At the entrance to Konoha Village, Kakashi led Team 7 out.
Naruto Uzumaki was exceptionally excited. This was his first time leaving the village to carry out a mission.
Their mission was to protect the old man standing before them with a bottle of sake in hand and escort him to the Land of Waves.
The old man's name was Tazuna, and he was a highly renowned construction expert in the Land of Waves.
Team 7's mission was not merely to protect Tazuna until he safely reached the Land of Waves. It would only be complete once he had finished building the bridge.
The Land of Waves was a poor country without ninja, an isolated island nation surrounded by water. There was no bridge connecting it to the outside world, and travel in and out could only be done by boat.
"Alright, let's go!"
Naruto Uzumaki's bright orange outfit made him particularly conspicuous. The moment he stepped out of Konoha Village's gates, he was incredibly fired up.
"Hey, is this brat really going to be okay?"
Tazuna pointed at the excited Naruto Uzumaki, his face full of doubt.
Kakashi answered first. "With a Jonin like me along, you don't need to worry."
This mission had originally been intended as training for Team 7.
When Tazuna submitted the mission request, he had stated that he was being harassed by bandits and thugs.
If they were merely ordinary bandits, even Genin lacking combat experience could deal with them easily.
So Kakashi had not taken this mission too seriously.
The weather was nice that day, and the sun shone brightly.
The group set off on foot.
At first, everyone still found things to talk about.
Gradually, even Naruto Uzumaki fell quiet.
There was still a long way to go before they reached the