Obtained Painful Sky Kick

The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze drifted by.

Hinata headed toward the mission office.

When she smiled, she looked like an adorable koala. She had never felt so cheerful.

Because she had temporarily joined Team 7.

"I can be with Chiye Jun now."

When Ino found out, she was incredibly envious. "Why isn't Asuma-sensei hospitalized...?"

Today, Team 7 had another trivial D-rank mission:

Help a major dairy farmer milk cows!

Chiye Jun and Hinata were paired together.

Hinata milked the cows while Chiye Jun collected the milk...

The two worked together seamlessly, exchanging smiles from time to time and scattering lovey-dovey sweetness everywhere.

Meanwhile, Sasuke could not get the rhythm of milking down, and splashed Naruto's face with milk.

One group scattered sweetness, while the other scattered milk.

What a bizarre Team 7...

A few days later.

At Chiye Jun's home.

The place was packed with visitors and bustling with activity.

It had become a gathering spot for Konoha Village's youths.

Shikaku, Kiba, and the others had all become regulars.

Naruto and Sasuke dealt cards, taking twenty percent of the winners' earnings as payment.

Chiye Jun made delicious snacks and earned a fortune as well.

Especially Choji. He had not played a single round, spending all his money on snacks instead...

Unable to stand the noisy atmosphere any longer, Sasuke quit after just a few days.

Fortunately, Naruto knew the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

Ino also came by to help from time to time.

Before long.

Even the adults secretly began showing up, including the hidden guards from the neighboring Hyuga Clan.

Chiye Jun even spotted Jiraiya among them...

Ten days later.

Chiye Jun successfully earned five thousand ryo and completed the mission.

The system popped up and issued the reward:

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the mission. Reward: Money Release: Money Regeneration Technique]

Holy crap!

"So does that mean I, Chiye Jun, have become the richest man in Konoha?"

"Swish, swish, swish..."

In just one night, his bedroom was piled full of gleaming banknotes.

He immediately shut down the "casino."

Why keep making money? Wasn't it better to lie atop a pile of cash and enjoy life?

He split the commissions among his two brothers.

Then he bought some gifts similar to Brain Platinum and delivered them to the three old men.

Although the Third Hokage would not be around much longer, the other two were key figures in deciding the next Hokage.

Now that he had money, it was time to bribe... ahem, show filial respect.

Another two days passed.

The long-awaited Land of Waves mission finally began.

According to the original story, the mission was to escort the bridge-building expert Tazuna back to his country.

"The Demon of the Mist's assassination arts!"

"The Waterless Moon Clan's Ice Release!"

"I, Chiye Jun, have come to experience them!"

"And I want to witness that bizarre JOJO couple with my own eyes..."

But!

The one who walked in through the door was a young woman.

The woman smiled faintly and politely bowed to everyone.

"Hi, nice to meet you all. Please take care of me. My name is Li Wanji, and I am a bridge builder from the Land of Waves..."

She certainly had a promising name.

Upon hearing it, Chiye Jun immediately thought of an idiom...

Wait!

The plot was wrong!

Wasn't he supposed to escort that drunk old man, Tazuna?

Only during their later conversations on the road did they learn that Tazuna had drunk himself into the hospital.

Li Wanji was his last disciple and also a bridge-building expert...

Such a minor change would not affect the main storyline.

The mission was classified as C-rank.

Chiye Jun was speechless.

It was obviously a B-rank mission. Did the people of Konoha Village not investigate at all?

They truly were kind and innocent...

The next day.

The sky was a flawless blue, without a single cloud in sight.

"Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, wool underwear, Sanlu milk powder..." Naruto packed his luggage.

Meanwhile, for this mission, Chiye Jun had specially asked a blacksmith to forge him a pair of refined steel fingerless gloves.

Sasuke remained as calm as ever and had not even packed any luggage.

At the entrance of the Hyuga Clan compound.

"Are you leaving?"

Hinata, who had just stepped out of the gate, suddenly froze.

When she turned around, she saw that cold, stone-faced old man.

"Yes, Father."

Hiashi Hyuga snorted, his voice devoid of warmth. "Go."

A trace of disappointment flashed through Hinata's eyes, and she then bowed and left.

However, that disappointment was soon replaced by determination.

Hiashi Hyuga gazed up at the blue sky, slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and murmured, "Hizashi... Am I right to be so strict with her...?"

Once everyone had assembled.

As Konoha's gates slowly closed behind them, Team 7, led by Kakashi, officially set foot upon the path of ninja.

"Team 7, move out!"

Naruto shouted happily, thrilled all the way.

"Haha, this is my first time leaving the village for a trip!"

"Hey, this is a mission, not a vacation." Kakashi-sensei shook his head helplessly.

"Idiot," Sasuke said disdainfully.

Hinata and Chiye Jun scouted ahead. Their hands brushed together from time to time, sending electric tingles through them...

Naruto and Sasuke walked on either side of Li Wanji.

Kakashi brought up the rear.

As they walked, things gradually became boring.

Other than trees, there were only more trees. There was not even a single person in sight...

"Kakashi-sensei, what kind of place is the Land of Waves?" Naruto asked boredly.

"The Land of Waves is a very small island nation. It has only one bridge connecting it to the outside world. There are almost no ninja in the country, so there is no ninja village either. The people live in severe poverty."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Naruto nodded, though he had not really understood...

Five days later.

They were getting farther and farther from Konoha Village.

Chiye Jun also received a check-in mission.

[Ding! Please proceed to the puddle where the Demon Brothers appear and check in.]

The Demon Brothers: Meizu and Gōzu.

They were fairly well-known figures in the assassin world.

Rogue ninja from the Mist Village, they were subordinates of Zabuza Momochi.

They would suddenly emerge from a puddle...

Another two days passed.

The journey had been far too peaceful, so peaceful that it felt strange.

Kakashi reminded everyone to stay alert and remain vigilant.

Hinata had quietly activated her Byakugan.

Her three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision allowed her to see more clearly and prevent enemy ambushes.

But Chiye Jun knew that the danger lay in the puddle ahead.

When they finally reached the puddle.

He waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"On a clear sunny day, a puddle suddenly appearing here must mean something's fishy."

Kakashi nodded, greatly approving of his judgment.

Then Chiye Jun summoned the check-in panel and completed the mission.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for checking in at the puddle. Reward: Monster Strength: Sky-Piercing Kick.]