Chapter 59

At the village entrance, the team 7, having made all preparations, was ready to depart. Tazuna, however, was still drinking.

"Kakashi, if this guy falls to his death because he was drunk on the road, will our mission be considered a failure?" Kazuki's cold tone made Tazuna feel as though the wine in his mouth had turned to ice.

Kakashi, noticing his client's unease, felt slightly embarrassed. He pulled Kazuki aside and apologized to Tazuna, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. He's still a newcomer to missions, so please don't mind his words."

Feeling supported by the jounin in front of him, Tazuna was about to lose his temper and scold Kazuki. But when his eyes met Kazuki's, the cold and biting sensation intensified.

It was then that he realized it wasn't the wine that was cold; it was the blood in his veins!

Why did this teenager give off the feeling of staring down a dangerous beast?

"No…it's okay." Tazuna took another swig of his wine to calm his nerves, leaving all thoughts of reproach behind.

Kakashi could see that Tazuna hadn't truly let go of his resentment. The pressure from his dangerous disciple was too much.

Recalling what the Third Hokage had told him, Kakashi sighed helplessly.

The Third Hokage was counting on this mission to establish a connection with the Land of Waves. If they left a bad impression on the client, all would be for naught.

In past missions, they had taught Kazuki and the others how to handle threats or swiftly complete various tasks but had forgotten to instill the importance of respecting their clients!

What kind of bodyguard threatens their employer?

Kakashi looked rather helplessly at Kazuki and Sasuke.

Sakura was easy to teach, but these two would be difficult to mold properly.

It was simply impossible for these two hot-headed individuals to charm the client.

With no way to force an apology from Kazuki, Kakashi could only lead the group onward.

He would have to try to impress Tazuna with their abilities during the mission.

For example, by showcasing their strength!

After all, being protected by a team of ninjas with three Jounin-level members and one Chuunin for at least a month was worth far more than the 60,000 ryo Tazuna had offered—600,000 ryo would be more appropriate!

Kakashi resolved to protect Tazuna for the month!

They continued on in silence,

Walking the path that led from Konoha to the Land of Waves, surrounded by dense jungle.

The sun was shining brightly, but a puddle lay on the ground ahead, as if left by a recent rainstorm.

However, anyone with keen observational skills would notice something strange about this puddle.

It hadn't rained in the past few days, there was no nearby water source, and this was the only puddle on the kilometer-long road.

Nothing about it seemed right.

Kakashi stepped over the puddle as if he hadn't noticed it.

Then Sasuke stepped on it.

Sasuke didn't ignore the puddle. He glanced at it briefly, then at Kakashi and Kazuki. Seeing they were unconcerned, he didn't react.

Tazuna saw the puddle pass by without understanding why it was there.

He didn't want to dirty his last pair of clean shoes.

Then Sakura stepped on it,

She didn't notice anything strange, so she stomped down hard, causing water to splash everywhere.

Kazuki, bringing up the rear, also ignored it and stepped on it as though he hadn't seen it.

As a time traveler, he knew two ninjas skilled in Water Release were hidden in the puddle.

But he also knew Kakashi had his own plans, so he didn't interfere.

However, when he stepped on the water, he did so with force, imagining the ripples of pain it caused.

When they had all passed by,

The two ghost brothers hiding in the puddle emerged.

In a twist of irony, one of them sported a small bump on his head.

"Damn brat, you stepped so hard on the water. I'll kill him first!" the younger brother said viciously.

"No, we need to kill the Jounin at the front first to avoid failing the mission," the older brother, who hadn't been stepped on, responded rationally.

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