Tazuna, who had been hiding behind a drunken façade and lies, suddenly shuddered. The hand clutching his bottle froze in midair, and the last traces of luck and pretense in his clouded eyes were utterly shattered by those words.
Like a deflated ball, he slumped completely.
"Protect..." Tazuna's voice was hoarse and dry, choked with sobs. "What do you know?! What do you brats know?! The enemy is Gato! That Gato!"
He finally broke down and roared everything out.
About the man rich enough to rival a nation, who used money and violence to choke the entire country by the throat. About the wandering samurai and rogue ninja he had hired, about the horrific sight of resistance fighters being publicly executed. About his grandson Inari, who had become quiet and withdrawn after witnessing a hero's death.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 turned pale as she tightly clenched the hem of her clothes. Sasuke's brows knotted as well.
For the first time, they truly understood the crushing reality hidden behind those cold lines on the mission scroll.
Kakashi secretly rejoiced, but he put on a sighing act, preparing to stress once more why the mission had to be abandoned.
"So what?"
Naruto's voice rang out again, cutting off Tazuna's sobbing.
Everyone looked at him.
Naruto calmly watched the broken old man. "Can your tears build a bridge? Can your fear drive Gato away?"
Tazuna's crying stopped abruptly.
"Those emotions have no value beyond draining what little strength you have left." Naruto walked to the bow of the boat and turned to face the others, his blue eyes sweeping across 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 achieving that objective. Conclusion: he must be eliminated."
His logic was so clear it sent chills down their spines.
"So, we continue the mission? I'll listen to you, sensei." Kakashi raised one eyebrow.
"So, the mission continues." Naruto's tone left no room for discussion. "The risks have been identified. The unknown has become known. We hold the initiative now; we can set traps and wait for the next enemy. That is the option that maximizes our gains."
"We have one Jonin and two..." Naruto paused, his gaze passing over Sasuke and Sakura. "...two usable combat units. As well as one brain capable of complete tactical planning."
"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 and looked at Naruto, that sense of powerlessness washing over him again. Yet deep inside, something ignited.
This was a real ninja. This was true strength.
Kakashi fell silent. He looked at the boy before him, whose figure was strangely beginning to overlap with that man in the Fourth Hokage's cloak.
The small boat cut through the thick mist and, amid the silent sound of the boatman's oars, continued toward that country shrouded in darkness.
Within the still, frozen silence, Naruto issued a new command.
"Don't be afraid."
His voice was flat, as though he were talking about something utterly insignificant.
"It's only an A-rank mission."
The mist had begun spreading from the water's surface.
By the time the small boat reached shore, that damp, frigid whiteness had swallowed the entire world. Soundless yet piercingly cold, it wrapped around and soaked into the dock pilings, distant tree shadows, even every faint sound in the air, before dissolving them away.
The boatman took his payment, said nothing, turned his 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 as she hugged her arms, trying to drive away 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 mist as he tried to imitate someone's unruffled composure.
Only Kakashi still looked half-asleep. With his hands in his pockets, he lazily spoke to Tazuna, who was trembling like a leaf beside him. "Mr. Tazuna, your welcoming ceremony is pretty unique."
Tazuna's lips quivered, but he could not force out a single word.
"Defensive formation."
Naruto's voice was not loud, yet it was like a sharp blade that instantly sliced through the stagnant air. He did not even turn to look at his teacher.
"Sasuke, ten meters to the left front. That reef is the 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 fastest."
The orders were clear, concise, and beyond question.
Sasuke's body reacted faster than his mind. The instant Naruto finished speaking, he moved, leaping several times before blending into the reef's shadow, 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, copied Sasuke, and quickly stepped in front of Tazuna. One hand shielded him while the other pressed against the medical ninja tool pouch at her waist.
Command of the entire team changed hands as smoothly as flowing water within thirty seconds of landing.
Kakashi scratched his head, feeling a little redundant.
This Jonin seemed to have become nothing more than the team's lucky mascot, responsible for filling in the gaps.
"Well, it's a good thing young people have spirit," he muttered softly, finding himself a way to save face.
Just then, Naruto suddenly raised his head and looked deep into the mist.
The fog there was churning in an unnatural pattern.
The moisture in the air thickened, carrying a distinctive scent of rust mingled 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 short and cold. "If you're afraid yourself, what is the client supposed to think?"
Sakura's face flushed instantly, humiliation and fear intertwining, but she still clamped a hand tightly over her mouth.
Kakashi's real body stood at the very front of the group, his exposed eye narrowing. Of course he had sensed it too. This dense chakra, carrying such heavy killing intent, did not belong to an ordinary opponent.
A figure silently appeared atop a tree trunk not far ahead. He carried an enormous cleaver-like sword disproportionate to his body, and bandages covered him from head to toe, leaving only a pair of cold, sharp eyes visible.
"Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake."
The man's voice was hoarse and grating, like a blade scraping against stone.
"Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi slowly lifted his forehead protector, revealing his crimson Sharingan. "A rogue ninja from Kirigakure. I never expected to meet you here."
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.
Momochi Zabuza. In the ninja handbook, that name belonged to someone on the same level as Kakashi.
An A-rank mission... so it was real.
"Hand over the bridge-building old man." Zabuza's gaze swept over the group before settling on the trembling Tazuna. "Then I can let you little brats die quickly."
The killing intent in the air condensed into something almost tangible.
"Looks like I can only deal with you here." Kakashi assumed a fighting stance.
Just as he was about to rush forward.
"Defensive formation, Delta-3." Naruto's command rang out again, clearly reaching Sasuke and Sakura.
Before you continue