Side Mission, the Bridge Builder

Such talent was plain for all to see!

As for Sasuke, his mouth had fallen open too.

"Big bro... did you jump straight past the Three Tomoe? I remember that when I had two Tomoe, you hadn't even awakened your Sharingan yet. Now you've surpassed me?"

Sasuke was completely bewildered. Uchiha Sora had been called a failure before because he'd gone so long without awakening his Sharingan.

Now, though, he'd caught up from behind and surpassed them all. It was truly shocking.

As for Deidara, he merely pursed his lips, as if he'd long since gotten used to it.

"My master is someone who can create art. A mere Sharingan is nothing—my master can master it in a matter of minutes!"

As the others stared in shock, Uchiha Sora cleared his throat.

"Enough! What did you two seniors want with me?"

Uchiha Sora asked again, but this time he received a completely different answer.

"Well... Lord Hokage wants you to solidify your standing. You're strong, but the villagers don't know that yet, so this is just a formality."

Kakashi spoke courteously, as if he were talking to someone of equal standing.

"As for the mission, it isn't difficult. We're just escorting a Bridge Builder. He's from a small country nearby, and at worst, a band of bandits might ambush him. It's the lowest-difficulty mission!"

Jiraiya said this in his usual blithe manner.

Hearing this, Uchiha Sora furrowed his brow.

He'd read the original story, so he knew about the Bridge Builder's arc. They should run into Zabuza.

But that didn't make sense!

According to the original story, shouldn't this have happened long ago?

Could his arrival have changed the timeline?

Uchiha Sora could only assume so.

Still, although things had deviated from the original, the overall difficulty shouldn't be too different.

Zabuza was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but his strength was about on par with Kakashi's.

And this was Kakashi from the beginning of Naruto.

Uchiha Sora figured an AK-47 would be enough to deal with him!

"Let's go! Since it's a mission from Konoha, it's our duty to complete it."

Uchiha Sora agreed readily.

And so, Uchiha Sora followed them to the gate.

There, he saw Naruto and Sakura Haruno waiting.

The two of them were just as shocked as they stared at Uchiha Sora.

"Sora! You're that strong? Someone was even trying to pick a fight with you earlier! What was his name again? Choji?"

Naruto immediately started reporting on him.

Sakura Haruno, meanwhile, looked completely lovestruck.

"Sora! Do you have a partner... no, I mean, do you have a teammate now?"

Uchiha Sora was quite handsome. He'd inherited Sasuke's rebelliousness and Madara Uchiha's wildness.

In any case, he was definitely one of the most handsome men in Naruto.

Facing the question, Uchiha Sora cleared his throat solemnly.

"Ahem! Sorry, I already have a teammate."

Of course Uchiha Sora couldn't say no. He already had Hinata.

As for building a harem, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

At least, not with his current strength.

But Sakura Haruno wasn't discouraged. Her eyes still sparkled.

"I see! So that means I might have a chance in the future!"

Uchiha Sora hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Something like that!"

Their conversation was bizarre. Perhaps only the two of them could understand it.

Nearby, Kakashi urged them on.

"Let's go! Our client can't wait any longer. He says the blueprints must be delivered without delay!"

Uchiha Sora nodded, and the group soon left the village. At the entrance, Uchiha Sora saw their client: an old man with a white beard. In the original story, this guy had disguised himself as a Bridge Builder. In truth, he was hiding the conflict between two countries, which also involved a local gang.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were even involved in this, and they were among the strongest shinobi in the early days of the Shinobi World.

In other words, this mission was no C-rank mission at all. It wouldn't have been out of place as an A-rank mission, the highest level.

However, Uchiha Sora didn't expose him. He had a goal of his own on this trip. Since his long-term mission was to save his big brother, he couldn't do it alone.

After all, his big brother was surrounded by freaks like Nagato!

So Uchiha Sora planned to build his own team and win through sheer numbers.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have recruited Deidara or trained Sasuke.

Uchiha Sora's mission was to recruit allies—not Zabuza, of course, but Haku.

That's right!

Uchiha Sora was after Haku. It wasn't because of Haku's looks, but because Haku was one of the few medical ninja in the Shinobi World skilled in pressure-point techniques.

Haku was also an expert in assassination techniques. In the early days of the Shinobi World, Haku was practically among the top fighters, a well-rounded shinobi with no weaknesses.

Compared to Zabuza, whose abilities overlapped with his own, Uchiha Sora needed support, not another combat partner.

"Everyone... ready? This mission isn't difficult. I hope you'll protect me!"

The Bridge Builder chuckled, his expression giving nothing away.

Kakashi nodded.

"Although they're all ninja students, they're very strong—the best of their class. Uchiha Sora in particular is a member of the Uchiha clan. They'll be more than enough to protect you."

Jiraiya pursed his lips.

"Why didn't you introduce me? I'm one of the Konoha Sannin, after all. With me here, what bandit would dare come after us?"

The Bridge Builder simply chuckled, as if he were hiding something.

But no one paid it any mind. They treated the mission like a sightseeing trip.

Along the way, Uchiha Sora, Deidara, and Sasuke made up one team.

Sakura Haruno and Naruto each had a team of their own.

Kakashi and Jiraiya were the two supervising teachers on the mission.

For a while, none of them felt the least bit tense. They hadn't taken the mission seriously at all.

They chatted and laughed as they went, and soon they'd left the village behind and entered the true wilderness.

In the Naruto World, any place considered wilderness was firmly outside anyone's jurisdiction.

No one governed it—not the Five Great Shinobi Villages, not the Five Great Nations, and not even the smaller shinobi forces.

There might be small countries or villages in places like this.

But in the Naruto World, they were nothing more than remote, desolate backwaters.

Without chakra, you couldn't even call it the Shinobi World.

At that moment, on a deserted hillside overgrown with weeds, one particular spot had been carefully cleared.

A small courtyard lay hidden there.

Zabuza stared coldly at the slip of paper in his hand.

"Interesting... Our assassination target will be crossing a bridge nearby. Let's go. We've got a job."

Behind Zabuza, Haku stepped out, still wearing the familiar mask.

"Once we finish this job, will we finally be able to rest for a while?"

Zabuza sneered.

"No. Do you think assassins like us ever get a moment's peace?"

"How long have you been dreaming of that? We're assassins, not playing house. Once you take this path, there's no turning back!"