Reliable Sakura, Ryusuke Watches the Show

The Land of Waves was a small island surrounded by sea on all sides, and it was also a country without ninja.

Before the Great Naruto Bridge was built, the people of this country could only travel to the mainland by boat.

That was precisely why Tazuna wanted to build a bridge, connecting the Land of Waves to the Ninja Continent and revitalizing the island's economy.

The Land of Waves lay at the easternmost edge of the Land of Fire, separated from the mainland only by the distance of a bridge across the sea.

So unlike the trek over mountains and ridges to Iron Mine Village in the Land of Rivers, Team 7 only needed to pass through forest paths to reach the coast, then take a boat to the island to arrive at their destination.

After growing tired of the scenery along the way, Team 7 began chatting.

During that time, Kakashi Hatake and Sakura taught the illiterate Naruto some common knowledge.

At the very least, they made him understand the state of the Shinobi World, the one-country-one-hidden-village system, and the status and influence of the Five Kage.

Otherwise, this guy who shouted all day about becoming Hokage would have thought the Hokage was really just a village chief.

Dressed in a red qipao, with waist-length pink hair and the refined temperament of a classical lady, Sakura, like Hinata, occasionally used her Sensing Technique to observe the surroundings.

Watching the quiet yet dependable Sakura, a trace of satisfaction flashed through Kakashi Hatake's eyes.

Although Sakura lacked offensive methods, the Sensing Technique and Medical Ninjutsu she had mastered could make up for the team's shortcomings.

Moreover, the girl seemed to have someone she liked. She did not favor anyone within the team, treated everyone equally, and always sided with whoever was right, which often defused the conflicts between Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha.

This girl was very much like Rin.

Thinking of the girl he had killed with his own hands, Kakashi Hatake's gaze darkened again.

Ryusuke was also very satisfied as he watched the highly vigilant Sakura.

This was all the result of his training!

As a transmigrator, Ryusuke, whose narrative level stood above everyone else's, had been extremely cautious since childhood.

That caution had also influenced the three girls who grew up with him, including Ino.

When they trained, Ryusuke often honed their sensing abilities.

The habit of constantly sensing their surroundings had already become instinctive for the three girls.

Neither Hinata nor Sakura had disappointed Ryusuke.

They were both far more outstanding than in the original story.

However, even cautious Sakura still failed to notice Ryusuke.

Even Kakashi Hatake, an Elite Jonin, had not noticed that a figure had been following them from over a hundred meters behind.

To test the illusion ability of the Red Eye, Ryusuke would occasionally close the distance between himself and Team 7 to see whether they would notice him.

As the nemesis of the three great ocular techniques, the Red Eye's ability did not disappoint Ryusuke.

Its illusions could not be seen through even by Telescopic Vision and X-ray Vision, and ordinary sensing was simply unable to detect them.

However, knowing that his Sharingan could capture the red powder of the Red Eye, Ryusuke did not get too close.

If Kakashi Hatake lifted his Forehead Protector, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan might notice the red powder.

Thus, Ryusuke followed Team 7 as they slowly advanced.

The next morning, Team 7 was about to reach the easternmost edge.

Once they passed through another forest path, the sea and the Land of Waves would lie ahead.

Just then, a rather large puddle suddenly appeared on the road ahead of Team 7.

Seeing the puddle, Ryusuke raised his head to look at the azure sky, speechless.

It was near the sea, sure, but was there really any need for such a brain-dead move?

How far apart were the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves, anyway?

It had not rained these past few days, yet they still dared to disguise themselves as such a large puddle. Wasn't that practically broadcasting that something was wrong?

At that moment, Ryusuke suddenly realized the importance of academic classes.

Even a Chunin with no brains could not beat a Genin.

Sure enough...

Aside from Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura's eyes both flickered as they looked at the puddle.

Sakura made a hand signal, and only after seeing Sasuke Uchiha give a slight nod did she relax.

But when she glanced at Naruto beside her and saw that he was still humming, she was instantly speechless.

What is wrong with this guy?

He clearly mastered the forbidden-jutsu-level Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, his chakra reserves are who knows how many times greater than mine, and his real strength is nowhere near dead last. So why does he have no awareness at all?

Fortunately, her other teammate was Sasuke Uchiha, the only person in their class who could trade blows with Ryusuke for a while. Otherwise, Sakura really would have gone mad.

She did not dare imagine how happy Hinata, who had been assigned to the same group as Ryusuke, must be right now.

Just like in the original story, when Team 7 passed by that puddle, two figures instantly sprang out of the water. Holding a chain, they bound Kakashi Hatake, who had somehow moved to the rear of the group, and tore him apart.

The sight left Naruto dumbfounded.

Sakura held a kunai in one hand and several beads in the other as she stood in front of Tazuna.

Sasuke Uchiha, meanwhile, rushed at the Demon Brothers and swiftly knocked both of them to the ground.

Before Naruto could recover, Sasuke Uchiha had already easily defeated the Demon Brothers.

At that moment, the dismembered Kakashi Hatake reappeared before Team 7.

He first interrogated the Demon Brothers, then wounded Naruto's heart through an apology.

As Naruto pierced the back of his hand with a kunai and swore an oath through self-harm, dead last officially underwent his transformation.

Afterward, under Tazuna's moral pressure, Team 7 still decided to complete the mission and escort Tazuna home.

When they reached the coast, Tazuna's companion had already been waiting for a long time.

Team 7 took a small boat toward the Land of Waves, while Ryusuke walked across the water.

That morning, the Land of Waves was shrouded in thick fog.

For Tazuna, this was a good thing. This way, they could avoid the patrolling ronin and return to his home with Team 7.

But he did not know that, because the Demon Brothers could not be contacted, a powerful Jonin was already waiting for them ahead.

When a massive cleaver-like sword spun toward them like a giant shuriken and flew over the heads of the Team 7 members, who had ducked in time, an Elite Jonin-level battle was about to erupt!

Unlike Raiga Kurosuki, who had people behind him to protect, Zabuza Momochi had no one to protect and could unleash his full strength.

Kakashi Hatake, on the other hand, had fallen into the same predicament as Raiga Kurosuki. Needing to protect Team 7 and Tazuna behind him, his strength was diminished.

However, Ryusuke was not watching the battle between the two Jonin. Red light flickered in his eyes, impossible to conceal even beneath his Colored Contact Lenses, as he kept his gaze fixed in a certain direction.

More precisely, he was staring at the boy wearing an Anbu mask in a tree.

That boy was Ryusuke's objective on this journey—Haku.

Having found Haku, Ryusuke did not rush to act. It was not yet the best time.

So, Ryusuke focused on watching the battle between the two Jonin.

Just like in the original story, Kakashi Hatake, who had likely not fought an intense battle in a long time, was caught off guard by Zabuza Momochi's Water Prison Technique due to his distraction, temporarily losing his ability to fight.

But since the one maintaining the Water Prison Technique had to be the original body, Zabuza Momochi could only create a Water Clone to deal with Team 7 and Tazuna.

Unexpectedly, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto, who had overcome his fear, abandoned their usual bickering and displayed astonishing teamwork. They bypassed the Water Clone and attacked Zabuza Momochi directly, forcing him to evade and release the Water Prison Technique.

After breaking free, Kakashi Hatake went all out, showing Zabuza Momochi the might of Konoha's Technician, the Copy Ninja.

In the end, Kakashi Hatake, whose hand seals were one step faster than Zabuza Momochi's, defeated him with the Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Just as Kakashi Hatake was about to finish him off, the sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out.

Several senbon pierced Zabuza Momochi's neck.

Haku, disguised as a Hidden Mist Anbu, also appeared before Team 7 in a Body Flicker. After obtaining Kakashi Hatake's permission, he took away Zabuza Momochi's corpse.

Having finally waited for the best opportunity, Ryusuke immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to follow.