The Wrong Mission

A shrill scream!

A new ninja leader was appointed by Gato Company.

The midday sun scorched the skin with a stinging heat. Tazuna, his face covered in stubble, walked panting toward the gates of Konoha.

Tazuna wiped the sweat from his forehead and bent down to pick up the firewood he had dropped.

Along the way, to evade the assassins sent by Gato Company, Tazuna had constantly changed his identity. Now, he was disguised as a woodcutter, having gathered firewood to sell in Konoha.

Tazuna entered Konoha without hesitation. He rushed to the mission assignment office and emptied his pockets: "Please escort me to the Land of Waves."

"Escort mission accepted, classified as C-rank. Please wait for our ninjas to take the job."

"How long until a ninja accepts the mission?"

"Please be patient. If the mission is accepted, someone will notify you. Please fill out the relevant information."

Tazuna had no choice but to wait.

Even though waiting was the most agonizing part.

One day, two days.

Tazuna sat on a wooden bench in Konoha Park, dejectedly taking a bite of a cold rice ball: "Why is there no movement? Did they forget about my mission?"

Tazuna's mission fee was among the lowest for escort tasks, not even matching standard C-rank missions. Generally, no ninja was willing to take on such a long-distance job to another country.

"I'll go urge them again. I can't keep waiting. Every day that passes, the people of the Land of Waves suffer more." Tazuna rushed to the river, scooped up some water, and splashed his face.

Hokage Office.

Team Kakashi guaranteed their reputation by finishing missions ahead of schedule.

Minato Namikaze's secretary saw Naruto and smiled: "You've ditched Kakashi again. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Naruto wasn't doing it on purpose: "Kakashi-sensei said D-rank missions don't require his presence and left them entirely to us."

"Naruto, Team 7 has completed enough D-rank missions. Any interest in taking a C-rank?"

Naruto prepared to refuse, as C-rank missions weren't cost-effective; the pay was low, they took a long time, and they required leaving Konoha. Why bother when finding lost cats and dogs for nobles was so lucrative?

However, Sakura Haruno was getting bored of finding cats and dogs. Hearing that Team 7 could take higher-level missions, she grew excited and immediately spoke up: "We're interested. We'll take it."

"Hinata, please help me out. I really want to see what's outside Konoha." Fearing Naruto would veto her idea, Sakura Haruno pleaded pitifully with Hinata.

Hinata figured that with Naruto's strength, completing a C-rank mission wouldn't be difficult, so she saw no harm in agreeing: "Naruto, is it okay?"

In this situation, Naruto had no choice but to agree: "Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet. When he arrives, we'll let him make the final decision."

Sakura Haruno was certain Kakashi-sensei would agree.

On the streets of Konoha, Tazuna was incredibly depressed. He still hadn't received any news from the mission office, and his inner hope was slowly crumbling.

Passing a tavern, Tazuna smelled the alcohol. The craving he had suppressed for two days flooded his brain; he needed a drink to drown his sorrows.

"Boss, give me the cheapest wine." Tazuna pulled out the wages he had earned from manual labor the day before. It was all he had left, but he had to buy a drink.

He drank, gulping down the liquor, forgetting everything. A drunken flush appeared on Tazuna's cheeks.

"Tazuna, your mission has been accepted. Please come with me." The errand ninja from the Konoha office found Tazuna and delivered the news.

Having had a drink, Tazuna's temper flared: "Your Konoha efficiency is terrible. I'm going to file a complaint."

Hokage Office.

Kakashi looked at the mission scroll: "Bridge builder Tazuna? Escort to the Land of Waves? Such a low fee. Minato Namikaze-sensei, no one else wanted this, so you're making me take it, right?"

Minato Namikaze was signing a tall stack of documents, his eyes sincere: "Kakashi, please don't dwell on that. Just think of it as taking everyone out for some fresh air. Besides, we have almost no intelligence on the Land of Waves. Help the Anbu gather some data. And look at Naruto—he's almost finished all the D-rank missions in Konoha. Go out and give the other Genin teams a chance!"

"Fine. Why hasn't the person we're escorting arrived yet?" Kakashi accepted the scroll. Minato Namikaze-sensei had a point. That kid Naruto could finish dozens of D-rank missions in a day when he was on a roll. Going out for a few days would let Konoha build up a backlog of D-rank tasks for when they returned.

Just then, the door to the Hokage Office was pushed open.

Naruto smelled alcohol and frowned by the windowsill. Why was the client a drunkard?

Tazuna's voice was loud. Holding a bottle in one hand, he leaned against the doorframe: "Where are the people escorting me?"

The secretary gestured toward Naruto and his team.

"A bunch of little brats?" A look of displeasure crossed Tazuna's face: "Is Konoha playing a joke on me? I am the most prestigious bridge builder in the Land of Waves. I want ninjas to escort me, not children."

"I'm sorry, but they are the only ones willing to take this mission. Don't worry, they are capable Genin. Escorting you back to the Land of Waves will be no problem at all."

Tazuna wasn't stupid, even if he was a bit tipsy: "Fine, have it your way. Send me to the Land of Waves first thing tomorrow morning."

Kakashi looked at Minato Namikaze with a wronged expression. Sensei, what kind of escort mission have you saddled us with!

Gato Company, Land of Waves.

Gato played with his cane, looking at the figure hiding in the shadows: "The final news has arrived. Are you confident? Tazuna hired Genin from Konoha. Konoha is the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages; their Genin shouldn't be underestimated!"

"Gato, double the price for assassinating Tazuna."

"Money is no object. I also want to see if these legendary powerful ninjas are truly as strong as they say." Although Gato had a bunch of thug ninjas under his command, he had always been curious about real ninjas.

"Don't test me, or you'll be the first to die, Gato."

Gato chuckled.

The shadows in the darkness vanished.

Amidst the lingering mist.

Zabuza swung his severed blade, the Kubikiribōchō, incessantly.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before Zabuza, effortlessly catching the descending Kubikiribōchō between two fingers.

"My lord." Zabuza dared not move.

"Zabuza, this mission is for you and the Demon Brothers, along with the weapon you raised yourself, Su."

Zabuza instantly memorized the mission objective: "Su and I will absolutely not let you down, my lord."

"Remember, it does not matter whether Tazuna lives or dies; I want you to test the strength of that yellow-haired boy, Naruto!"