From Today On, We're Genin—The Legend Begins

"Huh?" Sakura said. "We passed the test? Didn't you say we had to get the bells to pass?"

Could he be going easy on us...? Sasuke thought.

"Sakura, what are you saying?" Naruto hurriedly said. "It's good enough that we passed the test. Do you want to go back to the Ninja Academy and retake everything?"

Kakashi said with a serious expression, "I've led several groups of Genin before. They were all single-minded, only caring about snatching bells for themselves and never considering their teammates. That's why I made them return to the Ninja Academy for retraining."

"They were all idiots, only fixated on the rules I set and obsessed with grabbing bells. They never considered why I created this test in the first place. My real test was to see whether the three of you could work together."

"According to the rules, you can only be considered qualified after obtaining the bells. In the ninja world, those who don't follow the rules are trash. But those who don't value their companions are worse than trash."

Though Kakashi's mask covered most of his face, the way his eyes narrowed showed that he was smiling happily.

Kakashi smiled and said, "Congratulations. You passed the test. From today on, you're Genin."

"Ha!" Sakura broke into a radiant smile, her heart equally filled with joy.

"Hmph." Sasuke smiled as well. He accepted Kakashi's beliefs; at the very least, Kakashi had not gone easy on them.

Awesome. It's finally over. My butt is safe... I'm so happy... Naruto thought.

At that moment, Naruto glanced at Sasuke's butt with a mischievous expression. Whenever he thought of Sasuke getting hit by Thousand Years of Death, Naruto felt like he could wake up laughing from his dreams. Sasuke shot Naruto a furious glare, and Naruto quickly looked away.

"Team 7 is officially established! Starting tomorrow, you can accept missions in the village!" Kakashi gave the three of them a thumbs-up.

At that moment, Sakura's and Sasuke's stomachs growled. It seemed they were already starving.

"Hahahaha." Naruto took out two boxed lunches from his backpack and handed them to Sasuke and Sakura. "You didn't eat breakfast, did you? Hurry up and eat. I prepared these for you."

"Naruto," Kakashi demanded, "why did you bring boxed lunches?"

"Kakashi-sensei, didn't you just say it?" Naruto said smugly. "Breaking the rules may be bad, but I brought food for my companions. That's the bond between the three of us."

"..." Kakashi was at a loss for words, unable to refute him for a moment.

Several days later, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived at the Third Hokage's office, waiting for him to assign them a mission.

Piles of papers towered like mountains on the enormous desk, covering its entire surface. The elderly Third Hokage was selecting suitable missions from among them.

"Which mission would suit you?" The Third Hokage flipped through each sheet as he muttered, "This won't do, it's too difficult for you. This mission has already been completed..."

Naruto looked at the elderly man before him. Perhaps because his body had grown stooped, the Hokage robes looked somewhat oversized on him. Yet he still sat in the Hokage's seat, protecting the entire village.

Naruto knew the old man before him was far from ordinary. The vast Land of Fire was the strongest nation in the ninja world, and within it stood a ninja village called Konoha Village. Konoha Village was the Land of Fire's strongest military force, while the Hokage was Konoha Village's supreme ninja, commanding all of Konoha's ninja and protecting the entire nation.

"Say..." Naruto spoke up calmly. "Can't you give us a slightly more difficult mission? These past few days, we've either been catching cats, catching dogs, or running errands for people. These missions are too boring."

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped. "We're newly promoted Genin. We can only accept the lowest-ranked D-rank missions, helping people in the village. What are you dissatisfied with?" But Naruto put it perfectly. These D-rank missions have been so boring these past few days...

"Since you put it that way, I'll assign you a C-rank mission." The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe. "You'll be protecting someone!"

Sakura's eyes sparkled, and she was thrilled inside. She had not expected the Hokage to accept Naruto's casual suggestion.

"..." Naruto said nothing, remaining silent.

"Oh?" the Third Hokage said. "Naruto, I didn't expect you to be so composed. Aren't you curious who I'm sending you to protect? Don't you want to ask?"

Naruto looked at him as if he were an idiot. "What kind of person could a mere C-rank mission involve protecting? Just an ordinary person. Could it be some noble lord or princess being assigned to me?"

The Third Hokage looked surprised. He had not seen Naruto for some time, but why did the boy suddenly seem so different?

Naruto continued, "Even if you dared to hand an important person over to me, I wouldn't dare accept that mission. Lord Hokage, are you getting senile? Why not consider giving the Hokage position to me?"

"Naruto! What are you saying? How can you disrespect Lord Hokage? You should show him respect," Sakura scolded. This is amazing. That old Hokage doesn't seem all that impressive either...

Kakashi spoke in a low voice. "You two, rein it in."

Hearing that, Naruto and Sakura immediately stood up straight, instantly putting on obedient expressions without a trace of their earlier flippancy.

"Cough, cough..." After coughing a few times, the Third Hokage said, "Come in."

As his words fell, the door slid open and an older man walked in. He wore glasses, held a bottle of alcohol, and looked completely drunk.

"What? These little brats who haven't even grown all their hair yet are the ones being sent to protect me? Can they even do it?"

What is with this guy? I really want to beat him flat... Sakura shouted inwardly.

"Whether we can or not, you don't have a choice anyway," Naruto said in a deep voice. "Team 7 will protect you. If you're dissatisfied with us, you can pay extra and choose someone else."

"I didn't expect the shortest little brat to have such a sharp tongue." The man took several more gulps from his bottle, drinking until his face turned bright red.

"Hey, do you want to fight one-on-one?" Knowing he was the shortest person there, Naruto replied without courtesy, "I can let you use both your hands and feet."

Kakashi quickly grabbed Naruto and said, "That man is the person we're supposed to protect. How can you challenge him to a fight? This is ridiculous."

"My name is Tazuna," the man continued. "I'm a world-famous bridge-building expert. I plan to return to my country to build a bridge. From the moment we set out until the bridge is completed, you must protect me properly. That is the commission."