Chapter 58

After experimenting with various poisons, the other rat succumbed as well. It seems that each rat's resistance to toxins varies greatly.

Kazuki glanced at the only remaining rat, showing no intention of halting the poison experiment. Perhaps this rat wouldn't survive the toxins either?

Determined, Kazuki headed to Kusakure Village, purchasing every poison available—from rat poison and insecticides to weed killers. He then fed this toxic concoction to the rat. As expected, it died.

The so-called immunity to all poisons seemed like a myth.

"Is there no such thing as complete poison immunity?" Kazuki pondered as he made his way to Yaya's home and knocked on her door.

When Yaya heard that Kazuki had been feeding poison to the rats daily, she nearly died of laughter.

"Kazuki, I have high resistance to poison, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to all of them! It's not like I enjoy taking poison! If you keep poisoning something every day, it's only natural it will die!"

Kazuki sighed, realizing his mistake. Rats, like humans, need proper sustenance.

After learning from Yaya, Kazuki caught three more rats. This time, he didn't feed them poison every day but only occasionally. After a week, two of the rats survived.

Satisfied with his selection of a Summoning Beast, Kazuki packed the two rats into a cage and returned to Konoha with Yaya. What was supposed to be a three-day trip ended up taking more than ten.

Just as Kazuki was about to begin training his new Summoning Beast, Kakashi informed him of an upcoming mission.

"It's unbelievable that a rookie team hasn't had a mission in two weeks," Kakashi remarked. "Today, we're taking on a C-level mission. You can train your Summoning Beast on the way."

Sakura had already chosen her Summoning Beast, a cat, due to its commonality, so she didn't spend much time on it. Sasuke, on the other hand, had chosen an eagle, captured using the Sharingan's illusion control, but it was still disobedient.

Learning about Sasuke and Sakura's Summoning Beasts made Kazuki question his own. Was his choice of a rat too unappealing? Kazuki felt that having a rat as his representative Summoning Beast might negatively impact his image—especially since it wasn't the cute kind of mouse, but a large, ugly rat.

"Since we're all cultivating Summoning Beasts, why not train a few more types?" Kazuki decided, clapping his hands.

Poor Shushu, the rat, not only had to endure poison tests but also became disliked by its summoner.

At the Hokage Building, Kakashi led them to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to receive a new mission. It was another C-level mission: escorting an old man to the Land of Waves and protecting him until his bridge construction was complete.

The old man in question was the notorious drunkard, Tazuna, who was being targeted by Gatō! This mission was originally Team 7's first C-level assignment, but with the change in the protagonist, the mission still fell to them.

The first time Kazuki met Tazuna, the strong smell of alcohol hit him immediately. Tazuna swayed as he walked, making Kazuki worry he might collapse at any moment.

Fortunately, unlike the originally talkative Tazuna, this time, the old man held his tongue—likely due to Naruto's absence. With both Sasuke and Kazuki looking intimidating, Tazuna seemed satisfied.

"Very well, they'll do just fine. Let them protect me!" Tazuna said.

Hearing Tazuna's approval, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "As long as you're satisfied, they'll handle the task of protecting you this time."

A C-level mission wasn't particularly prestigious, but Tazuna's mission to Konoha represented an opportunity to open up the market in the Land of Waves. If the mission succeeded and Tazuna spread the word, Konoha could expect more commissions from the Land of Waves in the future.

If the Land of Waves increased its requests for Konoha's services, the Daimyo might even establish diplomatic relations with Konoha. And who knows? Perhaps the Land of Waves, lacking its own ninja organization, might seek Konoha's protection.

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled at the thought.

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