One Minute Is Enough

"Teacher Kakashi, why didn't you attack just now?"

Sakura couldn't help but ask, her tone laced with lingering fear and a hint of resentment.

* * *

Since there's no danger, why hide and scare us?

"Well... because I wanted to confirm who their target was, so I observed for a bit," Kakashi replied nonchalantly, but his eyes grew serious.

He had to figure out if the enemy was after Tazuna, or Team 7, who had just left the village. Especially Naruto and Sasuke.

"So their target is Tazuna."

Naruto walked over, stroking his chin. Although he already knew, he still had to pretend he had just figured it out.

"..."

Tazuna tightened his grip on the sake bottle, lowering his head in silence.

"What's the point of figuring out who their target is?" Sakura tilted her head, like a curious child. "As long as we know they're enemies, can't we just defeat them?"

"Because Mr. Tazuna commissioned a C-rank mission, theoretically the enemies should only be ordinary thieves or gangsters. But now there are ninja, and even Chunin from Kirigakure..." Kakashi looked at Tazuna, his gaze indifferent. "This means the mission risk far exceeds expectations, and the reward doesn't match the mission rank. In other words, your money isn't enough."

They need to pay more!

Of course, Kakashi wasn't worried about whether the mission could be completed. Sasuke's strength just now had far surpassed that of an ordinary Chunin. And Naruto was even more unfathomable. With them around, the mission was actually low-risk. But Kakashi needed Tazuna to give an explanation.

"It's like this..."

Tazuna sighed, realizing he couldn't hide it any longer, and then revealed the truth.

Simply put, the Land of Waves was controlled by a greedy tycoon named Gato, who monopolized maritime transport. This was equivalent to choking the economic lifeline of the entire Land of Waves. And the bridge Tazuna was building was the country's only hope. However, the people of the country couldn't scrape together enough money to issue a high-rank mission, so they had pinned their hopes on luck, trying to get by with a C-rank reward.

As he spoke, Tazuna's eyes flickered, seemingly intending to say something like "If you abandon the mission, my granddaughter and I will die, and then we'll always resent you Konoha ninja" to emotionally blackmail them.

But Naruto didn't give him the chance.

"Since we've accepted the mission, I definitely won't give up halfway," Naruto interrupted Tazuna's pre-cast spell directly, his tone calm. Besides, that man named Gato was also a part of this Reincarnation plan.

"Kakashi, let's continue the mission," Sasuke also spoke up. He clenched his fist, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "I want to test how strong I really am."

"I don't mind..." Sakura said awkwardly. Anyway, her contribution would be negligible no matter what. Moreover, Sasuke and Naruto were so strong, and with Teacher Kakashi as a safety net, there shouldn't be any problems. It wasn't bad to be an audience, she could just treat it as a date with Sasuke.

Kakashi looked at the two eager youths before him, then glanced at the hesitant Tazuna, and finally let out a feigned sigh of helplessness.

"I can't do anything with you guys... Alright then, the mission continues."

In reality, Kakashi himself wanted to know Naruto's true potential.

Not long from now, Konoha would be hosting a Chunin Exams that would gather elite Genin from various ninja villages... Letting Team 7 gain some practical combat experience beforehand might not be a bad thing.

Thus, Team 7 unanimously decided to continue the mission. Not only would they escort Tazuna safely back to the Land of Waves, but they would also protect him until the bridge, symbolizing hope, was completely built.

The group soon arrived at a port on the coast of the Land of Fire. The journey was smooth, not even a suspicious small animal appeared, so smooth it made one feel uneasy. According to Tazuna, Gato was a world-class tycoon; he couldn't possibly only send two Chunin, right? But the journey had been remarkably normal. Sakura couldn't help but whisper, "Could it be... there's a super powerful ninja waiting for us ahead?"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you all," Kakashi said with a faint smile, signaling Sakura to relax.

Since Gato's forces almost monopolized maritime transport in the Land of Waves, the group had to avoid all passenger ships that might be related to Gato's enterprises.

Tazuna led everyone to an inconspicuous corner near the edge of the harbor and pointed ahead, saying, "My friends are waiting for us nearby."

Before long, they indeed spotted a rather crude-looking small wooden boat hidden in the shadow of a pile of rocks.

"We have to take a boat like this?"

Sakura couldn't help but purse her lips, her face filled with disappointment.

Compared to the large passenger ships of the Gato Corporation in the harbor earlier, it was like night and day.

Seeing this, Tazuna immediately smiled and smoothed things over, "Don't worry, the Land of Waves isn't far, so it won't take too much time."

After everyone boarded, the small boat swayed and set sail, navigating the sea for more than half a day.

As an island nation, the Land of Waves is perpetually shrouded in mist.

The closer they got, the thicker the fog became.

Shortly after, Team 7 saw a blurry, colossal dark silhouette slowly emerge from the dense fog.

Sakura unconsciously held her breath and exclaimed softly, "Is this the bridge Mr. Tazuna built? It's so big."

Within the mist, the half-finished bridge stood tall; it was the last hope of this country.

"Yes, I want to finish it, no matter what."

Tazuna said, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

The small wooden boat continued to travel quietly for nearly another hour before the coastline of the Land of Waves finally became gradually clearer.

Everyone disembarked one after another, officially stepping onto the territory of the Land of Waves.

"This is the Land of Waves. Please escort me home safely!"

After landing, Tazuna said this and then led the way forward.

The path to Tazuna's house required passing through a forest.

The towering trees intertwined, blocking out almost all light, making the surroundings exceptionally dim and quiet.

Naruto knew clearly that Zabuza and Haku were already lying in wait ahead.

So, he deliberately clutched his stomach, put on a slightly exaggerated pained expression, and said, "Sorry, my stomach hurts. Wait for me a bit."

"..."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto expressionlessly and said nothing.

"I didn't expect you to falter at a time like this... Oh well, hurry up and go. I have a bad feeling about staying here."

Kakashi sighed softly, but didn't say much more.

As soon as he was out of sight of everyone, Naruto quickly formed hand seals, skillfully leaving a Shadow Clone in his place as a precaution.

His true body, however, instantly accelerated, silently weaving through the complex forest like a bolt of lightning, heading at full speed towards the depths of the woods.

Naruto knew the positions of Zabuza and Haku very well.

Their tactics, even their habits just before they attacked, everything—Naruto had long since memorized it all through countless Reincarnations.

Dealing with those two, one minute was enough.