Leaving the Village, Team 7's First C-Rank Mission

After saying this, Hyuga Hiashi said nothing more.

He tucked his hands into his loose sleeves.

He walked slowly into the villa.

Today was a day where he had spoken quite a lot.

Hmm... in his entire life.

It was the most he had ever said!

As the head of the Hyuga clan, there were too many things he had to consider.

Sometimes, it was impossible to cover every single aspect.

Today, being able to say so much to Naruto, he also felt it was somewhat incredible!

He believed that as long as Naruto was a smart man, he would certainly understand the meaning behind his words.

Naruto's gaze was deep as he looked toward the sky dyed red by the setting sun.

Has my Father-in-law already laid out the conditions for marrying off his daughter?

He wants me to become Hokage, and then, in the name of the Hokage, help the Hyuga clan reform its internal system!

I wonder what exactly caused Father-in-law's mindset to change.

Isn't this the kind of thing where he would only lower his stance and reflect deeply after many more people in the Hyuga clan had died?

He remembered that in the original plot, Hyuga Hiashi was currently in his prime as a leader!

His body and physical strength had not aged at all.

Right now, he must be single-mindedly thinking about how to better develop the Hyuga clan.

To develop the Hyuga clan well, those people in the Branch Family below would inevitably have to be sacrificed and used as cannon fodder.

Hyuga Hiashi was not a man of indecision.

How could he have started to worry about the lives of those below him?

Perhaps the death of his own brother had made him understand some truths?

Naruto shook his head slightly; he couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.

In the end, he found a reasonable excuse for himself.

Maybe it's because I transmigrated here, causing some subtle changes to this world?

But by and large, it's not much different.

In an instant, Naruto laughed and placed his hands behind his head.

He left in a leisurely and relaxed manner.

A slender figure flashed by, instinctively wanting to run away.

"Sakura Haruno, I see you. Is running away now even fun?"

Sakura Haruno's heart skipped a beat; she turned around awkwardly and gave a sheepish smile.

"Ah... Naruto-kun, what a coincidence? Why are you here too?"

What a clumsy excuse.

Naruto and Hyuga Hiashi had long ago discovered Sakura Haruno hiding in the distance.

It was just that at her distance, she definitely couldn't have heard the content of their conversation.

Therefore, Naruto and his Father-in-law had tacitly agreed not to pay her any mind.

Naruto shrugged and said straightforwardly.

"I'm seeing Hinata home; I'm afraid it won't be safe for her to walk on the road alone."

Sakura Haruno's heart felt as if it had been pricked by something.

It hurt, it was very uncomfortable!

Originally, these things were supposed to belong to her.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"That, I... alright..."

"See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun."

Sakura Haruno forced a smile onto her pretty face.

It had to be said that Sakura Haruno was indeed beautiful.

However, her behavior in the early days.

Left Naruto with no good feelings toward her at all.

To the point where he was even considering whether to kick Sakura Haruno off his harem list.

Hmm... that was a possibility.

As a maid to do the laundry and sweeping, she might pass, provided she had no temper.

But those were matters for the future.

Perhaps Naruto would lose interest in her by then.

Only after Naruto disappeared from Sakura Haruno's field of vision.

Did she snap out of her daze and mutter to herself.

"Naruto was actually able to maintain eye contact with the head of the Hyuga clan without the slightest hint of cowardice."

"He has really become very impressive."

Her tone carried joy, yet was also tinged with deep disappointment.

The joy was because Naruto had become very strong.

The disappointment was because of Naruto's cold and indifferent attitude toward her.

Putting aside the complicated thoughts in her heart.

Sakura Haruno walked home alone, feeling empty inside.

Differential treatment! It was simply a massive difference in treatment!

Why could Naruto walk Hinata home?

But couldn't walk her home?

She had wanted Naruto to walk her, too.

A few more days passed.

During these few days, Kakashi reluctantly gave his tacit approval for the official formation of Team 7!

In the meantime, they took on some small missions like finding lost cats.

The team performed well.

Among them, the most outstanding performer was undoubtedly Naruto.

Later, Kakashi also felt that taking on such small missions was meaningless.

Team 7's strength had reached the point where they could take on higher-difficulty missions!

So today, he accepted a C-rank escort mission.

With an elite jonin like him, plus the extraordinary strength Naruto had displayed.

Taking on a C-rank mission was a piece of cake, with absolutely no risk involved.

It was also a perfect opportunity to take them out to see the world.

"Kakashi sensei, you're finally here. The mission content today won't be finding kittens and puppies again, will it?"

Sakura Haruno's tone was worried.

She had already had enough of those; although they were quite interesting at times, they lacked excitement!

Moreover, these missions did little to improve a ninja's training.

Kakashi looked listless, lazily lifting one eyelid.

He spoke up.

"No, today we are going to execute a C-rank mission. Simply put, we're acting as bodyguards."

"Protecting a middle-aged man and safely escorting him back to the Land of Waves."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke also became interested.

He knew that if he wanted to become stronger, he needed diligent training!

Of course, taking on missions was also indispensable.

It could increase his combat experience.

This was of huge help to him!

It wasn't something he could achieve just by relying on the erotic books Naruto gave him!

Hmm... these past few days.

He had finally figured out that Naruto had been playing him from the very beginning.

Because he had seen other peers who were beaten black and blue.

Without exception, every one of them.

Accompanied by their parents, they were forced to watch Jiraiya's autobiography!

Pah!

They were beaten to a pulp.

It is said that for the past few nights in Konoha, miserable cries of pain and pleading from children have echoed through the air.

It was enough to break one's heart and bring tears to one's eyes.

Except for Shikamaru, who was spared, every other child suffered the same fate.

As for why Shikamaru didn't fall for it.

Naruto didn't find it particularly surprising.

After all, if he couldn't even see through such a small trick, how could he serve as his strategist in the future?

How could he be his mastermind?

Choji and the others hadn't been able to come knocking these past few days.

On one hand, it was due to parental supervision, and on the other, they had to attend lessons with other jonin instructors.

Eventually, they couldn't hold out any longer.

They pushed Naruto to the front.

However, the parents refused to believe it.

Their exact words were:

"The son of the Fourth Hokage, how could he possibly do such a thing?!"

"Dear, look at how this child is still trying to make excuses—give him a good thrashing!"

It would have been better if they hadn't said anything.

Once they did, a few more ninja belts were broken.

In truth, Naruto was indirectly tempering the mental fortitude of his peers.

He wanted them to learn early on.

The ninja world is full of schemes; only by learning this now would they be more cautious when carrying out missions in the future and not trust others so easily.

Ahem... back to the main topic.

Oh... so I'm going to meet Zabuza of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from Kirigakure?

Naruto thought to himself, though he quickly lost interest.

Although Zabuza was formidable.

He was no match for Naruto now.