The Land of Waves Mission Arrives

In the end, Naruto was the one who dragged Wu Liang away. Kakashi had utterly lost face at the mission assignment desk, but there was nothing he could do. Who told him he had ended up with a class like this?

It took the whole morning for Wu Liang's anger to finally subside. He called Naruto aside and taught him the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, which Wu Liang had copied from the Sealing Scroll before. Of course, he had obtained the Third Hokage's permission. Wu Liang had wanted to see the other techniques further down the scroll, but no matter how he flipped through it, he could not see them. They had probably been sealed away. The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was the only one he could see.

Of course, Wu Liang would never admit that he taught it to Naruto because he wanted to slack off and have Naruto create several hundred shadow clones to pick up trash, leaving himself more time to train.

Kakashi crouched atop a large tree by the river, watching Naruto create hundreds of shadow clones to fish trash out of the water. Sasuke was off to the side teaching Sakura how to climb trees and walk on water, while Wu Liang practiced swordsmanship nearby. Kakashi covered his forehead and silently mourned for Naruto for three seconds. Yet Naruto was actually enjoying himself, because Wu Liang had told him that if he got good at using Chakra to walk on water and pull up trash, his Chakra control would improve.

How should he put it? Naruto was having an absolute blast, anyway.

"Hey, Ryo Senju, is it really okay to teach such a dangerous technique to Naruto?" Kakashi asked with dead-fish eyes.

Hearing that, Wu Liang stopped training and said, "Why wouldn't it be? I think this technique suits Naruto well. He has a huge amount of Chakra, but he can't control it properly. Teaching him this will let him master his own Chakra faster and better, won't it?"

"That's true, but it also seems to have something to do with the fact that he hasn't mastered many Ninjutsu," Kakashi said, stroking his chin.

"Yeah. He only knows a few C-rank Ninjutsu, like Wind Cutter, Wind Blade, and Wind Slash Wave. The only more advanced one he has is Great Breakthrough. It can't be helped—I don't have Wind-nature Chakra, and the Wind Release Naruto uses was left behind by my father. Aren't you known as the Copy Ninja? Why don't you teach him?" With that, Wu Liang ignored Kakashi. He was only saying it casually, anyway. He knew that even if Kakashi had Wind Release Ninjutsu, he would not readily teach them to Naruto.

Sure enough, Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh... I'm not familiar with Wind Release."

Indeed, although Kakashi was said to have mastered over a thousand Ninjutsu aside from bloodline abilities, that did not mean he was skilled enough to teach all of them.

Not long after Wu Liang began training, Sakura Haruno shyly sidled over again. Blushing furiously, she said awkwardly, "Um, Ryo Senju, Sasuke said your Medical Ninjutsu is outstanding. I'm mediocre in every area, and Sasuke suggested that I learn Medical Ninjutsu from you. Could you teach me?"

"Mm?"

Wu Liang gave Uchiha Sasuke, who was not far away, a puzzled glance. Then he looked at the embarrassed Sakura Haruno and said, "It's not that I can't teach you, but... how should I put this? Learning Medical Ninjutsu requires strong Chakra control and the corresponding medical knowledge. Do you understand things like human anatomy? Can you understand histology and cell biology? You'll also need to study the human circulatory system, the immune system, and many other things. Are you sure you want to learn?"

Wu Liang was not trying to frighten Sakura Haruno with empty threats. Learning Medical Ninjutsu really did require the relevant medical knowledge. Back then, Wu Liang had only learned so quickly because he found the Medical Ninjutsu insights and medical notes his mother had left behind.

"Ah, I have to learn that much? Then how long would it take to master everything?" Sakura Haruno was obviously frightened and began to hesitate. "Is there some shortcut to learn it quickly?"

Wu Liang stared at Sakura Haruno. In the original story, she had ultimately chosen the path of a medical ninja. She had also met a good teacher, become Tsunade's disciple, and achieved impressive results.

Wu Liang kept looking at her until she felt uneasy and was about to back down. Then he spoke. "There is indeed a shortcut."

Wu Liang took out two sealing scrolls from his ninja tool pouch and tossed them to Sakura Haruno. "These are the Medical Ninjutsu training insights and medical study notes my mother left behind. What's recorded inside can help a beginner quickly grasp medical knowledge and the foundations of Medical Ninjutsu. As for whether you can understand it, and how much you can learn, that depends on you."

Sakura Haruno looked at the sealing scrolls in her hands, then looked at Wu Liang with a complicated expression. "Ryo Senju, I formally apologize to you here. I slandered and excluded you like that, yet you're willing to put aside the past and give me such important medical knowledge. I..."

"Enough. I need to train. Go somewhere else and stop getting in my way." Seeing Sakura like this made Wu Liang feel rather unaccustomed to it, so he could only coldly send her away.

Sakura Haruno froze at Wu Liang's attitude. Once she came to her senses, she bowed to him happily. "Thank you. Then I won't disturb your training. I'm leaving."

For several days in a row, Team 7 did the most rubbish missions possible, and they always took on the most troublesome ones. Whether it was catching cats, finding dogs, helping villagers cut grass, or anything else, Naruto complained endlessly. Naturally, aside from finding things, Naruto did all the other missions himself. Wu Liang, Sasuke, and Sakura Haruno trained and studied off to the side, without the slightest intention of helping him.

After they had just finished helping a villager clear weeds, Naruto could not help lying flat on the ground as he looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, why am I the only one doing all these missions while they don't have to? I'm really exhausted!"

Kakashi put down the Make-Out Paradise in his hands and looked at Naruto with dead-fish eyes. "Naruto, feel your strength right now. Then feel your control over your Chakra. Hasn't it improved a lot compared to before?"

Hearing that, Naruto quickly sat cross-legged and sensed his own Chakra for a while. He was immediately delighted. "Hehehe, why has my Chakra become so huge? And I feel like I can control much more of it now!"

Kakashi reopened Make-Out Paradise and said, "Now do you understand? Among the four of you, Ryo Senju has the best Chakra control, followed by Sasuke. Even Sakura Haruno, who started last, has caught up to you. Tell me, if this opportunity to train through missions isn't left to you, who should it be left to?"

As soon as Naruto heard Kakashi say that, he was instantly moved. "A Liang really thought this through! And Sasuke and Sakura too—they really are my good friends! They even left such a great training opportunity for me! I'm so touched! Boohoohoo~~"

"No, there are still two streets I haven't swept! I have to go finish them first. Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei! I'm going to keep doing missions!"

After saying that, Naruto grabbed his broom and ran toward the streets without looking back, leaving Kakashi completely stunned. As expected, Ryo Senju understands Naruto best. Whenever Naruto complains about being tired from missions or something, just follow what Ryo Senju said and trick him a little. That guy immediately becomes full of energy and motivation.

This continued for over a month, until Kakashi received a mission: help Lady Shizimi, the wife of the Land of Fire's daimyo, find her missing pet cat, Little Tiger.

"All right, the mission has been accepted. Next, we just need to help Lady Shizimi find her missing pet cat, Little Tiger. Naruto, this mission is yours," Kakashi said, holding the mission form as he looked at Naruto. "Can you complete it? If not, I'll have Ryo Senju and the others help you."

Naruto had looked unwilling at first, but the moment he heard Kakashi suggest that he could not do it, he immediately exploded. "Huh?! Kakashi-sensei, how can a man say he can't do it? I definitely can! Leave it to me!"

The corners of Kakashi's mouth curled up slightly. "Then the mission is yours. Here is Little Tiger's photo and the mission information. Little Tiger was last seen in the small woods beside the street near Training Ground 3. Go."

Naruto took the mission form and formed hand seals with both hands. "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Poof, poof, poof, poof~"

In an instant, over a hundred Narutos appeared in the street. Holding the mission form, Naruto looked at his shadow clones and said, "All right, I'm counting on everyone. Go!"

With that, the hundred-plus Narutos, including the original, all headed for the mission location. Only Wu Liang and the others were left behind, along with a dumbfounded Sakura. "Isn't Naruto cheating too much? Doesn't he get tired? If I make just a few more shadow clones, I'm exhausted enough to collapse. But he creates hundreds every time. Is his Chakra endless?"

"All right, disperse. Naruto should finish the mission before noon. Let's gather here again at eleven," Kakashi said before turning and leaving.

Wu Liang watched everyone depart and thought, After the daimyo's wife's mission, it should be Naruto's final limit, right? After all, he's been doing so many rubbish missions for an entire month. It's time to take on a more advanced mission. I just don't know whether we'll go to the Land of Waves like in the original story.

Now that I think about it, I've been in this world for so long, but I've never even left Konoha Village. I don't know what the outside world is really like.

Wu Liang wandered aimlessly through the streets, buying and tasting anything delicious he came across. When he was about to return home, he happened to run into Hinata and the others returning from a mission. After greeting them, Wu Liang went back inside and continued refining Chakra.

It was not until eleven at noon that Wu Liang and the others appeared at the mission assignment desk. At that moment, Naruto was also standing there gloomily, holding a fat black cat. It was Little Tiger from the mission form.

"Yo, Naruto really is a true man. You completed such a difficult mission," Kakashi praised as he took Little Tiger.

Naruto had been feeling rather depressed, but the moment Kakashi praised him, he became energized again. "It was just a fat cat. I took care of it in minutes!"

After Team 7 submitted the mission, the Third Hokage looked at the mission list and said to them, "Then, Kakashi's team, Team 7's next mission is..."

"Help Lord Lao Zhong take care of his children, or run errands to the neighboring village, or help dig up sweet potatoes."

Before the Third Hokage could finish, Naruto immediately shouted, "No! No more missions like that! I'm a ninja, a ninja, understand?! Not a babysitter, not a delivery boy, and definitely not a cleaner! What I need is a higher-level mission! A higher-level one!"

Kakashi and the Third Hokage looked at the furious Naruto. It finally came. Looks like he's reached the limit of what he can endure.

The Third Hokage looked at Naruto seriously. "Naruto, it seems I need to explain the true meaning of missions to you. Listen carefully. Every day, the village has many matters that people entrust us to handle, from caring for children to assassinations. The commission list records all kinds of requests. These jobs are divided into A, B, C, and D ranks according to difficulty. The people in the village are generally divided by ability, starting with me, into Jonin, Chunin, and Genin. The higher-ups assign commissions to the appropriate ninja according to their abilities. Only when a mission is successfully completed will the client pay us the reward, which supports the village's operation.

That said, you have only just become Genin, so at most you can take D-rank missions. Do you understand now?"

Naruto listened impatiently. "Old man, you're always lecturing me like this, but I've already grown up! I don't care! If you don't give me a higher-level mission today, then I won't do any missions! Hmph~"

After saying that, Naruto huffily turned his head away and refused to look at the Third Hokage.

"Hehehe, all right, all right, I understand. Since you say so, I'll give you a C-rank mission," the Third Hokage said with a smile.

Wu Liang immediately perked up. It's here.