100 C-rank quests? Are you kidding?"
He knew perfectly well Konoha simply didn't have that many low-level quests.
"Master, I'm not mocking you at all. You're under four now, time to accumulate max experience. Besides, doing quests will benefit your growth greatly!"
"Don't worry! Just diligently do the quests, and I'm sure this reward won't disappoint!" the System stated with unwavering confidence.
Satoru had nothing more to say. He'd become a genin, so he had to do quests. Fewer quests meant less reward. More quests meant more.
As White Fang said, all completed quests go into the ninja file.
The Earth native didn't ponder long. Spread over a year, he and his comrades needed just two quests a day.
Quests like finding lost cats or helping farmers might take others time, but for Satoru, they were simple.
Doing two D-rank quests a day was easy. The rest of the time, Satoru either reinforced learned ninjutsu or trained personally.
Overall, the transmigrator's life was very full. As completed quests piled up, his team nearly met the D-rank quota.
* * *
Finally, one day Satoru, Minato, and Yoshime got a slightly harder quest—bodyguards.
A merchant caravan was heading from Konoha to the Land of Hot Springs, and Team Satoru's task was to protect it from bandits and robbers.
Since it was their first C-rank quest, Teacher White Fang took it very seriously and waited for Satoru at Konoha's gates from early morning.
Soon Satoru arrived with his teammates.
"Congratulations. You've completed many D-rank quests. I specially asked Third Hokage-sama, and he allowed you to try a C-rank quest under my lead. If you perform well, you can take C-rank quests regularly in future."
"I'm confident in you, but remember: guarding a caravan means protecting allies, not defeating enemies. Hope you keep that in mind."
"I won't interfere unless lives are at risk," White Fang stated and asked, "Any questions?"
"No," the boy and his two comrades shook their heads. After so much time together, Satoru knew his mentor's principles well.
"Alright then, forward!"
The huge merchant caravan slowly moved from the Hidden Leaf Village toward the Land of Hot Springs.
At first, everything was calm, and soon the caravan safely left the borders of the Land of Fire.
" This area no longer belongs to the Land of Fire. Stay alert," the jonin warned.
The sky gradually darkened. The people in the caravan were very tired, their strength nearly exhausted.
Although they had dry rations and water with them, rest was extremely important.
"Alright, let's rest here for a bit," the caravan leader suggested.
Both Satoru and Minato were concerned. The place they were in was very dangerous, perfect for an ambush.
Konoha's hero immediately intervened:
"Sir, if you want to rest, it's better to go a little further. This spot isn't suitable for resting."
"You're too cautious," the caravan leader smirked. "I don't think there's any need to be so wary. A whole day has passed; unlikely anyone would dare rob us now."
"Besides, you're Konoha's White Fang!" the caravan leader added smugly.
"I apologize, but on this mission, I'm just escorting you. In fact, my students will be protecting you. I won't intervene," the White Fang replied with a touch of arrogance, ignoring the client's words.
"If you think it's fine, then rest here. If something happens, it won't be our responsibility. After all, it's your choice," the team mentor shook his head, not wanting to argue further with these people.
Satoru nodded. In the shinobi world, one always had to be cautious. As the saying goes, God protects those who are careful. Even if you're very strong, it won't save you from a sudden attack.
"Ha-ha-ha! Don't worry!" the caravan leader brushed it off.
Not even a few minutes of rest had passed when a piercing whistle suddenly rang out. This whistle was definitely a signal from someone outside.
As soon as the signal sounded, this dangerous spot was immediately surrounded by a whole crowd of riffraff.
"Bad! Looks like it really is an ambush!"
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan