Chapter 10

Naruto immediately blew up. "Whoever answers, that's who I'm talking about."

"Damn it, I'm challenging you to a duel!"

"You? You'd probably need another hundred years of training before you could beat me."

"Ah—!"

The two of them immediately started butting heads.

Sakura watched awkwardly from the side and hurriedly greeted Uchiha Yi. "Yi, um... I-I welcome you to the team."

"Mm, thanks, Sakura."

Uchiha Yi nodded, then looked at the two still trading insults and sighed. "How about this? To celebrate me joining Team 7, I'll treat everyone to ramen."

"Wow, Brother Yi, you're the best!"

"Yi, you're so nice!"

"Hmph. I didn't have breakfast anyway, so I'll reluctantly go with you."

After joining Team 7, Uchiha Yi went back to doing daily missions every day.

Catching cats today, looking for things tomorrow—it was boring enough to make him puke blood.

Naruto knew that Uchiha Yi had already completed several C-rank missions, and he was insanely jealous. Every day, he pestered Kakashi, demanding a major mission.

Unfortunately, that simply wasn't realistic. They had only graduated a little over a month ago, and with Naruto's status, how could the village dare let him leave so soon?

If they couldn't leave the village, naturally they couldn't take on any worthwhile missions.

Sasuke was frustrated too. There was even a hint of envy in the way he looked at Uchiha Yi.

In the Hokage's office, Naruto blew up the moment the Third Hokage brought out another errand mission. "No! Don't give me this crappy work anymore! I want a more ** mission! Give me something else, like the kind Yi did before!"

This scene had played out many times already, so Uchiha Yi wasn't surprised at all. Going by the usual pattern, they would either end up babysitting for someone or digging up sweet potatoes in a field.

But today was different.

After Naruto made a fuss for a long while, the Third Hokage sighed. "All right, all right, I get it. Since you want to go so badly, I'll give you a C-rank mission: escort someone."

"Really?" Naruto immediately perked up.

Hm? This situation...

Uchiha Yi's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed what was going on.

Sure enough, a drunken middle-aged man staggered in the next second.

Tazuna.

So it really was him. Did that mean the story was finally about to officially begin?

In the Hokage's office, Naruto started making a scene again. "No! I don't want these stupid missions anymore! I want something better, just like the kind Yi did before!"

The Third Hokage sighed and pulled out an errand mission scroll.

Uchiha Yi had seen this kind of scene countless times. Without even thinking, he knew that it would probably end with them babysitting for someone or digging sweet potatoes in a field again.

But this time was different.

After Naruto stubbornly kicked up a fuss for quite a while, the Third Hokage finally relented. "Fine. Since you insist, I'll give you a C-rank mission—escort someone."

"Really?!" Naruto's eyes lit up at once.

Uchiha Yi's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed what was coming.

The next second, a drunken middle-aged man staggered inside.

Tazuna.

So it really was him. That meant the story was about to officially begin.

Even though they weren't escorting a princess or some important figure, Naruto was still incredibly excited and ran off to prepare.

An hour later, Kakashi's team assembled at the village gate.

Naruto looked like he had been pumped full of adrenaline, practically steaming all over. Uchiha Yi understood—it was his first time leaving the village.

Tch. Little rats were following them.

While Naruto and Tazuna were noisily arguing, Uchiha Yi clearly sensed two presences hiding in the shadows.

The team set out. After walking for some distance, Uchiha Yi noticed a puddle on the ground.

Other than Naruto, who was too oblivious to notice, Sakura and Tazuna paid it no mind. Kakashi and Sasuke had noticed it too.

After joining Team 7, Uchiha Yi had returned to the daily mission grind.

Every day, it was either catching cats or looking for things. It was irritating as hell.

After learning that Uchiha Yi had already completed several C-rank missions, Naruto was so envious his eyes nearly popped out. He pestered Kakashi every day for a major mission.

Unfortunately, that was completely unrealistic. They had only graduated a little over a month ago. With Naruto's status, how could the village possibly let him run around outside so soon?

If they couldn't leave the village, naturally they couldn't take on proper missions.

Sasuke was unhappy too, and there was a little more jealousy in the way he looked at Uchiha Yi.

Whoosh!

The moment the group stepped over the puddle, two black shadows suddenly sprang out. With a flick of their chain, they shredded Kakashi to pieces.

Blood splattered as Kakashi was dismembered on the spot. "Boring."

Uchiha Yi shook his head. He knew what Kakashi was planning, but this was far too slow for his liking.

Enemies should be knocked flat right away. "Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique."

A massive flaming dragon soared into the air and instantly swallowed the Demon Brothers.

In the blink of an eye, two charred ** lay on the ground.

Kakashi emerged from his Substitution Technique and froze when he saw the scene.

He had known Uchiha Yi was no ordinary kid, but this brat could actually use such a ** B-rank Fire Release?

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were completely rooted to the spot, unable to recover for a long time.

Uchiha Yi paid no attention to their expressions. His gaze shifted directly to Tazuna, and his tone turned as cold as a blade. "Mr. Tazuna, shouldn't you explain something? This was supposed to be a C-rank request. Why did two chunin appear to intercept and kill us?"

Tazuna shuddered violently under his stare. His mind was still full of the bloody scene from moments ago, and before he could think, he opened his mouth and spilled the whole truth.

Only then did Naruto and Sakura finally snap out of their shock. They turned away and began retching.

It was their first time witnessing a ninja battle with their own eyes, and it had been this brutal.

Sasuke's stomach churned as well, but he clenched his teeth and held it in. His mind was filled with nothing but shock.

He had never imagined Uchiha Yi was this strong.

They were both genin, so why could Uchiha Yi instantly kill two chunin the moment he made a move?

If it had been him, he absolutely couldn't have done it.

Kakashi, however, wasn't too surprised by Uchiha Yi's performance—he had already heard some things from the Third Hokage.

What concerned him more was what Tazuna had revealed, and his brow furrowed. "Mr. Tazuna, you're putting me in a difficult position." Kakashi's voice deepened. "Based on what you just said, this mission is at least B-rank. But the price you paid was only for a C-rank mission."

"I..." Tazuna opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Naruto had finally recovered. The moment he heard what Kakashi meant, his heart sank—was their teacher planning to back out?

He panicked. "Kakashi-sensei! That old man is already suffering so much, and the Land of Waves is in such a difficult situation! We can't quit halfway!"

Kakashi gently shook his head.

He didn't want to continue.

Naruto was too important to Konoha. If anything went wrong, even a little, he couldn't bear the responsibility.

But at that moment, Uchiha Yi spoke up. "Kakashi-sensei, I suggest we continue." His tone was calm, as though he were discussing something trivial. "After all, this is Naruto and the others' first mission like this."

Kakashi paused. His gaze swept over Sasuke, who was staring at him from nearby, then shifted to Naruto's hopeful expression. In the end, he nodded.

The mission continued.

Nothing else happened on the road afterward.

But both Kakashi and Tazuna knew that this was far from over.

Uchiha Yi knew even better.

Before long, the main course of this mission would be served.

A day later, after finishing the last stretch by water, the group finally set foot on the Land of Waves.

But as soon as they disembarked, Tazuna's expression grew even uglier. His entire body was taut, like a startled bird.

Kakashi's heart sank. He could vaguely sense that trouble lay ahead, and he began to regret not insisting on turning back.

But it was too late to regret it now.

After walking a while longer, Kakashi suddenly raised a hand. "Stop!"

Whoosh—bang!

The moment he spoke, a black shadow flew past and slammed heavily into a large tree not far ahead of them.

It was a massive sword.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he recognized it at once.

The Executioner's Blade.

Whoosh!

A figure landed atop the blade, and Kakashi's expression darkened completely. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist—Zabuza Momochi!"

"Oh? I was wondering how the Demon Brothers got taken down. So it was the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake."

"Hey! Who are you? Are you here to block our way too?"

Naruto was simple-minded and immediately got angry. Rolling up his sleeves, he was about to charge forward.

The Sharingan?

Sasuke froze for a moment, then turned to look at Kakashi, his face filled with confusion.

Kakashi... had the Sharingan?

"Naruto, don't go forward!"

Uchiha Yi grabbed Naruto by the collar, then walked up before Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, this guy doesn't feel weak. I want to trade a few moves with him."

No.

That was Kakashi's first reaction. But after thinking it over, he didn't refuse. He merely warned in a low voice, "Fine. But the moment I see anything wrong, I'll intervene."

"Sure, no problem."

Uchiha Yi curled his lips.

"Tch, Kakashi. You're sending some snot-nosed brat to fight me? You're looking down on the Demon Zabuza far too much."

When Zabuza saw that Uchiha Yi was the only one stepping forward, anger appeared on his face. "Hey, old man, don't get worked up. I think I'm more than enough to beat you by myself."

Uchiha Yi spread his hands, smiling as he spoke with a casual, carefree expression. "Is that so? You sure talk big, brat. Fine, today I'll let you see exactly how much you're worth."

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"

As soon as he spoke, thick white mist suddenly surged up around them. "Eight points."

"The throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, and heart."

"So... which one would you like me to strike?"

Zabuza's voice came from every direction, carrying bone-chilling killing intent. "You think this little trick is worth showing off? Zabuza, is that all you've got?"

Uchiha Yi grinned, his face full of disdain. "Brat, your mouth is still pretty tough. Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."

Boom!

A burst of air exploded as Zabuza flashed forward, appearing right before Uchiha Yi. He swung the Executioner's Blade in a wide arc and brought it down.

Slash!

Uchiha Yi was split in two, but in the next second, his body turned into a puddle of water. "A Water Clone?"

"You got it right!"

Uchiha Yi suddenly appeared behind Zabuza and swung his leg in a high kick. "Leaf Whirlwind!"