Naruto: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

After accepting the mission, the group organized their gear and set off before half a day had passed.

Keiichi was the last to arrive at the village gate, but when the others saw his attire, they couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

Because on Keiichi's forehead, there was an extra pair of goggles, and they were the opaque, ink-colored lens type.

Seeing this appearance, Kakashi's expression drifted into a trance, as if he were thinking of some old acquaintance.

Keiichi didn't do this without the intention of "currying favor" with Kakashi, hoping that the man might look after him during the mission for the sake of these goggles; after all, a Jonin like Zabuza was incredibly dangerous.

Having spoiled the plot in advance, he naturally knew that Kakashi once had an old friend named Obito, and he was quite certain that Kakashi didn't know that he knew, so he felt secure in his position.

But more importantly, these goggles could also serve as a disguise. If he ever obtained a Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan or Sharingan through the exchange system, he could avoid being discovered. It was a form of early prevention.

Once everyone got used to his getup, they would eventually stop finding it strange as time went on.

"Keiichi-kun, did you just buy those goggles?" Kakashi's voice was soft, but his gaze was slightly sharp.

"Yes, I did."

"What made you suddenly think of buying goggles?"

"It's all because of you, Kakashi-sama."

"Because... of me?"

"Your eyes must have been injured, right? It was seeing your condition that made me realize how fragile eyes are and how much they need protection." Keiichi replied as if it were a matter of course.

"How afraid of getting hurt is he?" Naruto looked speechless, unable to help but whisper a complaint to Sakura.

"Exactly, what a weirdo." Even Sakura's first impression of him wasn't very good.

Keiichi's answer was perfectly reasonable, and even Kakashi couldn't find a flaw in it; he just sighed involuntarily while looking at the familiar-looking goggles.

The past is full of sorrows...

With everyone present, they could finally set off. Naruto and Sakura were both incredibly excited; after all, this was their first mission outside the village, and their hearts were naturally brimming with joy.

Although Sasuke still maintained his aloof demeanor, his pace was clearly much faster, and it was evident that he was quite stirred up inside as well.

Only Kakashi and Keiichi appeared composed, as if it were no big deal.

This piqued Kakashi's interest. Keiichi acted as if he were already accustomed to this, but according to intelligence, this should also be his first time leaving the village for a mission. Why was he so calm?

Should he test him?

Thinking it, he did it. Kakashi brought it up as if making idle chatter—

"Naruto, if danger arises, I must prioritize protecting Mr. Tazuna. When that time comes, you can hide behind Keiichi-kun; he will protect you well."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Naruto immediately blew a fuse.

What?

I need protection from this guy who is even afraid of getting hurt? Are you kidding me?!

I am the man who is going to be Hokage; I should be the one protecting him!

So, Naruto immediately jumped in front of Keiichi, making faces and pushing his head forward until their noses were almost touching, his eyes full of provocation.

Sasuke curled his lip. He was already used to this scene, but it inadvertently stirred up some unpleasant memories deep within him...

Keiichi hurriedly took half a step back, completely stunned.

Your Excellency the Sixth Hokage, I don't think I provoked you, did I? Is it really necessary to stir up trouble so obviously?

Seeing Keiichi retreat, Naruto pointed at him and turned to laugh at Sakura and the others: "Look at him, he's scared! He's nothing special after all!"

"Kakashi-sama, you are joking." Keiichi said with a bitter smile.

However, Kakashi didn't show any mercy and continued in a slow, leisurely tone: "Naruto, if I told you that Keiichi recently killed a Sunagakure spy who infiltrated the village—a Chunin, at that—would you still think he's nothing special?"

"What?!" Naruto was shocked, staring at Keiichi in disbelief, completely frozen.

Even Sasuke couldn't help but cast his gaze toward Keiichi, his eyes full of scrutiny.

Although he had never fought a Chunin, he knew the level of a Jonin, and a Chunin had to be much stronger than Genin like them. What kind of background did this Keiichi guy have? Was he really from the same graduating class as them?

Perhaps this guy was only a little weaker than himself; he had underestimated him.

"You... you really took out a Chunin?!" Naruto's face was written with shock.

"Kakashi-sama, you are joking. If I were really that strong, Tatsuya-sensei wouldn't have died, and my companions wouldn't be lying in the hospital. It was just good luck." Keiichi put on a bitter smile.

"Oh? Was it really just luck?" Kakashi said with a cryptic smile.

"Kakashi-sama, please spare me."

Keiichi pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture, repeatedly trying to appease Kakashi, showing not a shred of the demeanor of a powerhouse.

Could it be that the goggles stung his heart and now he's annoyed with me? Being too clever for one's own good, Keiichi pondered to himself.

"I've decided! I'm going to defeat you right now, and then I'll be a powerhouse with Chunin-level strength too!" Seeing his attitude, Naruto immediately got fired up, rolling up his sleeves and intending to have a fight with Keiichi, as if defeating him could prove something.

Facing the aggressive Naruto, Keiichi retreated repeatedly, avoiding the fight.

Hilarious. If Kakashi weren't standing right there, I'd let you know just how cruel this world really is, Naruto!

Opportunities to beat up the future Seventh Hokage without fearing his grudge are rare indeed!

But since his teacher was standing right there, making it impossible for Naruto to receive a lesson he'd never forget, why bother exerting the effort to expose his own strength? That Sharingan of Kakashi's still made him quite wary.

"Please, stop fighting, we're all comrades..." Sakura stood to the side looking worried, but she only said it with her lips; there was no intention in her tone to actually stop the fight.

Fight, hurry up and fight, I want to see a good show! Sakura's inner thoughts were clearly not what she was saying.

Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, showing no sign of intervening, also wanting to see exactly how much weight Keiichi carried.

"Is this what Konoha ninjas are like? They're just a bunch of unruly children." Tazuna covered his face, deeply worried about his own fate. Perhaps he shouldn't have come to Konoha in the first place; they were just too unreliable!

After chasing for a long time, Naruto finally grew tired, squatting there panting, his eyes filled with frustration.

Why do you keep running? If you don't let me hit you, how am I supposed to knock you down and prove my strength in front of Sakura!

Keiichi walked back slowly, keeping a certain distance from Naruto, shaking his head and spreading his hands toward the others with a bitter smile.

You all are my witnesses, I really didn't want to start anything.

Kakashi wore a playful expression; although no fight broke out in the end, it still allowed him to see a thing or two.

This kid named Keiichi had decent stamina.

Naruto possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, so his stamina was naturally superior to the average person. Although he didn't know how to conserve his energy, most people really couldn't outlast him.

Keiichi, on the other hand, was different. His movements were concise and efficient, saving a great deal of energy, and his foundational skills were very solid. Yet, even after running for so long, he didn't even change his expression or quicken his breath, which already spoke volumes.

As expected, being able to kill a Chunin meant he had some real skills.

Furthermore, it was clear he had been hiding something, but that didn't matter. There was still a long time to spend together; he would eventually see through his secrets.

Under Kakashi's urging, the group set off again. The journey was silent until they rested late at night. Keiichi returned to his tent and, after confirming no one was around, tapped his finger to open the system panel.

He wanted to see exactly how many "Deviation Points" he had earned after spending an entire day playing around with the main cast.

However, he was quickly disappointed, as the Deviation Points column remained at zero.

The plot deviation rate, however, had increased to 0.00324%.

This showed that after mixing with the main cast, he had indeed caused a certain degree of deviation to the plot, but the impact remained extremely weak.

To redeem the most basic rewards, he needed to raise the plot deviation rate to at least 0.1%, which currently seemed like a distant goal.

It was evident that unless he actively created an impact on the direction of the plot, it would be very difficult to achieve this goal.

More importantly, he still hadn't figured out under what circumstances Deviation Points were generated. The system hadn't given him a manual; he had to figure everything out on his own.

In fact, if he didn't consider the consequences, he could already achieve a massive deviation to the plot right now.

For instance, if he told Sasuke the truth about the Uchiha Clan massacre, it would certainly accelerate his defection by a significant margin.

Or, he could tell Kakashi that Hiruzen didn't have many good days left, and a guy named Orochimaru was coming to Konoha to seek revenge.

But where would these intelligence sources come from?

If he couldn't explain it clearly, they would just dismiss it as nonsense. Once verified, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Therefore, he didn't dare reveal a single word about the future he knew until he had enough strength to protect himself.

Just accidentally exposing one ninjutsu had invited an investigation from the Torture and Interrogation Force; heaven knows if saying those things would pique the interest of Danzo.

Being targeted by Danzo... would he even be allowed to live?

So, although these ideas were tempting, for the sake of safety, it was better not to court death.

The next day, the group set off again. Naruto had regained his energy, chattering endlessly with his companions. He clearly didn't sense Sasuke and Sakura's impatience with him, continuing to be a chatterbox with great enthusiasm.

Keiichi trailed at the back of the group, keeping a distance from Team 7, neither close nor distant.

He knew very well how special this team was. Countless eyes were fixed on them; perhaps there were people secretly following to protect and monitor them the entire way. His every move could potentially be reported back to the Hokage Building.

Since that old man Hiruzen had asked him to secretly protect and monitor Naruto and Sasuke, there was no guarantee he hadn't added a second or third layer of insurance.

Even if Hiruzen hadn't done so, don't forget that there was an organization in Konoha called Root, and they weren't under Hiruzen's jurisdiction.

Even if all of this was just Keiichi's paranoia, there was still Kakashi up ahead.

Don't let his slacker appearance fool you; he had tested him more than once. He didn't want to cause any misunderstandings.

Just as Keiichi was thinking about how to earn Deviation Points, a puddle on the side of the road suddenly caught his attention.

It hasn't rained since yesterday, so where did this puddle come from?

As the thought arose, goosebumps prickled the back of his neck. He had encountered this situation more than once in his previous life. Perhaps the long days of peace had made him a bit lax; he was actually half a beat slow.

Keiichi retreated rapidly, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Enemy attack!"

However, the words had barely left his lips when two chains wrapped around Kakashi, pulled taut, and in the next second, sliced him into pieces!

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and the others stared at the scene in utter shock, their faces turning pale with terror.

Naruto hadn't reacted at all, still immersed in the fear of death, when the two enemies leaped from the puddle and stuck to his back. The chains seemed to be following the same pattern, preparing to wrap around him as well.

Sasuke had the quickest reaction, immediately throwing shuriken to pin the chains firmly to a tree trunk. The attackers pulled on the chains in unison, but for a moment, they couldn't budge them.

Taking advantage of this moment, Sasuke closed the distance, his eyes filled with killing intent.

However, these two Mist ninja were decisive men; they immediately snapped the chains and leaped to either side, simply ignoring Sasuke, who appeared difficult to deal with, and charged directly toward Tazuna.

After all, their mission was merely to kill Tazuna; there was no need to become entangled with these Leaf Village ninja.

Sakura, who was closest to Tazuna, suppressed her fear and stood in front of him, but as she trembled all over, it was hard to say whether she possessed even the most basic combat capability.

Naruto's performance, however, was even worse; he remained immersed in the image of having almost been killed by the opponent just moments ago, his body completely dominated by fear, rendering him unable to move at all.

Fortunately, the two were solely focused on killing Tazuna and ignored Naruto entirely, rushing past him from the left and right.

At this moment, Keiichi remained completely indifferent to their actions, his gaze fixed tightly on Naruto and Sasuke; unless the Mist ninja had intended to strike at Naruto, he would not make a single move.

This was because the only task Hiruzen had entrusted to him was to protect those two; protecting Tazuna was the job of Team 7, not his.

Furthermore, he was calmer than anyone else present; how could Kakashi die so easily? He must be hiding in the shadows, observing the performance of his disciples, and perhaps even intending to catch a glimpse of his own trump cards in the process.

Sure enough, just as the two were about to strike at Sakura, who stood in their way, Kakashi suddenly appeared there and effortlessly subdued both Mist ninja, knocking them unconscious with a single punch each.

Keiichi's gaze toward Kakashi became even more solemn, for judging by that display, these two were at least at the level of Chunin, yet Kakashi had achieved a knockout in a single exchange; it would be impossible for him to do it with such flair, and he might even have to pay a price to secure victory.

The difference between people is truly that vast.

Don't look at the Hatake clan as having fallen into decline; at the very least, they possess a surname. The Warring States period hasn't been over for long, and having a surname signifies descent from a ninja clan—regardless of whether it is a prestigious or humble house, their bloodline is simply different from that of a commoner.

In his previous life, he had suffered enough from his commoner bloodline; his room for advancement was so limited that no matter how hard he trained, he could never break through his ceiling. If it weren't for the long peace that followed the Fourth Great Ninja War, he would have died on the battlefield sooner or later, becoming a true piece of cannon fodder.

"Sasuke, Sakura, your performance was excellent! Only you, Naruto, you have disappointed me greatly." Kakashi began to critique his disciples.

Sasuke had actually managed to trade blows with the two, and Sakura had remembered her mission even when facing enemies stronger than herself for the first time; only Naruto had become a wooden post, doing nothing and ending up injured in the end.

Naruto stared at the wound on the back of his hand, silent and dejected.

At this moment, Sasuke began to twist the knife: "Hmph, is the wound okay? Scaredy-cat."

These words nearly set Naruto off.

But before he could say anything, a cold glint suddenly thrust toward him.