"What's this? Just a bunch of kids?"
In the mission assignment hall of the Hokage Building, Tazuna, reeking of cheap sake, looked at the group before him with undisguised disdain.
"I'm a super-expert bridge builder," he slurred, gesturing grandly. "While I'm back in my country building the bridge, you kids will have to protect me with your lives." As if to punctuate the statement, he took another long swig from his bottle.
"Ugh, he's a drunkard just like Naruto," Sakura Haruno muttered. The initial joy she felt at receiving their first C-rank mission instantly curdled into disgust.
"Now, now, I'm completely different from this old man," Naruto Uzumaki retorted, waving his hand dismissively. "Even I wouldn't drink sake that cheap."
"Is that what you're upset about?!" Sakura shouted back, exasperated.
Beside them, Sasuke Uchiha covered his face with his hand, a feeling of bleak resignation settling over him. It was a sentiment the client, Tazuna, clearly shared.
Sigh, if only I could afford Chunin, I wouldn't have to rely on these little brats... he grumbled to himself.
The Third Hokage, who had been observing the entire scene, silently lowered the brim of his hat. He had intended this mission to be a crucible for Team 7—a chance to hone their skills and, more importantly, to continue testing Naruto. He had witnessed the boy's radical training regimen with his grandson, Konohamaru; the change was so profound it bordered on impossible. If he hadn't confirmed multiple times that Naruto was still himself, he would have been forced to let the ANBU take him into custody.
What was strange, however, was Danzo's silence. The man had vanished, and not even the Hokage's network could locate him. It was a welcome respite; without the war hawk buzzing in his ear, Hiruzen found his mood had improved considerably.
Although Tazuna still had no confidence in the team, his lack of funds left him no choice but to set off with them. The group packed their gear and departed through the great gates of Konoha.
"Whoa, so this is what it's like outside?" Naruto mused, taking a slow sip from his own gourd as his eyes scanned the sprawling landscape beyond the village walls.
Hearing this, Tazuna spat out the sake in his mouth. After a series of hacking coughs, he wiped his lips. "Hey, hey, you..." He had wanted to say, You brat, have you never even left the village before? But when he met Naruto's calm, steady gaze, he silently swallowed his words.
Whatever. I won't bother with him.
Naruto just smiled, unfazed.
Because they were traveling with a civilian, their pace was slow. After walking for most of the day, they were still deep within the forests of the Land of Fire. The sun was hot, and Naruto was thankful for the cool, loose-fitting yukata he wore, unlike Kakashi and Tazuna, who were covered from head to toe.
After passing a large puddle on the road, the group continued forward, oblivious. From that same puddle, two figures wearing the headbands of the Hidden Mist slowly emerged, their chakra perfectly suppressed. They were the Demon Brothers, Chunin assassins known for their deadly combination attacks.
Looking at the group's backs, they immediately chose their first target: the Jonin leader, Kakashi Hatake, who seemed completely unaware of their presence.
One of them launched himself into the air, landing silently in front of Kakashi. The bladed chain connecting the two brothers uncoiled, wrapping around the Jonin's body. As they both pulled taut, Kakashi's form was instantly shredded, falling to the ground in bloody pieces.
"Ah!" Sakura screamed, her mind unable to process the sudden violence. Tazuna's face went deathly pale. If even their leader was killed so effortlessly, his own survival seemed impossible.
Beside them, Sasuke's expression turned grim, but a flicker of understanding in his eyes revealed he was unfazed by Kakashi's "death."
Naruto was even more relaxed, calmly taking another sip from his gourd as if he were merely a spectator at a moderately interesting play.
"The second one!"
The Demon Brothers flashed behind Naruto, intending to repeat the same move. But Sasuke reacted instantly, a kunai and shuriken flying from his hand to pin the chain securely to a nearby tree. Caught by their own weapon, the brothers exchanged a look and activated a hidden mechanism. The chains detached from their gauntlets, and they charged, splitting their attack.
Let's see you block this!
Their poison-laced claws aimed for the seemingly defenseless Naruto and the terrified bridge builder. Naruto still hadn't lowered his sake gourd, his attention apparently elsewhere. However, if one were to look closely, they would see that his eyes were focused intently on Sakura.
The assassins were fast. Even Sasuke couldn't react in time to cover both targets. He watched in horror as one of the metal claws shot towards Tazuna.
"Old man, get back!"
Though terrified, Sakura remembered her duty. With trembling hands, she stood protectively in front of Tazuna, a kunai held in a shaky defensive grip. Seeing this, a faint smile of admiration touched Naruto's lips. Courage in a critical moment, huh? Not bad.
"Where are you looking!" Meizu, the older brother, snarled, angered by Naruto's dismissive expression.
CLANG!
His claw was caught in Naruto's hand.
Fool! My weapon is coated with a deadly poison! Though his arm was trapped, Meizu wasn't panicked. He flexed a finger hidden beneath the gauntlet, triggering a mechanism to spring several hidden blades.
"You talk too much," Naruto said, his voice flat. Having witnessed the growth of his young teammate, he was in a surprisingly good mood.
CRACK!
The metal gauntlet, the hidden blades, and the arm within were instantly crushed by an immense force, collapsing into a horrifying pulp of blood and twisted metal.
"Aaaargh!!"
Meizu screamed, a sound of pure agony. Fortunately for him, Naruto was kind-hearted and didn't prolong the suffering. He released his grip, formed a fist, and punched clean through the man's chest.
The spray of blood seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, not a single drop staining Naruto's clothes, though it splattered across the other ninja's face. Feeling the warm blood of his brother and seeing the lifeless corpse fall, the surviving assassin instantly broke, turning to flee in a blind panic.
Just then, Kakashi finally appeared, knocking the man unconscious with a single, precise chop to the neck.
"Ah—Naruto, you..." Kakashi sighed, his gaze moving from the gaping hole in the dead ninja's chest to the shocked faces of Sasuke and Sakura. A headache was already beginning to throb behind his eye. "You really... went too far."
"Ah, sorry, sorry," Naruto said apologetically, scratching his head as if he'd just made a minor miscalculation. "I'll be more careful next time."
But after the blood dried, one thing was certain: no one present would ever see him as the foolish, grinning boy from the Academy again.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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