The First C-Rank Mission

"Don't mess around, Naruto!"

The Third patiently explained the rules of ninja missions to everyone.

"The village receives different missions every day, from assassinating important figures to babysitting. They're divided into four ranks—A, B, C, D—based on difficulty. For you newly promoted genin, getting a D-rank mission is already pretty good."

Konoha's ninja ranking system, from top to bottom, consisted of Head, Elite, Standard, Trainee, and Candidate.

Candidates referred to those who hadn't yet graduated; they might get tasks like harvesting crops to practice on. Trainee ninja, freshly promoted to genin, could only take D-rank missions. Even C-rank missions required official confirmation before they could accept them.

Kakashi added from the side.

"Don't treat me like some prankster kid! I'm already a ninja!" Naruto shouted.

The Third glanced at the mission scrolls still within their time limit. He set aside those requiring combat or special skills, and sure enough, one C-rank mission remained.

"Fine, I'll assign you a C-rank mission then—escort someone to a designated location!"

Seeing everyone brimming with confidence, the Third handed the task over to them.

With Kakashi around, ordinary bandits and thugs shouldn't be a problem. Letting them see some blood might actually be good—it could serve as a lesson for these kids about the cruelty of the ninja world.

"Awesome! Is it protecting a daimyo or a princess? Leave it to me, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Easy, easy. The client is waiting outside!"

The Third called for Iruka to bring the client in.

"What's this? You're sending a bunch of kids to escort me back to my country?" A drunken uncle leaned against the doorframe, occasionally taking a swig from his bottle.

"That short, chubby one looks kinda dumb... hic... Is he really... a ninja?"

At first, Naruto laughed at the idea that someone among them had been called a short, chubby runt. But then he glanced at Jimo, who was nearly 1.6 meters tall, and Sasuke and Sakura, both over 1.5 meters.

The laughter abruptly stopped.

A deathly silence fell over the room.

Even the Third Hokage struggled to hold back his laughter to spare Naruto's pride.

"I'll kill you, you drunk uncle!"

If Kakashi hadn't grabbed Naruto by the collar, who knows what would have happened.

According to the mission brief, this drunk uncle was named Tazuna—a renowned bridge-building expert. The task was to escort him back to his country to complete a cross-sea bridge construction project.

Everyone packed their things and quickly gathered at the village gate with Tazuna.

"Oh yeah! Let's go!"

Naruto bounced up in excitement.

"Is this short, chubby kid really reliable... Can't we swap him for that more dependable young man over there?" Tazuna pointed at Jimo.

"Uh... At least you've got me, a jonin, here..." Kakashi said helplessly. He really wasn't used to dealing with someone like this.

"Don't look down on me, you drunk uncle! I'm strong too!" Naruto shouted defiantly. "One day, I'll become a great ninja worthy of the Hokage name! Remember the name Uzumaki Naruto!"

"The Hokage is the strongest in your village, right? A shorty like you could never become Hokage." Tazuna took another gulp of wine, as if seeing a familiar shadow in Naruto.

"He's still just a kid after all..."

The group traveled toward the Wave Country, and Tazuna shared stories about its culture and customs. Along the way, he didn't bicker much with Naruto.

Perhaps due to his constant growth, Jimo's Little Goku template allowed him to sense others' "ki"—what everyone called chakra.

Ever since leaving the Fire Country's territory, two strong presences had been tailing them in secret.

Jimo noticed that although Kakashi appeared to be chatting and laughing with everyone, his hand never left the ninja tool pouch at his waist. He knew the main mission in the Wave Country had already begun.

"But rest assured for this mission—C-rank missions don't involve ninja!" Kakashi was still chatting with the group.

Hearing this, Tazuna's expression turned sour. If Jimo remembered correctly, this uncle wasn't much of a drinker; he was just using alcohol to steel his nerves...

The group continued forward, but under Kakashi's deliberate arrangement, they stopped to rest in an open area.

Looking at the small puddle not far away, Kakashi nodded at Jimo.

"Well, well! Uncle Tazuna has been doubting our strength all along, hasn't he? Let's take this chance to show him!"

Jimo flashed a cheerful grin as a ball of chakra condensed in his hand.

Watching the highly compressed chakra orb in Jimo's hand, Sasuke sensed something was off. He quietly slipped a shuriken from his tool pouch and gripped it tightly.

Sakura, though confused, also pulled out a kunai and held it ready.

"Hey! Hey! Don't be scared, you drunk uncle! This technique's power is huge! I can do it too!"

Among the group, only Naruto had turned into a spectator, constantly cheering Jimo on.

"This idiot..." Jimo's face darkened, but he couldn't lose his temper.

"Is Naruto that dense? The amount of chakra Jimo's pouring into that technique clearly isn't for a demonstration!" Sasuke was speechless, unsure how to evaluate this hotheaded, brainless fool.

"Today, I'll show you a new technique I developed!" Jimo aimed his palm at the center of the road.

A beam of light trailed a long tail as it shot into the distance, striking the small puddle directly.

After the roar, the dust settled, and two figures appeared before everyone. On each of their arms, one left and one right, were sharp steel claws fitted in place.

"Damn... we've been spotted!"

The two came running toward the group. Sasuke and Sakura shielded Tazuna as they retreated, but Naruto stood frozen in place.

Just as the steel claws were about to pierce Naruto, a figure blocked his path and kicked him backward.

"Naruto, zoning out in a fight will get you killed."

Jimo blocked the incoming steel claws with a kunai. As the two assassins hesitated, Sasuke's shuriken flew past, striking one of them on the arm.

The two assassins pulled back, then accelerated again. After tossing two smoke bombs, they circled around to Sakura and Tazuna's position.

"Watch out!"

Kakashi appeared before them and drove the attackers back.

"Jimo, Sasuke! This is a great chance for real combat—cherish it." Kakashi nodded at them. "Sakura and Naruto, keep your eyes open too."

Naruto was still shaken, not yet recovered. It took a slap on the head from Kakashi to snap him out of it.