The Land of Waves Mission

A C-rank mission?

Lu Yu's eyes lit up, and he instinctively thought:

Could it be the Land of Waves mission?

Lu Yu's mind raced. He stroked his chin and considered:

As I remember it, the Land of Waves mission involved the super-rich Gato Company. Robbing the rich to help the poor wouldn't be bad. Then I wouldn't have to feel bad about eating barbecue anymore.

Watching Lu Yu sink into thought, Ino moved closer out of habit and asked softly:

"Lu Yu, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

Lu Yu caught the unique fragrance of a young girl. He turned to Ino with a smile and said:

"Oh, nothing. I just spaced out."

When Lu Yu gave her his signature handsome, sunny smile, Ino's heart began to race.

Oh my god, Lu Yu smiled at me again! No, I can't be such a lovesick fool. Mom said girls should be demure... But why can't I move? This is so embarrassing...

Lu Yu watched Ino smile foolishly at him, her cheeks bright red. Puzzled, he shook his head, apparently oblivious to her feelings, and went home to pack.

Only after a good while did Ino come to her senses and realize Lu Yu had disappeared. She stamped her foot in frustration, pouted, and went home.

That afternoon, outside the mission assignment office, Asuma watched the four slackers with a thoroughly speechless expression.

When he'd said to pack, he'd meant the essentials. Who could have guessed these four would show up covered in bags? This wasn't a C-rank mission; they looked ready for a vacation outside the village.

Still, considering all four were the future heads of their respective clans, it was understandable that their families wanted to take extra care of them.

All Asuma could do was sigh helplessly and lead them into the mission assignment office.

The hall was packed. From a distance, Lu Yu spotted an old white-haired man with dark skin, a white towel draped around his neck, sitting and waiting.

The old man seemed troubled. His brow furrowed as he took an occasional swig of liquor. When Asuma arrived with the group, he slurred:

"Haha, has Konoha run out of people? This is a C-rank mission, and you're sending kids? Can Konoha really be trusted?"

The old man complained, gesticulating wildly:

"You should know, I, Tazuna, am a world-famous master bridge builder! You should be grateful to have been given this mission! And you send a few kids to handle it? Unforgivable!"

Tazuna stared at them arrogantly.

Only then did he notice Asuma speaking with the mission assignment staff.

Lu Yu and Shikamaru were dozing with their eyes closed. The pretty blonde girl was stealing affectionate glances at the handsome boy who was sleeping. The only chubby one was munching noisily on snacks as he looked around curiously.

Not one of the five was paying him any attention.

Just then, two crows flew overhead, cawing.

It was as if they were saying, "Idiot, idiot..."

Tazuna froze. He knew his own situation: if he wanted to survive, he needed to make sure the people protecting him were strong enough.

With that in mind, Tazuna suddenly grabbed Asuma's leg and pleaded pitifully:

"Please, Jonin-sama, you have to save me! I have a feeling someone wants to kill me. Please protect my life until I finish building the bridge."

Asuma looked helplessly at Tazuna clinging to his leg.

"Please, Mr. Tazuna, show some restraint. Konoha assigns personnel according to the mission, and we're ready. If there are no problems, we can leave."

"By the way, the four young people in front of you are my students. They're exceptionally strong."

"Is that so?"

Tazuna eyed the four slackers suspiciously, clearly unconvinced.

Two lazybones who loved sleeping, a girl in the throes of young love, and a glutton who only cared about snacks. Could these four really be reliable?

Asuma's mouth twitched as he glanced at the four. He cleared his throat softly, then regarded Tazuna with a serious expression.

"Don't let their appearance fool you. Their abilities are unfathomable. All right, Mr. Tazuna, please lead the way."

Tazuna still looked at the four uncertainly, but he knew there was no changing things now. He sighed helplessly and led everyone out...