A month had passed since their first mission ended. During that time, the three of them took on simple D-rank missions in the village while training under Kakashi's guidance.
Sasuke had been practicing Lightning-nature Chakra transformation with Kakashi. Both his hands were wrapped in bandages, so he had probably already begun formally training in Chidori.
Sakura had been studying medical Ninjutsu under the director of Konoha Hospital. Menma did not know how her progress was going, but every time he saw her, she had dark circles under her eyes and looked sleep-deprived.
Menma had also received Danzo's scroll of Wind Release training notes long ago. It thoroughly explained methods for training Wind-nature shape transformation and nature transformation, along with the Ninjutsu Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere.
As for whom he should train under, Menma had discussed it with his family. Minato and Kushina both agreed that Jiraiya would be the best choice of teacher.
However, Minato had no way to contact Jiraiya. In this world, Minato was nominally Jiraiya's disciple, yet he had not even signed a contract with Mount Myōboku. That truly surprised Menma.
But according to Kakashi, Danzo had already sent someone to notify Jiraiya, and he would return soon. So Menma could only explore and learn on his own using Danzo's training notes for the time being.
It was worth mentioning that Kushina had also completed the development of a sealing technique. Drawing upon her own experience as a Jinchuriki sealing Tailed Beasts, she inscribed a Double Four Symbols Seal centered on Menma's dantian.
The outer Four Symbols Seal deliberately had a small opening, allowing Chakra to leak out. The amount of leaked Chakra was roughly equivalent to that of an ordinary Chunin, making others believe Menma was a Genin with some, but not much, talent.
Of course, there was also a method to release the seal in a crisis. To ensure Menma would not panic and fail to undo it when he encountered danger, Kushina turned into a devilish instructor and drilled him mercilessly for several days, making him memorize the unsealing method with his body.
Besides steadily studying and developing his Wind-nature Chakra, Menma had also learned the Object Sealing Method. That way, he would not have to carry bags and luggage everywhere whenever he left the village for missions.
Going by the current situation, Sasuke was learning Lightning Cutter from Kakashi, Sakura was studying medical Ninjutsu at Konoha Hospital and would most likely become Tsunade's disciple in the future, while Menma himself would be taken on as Jiraiya's disciple.
Well, well. This derailed world seemed to be slowly getting back on track? Menma thought during his free time.
The days passed one by one, and the training of Menma's trio continued steadily.
One day, Kakashi suddenly gathered the three of them and said they had a mission. He then led them to the entrance of the Hokage Office.
What was going on? The three exchanged looks. Were Genin missions not supposed to be accepted directly from the mission hall? There was no need for the Hokage to issue one personally, right? Still, none of them spoke and simply waited quietly.
Menma suddenly thought of a possibility. Could this be the Land of Waves mission from the original storyline? Protecting that foul-mouthed old man, the bridge-building expert from the Land of Waves... what was his name again? Tazuna?
If that was the case, then this would be troublesome. They would have to face the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi, and Haku, whose gender I have no idea about but who had better be a girl, or it would be such a waste.
This mission was pretty dangerous. I wonder if I can refuse it.
Just as Menma's thoughts began to run wild, Danzo's voice came from inside the office. "Kakashi, come in!"
Kakashi pushed open the door at those words, and the three hurriedly followed him in before stopping in front of Danzo's desk.
"Kakashi, how has Team 7 been performing on missions?" Danzo asked.
"Reporting to Lord Danzo, as of today, Team 7 has completed thirteen D-rank missions and two C-rank missions. Our mission completion rate is 100%, and our client satisfaction rate is 100%!" Kakashi stood straight, his voice loud and clear.
"Mm, good, good. Not bad, not bad." Danzo nodded in satisfaction, then said to Menma's trio, "I see that Team 7's Genin have accumulated enough experience. It is time for you to challenge a B-rank mission. What do you say? Do you have confidence?"
"Yes!" the three answered in unison, standing straight with equally loud voices.
"Mm, good. You've got spirit!" Danzo praised with a smile, then tilted his head slightly and gave a light wave of his hand.
Yamanaka Fū, the secretary and guard standing behind Danzo, nodded faintly and walked out. Before long, he returned with a short middle-aged man dressed in a black suit, wearing sunglasses and sporting slicked-back hair.
At Danzo's signal, Yamanaka Fū briefly introduced the mission to Team 7.
"This is the mission client, Mr. Gato, a merchant from the Land of Waves. He wishes for us to escort him back to the Land of Waves and prevent the completion of the bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the outside world. Following our assessment, this mission has been classified as B-rank."
After hearing the mission briefing, Menma was completely dumbfounded. It was indeed a Land of Waves mission, but the roles were completely reversed, damn it!
Weren't they supposed to protect that foul-mouthed bridge-building expert? Weren't they supposed to defeat this blackhearted merchant? Why were they protecting the villain now? This was so not Konoha!
Menma did not want to accept such a grotesquely altered mission. He wanted to refuse.
But this was a mission personally issued by the Hokage. Even the Jonin instructor had not said anything. Could a mere Genin like him really voice an opinion? Did he think the Hokage was some kind of pushover?!
Danzo seemed to notice Menma's inner conflict and asked, "What is it, Menma? Is there something you want to say?"
Menma's expression stiffened. He really wanted to tell Danzo that he wished to refuse the mission, but the words changed as they left his mouth.
"Reporting to Lord Danzo, the Land of Waves is a small country east of the Land of Fire, located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. What should we do if we encounter Ninja from the Land of Water with hostile positions during the mission? If we clash with hostile Ninja, will it affect Konoha's diplomatic relations with other countries?"
Kakashi's expression changed when he heard Menma's words. He snapped in a low voice, "Shut up, Menma. That is not something you should be considering."
Kakashi immediately turned and bowed to Danzo in apology. "My deepest apologies, Lord Danzo. I have failed to discipline him properly!"
Danzo did not seem to mind. He smiled and waved for Kakashi to stand, saying, "I had long heard that your subordinate Menma was exceptional, capable of considering matters from the Hokage's perspective. Today, I have finally seen it for myself."
Then he said to Menma, "To be able to think that far is honestly quite impressive. However, you still lack experience and do not understand Konoha's foreign policy, which is why you would ask such a question.
"Konoha does not provoke trouble, but we are absolutely not afraid of it either. Carry out the mission boldly and without concern. Do not fear damaging Konoha's relations with other countries. Remember: as long as you safeguard Konoha's interests, Konoha will be your strongest backing!"
Before you continue