A Minute Was All He Needed

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

Sakura couldn't help asking. Her voice carried a hint of lingering fear and reproach.

Since everything was fine, why hide and scare us?

"Well... I wanted to confirm who they were targeting, so I watched for a little while."

Kakashi's tone was casual, but his expression turned serious.

He had to figure out whether the enemy had come for Tazuna or for Team 7, who had just left the village.

Especially Naruto and Sasuke.

"So Tazuna was their target."

Naruto came over, rubbing his chin. He'd known the answer all along, but still had to act as though he'd just figured it out.

"..."

Tazuna's grip tightened around the sake bottle. He lowered his head in silence.

"What difference does it make who they were after?" Sakura tilted her head, looking like a curious child. "As long as we know they're enemies, can't we just defeat them?"

"Because Mr. Tazuna hired us for a C-rank mission. In theory, the enemy should only be ordinary thieves or gangsters. But now we've encountered ninja—and Chunin from the Hidden Mist, at that..." Kakashi glanced at Tazuna, his gaze indifferent. "That means the risk is far beyond what we expected. The pay doesn't match the mission rank. In other words, your money isn't enough."

They'd need to pay more!

Of course, Kakashi wasn't worried about whether they could complete the mission.

Sasuke had just displayed strength far beyond that of an ordinary Chunin.

And Naruto was even more unfathomable. With the two of them here, the mission didn't actually pose much of a risk.

But Kakashi needed Tazuna to explain himself.

"It's like this..."

Tazuna sighed. He knew he couldn't hide the truth any longer, so he told them what was really going on.

In short, the Land of Waves was under the control of a ruthless tycoon named Gato, who had taken over its sea routes.

That was tantamount to strangling the entire country's economy.

The bridge Tazuna was building was the country's only hope.

But the people couldn't scrape together enough money to request a higher-rank mission, so they'd gambled on getting away with offering C-rank pay.

As he finished, Tazuna's eyes flickered. He seemed about to say something like, "If you abandon the mission, my granddaughter and I will both die, and I'll hate Konoha Ninja forever," and try to guilt-trip them.

But Naruto didn't give him the chance.

"Now that we've accepted the mission, I definitely won't abandon it halfway through." Naruto cut Tazuna off before he could begin his speech, his tone calm.

Besides, the man named Gato was also a part of this cycle's plan.

"Kakashi, let's keep going with the mission." Sasuke spoke up, clenching his fist as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "I want to test just how strong I am."

"I don't mind..." Sakura said awkwardly.

No matter what, there wasn't much she could contribute. Besides, Sasuke and Naruto were so strong, and Teacher Kakashi was there as a safety net. Things should be fine.

There was nothing wrong with being a spectator. She could just think of it as a date with Sasuke.

Kakashi looked at the two eager boys before him, then glanced at Tazuna, who seemed to want to say something but held back. At last, he sighed with feigned helplessness.

"You two are impossible... All right, then. We'll continue the mission."

In truth, Kakashi wanted to find out just how far Naruto's abilities went, too.

Before long, Konoha would host the Chunin Exams, bringing together elite Genin from the great ninja villages...

Giving Team 7 some real combat experience ahead of time might not be a bad thing.

So Team 7 unanimously decided to continue the mission.

They would not only escort Tazuna safely back to the Land of Waves, but protect him until the bridge that symbolized hope was finally complete.

The group soon reached a harbor on the coast of the Land of Fire.

The journey had been calm, with not even a suspicious little animal in sight. It had gone so smoothly that it felt almost eerie.

According to Tazuna, Gato was a wealthy man known throughout the world. Surely he wouldn't send only two Chunin after them?

But the journey really had been uneventful.

Sakura couldn't help muttering under her breath, "Could there be... some incredibly powerful ninja waiting for us further ahead?"

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." Kakashi smiled faintly, signaling for Sakura to relax.

Since Gato's forces had nearly monopolized the sea routes around the Land of Waves, they had to avoid any passenger ships that might be connected to his company.

Tazuna led them to an inconspicuous corner at the edge of the harbor and pointed ahead. "My friend is waiting somewhere around here."

Before long, they spotted a rather shabby little wooden boat in the shadows among a pile of rocks.

"We're taking that boat?" Sakura couldn't help pursing her lips, her disappointment plain on her face.

Compared with the large passenger ships belonging to the Gato Company in the harbor, it was like night and day.

Seeing her reaction, Tazuna quickly smiled and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry. The Land of Waves isn't far. It won't take us too long to get there."

Once they were aboard, the little boat rocked its way out to sea and sailed for most of the day.

As an island nation, the Land of Waves was shrouded in mist all year round.

The closer they got, the thicker the fog became.

Before long, Team 7 saw a huge, hazy shadow slowly emerge from the dense mist.

Sakura instinctively held her breath and whispered in amazement, "Is that the bridge Mr. Tazuna built? It's so big."

Within the mist, the half-finished bridge stood tall and imposing. It was the country's last hope.

"Yes. No matter what, I want to finish building it." Tazuna spoke, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

The little boat continued on quietly for nearly another hour before the coastline of the Land of Waves finally came into view.

One by one, they went ashore, officially setting foot on the territory of the Land of Waves.

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

After saying this, Tazuna led the way forward.

The road to Tazuna's house ran through a forest.

Towering trees intertwined overhead, blocking out nearly all the light. The surroundings were especially dark and quiet.

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

So he deliberately clutched his stomach, forced an exaggerated grimace of pain, and said, "Sorry, my stomach hurts. Wait here a moment."

"..."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto without expression and said nothing.

"I can't believe you'd let us down at a time like this... Fine, hurry up. I have a bad feeling about staying here." Kakashi sighed softly, but said nothing more.

As soon as he was out of their sight, Naruto swiftly formed Hand Seals and skillfully left a Shadow Clone behind in case of an emergency.

His real body instantly accelerated, darting silently through the complex forest like a streak of lightning as he raced toward its depths.

Naruto knew exactly where Zabuza and Haku were.

Their tactics, even their habits in the moments before they struck—he had committed every detail to memory through countless cycles.

One minute was all he needed to take them both down.