Chapter 22: The Start of the Mission!

In the sealed space, the bored Nine-Tails was lying on the ground, watching two small insects in front of it practicing. Compared to the immense size of the Nine-Tails, even his sharpest fangs were much smaller than Naruto. Both Minato and Naruto were truly like tiny insects in front of the Nine-Tails.

Smack!

Clash!

The shadows of the two quickly collided and separated, leaping several times on the surrounding walls before colliding again. The intense collision of fists echoed through the air.

"Naruto, did something good happen?" Minato caught Naruto's fist and asked with a smile. He could sense the excitement and joy emanating from Naruto's fist.

"Dad, listen to me. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving the village on a mission," Naruto replied with a smile, but his attacking movements didn't stop. If his hand was blocked, he would kick Minato instead.

"Is that so? It's probably a C-rank escort mission. Do your best," Minato said, skillfully evading Naruto's attacks. Although Naruto was a bit clumsy, he worked harder than anyone in his training. Minato patiently taught him some physical techniques and hasn't scolded Naruto since.

"Yeah! Let's take a break."

"By the way, Nine-Tails, you said before that you can leave my body once I leave the village. Are you going to leave?" Naruto sat down beside the Nine-Tails, leaning against its body. The soft fox fur was more comfortable than a sofa, and as the Nine-Tails was a concentration of chakra, it could also help Naruto recover his strength.

"Of course, I will leave. But I also said that our fates are intertwined. If I leave you, I won't die, but as for you..." The massive eyeball, larger than Naruto's body, rolled slightly as the Nine-Tails stared at Naruto and sneered.

"Huh? Will I die? Will I? No, I don't want to die! I can't bear to leave Hinata!" Naruto was greatly shocked, holding his head and wailing. Just the thought of leaving Hinata made him unable to hold back his tears.

"Don't cry, Naruto. The Nine-Tails was lying to you," Minato comforted him, patting Naruto's head and giving the Nine-Tails a stern look.

"But I also want to let the Nine-Tails see the outside world. Isn't it boring to stay in this corner all the time? But I don't want to die either..."

"I don't need pity from a little brat like you, hmph," Naruto's sincere words reached the Nine-Tails' ears. Even the non-existent heart that had been sealed and exploited for thousands of years showed a crack. The Nine-Tails extended its massive paw and lightly tapped Naruto's forehead, watching his body fly away with a cold snort.

...

The outskirts of Konoha are covered by an ancient forest, where numerous towering trees gather, creating a solemn and mysterious atmosphere. It is within this forest that Konoha has thrived, and compared to the other four great nations, the Land of Fire occupies the best location on this continent.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you think we'll encounter anything scary?" Facing the vast expanse of the forest, Sakura approached Sasuke with a hint of fear. She had always been warned by adults not to leave the village, and this was her first time venturing outside.

"What do you mean by scary things? Poisonous snakes, insects, or the darkness within people's hearts?" Kakashi's eyes glanced at the water puddles in the middle of the path, hinting at something.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Don't worry, there are no ninjas in the Land of Waves. This journey will be peaceful, and you should be able to handle ordinary thieves."

"Are there any other ninja nations in the world?"

"Well, ninjas are a military force used to maintain balance among nations. Small island nations like the Land of Waves don't need ninjas, and they can't afford to cultivate them either."

"When it comes to ninjas, the most powerful ones are the Five Great Nations. Only these countries have individuals known as Kage, who are the strongest among all the ninjas in the world."

"Is the Third Hokage really that powerful?"

Naruto began to doubt Kakashi's words since he had defeated the old man twice.

"Naruto, don't you think the Third Hokage is strong?"

"I defeated him both times by myself. Does that mean I've already surpassed the Hokage?"

"He was probably just playing with you, more or less."

Kakashi's helplessness was evident. No one before Naruto had ever used transformation jutsu in such a perverted way. It might even have an unusual effect on some straight men.

As Naruto passed the water puddles, his footsteps paused for a moment. He looked around in confusion but continued walking when he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Kakashi also slowed down, walking at the back of the group.

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, a ninja wearing a gas mask emerged from the water puddles. It wasn't just one; after the first one appeared, another one in the same attire jumped out and swung the chains in their hands, tearing Kakashi's body into pieces.

"Yaaah!"

Witnessing Kakashi being torn apart, Sakura screamed in shock. In that instant, the two assassins pounced toward Naruto and Sasuke.

"Gotcha!"

Seeing Naruto frozen in fear, one of the assassins rejoiced. However, with a loud thud, the chains that were binding Naruto's body were shattered, and in front of the assassin, Naruto had turned into a wooden stump.

"Old man, your killing intent is too strong."

Naruto's voice, like a devil's whisper, echoed in the assassin's ear. In an instant, Naruto appeared behind him and kicked the back of his head, sending him flying with his equipment.

The other assassin, who targeted Sasuke, also failed. He threw the chain like a serpent toward Sasuke, who took out a kunai and used it to hit the weak spot in the chain, causing it to break. He then threw a shuriken, nailing it into a tree.

Realizing that he couldn't retrieve the chain, the assassin abandoned it and attacked Sasuke with the claw on his mechanical glove.

"Seeking death!"

Sasuke's gaze turned cold. Calmly, he evaded the assassin's claws that were coming at him, then exerted force with his back leg, clenched his fist tightly, and leaped like a fierce tiger, landing a punch on the assassin's chin.

"Damn it!"

The assassin gave up attacking Sasuke and turned to run toward Tazuna, who was behind Sakura. The other assassin, who had been kicked by Naruto, followed suit and charged at Tazuna as well.

"Tazuna-san, stay behind me!"

Sakura realized they had changed targets and quickly took out a kunai, shielding Tazuna behind her. Despite her trembling legs, she didn't leave her protected target.

"The game ends here."

In an instant, everyone saw what had happened. The two assassins, being held by Kakashi's arms around their necks, collided with each other and fainted.

"So, this is a Jōnin?"

Sasuke knew those two assassins weren't his match, but for them to be dealt with so easily by Kakashi, he couldn't help but look at him with fiery eyes. This Jōnin was no ordinary person.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're not dead!"

Excitedly, Sakura exclaimed and instinctively looked at the torn remains of Kakashi's body, only to see a pile of rotten wood.

"Sorry for scaring you. I can handle these two anytime. I just wanted to see who their real target was. Once they realized they weren't a match, they immediately redirected their attention to the true target... right, Mr. Tazuna?"

Kakashi approached the petrified Tazuna and stared at him with an unfriendly gaze.

"Oh, Naruto, you're quite strong."

"I thought you would be scared and unable to move."

"I'm particularly sensitive to killing intent, so I was prepared from the beginning."

Naruto confidently rubbed his nose. Under the Nine-Tails' training, he had developed the ability to sense even the slightest hint of killing intent from well-trained shinobi and react accordingly.

"Mr. Tazuna, C-rank missions don't involve shinobi. I've said it many times before. Now my students are looking at me with distrust. Can you explain?"

"Huh, I did lie about the mission rank. The Land of Waves is a small country we're poor. We can't afford the high cost of a mission."

Tazuna sighed. There was no point in hiding it any longer, so he admitted to his lie.

"Well, the mission is to protect you until the bridge is completed. That means there will be more shinobi attacks afterward, right?"

"That's correct. Have you heard of Gato?"

"Gato? The wealthy man who's one of the richest in the world?"

"A wealthy man richer than the Hyuga clan?"

Naruto, who was sensitive to money matters, asked with a gleam in his eyes, only to be struck on the head by Kakashi's hand.

"He operates shipping on the surface, but in reality, he profits from selling drugs and contraband through shinobi and the underworld. He has even engaged in acts of aggression against nations. That guy set his sights on the Land of Waves a year ago. He used his financial and violent power to instantly take control of the Land of Waves' shipping. For an island nation, shipping is its lifeline. The only thing that he fears is the cross-sea bridge that is currently under construction. Once the bridge is completed, the Land of Waves will have a glimmer of hope."

"I see. Although I sympathize with your situation, B-rank missions are beyond our scope. Let's get ready to return to the village."

"Hmph! Hahaha! I knew you shinobi are heartless creatures who only care about money. I'll go alone then. If I die, only my eight-year-old grandson will mourn me, and my poor daughter, who lost her husband, will hate Konoha for the rest of her life. Just go!"

Tazuna forced a smile and turned around, setting off on his lonely journey.

"... What do you all think?"

Kakashi abruptly stopped in his tracks. He knew that the old man was trying to take advantage of his age, but what he said made sense. If they just left, it would be abandoning someone to their death. Kakashi, who hadn't realized the presence of a big boss up ahead, decided to consult with his Team 7.

"Let's go. I told Hinata I'd bring back a gift. Should I bring her a leaf now?"

"Let's go. I want stronger opponents."

"If Sasuke is going, then I..."

"Alright, let's continue the mission!"

Kakashi nodded. However, he noticed Naruto walking toward the two assassins who had been knocked unconscious and bound to a tree trunk by Kakashi. They had now regained consciousness.

"Naruto, what are you...?"

Before Kakashi could finish his sentence, his eyes widened. Without hesitation, Naruto used a kunai to slit the throat of one of the assassins. Within seconds of experiencing pain, the assassin lowered his head.

"Huh? Kakashi-sensei, do you plan on sparing them?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi with a puzzled expression as he approached the other assassin.

"It's not that I planned on sparing them, but I didn't expect you to take action so soon."

Kakashi also knew that leaving them alive in this situation would only cause trouble for himself. He had planned to take care of them after they left, but Naruto was more proactive.

"Huh, didn't your teacher teach you that leaving survivors during a mission is irresponsible to your team?"

"Shut up, Naruto. I don't need you to lecture me. I just didn't think you would come into contact with this so early. Just show some consideration for girls once in a while."

Kakashi couldn't see any hesitation or remorse in Naruto's eyes. It was as if he had been accustomed to killing since childhood, but it wasn't the feeling of a murderer. It was more like he was killing to protect something.

"Give it to me!"

Sasuke, who didn't expect Naruto to be capable of killing, clenched his teeth and snatched the kunai from his hand. He hesitated for only a few seconds while looking at the bound assassin before slashing his throat, ending his life.

"Are you alright, Sasuke? It's your first time killing, right?"

"How would you know? I've already become accustomed to killing."

"Only someone who kills for the first time will have trembling hands and get blood on themselves."

Kakashi explained. Sasuke had a good mental resilience; aside from a slight tremor in his hands, his expression remained unchanged. It was only his clothes that were stained with the blood that had sprayed out.

Naruto was different. This kid already knew which direction the blood would spray and didn't have a drop on him. Kakashi began to doubt if the way he grew up was somehow abnormal.

"Sasuke, are you alright?"

Only then did Sakura react. As a shinobi, she knew that this was something they had to go through. She tried not to look at the two bodies and handed a handkerchief to Sasuke.

"Sakura, my path will be filled with bloodshed. If you can handle it, then maybe I'll consider letting you tag along."

Sasuke took the handkerchief and wiped a few times before returning it to Sakura. Feeling the bloody smell on his body, he coldly spoke. He knew that Sakura liked him, but any unnecessary emotions on the path of revenge would only become obstacles.

"Whet-, whatever. I'll, I'll follow you!"

Looking at her favorite handkerchief, Sakura hesitated for a moment but still held it tightly in her hand. She followed in Sasuke's footsteps.