Trial? No... Just an Accident.

A dog came running over—it was Kakashi's ninja hound.

"There's a ninja involved in the mission. Something may happen." Upon seeing Tenzō, the ninja hound spoke directly, then dispelled its summoning.

Tenzō did not hesitate any longer and immediately ordered them to move closer. He had a special sense for the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, allowing him to pinpoint Naruto's location accurately.

That was also why Tenzō could lead the group along behind Kakashi without needing any markers.

The group immediately hurried onward and soon arrived at a battlefield. It had clearly been cleaned up, though the air still reeked of blood. Not all the blood on the ground had vanished, but the bodies were already gone.

Uchiha Shunichi knew that this was likely where the Demon Brothers had fought Sasuke and Naruto.

"They only left recently. We can't get any closer. We'll follow them from here!" Tenzō said after examining the traces on the ground.

Uchiha Shunichi and the others had no way to judge their position, so only Tenzō could make that decision. All they could do was follow orders. Tenzō alone could assess the exact situation.

After being delayed here for a short while, the group set off again. This time, however, they maintained the same speed as those ahead, making the journey quite leisurely.

That was right. To ninjas, the pace of ordinary people traveling was incredibly leisurely. This continued all the way to the shore.

Since the Land of Waves was an island nation, it was surrounded by the sea. To reach the Land of Waves, they had to take a boat. Although the Land of Waves planned to build a bridge, that bridge...

"Captain, what do we do? We're too close. We'll be easily spotted out on the water." Uzuki Yugao looked helplessly at Tenzō as she stared at the sea.

"A submarine. I can use Wood Release to make one. The air stored inside will be limited, but it will be enough to cross this distance." Tenzō answered without hesitation, clearly experienced with such matters.

As he spoke, wooden strips emerged from Tenzō's hand. Fully displaying his talents as a master builder, he made a wooden submarine in mere seconds.

The wooden submarine looked remarkably realistic, but when Uchiha Shunichi entered it, he discovered it was merely a shell. The propulsion system was inside and required human power, similar to bicycle pedals...

The technology tree in the world of the Hokage was strange. Aside from high-powered firearms, it had basically every common technological product, though they were far from widespread.

Still, if one looked carefully, most ordinary electrical appliances could be found.

The submarine's interior was cramped, but it was enough for travel. Uchiha Shunichi was responsible for powering the submarine, while Tenzō controlled its direction.

As for Gekko Hayate, he was outside the submarine. Thanks to Transparent Release, he would not be discovered even while above sea level.

"Captain, a battle has broken out ahead." Suddenly, Gekko Hayate, who was outside, noticed something and immediately reported it.

The outside was already blanketed in dense fog. Within that fog, the sounds of ninja combat rang clearly.

They were already near the shore, so Tenzō immediately decided to land first. With the forest as cover, they could conceal their movements better.

Their mission was to protect Naruto in secret. The "secret" part meant they could only reveal themselves in a life-or-death crisis, so they absolutely could not be discovered.

"Captain, the battle seems to be going badly!" Gekko Hayate, using Transparent Release, reached the edge of the fight. Seeing Kakashi trapped by Water Release, his expression turned grave.

"Report the details!" Tenzō ordered over the radio, frowning.

"Kakashi is trapped in the Water Prison Technique. The three brats are fighting Zabuza's Water Clone. The situation seems dangerous. Should we intervene?" Gekko Hayate briefly reported the situation through the radio.

"Kakashi is trapped in a Water Prison..." Tenzō fell into thought upon hearing this. Then he immediately said, "Continue observing. Only intervene if Kakashi gives the signal!"

Tenzō had guessed Kakashi's intentions. He was probably using Zabuza's Water Clone to temper those brats, but allowing himself to be trapped in the Water Prison Technique... wasn't that a little too dangerous?

"Sure enough, you're here!" Kakashi's voice rang out from the fog as a figure appeared behind Uchiha Shunichi.

"Kakashi... no, it's a Shadow Clone!" Tenzō said with a look of understanding.

Compared to a Water Clone, which possessed only one-tenth of the original body's strength, a Shadow Clone was far stronger. If anything truly went wrong, Kakashi's Shadow Clone could break the Water Prison Technique at any time.

"Isn't using one of the renowned Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist as a Genin trial opponent a bit excessive?" Tenzō asked Kakashi's Shadow Clone with some concern.

Kakashi's Shadow Clone gave a wry smile. "That wasn't my plan. The battle started suddenly, and my original body got trapped like that. I originally planned to end it quickly, but I suddenly realized that my subordinates seem pretty capable?"

"I see... then it looks like we don't need to help for now."

At that moment, the radio earpiece in Tenzō's ear relayed Gekko Hayate's report. Kakashi had broken out of the Water Prison Technique and was fighting Zabuza.

Just then, a figure suddenly crossed Tenzō and the others' defensive line, rushing toward the battlefield at incredible speed...

"Something's happened. Follow them!" Tenzō's expression changed. He immediately led his subordinates toward Kakashi, while Kakashi's Shadow Clone also dispelled itself at once.

When Tenzō and the others reached their destination, they found that the battle had not resumed. The newcomer had disguised themselves as a Hidden Mist pursuit squad and taken Zabuza away.

Kakashi had seen through it, but after hesitating, he did not choose to fight them at that moment.

Tenzō saw Kakashi's decision and did not stop him. Instead, he continued hiding and allowed the newcomer to take the severely injured Zabuza away.

"Captain? Aren't we going to act?" Uzuki Yugao asked in confusion.

Tenzō replied, "Our primary mission is protection. Pursuit is not our mission."

The battle came to a temporary end...

At the employer's request, Team 7 stayed in the employer's home. Tenzō and the others also slipped into an empty room, resting there for the time being.

Because they needed to conceal their identities, their hidden days were somewhat dull. Naruto and Sasuke continued growing under Kakashi's guidance, and more than a week passed in the blink of an eye...

That bridge was nearly complete.