Just an A-Rank Mission

Tazuna, who had been hiding behind a drunken demeanor and lies all this time, suddenly trembled. The hand clutching the bottle froze midair, and the last traces of luck and pretense in his clouded eyes were utterly shattered by those words.

He deflated like a punctured balloon, his whole body slumping.

"Protect..." Tazuna's voice was hoarse and dry, thick with tears. "What do you know?! What do brats like you know?! The enemy is Gato! That Gato!"

He finally broke down and shouted everything out.

About the man rich enough to rival a nation, who had seized the entire country by the throat with money and violence. About the wandering samurai and rogue ninja he had hired, about the horrific executions of those who resisted. About his grandson, Inari, who had become quiet and withdrawn after witnessing a hero's death.

This was a country steeped in despair.

Sakura's face went pale as she tightly clenched the hem of her clothes. Sasuke's brow knotted as well.

For the first time, they truly understood the crushing reality hidden behind the cold lines of text on a mission scroll.

Kakashi secretly rejoiced, though he put on a show of sighing and prepared to emphasize once more why the mission needed to be canceled.

"So what?"

Naruto's voice sounded again, interrupting Tazuna's tearful account.

Everyone looked at him.

Naruto calmly regarded the broken old man. "Can your tears build a bridge? Can your fear drive Gato away?"

Tazuna's sobbing stopped abruptly.

"These emotions have no value beyond draining what little strength you have left." Naruto walked to the bow of the boat, then turned to face everyone, his blue eyes passing over every face.

"Our mission objective has changed from 'escort the client' to 'ensure the bridge is completed.' Gato's existence is the greatest obstacle to that objective. Conclusion: he must be removed."

His logic was so clear it made their skin crawl.

"So the mission continues? Sensei will listen to you." Kakashi raised one eyebrow.

"So the mission continues." There was no room for negotiation in Naruto's voice. "The risks have been confirmed. The unknown has become known. We hold the initiative now. We can set a trap and wait for the next enemy. That is the choice that maximizes our gains."

"We have one Jonin, and two..." Naruto paused, his gaze sweeping over Sasuke and Sakura. "...two usable combat units. And a brain with a complete tactical plan."

"And every citizen of the Land of Waves. They are a solid source of strength."

He was not asking for opinions. He was delivering a conclusion.

Sakura opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to realize she had no grounds to argue.

Sasuke clenched his fists as he looked at Naruto, and that sense of helplessness washed over him again. Yet deep inside, a fire had been lit.

This was a true ninja. This was true strength.

Kakashi fell silent. Looking at the boy before him, he saw Naruto's figure overlap, in an incredibly strange way, with the image of the man wearing the Fourth Hokage's cloak.

The little boat cut through the thick mist, continuing toward the country shrouded in darkness to the silent rhythm of the boatman's oars.

In the seemingly motionless silence, Naruto issued a new command.

"Don't be afraid."

His voice was calm, as if he were speaking of something insignificant.

"It's only an A-rank mission."

The fog had spread from the water's surface.

By the time the boat reached shore, that damp, frigid whiteness had swallowed the entire world. Soundless, yet carrying a bone-piercing chill, it wrapped around and soaked into the dock posts, the distant shadows of trees, even every trace of sound in the air, before dissolving them away.

The boatman took the money, said nothing, turned the boat around, and vanished behind the white curtain, as though fleeing some plague-ridden land.

"This... is the Land of Waves?" Sakura's voice was dry. She hugged her arms, trying to dispel the chill seeping into her bones.

Sasuke said nothing. His hand was already resting on his ninja tool pouch, his dark eyes vigilantly scanning the fog as he tried to imitate someone's unruffled composure.

Only Kakashi still looked half-asleep. With both hands in his pockets, he lazily spoke to Tazuna, who was shaking like a leaf beside him. "Mr. Tazuna, your welcome ceremony is quite distinctive."

Tazuna's lips trembled, but he could not utter a word.

"Alert formation."

Naruto's voice was not loud, but it was like a sharp blade that instantly sliced through the stagnant air. He did not even turn around to look at his teacher.

"Sasuke, ten meters to the left front. That rock is high ground. Scout it."

"Sakura, protect the client and remain in the center of the formation. Keep the medical kit where you can reach it most easily."

The orders were clear, concise, and beyond dispute.

Sasuke's body reacted faster than his mind. Almost the moment Naruto finished speaking, he moved, bounding a few times before blending into the shadows beneath the rocks, leaving behind only a brief response.

"Yeah."

Sakura jolted. Looking at Naruto's straight back, the fear in her heart was inexplicably replaced by something else. She took a deep breath, imitated Sasuke, and quickly stepped in front of Tazuna. One hand shielded him while the other rested on the medical ninja tool pouch at her waist.

In the thirty seconds after they landed, command of the entire team had changed hands as smoothly as flowing water.

Kakashi scratched his head, feeling a little unnecessary.

This Jonin of theirs now seemed to have become nothing more than a lucky mascot responsible for filling in the gaps.

"Well, it's good for young people to have drive." He muttered softly, giving himself a way to save face.

Just then, Naruto suddenly raised his head and looked into the depths of the fog.

The mist there was rolling in an unnatural pattern.

The moisture in the air grew viscous, carrying a distinctive scent of rust mixed with blood.

The laziness vanished from Kakashi's face in an instant.

His exposed eye narrowed sharply as his hand slowly rose toward his forehead protector.

This chakra... there was no mistaking it.

"Kakashi-sensei, there's an enemy..." Sakura's voice trembled.

"Shut up." Naruto's rebuke was brief and cold. "If you're scared yourself, what do you think the client will feel?"

Sakura's face instantly flushed Kurenai. Humiliation and fear tangled within her, but she still clamped both hands tightly over her mouth.

Kakashi's real body stood at the very front of the group, his exposed eye narrowed. Of course he had sensed it too. This dense chakra, laden with heavy killing intent, was certainly no ordinary opponent.

A figure appeared without a sound atop a tree trunk not far ahead. He carried an enormous cleaver-like sword proportioned to his body, and his entire form was wrapped in bandages, leaving only a pair of cold, sharp eyes exposed.

"Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake."

The man's voice was like a blade scraping across stone, hoarse and grating.

"Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi slowly lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Kurenai Sharingan. "A rogue ninja from Kirigakure. I never expected to run into you here."

Sasuke's heart jolted.

Momochi Zabuza. In the ninja handbook, that name belonged to someone on the same level as Kakashi.

An A-rank mission... so it had been real.

"Hand over that bridge-building old man." Zabuza's gaze swept across the group before settling on the trembling Tazuna. "Then I can let you little brats die quickly."

The killing intent in the air thickened into something tangible.

"Looks like I can only deal with you here." Kakashi assumed a fighting stance.

Just as he was about to charge forward.

"Defensive formation, Delta-3." Naruto's command rang out again, clearly reaching Sasuke and Sakura's ears.