The First C-Rank Mission

"Stop messing around, Naruto!"

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

"Every day, the village receives all kinds of missions, from assassinating important figures to taking care of children. They're divided into four ranks, A, B, C, and D, according to difficulty. You newly promoted Genin should be glad to get D-rank missions."

Ninja in Konoha were divided into five ranks, from highest to lowest: leaders, elite, regular, trainee, and candidate.

Candidates were students who hadn't yet graduated. They might be given simple tasks, such as harvesting crops, to get some practice. Trainee ninja who had just been promoted to Genin, on the other hand, could only take D-rank missions. They wouldn't be given C-rank missions until they became full-fledged ninja.

Kakashi added from the side.

"Don't treat me like some kid who only knows how to play pranks! I'm a ninja already!" Naruto shouted.

The Third Hokage glanced at the mission scrolls that were still valid. He set aside the combat missions and those that required special skills, and, as it happened, one C-rank mission remained.

"All right, then. I'll assign you a C-rank mission: escort someone to a designated location!"

Seeing how confident everyone looked, the Third Hokage handed them the mission.

With Kakashi there, ordinary bandits shouldn't pose much of a problem. It wouldn't hurt for the kids to see some blood, either. It would give them a glimpse of the cruel ninja world.

"Awesome! Whether it's a daimyo or a princess, leave it to me, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Not so fast. The client is right outside!"

The Third Hokage called for Iruka to bring the client in.

"What's this? You're sending a bunch of kids to escort me home?" A drunken middle-aged man leaned against the doorframe, taking frequent swigs from his bottle.

"That little runt looks like an idiot... hic... Is he really a ninja?"

At first, Naruto had laughed along with everyone else at someone being called a runt. But then he glanced at Jimo, who was nearly a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, and at Sasuke and Sakura, both over a hundred and fifty.

His laughter abruptly stopped.

A deathly silence fell over the room.

Even the Third Hokage had to fight to keep from laughing, out of consideration for Naruto's pride.

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

Who knew what would have happened if Kakashi hadn't grabbed Naruto by the collar.

According to the mission briefing, the drunken man was named Tazuna. He was a renowned bridge builder, and the mission was to escort him back to his country so he could build a bridge across the sea.

Everyone gathered their things and soon met up with Tazuna at the village gates.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Naruto jumped up excitedly.

"Is this little runt really reliable...? Couldn't you swap him for that dependable-looking young man over there?" Tazuna asked, pointing at Jimo.

"Um... At least you've got me, a Jonin, with you," Kakashi said helplessly. He really wasn't used to dealing with people like this.

"Don't underestimate me, you old drunk! I'm strong too!" Naruto shouted indignantly. "One day, I'll become an excellent ninja and inherit the title of Hokage! Remember the name Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Isn't the Hokage the strongest person in your village? How could a little runt like you ever become Hokage?" Tazuna took a swig of liquor, as if Naruto reminded him of someone familiar.

"He really is just a kid..."

The group headed toward the Land of Waves, and Tazuna told them about the country's culture and customs along the way. He and Naruto didn't get into any arguments, either.

Perhaps because he kept growing stronger, Jimo—the Little Goku template—could now sense the "Ki" of others, which was what everyone called Chakra.

Ever since they had left the Land of Fire, two powerful presences had been following them from the shadows.

Jimo watched Kakashi. Though he looked like he was chatting and laughing with everyone, his hand never left the ninja tool pouch at his waist. That confirmed that the main Wave Country mission had begun.

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

But when Tazuna heard that, his expression turned grim. If Jimo remembered correctly, the old man wasn't actually fond of drinking. He was only using alcohol to work up his courage...

The group continued on, but Kakashi deliberately led them to take a break in an open area.

Looking at the small puddle in the distance, Kakashi nodded to Jimo.

"Well, well! Tazuna's been doubting our strength this whole time, hasn't he? This is the perfect chance to show him what we can do!"

Jimo flashed a cheerful smile as a Chakra Sphere formed in his hand.

Seeing the densely compressed Chakra Sphere in Jimo's hand, Sasuke sensed something was wrong. He quietly pulled a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and gripped it.

Sakura didn't understand what was going on, but she took out a kunai and held it ready.

"Hey, hey! Don't get scared, old drunk! This technique is really powerful! I can do it too!"

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

What an idiot... Jimo's face went dark, but he couldn't very well snap at him.

Is Naruto really that slow on the uptake? The amount of Chakra Jimo's putting into that technique makes it obvious he isn't just demonstrating it! Sasuke was at a loss. He didn't know what to make of this hot-blooded, brainless idiot.

"I'll show you a new technique I came up with!" Jimo aimed his palm at the middle of the road.

A beam of light shot into the distance, trailing a long tail behind it. It hit the small puddle in the road.

After the thunderous blast, the dust settled, revealing two figures. Each had a sharp steel claw attached to one arm.

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

The two men ran toward the group. Sasuke and Sakura retreated with Tazuna, while Naruto stood rooted to the spot.

Just as the men's steel claws were about to pierce Naruto, a figure stepped in front of him and kicked him backward.

"Naruto, losing focus in a fight can get you killed!"

Jimo blocked the two attackers' steel claws with a kunai. While they were distracted, Sasuke's shuriken came flying in, reaching them before they could react.

It sliced one of the attackers' arms.

The two assassins pulled back, then sped up again. After throwing two smoke bombs, they circled around to Sakura and Tazuna.

"Watch out!"

Kakashi appeared in front of them and knocked the two attackers back.

"Jimo, Sasuke! This is a great chance to get some real combat experience. Make the most of it!" Kakashi nodded to the two of them. "Sakura and Naruto, keep an eye on them too."

Naruto was still stunned and hadn't come to his senses. It wasn't until Kakashi smacked him on the head that he snapped out of it.