Escort Mission

A/N: We've reached our goal, so you guys will get a double release next Monday. New target is to get the story to 150 powerstones by Sunday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones. New goal 150 powerstones!

After finishing up at the cemetery, Goro body-flickered to the nearest tree trunk and sat down. It had been two months since Team 10 was assembled, and the group had completed 12 D-rank missions, all thanks to Goro.

'System, what are my new stats?'

[Calculating… New Stats:

Taijutsu: Upper Chunin (25%) 

Physical: Upper Chunin (63%) 

Ninjutsu: Upper Chunin (89%)

Chakra Capacity: Lower Jounin (2%)

Chakra Control: Lower Jounin (54%)

Shurikenjutsu: Chunin (92%)

Chakra Affinity: Water(x2) + Fire(x2) + Lightning

Skills: Clone Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu, Firestyle:Great Fireball Jutsu, Firestyle:Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, Firestyle:Dragon Fire Jutsu, Waterstyle:Wild Water Wave] 

Goro let out a deep sigh as he reviewed his stats. He had hoped to reach the level of an average Jonin by now, but things hadn't gone as planned. Copying skills from corpses proved to be exceedingly difficult; orphaned corpses were rare, and the families of the deceased rarely allowed him near. Moreover, attempting to copy skills from high-level ninja corpses raised too much suspicion, as the process required Goro to keep his hand on the body for an extended period. Another issue was the sudden muscle growth he experienced when copying stats, which led him to wear a baggy black long-sleeve shirt instead of his usual tight-fitting one.

'Today is the day the Hokage promised us a C-rank mission. I've put in tremendous effort, completing those mundane D-rank missions in record time just to earn this opportunity. It's astonishing that Naruto managed to secure this mission merely by complaining. Soon, the skills of Haku and Zabuza will be mine.'

Rising to his feet, Goro used the Body Flicker Jutsu to appear in front of the Hokage's mansion, where Ino and Shikamaru were already waiting. Asuma and Choji had yet to arrive.

"There's our golden boy. Ready to take another strenuous mission off my shoulders?" Shikamaru joked as he walked over to Goro.

Goro chuckled, scratching the back of his head. He harbored an uneasy feeling that his actions, aimed at securing the mission to escort Tazuna, might have inadvertently spoiled his teammates.

"Shikamaru! Leave Master Goro alone. He needs to preserve his energy to complete another mission," Ino muttered.

'Master Goro… It can't be helped. The D-rank missions weren't going to enhance their combat skills, so I wasn't depriving them of anything in that aspect. All their growth came from training with Asuma Sensei.'

As they chatted, four figures, one noticeably taller than the others, appeared in the distance.

'Team 7.'

As the group approached, Shikamaru and Ino recognized them. "Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sasuke?!" Ino exclaimed, her voice rising with excitement.

Ino dashed over to Sasuke's side, attempting to charm him, while Naruto engaged Shikamaru in conversation.

Kakashi, who had been idly watching his team mingle, noticed Goro standing silently to the side.

'His shirt covers it, but he's extremely well-built,' Kakashi thought, assessing Goro with a sharp gaze.

Sensing the scrutiny, Goro turned toward the source. "Kakashi the Copycat Ninja. It's a pleasure," he said, meeting Kakashi's eyes directly. Kakashi flinched at the mention of his alias, not expecting a young ninja to know of it.

"What's your name?" Kakashi asked, intrigued by the confident youth.

"Goro Obachi," Goro replied with a smile.

Their exchange was cut short by the commotion of a squabble between Ino and Sakura.

"That's enough, Sakura. We need to go in," Kakashi instructed, leading the way inside.

"Come on, Sasuke, let's go," Sakura said, following Kakashi into the building and turning back to stick her tongue out at Ino.

Fuming, Ino turned to Shikamaru. "I hate her! She thinks she'll win, but she's nowhere near as pretty as I am! Is she?!" Ino demanded, seeking approval from Shikamaru.

"This is why I dislike women…" Shikamaru thought.

Amidst Ino's fuss, two more figures appeared in the distance—it was Choji and Asuma.

"We've already wasted enough time. Everyone, get inside," Asuma said, walking past his students, with Choji right behind him.

"It's your fault we're late!" Ino exclaimed, still furious from the previous event.

Without turning back, Asuma replied, "Choji was having trouble deciding which flavor of chips he wanted. Without me, we would've arrived even later."

Inside, the Hokage's office was filled with the sound of an argument between the Hokage and Naruto.

"I said I'm tired of D-rank missions!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto, for the 100th time, that mission has already been taken," Hiruzen rebutted.

Naruto, ready to argue again, was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Team 10 entered the room.

"What's all the trouble about?" Asuma queried.

"Oh, Asuma, Naruto is upset because he cannot get a C-rank mission," Iruka answered.

Stepping forward, Ino pointed to herself. "That's because we've taken it. Team 7 would've gotten it if Sasuke had capable teammates," she mocked.

Sakura growled at Ino upon hearing her remark.

'We need Team 7 for this mission. It'll be much easier that way.'

"What's wrong with having two teams? The village isn't currently lacking shinobi. I do understand that taking two Jonin sensei may be a bit costly, so we could just take one," Goro suggested.

"Yeah, yeah! What he said!" Naruto agreed, nodding aggressively.

Hiruzen sat still for a moment, pondering Goro's proposal. 'This child… He has a lot of insight. Who is he? I don't think I've heard of him. I usually hear about any outstanding students,' Hiruzen wondered.

"Fine. The Jonin accompanying you on this mission will be Kakashi. Your task is to escort a bridge builder to the Land of Waves so he can complete the bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire," Hiruzen agreed, gesturing for Iruka to bring Tazuna in.

'Step one complete.'

A drunk old man entered the room, scanning the room that was meant to hold his escorts.

"These snot-nosed brats are meant to escort me?! Especially that midget with the face of an imbecile and the white-haired brat who looks like a convict!" Tazuna complained, his irritation clear.

'White-haired brat that looks like a convict? This old man has some sharp perception skills, haha.'

"Haha! He called you a convict! But who's the midget imbecile?... I'll kill you!" Naruto yelled, enraged, ready to attack the builder. Kakashi restrained Naruto, preventing him from acting on his anger.

"Naruto, we're supposed to protect the bridge builder, not kill him," Kakashi sighed.

"I've given you the basic details. Kakashi, stay behind; I'll explain the more intricate details. Everyone else is dismissed!" Hiruzen announced. Asuma was the first to exit, followed by Goro and the rest of Team 10 and Team 7.

Hiruzen sighed, reclining in his seat and collecting his thoughts for a moment. "Iruka, how have I never heard of that boy?" Hiruzen asked, his gaze distant.

"Lord Hokage… you see, it's quite complicated… He wasn't like that in the academy," Iruka stuttered, feeling the pressure.

Kakashi raised his hand and interrupted. "Forgive my interruption, Lord 3rd, but it's hard to believe that a child with the physique of someone who's been training for years would have gone unnoticed."

Hiruzen waved his hand, dismissing the topic and instead focused on giving Kakashi the details for the mission.

Reminder: We've reached our goal, so you guys will get a double release next Monday. New target is to get the story to 150 powerstones by Sunday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones. New goal 150 powerstones!