I Say, We're Taking This Mission

"Phew..."

Naruto had just dispelled his Shadow Clone. While Tian Ge had been around, he had been too tense to notice anything.

Now that he relaxed, endless exhaustion washed over him. Lying sprawled on the ground, he did not even want to move a finger!

After resting for over ten minutes, he finally recovered a little energy. He turned his head with difficulty and looked at Sakura!

"Sakura!"

"You were... way too cool today!"

Sakura sat on the ground and habitually brushed a hand through her hair!

Only then did she realize that her hair had long been soaked with sweat and tangled into clumps with dust!

Looking at her hair, she frowned slightly. This beautiful hair was something she had always cared for meticulously!

But right now, Sakura felt that it was far too troublesome. She withdrew her hand and looked at her two companions!

"Was I really that cool?"

"Yeah, super cool!"

Under Sakura's gaze, even Sasuke gave a slight nod in approval!

Sakura's performance today had genuinely impressed Sasuke.

"I'll keep it up from now on. I definitely won't hold you back!"

Sakura smiled, full of confidence and beauty, leaving both Naruto and Sasuke slightly dazed!

They said confident girls were the most beautiful. Perhaps this was the kind of confidence they meant!

Otherwise, with her face covered in dust and grime, it was hard to see what she looked like at all.

"Have you rested enough?"

"Let's go back!"

"Tomorrow... will bring another new challenge!"

"Our teacher has always meant what he said!"

Sakura looked at the two of them as she asked, brimming with energy and without the slightest fear!

"Huh?"

"Wait for me a little longer. I... I still can't get up!"

Naruto tried with all his strength, but he still could not crawl up. Still, he felt like he would be able to soon!

"But don't you... don't you think Teacher Tian Ge is kind of... scary?"

"Every time I see him, I... I get nervous!"

Naruto looked at the two of them curiously, especially Sakura. Why did she not seem afraid at all? She even looked a little excited!

"I was scared at first too, but after spending today with him, I think our teacher is pretty good!"

Sakura smiled. She genuinely felt that although this teacher was cold, he suited her very well.

"Our teacher isn't stingy at all. The things he taught me, given my status..."

"If it weren't for him, I probably would never have had the chance to come into contact with them in my entire life!"

"Sasuke, what do you think?"

Naruto pouted, seemingly dissatisfied that Sakura did not feel the same way he did!

"He's strong!"

"For me, that's enough!"

"I asked around about that assistant!"

"Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's Elite Jonin!"

"He graduated and became a Genin at five, a Chunin at seven, and a Jonin at twelve!"

"He's a famously stingy ninja in Konoha, said to know over a thousand ninjutsu!"

"But in front of him, I couldn't even withstand one move!"

"In fact, he didn't even move. I don't know whether that counted as one move?"

"More importantly, that man I want to kill!"

"He was in the same class as Kakashi back then and was always defeated by him instantly!"

"He's been that powerful since childhood. With his guidance, I'll definitely be able to achieve my goal!"

Seeing Sasuke's fervent expression, Naruto instantly felt exhausted. He had lost all enthusiasm!

Those two... that ice-faced teacher had not even done anything to them!

"Let's go!"

"I still can't get up, hey!"

Sasuke and Sakura wore looks of disgust, but they still each took one side and helped Naruto up. Under the glow of the setting sun, the shadows of the three of them stretched long behind them!

Early the next morning, Tian Ge brought the three of them to the mission hall to accept a mission!

After looking around for a few moments, Tian Ge quickly picked out an assassination mission!

C-Rank Mission: Exterminate Bandits!

There was a group of bandits near Nadeshiko Village who burned, killed, looted, and committed every kind of evil!

Passing merchant caravans suffered heavy losses time and again. Unable to endure it any longer, they had asked Konoha to exterminate the bandits!

Mission reward: 100,000 ryo

As expected of merchants, they were offering B-Rank pay for a C-Rank Mission. Perhaps they truly had reached their limit!

"This mission!"

"We're taking it!"

Tian Ge pointed at the mission and spoke to the staff member.

"Very well. Please present your ninja identification!"

Tian Ge handed over his ninja identification. After checking it, the staff member's expression turned strange, and he began to wonder whether it was forged.

"I'm sorry!"

"Sir, according to standard procedure, you cannot accept this mission!"

"You and your students can only begin with D-Rank Missions!"

The staff member remained polite. Although he had his suspicions, he did not voice them publicly and merely explained in a more tactful manner!

"I said!"

"We're taking this mission!"

Tian Ge had no patience for pointless arguments. He knew Konoha's mission acceptance procedures perfectly well!

He was an Elite Jonin, yet this man was telling him that he did not meet standard procedure?

What was standard procedure? Something meant to be broken!

Besides, Tian Ge knew that was not the real reason, which made him somewhat irritated!

Killing intent had already entered his voice. He was growing impatient. He wanted to cut these rules and restrictions to pieces!

"Sir..."

"Shut up!"

"My apologies, Lord Tian Ge!"

"He's new and doesn't recognize you!"

"You want to take this mission, correct?"

"I'll register it for you right away!"

The person in charge here happened to appear just then and sensed the killing intent in the air!

He looked up and was nearly scared out of his wits!

Seeing the sword on Tian Ge's back stirring restlessly, he did not dare delay!

He hurriedly stopped that oblivious idiot. Was this fool trying to get everyone at the mission office replaced?

Behind Tian Ge, Sasuke did not care in the slightest, while Sakura's face merely turned a little pale. Clearly, she had prepared herself mentally!

Naruto was in the worst condition. His legs trembled again and again. That terrifying aura had appeared once more!

Naruto still remembered that the last time this aura had appeared, his ice-faced teacher had directly killed three people!

Amid Naruto's fear and worry, Tian Ge gave the staff member a cold glance, and his killing intent slowly withdrew!

Under Tian Ge's gaze, the person in charge completed the registration with a trembling heart and handed the mission certificate to Tian Ge!

Tian Ge took it and turned to leave. Only after the four figures had disappeared did the man finally let out a deep breath!

The person in charge then roared at the staff member:

"Get the fuck out of here! You're fired!"

The staff member stared in disbelief before sneering.

"Fire me? Do you dare?"

"I'm from the Sarutobi Clan. Who gave you the authority to fire me?"

"I'm the person in charge here, so I have the authority to decide all personnel matters here!"

"You don't accept that?"

"Then go complain to Lord Hokage!"

"This is the mission office, not your Sarutobi Clan!"

The person in charge did not care whether it was the Sarutobi Clan or not. In that man's eyes, they were nothing!

"Just you wait!"

"I'll have you removed as the person in charge today!"

The Sarutobi Clan staff member stormed out of the mission office in fury!