Land of Waves Mission Assigned, Finally Time to Get Out and Unwind

"On the way... please guide us well."

To Dazna, who had been thrown so hard he could barely tell up from down, Sen's innocent, harmless smile was more terrifying than a demon's.

Dazna shakily climbed to his feet, instantly sobering up by more than half.

He fearfully glanced back at the smiling boy, then looked at the spot where he had fallen.

The ground was smooth and level, without even a blade of grass.

"G-Ghosts..."

Rubbing his aching lower back, Dazna no longer dared utter another word and obediently stood to the side.

The Third Elder watched the dramatic scene, the corner of his eye twitching, and pretended he had seen nothing.

He cleared his throat and handed the mission scroll to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, this is a C-rank escort mission."

"The client, Mr. Dazna, is a renowned bridge-building expert from the Land of Waves. He needs you to escort him safely home."

"Make sure to protect his life throughout the journey."

Kakashi accepted the scroll, cast a deadpan glance at the old man still rubbing his back, and nodded.

"Understood, Lord Naruto."

"Then we'll be on our way."

After speaking, Kakashi waved to the three brats behind him.

"You heard that, right? Go home and prepare. Meet at the village gates in half an hour."

"Yeah! We can finally leave the village!"

Naruto leaped three feet into the air in excitement, dragging Sasuke and Sakura toward the exit.

"This is great! No more catching cats!"

Only Sen slowly walked over to the still-trembling Dazna.

He patted the old man's shoulder, smiling with exceptional "kindness."

"Uncle Dazna, don't be nervous."

"Team 7 is Konoha's most professional team."

"We guarantee we'll get you home safe and sound, without losing a single hair."

Dazna looked at Sen's harmless smile, yet felt chills racing up the back of his neck.

"T-Then I'll be relying on you ninja, then."

After accepting the mission, Sen raced back to his luxurious three-story wooden villa.

He was not going back to prepare kunai or shuriken.

At his current level, those lumps of iron were not as useful as a single branch.

With practiced ease, he dragged a huge beach bag out from beneath his bed.

This was the ultimate equipment he had specially prepared for his dream of "retiring by the seaside."

First, he carefully folded up his favorite luxury lounge chair and sun umbrella and stuffed them into the bag.

Then he packed two bottles of high-SPF sunscreen, a pair of flashy beach shorts, and an oversized pair of frog-eyed sunglasses.

Finally, he even carried out a compact portable shaved-ice machine from the kitchen, one that could be powered by chakra!

"Perfect!"

Sen patted the stuffed beach bag and nodded in satisfaction.

"With this gear, forget the Land of Waves—even if I went to the moon, I could still enjoy a nice, comfortable vacation."

Half an hour later, outside Konoha Village's main gates.

Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the client Dazna had all arrived.

Naruto carried a huge backpack crammed full of instant noodles and snacks, looking like an elementary school kid heading out on a spring field trip.

Sasuke, meanwhile, traveled light with only a short blade on his back, his face full of cold indifference.

"Why isn't big bro here yet? Don't tell me he overslept?" Naruto asked anxiously, standing on tiptoe to look around.

"Hmph. Isn't it normal for someone that lazy to be late?" Sasuke scoffed disdainfully.

Just then.

A figure carrying an enormous beach bag, wearing a floral shirt and sunglasses, with a foxtail grass stem hanging from his mouth, slowly wandered over from the distance.

He looked so arrogantly carefree that it was as if the whole street belonged to him.

Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all stunned by Sen's outrageously flashy vacation outfit.

Especially when they spotted the corner of a shaved-ice machine sticking out from the beach bag.

Their entire worldview took a brutal hit.

"B-Big bro..." Naruto pointed at the enormous beach bag and stammered, "A-Are you going to war, or are you going to Hawaii?"

"What's the difference?"

Sen asked as if it were only natural.

He walked to the front of the group, pushed up his sunglasses, and waved at the gate guards, who were staring dumbly at him.

"Open up, open up. We're in a hurry to get to the beach and soak up some sun."

The gate guards were Izumo and Kotetsu.

The corners of their mouths twitched wildly as they looked at Sen.

"Say, are you sure you're heading out on a C-rank escort mission and not going to the beach for team-building?" Kotetsu could not help complaining.

Sen ignored them.

Standing beneath Konoha Village's gates, he turned back to look at his teammates, who were still standing there in a daze.

An exceptionally brilliant smile curled across his lips.

"What are you all standing around for? Let's go!"

"I can't wait to enjoy my first paid vacation!"

With that, he hoisted the enormous beach bag and became the first to step beyond Konoha's gates.

The sunlight was perfect.

Behind him, Kakashi covered his face in agony.

He finally understood why the Third Elder had given him so much "compensation for emotional distress."

Taking this little menace on missions wasn't earning money at all. It was shaving years off his life!

"Um... Kakashi-sensei."

Watching Sen's unreliable retreating figure, Dazna sobered up by another half.

He leaned close to Kakashi, lowered his voice, and asked with a worried expression.

"This mission... is really going to be okay, right?"

"Why do I feel like that kid looks more like a tourist who needs protecting than I do?"