Naruto: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Keiichi suddenly made his move.

"Asshole, what are you doing! Are you trying to kill me?" Naruto scrambled back a few steps, clutching the back of his hand where blood was flowing incessantly from the wound.

That sudden, unexpected slash had cut the back of his hand again, adding pain upon pain!

"Naruto, he didn't do anything wrong; he was actually saving you." Kakashi didn't move to stop him, instead casting a slightly surprised glance at Keiichi.

"Nonsense, he was clearly trying to kill me! Who saves people like that?" Naruto stared at Keiichi with extreme indignation, refusing to believe a word of it.

"Naruto, he really is saving you. If he hadn't acted first, I would have given you a slash myself," Sakura actually chimed in.

While her practical combat skills were lacking, when it came to ninja theory, she was perhaps even more solid than Sasuke.

"Why are you all on his side? It's so infuriating!" Naruto looked completely devastated.

"He did the right thing. These Mist ninjas love using poison; their claws are surely coated in it. If you don't cut the wound open to drain the blood immediately, you'll die from the toxin soon," Kakashi explained.

Hearing this, Naruto turned pale with fright, unable to utter a single word.

"My apologies, Naruto-kun. The situation was urgent, and I feared that taking the time to explain would waste precious treatment time, so I simply acted," Keiichi maintained his harmless, innocent facade, offering repeated apologies.

With the explanation provided, Naruto suddenly realized his mistake and intended to thank Keiichi, but Sasuke unleashed his sharp-tongued skill.

"Naruto, you should thank him properly. I don't want an extra sickly teammate dragging us down."

Upon hearing Sasuke's words, the word "thanks" became impossible for him to choke out.

Everyone fell silent, as if waiting for Naruto to offer an apology, and the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward.

"That's not right, Kakashi-sensei. He didn't make a move earlier either, so why are you only criticizing me?" Naruto pointed at Keiichi, looking completely unconvinced.

"Because he is not my student."

These words made the corner of Keiichi's mouth twitch, and the fake smile he was struggling to maintain stiffened.

Yes, he had known from the very beginning that even if he managed to infiltrate the protagonist's team, he was at best just a teammate executing a mission together; Kakashi could never treat him the way he treated Naruto and the others.

His experiences in his previous life gave him a bone-deep understanding of this world, especially the class stratification in Konoha, which taught him not to harbor any delusions.

How could an elite Jonin like Kakashi ever think highly of a civilian ninja?

His curiosity toward him was likely born more from the professional habits of an Anbu ninja, merely wanting to uncover the background of every individual.

The young Naruto did not understand the weight behind Kakashi's words. With Sasuke's remark still echoing in his mind, he felt stung. Gritting his teeth, he took out a kunai and stabbed it fiercely into the back of his hand, deep enough to reach the bone.

"I swear upon this pain, next time I will never be a burden to anyone, and I will absolutely, absolutely never let anyone save me!"

After saying this, Naruto turned and walked away, leaving behind only a stubborn silhouette.

"That guy Naruto is just too reckless." Kakashi scratched his hair in annoyance; children were truly difficult to manage.

He had seen Keiichi's slash clearly; the force was just right, wounding only the surface while draining the poisoned blood, and it would be scarred over in a few days.

However, the stab Naruto just gave himself was completely lacking in restraint; he feared the injury wouldn't heal for at least half a month.

Reducing one's own combat strength for no reason—is this really something a ninja should do? It was simply too impulsive.

But that was Naruto, the number one unpredictable ninja.

The group set off again, but unlike before, Sasuke would occasionally glance at Keiichi, who was trailing behind the team. He hadn't even reacted when Keiichi moved against Naruto earlier, so he couldn't help but wonder: if the target had been him, how much better would he have performed than Naruto?

Furthermore, it was he who had discovered the enemy first. If he could spot the enemy's ambush, why couldn't he?

What exactly was this guy's background?

Keiichi also clearly had things on his mind. After a moment of contemplation, he quickened his pace and moved to Kakashi's side.

"Kakashi-sama, I don't know if I should say this or not."

"Oh? What do you want to say?" Kakashi glanced at him sideways.

"This escort mission is only C-rank, but since ninja-level enemies have appeared, it's a different story; it should at least be a B-rank mission. According to Konoha's regulations, this level of mission is no longer something we can handle. Shouldn't we return to Konoha now to re-evaluate the mission?" Keiichi put on a professional, by-the-book expression.

His reasoning was sound. If he could persuade Kakashi to turn back, they wouldn't have to clash with Zabuza, the main storyline would inevitably change drastically, and he didn't believe he wouldn't earn "magic modification" points for doing so!

However, Kakashi smiled and said with an easygoing air, "I actually think this is a good test for my students. If you are afraid of danger, you can return to Konoha Village first; I will explain it to the Hokage."

"I am not afraid of danger. The point is that if the mission fails, it will affect Konoha's reputation."

Hearing this, Kakashi's smile vanished instantly, and the pressure in his gaze made Keiichi swallow hard.

He had used these words specifically to provoke Kakashi, as his own father had been forced to take his own life for that very reason.

What was a human life worth in those days? Abandoning a mission to save a comrade and damaging Konoha's reputation—that was the real problem, wasn't it?

So he wanted to gamble, to see if Kakashi would change his mind because of his father's fate.

He couldn't care less about the consequences; to achieve his goal, he decided to take the risk.

"Keiichi-kun, are you trying to say that I, Kakashi, can't even complete a B-rank mission?"

"Ah, this..." Keiichi was speechless.

Tch, if you knew that a formidable enemy like Zabuza was waiting for you on the other side, I'd like to see if you could still smile!

"However, Keiichi-kun does have a point. How about this: you just focus on protecting my three students, and you don't need to worry about anything else."

Kakashi's gaze held a hint of profound meaning, and Keiichi instantly grasped the subtext. It seemed he was a sharp man; through Keiichi's recent performance, he had already guessed that Keiichi was an "eye" planted in the team by Hiruzen, and he had likely deduced the true nature of the mission as well.

Since the unspoken had been brought to light, a tacit understanding naturally formed, making any further attempts at dissuasion impossible to voice.

Yet, he now had a headache to deal with: if they truly encountered Zabuza and Haku, how was he supposed to ensure his own survival?

Protect Naruto and Sasuke? Don't make him laugh. Did the Child of Prophecy really need him to worry about their safety?

Clearly, no one else currently realized the severity of the situation; only he, the prophet, was filled with trepidation, feeling a deep sense of anxiety for his own future.

Chapter 9: The Catfish Effect

Naruto had the temperament of a child; despite acting as if he had suffered a great injustice that morning, he had already forgotten it all, shouting for a fishing contest with Sasuke to see who could catch more. The kicker was that Sasuke actually agreed, and judging by his focused expression, he had no intention of losing to Naruto.

Although Keiichi was physically the same age as them, his mental age was far older than Kakashi's. He had no interest in joining in children's games and instead focused on his own training, not wanting to waste a single moment.

Even though he possessed the combat experience and awareness of his past life, his body had not yet received sufficient training or growth. If he didn't redouble his efforts to improve, when would he ever return to his prime?

With everyone occupied by their own tasks, they managed to get along quite harmoniously.

"Hahaha, I won! I caught one more fish than Sasuke!" Naruto, soaked to the bone, strode over holding a string of fish skewered on a branch, eager to show off to Sakura.

"Sasuke, don't be discouraged! Naruto must have cheated to win!" Sakura, however, ignored Naruto entirely and ran straight to Sasuke's side.

Sasuke couldn't be bothered to respond to her. Naruto hadn't cheated, but his freakish physical stamina was indeed as good as cheating.

If it weren't for the exhaustion from that morning's battle, there was no way he would have lost to a guy like Naruto!

Ignoring the fawning Sakura, his gaze fell on Keiichi, who was training by himself in the distance, and he felt a secret pang of regret.

He shouldn't have been messing around with Naruto. While he was playing, what was that guy doing?

He was training hard!

If he wasn't careful, he really might be overtaken by this guy!

Staying with Naruto for too long was making him an idiot, too!

Noticing Sasuke's gaze, Naruto felt a bit jealous. Sasuke used to treat him as his primary rival, but ever since that Keiichi appeared, Sasuke was clearly more focused on him.

"Sakura, don't you think that guy Keiichi isn't actually as strong as Kakashi-sensei said?" Naruto whispered, covering his mouth.

"Of course. If he were really strong, why didn't he dare to make a move when we encountered enemies this morning?" Sakura couldn't be bothered to gossip with him and just chimed in casually.

"Don't underestimate anyone. He might not be as simple as you think," Sasuke frowned, disagreeing with Naruto.

"Sasuke is right! Besides, he's definitely stronger than you, Naruto!" Sakura immediately abandoned her stance without a shred of loyalty.

"Sasuke, you were eavesdropping on our secret conversation!" Naruto was suddenly furious.

"Who was having a secret conversation with you?" Sakura, terrified that Sasuke might misunderstand, quickly distanced herself.

"Ah! That's not what you said just a moment ago, Sakura!" Naruto was nearly losing his mind, glaring daggers at Sasuke.

"Idiot, think about who injured the back of your hand. If he had truly intended to kill you, would you have been able to react in time?" Sasuke snorted coldly.

"That was just an accident! He... he clearly ambushed me! Don't hold me back, I'm going to settle this with him right now!"

If Sakura hadn't been pulling him back, the hot-headed Naruto would have truly rolled up his sleeves to start a fight.

"Stop acting up, Naruto." Kakashi walked over, and a few words immediately made Naruto behave: "Let me see the wound."

After a brief examination, an expression of surprise appeared on Kakashi's face. He was astonished to find that such a deep wound had already mostly healed in just half a day—a phenomenon he had never seen before.

In the end, he could only attribute this miraculous recovery to the Nine-Tails Chakra within Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, is that guy Keiichi really that strong?" Once the check-up was finished, Naruto couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Kakashi smiled, casting a glance at Sasuke, and said, "He's probably about ten times stronger than you, Naruto."

"What?! How is that possible!" Naruto looked completely unconvinced.

"And seven or eight times stronger than Sakura."

Sakura's expression stiffened, and she cursed Kakashi several times in her heart.

"He's also two or three times stronger than Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes immediately darkened, his gaze filled with intense fighting spirit.

Excellent, the provocation was a huge success! Seeing the reactions of his three students, Kakashi was inwardly delighted.

They had been a bit lax lately, knowing only how to play around all day. It was time to let Keiichi act as the catfish that stirred up the pond; without some external stimulation, they would really start thinking they were something special.

Sure enough, over the next few days, the three of them were significantly more diligent than before. They had no interest in playing, and aside from traveling, they poured all their focus into training.

Everyone seemed to be competing, each determined to show they were working harder than the others, though Keiichi felt a strange sensation that the protagonist group was looking his way more and more frequently.

On the fifth day, the group arrived at a border port in the Land of Fire, then boarded a raft to cross the calm sea toward the Land of Waves.

Halfway through the journey, a thick fog rolled in. Fortunately, the great bridge was nearing completion; as long as they followed the direction of the bridge, they wouldn't lose their way.

However, the pressure in Keiichi's heart grew heavier. If he remembered correctly, Zabuza's first appearance occurred in a thick fog, though he couldn't quite recall the specific details of the battle.

Not long after they landed, they indeed discovered signs of the enemy. But to everyone's shock, the first one to spot them was Naruto!

Looking at the rabbit in the bushes that had been scared to the point of wetting itself, Sakura was furious. Just as she was about to lecture Naruto, a dark shadow slammed into her, sending her flying.

Keiichi narrowly saved Sakura, staring solemnly at the dark shadow deep within the thick fog, his skin crawling with goosebumps.

Zabuza Momochi had truly arrived!

The black shadow that had just launched the surprise attack was none other than the legendary Kubikiribōchō!

If Keiichi hadn't acted in time, Sakura would likely have been sliced clean in half!

Although he didn't know who had saved Sakura in the original story, that moment made him realize that perhaps everything was changing because of his involvement; it was entirely possible that the main cast could actually meet with an accident.

Setting aside the question of who would seal Kaguya Otsutsuki in the future if Naruto and Sasuke were to die, the more critical issue was that he would be failing the trust Hiruzen had placed in him, and the consequences might be more than he could bear!

This time, he had to get serious.

"Everyone else, fall back immediately! This person is not someone you can handle!" Kakashi seemed to have recognized the newcomer, his pupils dilating in shock as he shouted a warning.

The four of them immediately gathered around Tazuna, each taking a position on one of the four sides to guard against any potential surprise attacks.

"Are you Zabuza Momochi, the rogue ninja from Kirigakure? Why would you accept a commission from Gato?" Kakashi questioned, as this was a situation he truly hadn't anticipated.

Elite ninjas like Zabuza Momochi were usually vital assets to their villages and typically only carried out the most critical missions.

But since he had betrayed his village and become a rogue ninja, it wasn't surprising that he would be lured by Gato's money and become his lackey.

He should have guessed this possibility from the moment they encountered the two Kirigakure ninjas, yet he had overlooked it—what a blunder!

"Leaf Village's Kakashi, is it? I heard of your reputation back when I was still in Kirigakure—the Copy Ninja Kakashi. This is becoming interesting."

"Hmph, I heard that you killed every student in your graduating class, earning you the name 'Demon,' and that your Silent Killing Technique is unrivaled, using the legendary ninja sword, the Kubikiribōchō, right?" Kakashi replied calmly.

He said these things to let his students know exactly what kind of brutal and terrifying opponent they were facing, so they wouldn't act rashly.

Otherwise, even he might not be able to save his students from Zabuza's hands in time.