"Ugh—damn Naruto!"
A single Wind Release: Great Breakthrough not only dealt with the bandits who were still resisting, but almost buried Sasuke alive inside the cave.
Hagoromo flashed into the cave, and upon seeing Sasuke, she helplessly rubbed her forehead.
However, these bandits themselves mostly dealt with their problems inside the caves.
Naruto's Wind Release technique has filled the entire cave with that smell.
Knowing he had made a mistake, Naruto scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
Sasuke flashed to Naruto's side, gave Naruto a disdainful look, and said:
"Tie these guys up yourself."
After saying that, he walked straight out of the cave without looking back.
Hagoromo flicked Naruto on the forehead and said, "Sasuke is right, Naruto."
This kid, if you're not careful, he'll solve problems or create problems in unexpected ways.
Hagoromo shook her head. Since these bandits had already lost the power to resist, she decided to let Naruto experience what it was like to work under these conditions.
He stepped out of the cave and waved to Hinata, who wanted to go in and help.
Sasuke, who was standing to the side, took a few breaths and looked towards the cave, wondering if he had spoken too harshly.
Before long, the bandits were trapped in a line and led out by Naruto at the front.
Upon seeing Sasuke and Hagoromo, he immediately said embarrassedly, "Hehe, teacher, Sasuke, I didn't mean to."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Dead Last, they have no idea what their caves are like inside."
"You're not even taking the most basic precautions; be careful you don't get infected."
Upon hearing this, Naruto turned pale with fright. "Whoa! Hinata, quickly check if it's true!"
Seeing Naruto's expression, Hinata blushed slightly and whispered, "Actually... with Naruto-kun's physical condition, he wouldn't be easily infected."
Hagoromo looked at the three disciples in front of her, especially Naruto, that clown, and said with a hint of helplessness:
"Naruto, learn from this lesson next time. Sometimes, you need to consider the location when using certain Ninjutsu."
"Hehe, I understand, teacher." Naruto scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. "I'll definitely pay attention next time."
"Dead Last, if it happens again I'll definitely beat you up!" Sasuke, pursing his lips.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Naruto didn't retort, but simply kept nodding.
Looking at the noisy Naruto and the disgusted Sasuke, as well as Hinata who kept trying to persuade the two of them, Hagoromo sighed.
"Alright, Naruto, quickly hand them over to the personnel here for processing."
"Also, when you get back, you have to walk around the village with Sasuke —consider it punishment for your mistake this time."
"Huh?!" Naruto stared at Hagoromo in shock, while Sasuke beside him curled up his lips.
This kind of punishment was the most painful for Naruto, and it was also the one that would teach him the most lessons.
The client was a well-known merchant in the area and the head of several nearby villages and towns, so the Hagoromo Squad simply handed over the remaining bandits to him.
As for what to do next, that's not something Hagoromo and the others care about.
The client was also surprised by the time it took Hagoromo and the others to complete the mission, and prepared some gifts to see them off.
On the way back to the village, Naruto realized that he had probably killed someone this time as well.
After feeling secretly upset for a while, Naruto smugly went to find Sasuke.
"You cocky Sasuke, I took care of several of them!"
"Don't talk like I was watching." Sasuke rolled his eyes; Naruto only dealt with those few people because there were just too many of them.
One could easily have gone too far if they weren't careful, but he did indeed kill two leaders.
"No, not really, but it doesn't feel any different." Naruto walked unsteadily down the road, his head resting on his hands.
If they hadn't all noticed Naruto strangely just now, they would have actually believed what he said.
"Don't forget, after we return to the village and complete the mission, you'll need to walk around the village with me."
Sasuke, naturally, wouldn't let Naruto gloat for long, and said in a rather annoyed tone.
"Don't remind me of that~ I don't want to have to think about how embarrassing I'll be before I go back to the village." Naruto looked dejected.
I wish I could travel back in time and give that version of myself a good beating.
What were I thinking at the time? How could I have done that?
Hagoromo walked at the very back, watching the exchange between the disciples with a light chuckle.
The journey back to the village was peaceful as always, and no one dared to cause trouble.
After delivering the mission at the Hokage Building, Hagoromo looked up at the sky and said, "Let's all go back now. Training Amaterasu."
Although this mission didn't require facing ninjas, the journey itself was enough to leave Naruto and Sasuke somewhat exhausted.
"Oh, right, you two remember this before you come to the training ground tomorrow."
As if remembering something, Hagoromo glanced at Naruto and Sasuke and said, "Keep an eye on each other~"
Naruto and Sasuke's expressions froze. They exchanged a glance and then nodded to Hagoromo.
Hinata covered her mouth and chuckled, then said goodbye to Hagoromo and Sasuke before heading home with Naruto.
Hagoromo Yi turned around and walked back to the Hokage Building; the old man had been asking her to go and help him for some time now.
Seeing Hagoromo walk into the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up with a smile on his face.
"Sit down, old man. I've been busy all day, my back feels like it doesn't belong to me anymore."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he clutched his lower back, as if it were a genuine fact.
Hagoromo Yi reluctantly sat down at the table, looking at the few documents she hadn't processed.
Well, after he started helping out, Hiruzen Sarutobi also learned to slack off.
Leave the non-urgent documents aside and deal with them when you get here.
"By the way, how are Naruto and the others?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked as soon as he finished making tea on the sofa.
"It's alright. This mission was decided and carried out by them themselves, even though it's just a mission for bandits."
Hagoromo nodded.
"That's good. Only ninjas who have seen blood can be considered true ninjas."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in agreement. Although Naruto were only ten years old, being a ninja meant facing these kinds of challenges.
"Yes, I'll oversee their rapid growth in the subsequent tasks," Hagoromo said while flipping through the documents.
"Okay, you can arrange it." Hiruzen Sarutobi his teacup and slowly blew on the rising steam.
He trusted Hagoromo to take care of Naruto, after all, Naruto and his friends' strength was now undeniable.