"Lord Hokage, is it really reliable to send a few brats? I heard there are lots of bandits in the Land of Fire. Do they really have the strength to protect me?" The old man staggered over, drunk.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and glanced at the Third Hokage without letting it show. What did people mean by bandits? Others might not know, but Naruto did. They were hired thugs kept by the Land of Fire's upper ranks. They robbed merchants and travelers alike, demanding tolls or forcing them to hire ninja escorts. As for wiping them out, ninja wouldn't do it without a commissioned mission. Meddling would only get them punished.
Naruto couldn't tell whether the old man was genuinely clever or just putting on an act. The Third Hokage, though, was good at playing along. He hurried to reassure the old man, praising Naruto and the others' abilities while pointedly avoiding any mention of bandits.
Everyone among the upper ranks knew what these so-called bandits were, but no one would say it aloud. The unspoken agreement was that ninja wouldn't interfere unless someone submitted a mission. But exterminating bandits was at least a B-Rank Mission, beyond what ordinary people could afford.
"Hey, old man, are you looking down on us?"
Naruto was happy to play along with them.
Tazuna's eyes were full of disdain. His look irritated Sasuke, who was proud by nature.
"Old man, do you know who he is? Our teacher, an elite Jonin, the legendary Kakashi Hatake, the Sharingan, the man who always draws!" Naruto said proudly, pointing at Kakashi.
"Always draws?" Hinata and Sasuke both froze.
Kakashi had just started to smile when he heard the nickname. A vein popped on his forehead.
"It means he can draw with anyone," Naruto explained to Hinata, completely oblivious to the strange looks everyone else was giving him.
"Damn it, Naruto! Don't go giving your teacher weird nicknames!" Kakashi couldn't help punching him on the head.
Naruto scratched his head, unfazed.
"Ahem. All right, off you go." The Third Hokage watched them with a hint of relief in his eyes. This was exactly what he wanted to see.
Bonds. The bonds between friends, and the bonds of love.
Deep down, Naruto's gaze was as calm as still water. If he wanted to live freely here, he had to seem harmless.
The group dispersed. This mission required them to leave the village, and they didn't know how many days it would take, so everyone went home to prepare.
Naruto returned home and tidied up. He didn't really have anything to bring.
At noon, the group met at the Konoha Gate. Sasuke brought a few ninja tools. Naruto presented himself as a Taijutsu ninja, so he brought nothing. Hinata was also a Taijutsu ninja, but she brought a Sealing Scroll.
Kakashi was the last to arrive. He glanced at them, then went to register at the gate. Ordinary people could enter Konoha easily, but the barrier made it harder for ninja to come and go. Ninja had to register whenever they passed through.
The three of them left Konoha again. This time, they had to travel farther.
"Ice Release? I can give it a try." Knowing what enemies they would face this time, Naruto began weighing his options. Never underestimate any power—that was his principle.
Ice Release seemed weak in Haku's hands because Haku was too weak.
Since this was a C-Rank mission, everyone seemed relaxed.
Naruto couldn't help looking around as they went.
Since they were escorting an ordinary person, they traveled on foot.
Ordinary people were naturally slow, but the group treated the journey like a sightseeing trip and didn't hurry.
Kakashi led the way, reading his little orange book. Naruto and Sasuke guarded the drunk old man on either side, while Hinata brought up the rear.
By nightfall, they had lit a campfire and started preparing dinner.
They had all brought rations. Kakashi frowned as he looked at the fire.
"Naruto, we're ninja. When we're out in the field, we should avoid lighting campfires. If an enemy spots us, we'll be in danger," Kakashi lectured.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. We're not fighting anyone right now. Where would an enemy come from?" Naruto said dismissively. The main thing was that he was confident in his strength. No one in the Ninja World could kill him now, and besides, they hadn't even left the Land of Fire yet. There wasn't much danger.
Kakashi frowned, about to say something, when he heard a noise behind him.
Kakashi's expression turned serious.
Just as he was about to go on alert, a Naruto walked out from behind them, a rabbit in his hand.
"A Shadow Clone? When did you—?" Kakashi wondered. He hadn't activated his Sharingan, but he shouldn't have been so careless.
Naruto took the cleaned rabbit and started roasting it. Hinata and Sasuke came over to help. Neither of them was unfamiliar with this.
"Would you like some, sir?" Once the rabbit was done, Hinata brought a piece to the old man.
"If you're in a hurry, we can reach our destination tomorrow," Naruto said, glancing at the drunk old man.
Tazuna looked uneasy.
"I'm not in a hurry."
"I am. I'll carry you tomorrow. I've had enough of this boring trip." Naruto didn't call him out. He could tell the old man was in a hurry, but Kakashi hadn't said anything, and the old man was afraid to speak up in case they found out.
But Naruto had had enough of playing along. He had his own plans and didn't want to waste time on the road.
After the three of them finished eating, they chatted for a while. They took turns keeping watch that night. There might not be any enemies, but the point of sending Genin on missions was to teach them through experience.
Naruto took the first watch, and Sasuke the second. Hinata was a girl, so she didn't have to keep watch.
Technically, Hinata's Byakugan made her the best choice for keeping watch. But Naruto was protective of her, and Sasuke listened to him. Besides, Naruto was stronger than Sasuke now.
The next day, Naruto carried the old man, and they started traveling at a ninja's pace. Their speed increased dramatically.
In less than half a day, they reached the border of the Land of Fire. Beyond it, they could travel by boat and reach the Land of Waves in no time.
At the edge of the forest, Naruto put the old man down. They slowed to an easy pace, since the scenery beyond the forest was different.
Suddenly, Naruto sensed something. He glanced ahead, and Kakashi did the same.
Just as they were about to leave the forest, a puddle appeared on the ground ahead. None of them paid it any attention.
As Kakashi stepped into the puddle, two people suddenly leaped out of it. They wielded chains, which instantly wrapped around Kakashi. They yanked hard in opposite directions, and Kakashi's body split in two.
"Enemies!" Sasuke reacted and immediately raised the alarm.
Hinata's little face tensed as she activated her Byakugan.
"There are a few brats, too."
"Take them out first."
The two men turned their attention to Sasuke and the others.
[Body Flicker Technique]
Naruto suddenly vanished. When he reappeared between the two men, he clenched both fists and struck them in the stomach at the same time.