It seems I won't need to make a move.

[Battle Analysis: Sasuke's strength exceeds that of a single enemy, but the Demon Brothers' coordinated chain tactics allow attacks to emerge from unexpected angles, creating a 1+1 > 2 effect.]

[Sasuke is struggling to cope, and defeat is only a matter of time. Naruto remains in a state of fear, unable to contribute to the battle. Sakura is barely able to protect herself.]

"I must break their coordination."

Ling Xuan made a decision in his heart. He stopped defending passively and instead took a proactive step forward.

"Brat, you're looking for death!" Meizu, having been forced back by Ling Xuan, felt insulted and roared as he attacked again.

This time, Gozu in the distance also moved. He swung the chain in his hand, attacking Ling Xuan's back from another direction, forming a perfect pincer maneuver with Meizu!

Facing the pincer attack from front and back, Ling Xuan's expression remained unchanged.

Just as their attacks were about to land, his figure suddenly dropped. With a slide that nearly hugged the ground, he passed through the gap in their attacks at an incredible angle!

At the same time, the right hand he raised while sliding glowed with a faint cyan light at his fingertips.

Miniature Wind Blade!

His target was not either of the Demon Brothers, but the chain pulled taut in the air!

Ssh!

A sound as faint as cutting through fabric rang out.

This chain, forged from special metal and incredibly tough, snapped at a connecting link in the middle!

"What?!"

The Demon Brothers both felt their hands go light. The familiar sense of tension and coordination between them vanished instantly, and both men wore expressions of disbelief.

The strongest tactic they relied on for their reputation had been fundamentally dismantled by a brat who looked the most harmless, in a way they couldn't even begin to understand!

The rhythm of the battle was completely disrupted at this moment.

Just as they were stunned, a lazy figure walked out from behind a tree.

"Yare yare, it seems there was no need for me to step in."

Hatake Kakashi appeared, completely unharmed. He clapped his hands. "You all did well, especially you, Ling Xuan. In such a situation, you were not only able to protect your teammates but also calmly analyze and identify the core of the enemy's tactics, then destroy it yourself. Remarkable."

He looked at the Demon Brothers, his eyes turning cold in an instant.

"But what happens next is not something you Genin can interfere with."

A powerful aura erupted from Kakashi—the suffocating pressure belonging to an elite Jonin.

The Demon Brothers turned pale; they knew they had kicked an iron plate.

Kakashi's figure vanished from where he stood, leaving behind only two short screams and the sound of metal hitting the ground. When he reappeared, the Demon Brothers had already been easily subdued and tied together.

The battle was over.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all panting heavily; the life-and-death moment from just before left them with lingering fear. Naruto, in particular, hung his head in shame, feeling frustrated by his own helplessness.

Kakashi walked over to the still-shaken Tazuna.

"Mr. Tazuna." Kakashi's voice returned to its usual laziness, but it carried a chill. "These are Chunin from Kirigakure. The ones chasing you are definitely not mere bandits or rogues. Your mission is at least B-rank or higher. This has exceeded the scope of our current assignment. You need to give us an explanation."

Tazuna's face turned from blue to white, and finally, he dejectedly took off his straw hat and slumped to the ground. He poured out the whole story: how the Land of Waves was controlled by the shipping tycoon Gato, and how he, as the key figure in building the bridge, was seen as a thorn in Gato's side.

After hearing everything, Kakashi fell silent. According to regulations, he should immediately lead his team back to the village.

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto clenched his fists. He remembered the humiliation of being frozen in fear just moments ago, and he thought of the promise between Tazuna and his grandson. "Let's... continue the mission! I will never run away from here!"

"Idiot, you have no idea what you're about to face." Although Sasuke said this, there was no sign of retreat in his eyes; instead, a stronger fighting spirit ignited. Ling Xuan's clean and decisive resolution of the battle had deeply stimulated him.

Kakashi looked at his students' expressions and finally cast his gaze toward Ling Xuan.

"Ling Xuan, what is your take?" he asked. In this squad, the weight of Ling Xuan's opinion had become different.

Ling Xuan glanced at Tazuna, then looked toward the distant direction of the Land of Waves.

"Insufficient intelligence to make an optimal judgment," he replied calmly. "But based on existing information, the enemy is a merchant named Gato. The level and number of ninja he can hire are limited. With you, Kakashi-sensei, a Jonin, as long as we proceed with caution, the success rate of the mission is estimated to be over sixty percent."

"Most importantly." Ling Xuan's gaze swept over Naruto and Sasuke. "This mission is the best practical training for us. Such an opportunity cannot be found in the village."

These words were calm and objective, yet they hit the nail on the head.

Kakashi smiled.

"Alright." He made the final decision. "Since you've all said so, Team 7 will continue this B-rank mission!"

The team set off again after a short rest, but this time, everyone's mindset had changed.

They hired a small boat, and under the oars of the boatman, they slowly sailed toward the Land of Waves, which was shrouded in thick fog.

The fog was heavy—a white, dense mist carrying a salty, humid vapor, with visibility of less than ten meters. The small boat moved on the calm water, and all that could be heard was the sound of oars cutting through the surface, along with the increasingly frequent sound of Tazuna gulping down alcohol due to his nervousness.

"Old man, is the Land of Waves always this foggy?" Naruto asked curiously, leaning over the gunwale. He had recovered from his previous fear, but there was a bit less frivolity and a bit more gravity in his expression.

"Yeah... ever since Gato came, it's as if our country can never see the sun again." Tazuna took a swig of alcohol, his voice hoarse, his eyes filled with sorrow and anger.

He recounted, in fits and starts, the current state of the Land of Waves to these young Konoha ninja.

The shipping tycoon Gato, a greedy and brutal merchant, used money and violence to monopolize the country's economic lifeline, leaving everyone living in poverty and fear.

And he, Tazuna, as a bridge expert, was building that bridge as the only hope to break Gato's monopoly and let the Land of Waves be reborn.

It was precisely because of this that he had become a thorn in Gato's side. Gato would stop at nothing to kill him before he finished the bridge.

Listening to Tazuna's story, Naruto's fists tightened.

He thought of his own experience of being ostracized by villagers as a monster since childhood. This pain of being unrecognized and bullied by those in power made him empathize deeply with Tazuna's plight.