Gatō's Mission

The day after Team 7 was formed was filled with the most boring D-rank missions for Naruto.

Whether it was catching cats, delivering goods, pulling weeds, or taking care of children, the content wasn't much different from what had happened before Reincarnation.

The daily routine was almost fixed: meet Kakashi at the assembly point.

Kakashi was still late, and of course, Naruto wouldn't be on time either.

Then they would receive their mission, complete it quickly and efficiently, return to the Hokage's office to hand it in, and then have plenty of free time.

Kakashi seemed content with Naruto and Sasuke's extremely high mission efficiency and knew what they would do with their free time afterward.

As long as it didn't interfere with him reading his novel.

Although Sakura occasionally complained about the boring missions, she wasn't too dissatisfied as long as she was on the same team as Sasuke.

Naruto's heart had long since gone numb to these D-rank missions, which he had repeated hundreds, even thousands, of times.

He poured most of his energy into two things: first, continuing to refine the solution for breaking the Hyuga Clan's "Caged Bird" curse mark, and second, guiding Sasuke's training.

Regarding the Caged Bird, after this period of research, Naruto had already constructed an almost complete cracking method in his mind.

Naruto was almost certain that he had found a way to bypass the curse mark and nullify it without harming the caster.

But this was, after all, just theory; he still needed to find someone to actually try it out.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata's relationship quietly warmed up amidst their mundane daily lives.

Sometimes, when missions ended early, Naruto would "accidentally" run into Hinata near the Hyuga compound after she finished her mission or training.

The two would occasionally eat together or simply go for walks and chat.

Hinata no longer stuttered when speaking to Naruto, and her smile became more natural.

Naruto enjoyed these peaceful moments together.

In his remaining time, Naruto would focus on his own physical training.

After all, despite his rich combat experience, his physical fitness still needed to be continuously improved.

Then there was guiding Sasuke.

Under Naruto's tutelage, Sasuke's progress speed far surpassed that of the First Hokage at the same age.

His Shuriken skills and Taijutsu combat had both improved significantly.

Including training in Chakra control, such as walking on water and climbing trees, Sasuke had already completed them ahead of schedule.

Time flew by.

The days passed one by one until one morning, Team 7 received a familiar cat-catching mission.

To find the pet cat named "Tora" belonging to the wife of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

There were no surprises during the mission; Naruto had pointed out the most likely hiding spots for the cat in advance.

Therefore, the person chosen to catch the cat was naturally not Naruto, the "commander," but Sasuke.

Two and a half minutes later.

Sasuke walked back into the mission briefing hall, holding the cat named "Tora" by the scruff of its neck, looking disgusted. He unceremoniously placed it on the table.

"Mission complete."

Sasuke, the cool kid, said indifferently and stood aside, hands in his pockets, with an expression that said, "This kind of mission is a complete waste of time."

Naruto stood nearby, knowing clearly that the time had come.

If he didn't "make a fuss" now, it would just be more D-rank missions.

And that crucial mission, "Protect Tazuna and build the bridge," would slip away unnoticed, taken by another team.

So, Naruto gave Sasuke a look.

Although Sasuke still had that "annoyed" look on his face, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

After this period of training and interaction, he had become accustomed to following Naruto's lead.

Naruto stepped forward and said loudly to the Third Hokage, "Hokage-sama, these missions are too simple. Give us a harder one!"

Sasuke cooperated by crossing his arms and adding coldly, "With our team's strength, we shouldn't be doing these low-level missions all the time."

Sakura stood silently to the side, saying nothing. She had long realized that Naruto and Sasuke were incredibly powerful ninjas, and her greatest contribution was to avoid making mistakes, even if it meant doing nothing.

Kakashi, standing nearby, knew very well.

The current Team 7 was more than capable of undertaking A-rank or even S-rank missions.

Naruto alone was enough to fight ten Jonin.

However, Kakashi still had to put on a show on the surface, as the Third Hokage was present, and he couldn't indulge his subordinates' troublemaking.

Otherwise, it would be considered poor leadership.

So, Kakashi deliberately put on a stern face and said in a serious tone, "Hey, hey, you guys, stop messing around. Who do you think you are, wanting to take whatever missions you please?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, calmly taking a puff of his cigarette.

He had certainly noticed Sasuke's progress during this time, especially Naruto, who had shown astonishing talent since the graduation exam.

Becoming a perfect Jinchuriki was a sure thing in the future.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi also had his own concerns. If he rashly assigned Team 7 a difficult mission, the elders and Danzo would likely object.

However... since they had taken the initiative to ask, it wasn't impossible to consider.

"In that case..." Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly, "I will give you a slightly higher difficulty mission."

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi placed a mission scroll on the table. "This is a C-rank escort mission. You will escort the master bridge builder, Mr. Tazuna, back to the Land of Waves and be responsible for his protection while he builds the bridge."

Finally, here they come. Zabuza, Haku...

Naruto thought inwardly.

Not long after, the door to the mission hall was pushed open, and an old man, staggering slightly and reeking of alcohol, walked in.

He was still carrying half a bottle of unfinished sake, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes unfocused.

It was Tazuna, someone Naruto was very familiar with.

Tazuna squinted slightly, sizing up the four members of Team 7 before him.

He secretly calculated that the white-haired man in the mask was likely a Jonin and seemed quite reliable.

The black-haired kid standing next to him with his hands in his pockets and a cold expression probably had some skills too.

As for the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy...

For some reason, even though he was smiling, he inexplicably made people feel scared?

Finally, Tazuna's gaze swept over the pink-haired girl standing to the side.

Hmm, she was probably just a regular Genin.

Tazuna straightened his expression, intending to adopt a serious demeanor and emphasize that his life was on the line and they must protect him with their lives, or something to that effect.

But before he could even speak, Naruto, with his hands behind his head, interjected, "Got it, bridge expert. We'll escort you back to the Land of Waves and ensure your safety while you build the bridge. Be at the village entrance tomorrow morning, on time. Don't be late."

"Uh... Huh?"

Tazuna was momentarily stunned, his mouth agape, and half his drunkenness evaporated.

He stared blankly at Naruto's retreating back and couldn't help but wonder.

Did I really drink too much?

Am I hallucinating?

Sasuke glanced at Tazuna without a word, maintaining his pose with hands in his pockets, and coolly followed Naruto out.

Seeing this, Kakashi stepped forward, scratched his head, and gave an awkward laugh to smooth things over. "Mr. Tazuna, Naruto is just like that. He's very direct in his words and actions. Please don't mind him; you'll get used to it..."

After spending some time together, Kakashi felt that Naruto was efficient and decisive, never dragging things out.

He could even handle certain unexpected situations perfectly, as if he had known they would happen all along.

Kakashi had long since gotten used to it.

Now, it was time to get the client used to it.