Konoha: Starting with the Tenseigan and Taking Charge of Team 7

Asuma Sarutobi watched Cangyue walk away and let out a bitter sigh. "Sigh..."

No wonder Kurenai Yuhi admired Cangyue. Who would turn down a man who was both strong and clever?

Although Aogetsu Hyuga often teased Kurenai until she was furious, she didn't seem to dislike him.

So the honest guy really doesn't stand a chance!

Shikamaru Nara yawned. "What a drag. Let's get grilled meat after we finish the mission."

Ino Yamanaka cheered. "Huh? Asuma-sensei's treating us? Yes!"

Asuma pulled out his wallet. After seeing how little money remained, he said helplessly, "I can treat you, but don't eat too much. You'll get fa—"

He stopped midword when he felt Choji Akimichi's furious, beastlike stare. He swallowed the rest.

Around Choji, "fat" was a forbidden word!

Tazuna, the Land of Waves, and the Demon of the Mist!

Two days later...

In just two days, everyone on Team 7 had learned to walk a little on the lake's surface. They still hadn't quite mastered it, though.

They should be able to complete their teacher-student assignment soon.

Team 7 had also completed several D-Rank missions during those two days. Aogetsu Hyuga had no interest in joining them and instead spent his time going around town, spending money and enjoying himself.

The Hokage Building.

The office.

Naruto Uzumaki folded his arms and plopped down on the floor, ready to be as stubborn as it took. "Third Grandpa, I'm a ninja who can stand on my own now! Give me some tougher missions. Even hunting down bandits would do!"

"Just give us a few A-Rank missions! If you don't have any tough missions, I'm sleeping right here tonight until you give me one!"

Naruto had had enough of D-Rank missions. He believed ninjas ought to take on missions that were incredibly difficult.

Besides, after training these past few days, he could clearly feel himself getting stronger.

And once he got stronger, of course he wanted to fight an enemy!

So today, he had to get a top-tier mission of staggering difficulty. At the very least, it had to be above D-Rank.

"Naruto, you idiot! Stop making things difficult for Lord Hokage!" Sakura Haruno raised her fist and punched Naruto hard.

Well said, Naruto! Keep complaining!

Looking for cats and dogs every day, and babysitting infants too—I'm sick of it!

Thud! Naruto went down. Sakura grabbed him by the collar and drove several more punches into his stomach.

Holding Naruto against the floor, Sakura bowed repeatedly to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "I'm terribly sorry, Lord Hokage. I'll teach Naruto a lesson right now."

Naruto, a red bump swelling on his head, looked at her in fear. "S-Sakura... You already have."

Sakura's been so violent lately... She's even scarier than before.

Two idiots, Sasuke Uchiha cursed silently.

He wanted a difficult mission too, so he could prove the power of the Uchiha Clan to everyone.

He would show them all that Sasuke Uchiha was the strongest Genin of his class!

"It's fine. Young people should have energy." Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe and exhaled a pale cloud of smoke. As he watched the three lively members of Team 7, a complicated look crossed his eyes.

Sigh.

They really do look alike.

The energetic trio reminded him of Orochimaru and the others long ago.

In fact, their foolishness, aloofness, and violence were almost exactly the same!

"You little brats. Didn't I teach you to respect your elders? The old man's this old—can you stop upsetting him?" Aogetsu Hyuga walked into the office with his hands in his pockets and stopped before Hiruzen.

"I'm sorry, Cangyue-sensei. I'm teaching Naruto a lesson right—" Sakura grabbed Naruto's collar again, ready to punish him for his rudeness, but she didn't get to finish.

"What if you upset him so badly he drops dead?" Aogetsu Hyuga bent forward, his hands still in his pockets and a mocking curl to his lips. "Right, old man?"

"Heh... I may be old, but I don't intend to lose to the young." Hiruzen's brows drew together, then relaxed. A blade-sharp glint entered his eyes, and the pressure of a Kage Level powerhouse radiated from him.

"Is that so?" Aogetsu Hyuga said with a faint smile. "Now I'm a little curious."

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, wanting difficult missions so you can prove to the people who matter most that you're excellent ninjas is a good thing." Ignoring Cangyue's antics, Hiruzen rose and walked over to the three of them.

"But impatience won't make you strong. Pursuing power blindly will make you lose yourself and fall into darkness." With his hands behind his back, Hiruzen smiled at them. A trace of grief passed through his eyes as he spoke.

The image of the student he had once cherished most surfaced in his mind.

Orochimaru.

Orochimaru had pursued power until he lost himself.

His former student's betrayal had caused him pain for a long time.

Hiruzen turned to the window and looked down over the sprawling village. "A tiny flame burns the leaves. Wherever the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire will burn on. Its light will illuminate the village and help new leaves sprout."

"Only when you understand the Will of Fire can you truly stand on your own as ninjas." Hiruzen turned back to Team 7 with a gentle smile.

"..."

All three looked puzzled. They hadn't understood what the Will of Fire was.

Aogetsu Hyuga clapped. "Beautifully said. Want me to give you an award?"

"Cangyue, stop fooling around!" Hiruzen glared at him.

"Where there's light, there's darkness. You can see the dazzling fire, but not the shadows beneath it. A raging blaze only spreads hatred." Aogetsu Hyuga gave Hiruzen an indifferent glance.

Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe. "I haven't fallen so far that I need a young man to lecture me."

Aogetsu Hyuga patted Hiruzen's shoulder and put on an earnest air. "Lecture you? No need. Your eyesight's failing, so I'm just giving you a warning."

This feels great!

Knowing all that important information makes talking in riddles so much fun!

"A warning?" Hiruzen asked, confused.

Aogetsu Hyuga smiled mysteriously. "You'll understand soon enough."

He had no interest in getting involved in a feud between teacher and student. Once Orochimaru showed his face, the old man would understand.

"Did you hear that?" Aogetsu Hyuga threw an arm around the three members of Team 7. "The old man said the fire would rage until it burned the village to ash. Forget the Will of Fire. Become the ninjas you want to be, do your best to do what you want, and don't leave yourselves with too many regrets."

"Besides."

"If you want to become excellent ninjas, don't follow the old man's example." Aogetsu Hyuga's face filled with disdain. "He's getting on in years and loves rambling on about that sentimental crap."

"Aogetsu Hyuga!" Hiruzen's face darkened.

That brat has no respect for anyone!

He thinks he can do whatever he wants!

The Will of Fire was the heart of the village, a dream passed down since the First Hokage!

Cangyue placed both hands on Sasuke's shoulders. As if he had read Sasuke's mind, he imitated his voice. "I'm a man out for revenge. I don't care about your damned Will of Fire. I just want tough missions so I can get stronger. Power is all that matters!"

"..." Sasuke's mouth twitched. Having his thoughts laid bare brought an awkward flush to his face.

Exactly.

He had just been thinking what Cangyue said. To hell with the Will of Fire. Sasuke Uchiha wanted power—enough to carry out his revenge!

"Cangyue!" Hiruzen's eyes widened.

Naruto pushed up his Forehead Protector and declared, "Third Grandpa, I'm going to become Hokage! Give Team 7 some difficult missions!"

"Marry the old man and you'll be the Hokage's man tomorrow. As your teacher, you have my blessing." Aogetsu Hyuga looked like a father seeing his daughter off to her wedding.

"..." Team 7 was speechless.

"Cangyue Hyuga, enough!" A hint of anger entered Hiruzen's low voice. He was known for his good temper, but even someone with no temper at all couldn't endure Cangyue's constant needling.

"As it happens, there's a mission. A C-Rank escort assignment." Hiruzen suppressed his anger and tossed Cangyue a scroll.

"Mr. Tazuna, please come in." Hiruzen looked toward the door.

Sucking on a lollipop, Cangyue sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other. He watched the drunken old man enter the room, his expression thoughtful.

Tazuna?

The Land of Waves, then.

Which means we'll meet that Demon of the Mist on this mission.

This should be interesting.

It's a good chance to test the power of Hadō #90: Black Coffin, which I obtained earlier.

He had used Black Coffin a few times. It was indeed a formidable technique, but he hadn't used it on a person yet.

Twenty Million for an Appearance? Off to the Land of Waves!

With everyone watching, a short old man entered the office. He wore shabby gray work clothes and swayed as he drank from a bottle. The strong reek of alcohol around him suggested he'd had plenty already.

"Burp. These little brats look weak. Burp. Can a bunch of Genin get me safely to the... burp... Land of Waves?" Tazuna drunkenly surveyed Team 7.

"You're the client?" Naruto pinched his nose against the fumes and stared at the thoroughly drunk Tazuna in confusion.

He stinks!

The smell of booze is so strong!

"The black-haired kid looks dependable." Tazuna glanced at the cool-faced Sasuke, then at Naruto. He took another drink and said dismissively, "This idiot's a ninja too? Go home and drink your milk, kid."

"Hmph." Sasuke gave a cold laugh and shot Naruto a detached glance, a hint of smugness in his smile.

"You bastard! Client or not, I'm going to teach you a lesson and show you what I can do!" After a moment of stunned silence, an anger mark appeared on Naruto's forehead. He lunged at Tazuna like a cat with its fur standing on end.

He hated being looked down on more than anything!

And the old man thought Sasuke was more dependable than him?

What a joke!

Sakura hurriedly held Naruto back and glared at him. "Naruto, respect the client! Otherwise you'll damage the village's reputation!"

"Let go, Sakura! Let go! I'll punch that old man sober!" Naruto struggled furiously, glaring at Tazuna.

"Who's the Jonin in charge? You?" Tazuna ignored Naruto and looked at Cangyue on the sofa.

This white-haired man is the Jonin leading them?

He had a handsome, refined face and was tall and slim, but he wore neither a Forehead Protector nor the village's ninja uniform.

Lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed and a lollipop in his mouth, he wore a faintly cocky smile that made him seem frivolous.

He looks weak. He's more like some flirt who spends all his time picking up women in taverns.

Aogetsu Hyuga sucked on his lollipop and smiled faintly. "That's me."

Bottle in hand, Tazuna staggered up to Cangyue and examined him through drunken eyes. He took a long swig, then belched. "Burp. You look weak. You don't seem like a ninja at all. More like a womanizer who... burp... gets girls to buy him drinks at a tavern."

He wasn't trying to put Cangyue down. He was speaking honestly: Cangyue looked weak to him, nothing like a Jonin.

Can I count on this white-haired man?

Aogetsu Hyuga flipped through Icha Icha Paradise. "It's fine, it's fine. I'm strong."

"The black-haired Genin on your team seems more dependable than you." Tazuna took another long drink and swayed, nearly losing his footing.

Aogetsu Hyuga turned his head toward him and smiled. "Go die, you stinking old man."

Sakura glared at Cangyue. "Cangyue-sensei! What are you saying?"

Did Cangyue-sensei just tell Mr. Tazuna to die?

He told the client to die?

Only you, Cangyue Hyuga!

Tazuna looked at Hiruzen. "Lord Hokage, can I have a more dependable Jonin?"

He thought Cangyue seemed frivolous, far less reliable than other Jonin. He might even abandon his client and run the moment danger appeared.

Hiruzen sighed, his head aching.