Obtaining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!

"Don't get the wrong idea, old man." Aogetsu Hyuga closed his book, stood up, and walked over to Tazuna. He grabbed Tazuna by the beard and said flatly, "The ten thousand you're paying is enough to hire three Genin at most."

"I'm only here to accompany my students and watch the show."

"If you want a Jonin to take the job, go home and prepare a hundred thousand. I can take the job myself, too, but you'll need at least twenty million." Still gripping Tazuna's beard, Aogetsu looked down at him with cool disdain.

He only took jobs worth over a million. Every difficult mission he had completed involved hunting down rogue Ninja from various countries.

He had even encountered S-Rank rogues, which was why his price was so outrageous. Once he captured a rogue Ninja, he kept the bounty as well.

"A hundred... a hundred thousand? Twenty million?" Tazuna's beard bristled with anger. The sums almost shocked him sober.

Forget twenty million!

He didn't even have a hundred thousand!

Offering ten thousand had already bled him dry. The Land of Waves was so poor now that even putting food on the table was a struggle.

A company currently controlled the Land of Waves and had seized every port that could turn a profit.

Tazuna had once been fairly wealthy, but he had poured everything he owned into building the bridge. The ten thousand he had scraped together to hire Ninja was his last hope!

More importantly...

This flippant, white-haired man had demanded twenty million right off the bat.

On what grounds?

Absurd!

Utterly absurd!

Tazuna looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Yes." Hiruzen gave a slight nod, answering Tazuna's unspoken question.

Even as Third Hokage, he couldn't send Aogetsu on a mission without coming up with twenty million.

Ordinary Jonin didn't charge such outrageous fees. But every mission Aogetsu Hyuga took was a difficult A-Rank or S-Rank assignment, and his completion rate had always been one hundred percent.

Uchiha Itachi was an S-Rank rogue Ninja.

That was why Aogetsu commanded such a high price.

Tazuna wasn't the only one confused. Everyone in Team 7 was, too.

Aogetsu was always fooling around, grinning as he teased people. Could such a frivolous man really be that formidable?

"Twenty million... how much is that? How many bowls of ramen could it buy?" Naruto Uzumaki counted on his fingers, dumbfounded. He had no real sense of how much twenty million was.

"I... I don't have a hundred thousand!" Tazuna glared at Aogetsu. As far as he was concerned, the demand for twenty million was pure nonsense.

What Jonin demanded a staggering twenty million for a job?

Who did he think he was?

What gave a frivolous man who looked like a flirt the right to demand twenty million? He's just trying to drive up the price and make things difficult for me!

"If you don't have the money, don't be so stubborn. Be good and listen to advice." Aogetsu patted Tazuna on the head and said with a faint smile, "In any case, as Team 7's teacher, I'll accompany these brats on their mission."

He needed Team 7 to complete the Master-Disciple Mission within two days so he could gain the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power.

Tazuna took a swig of wine. "Sorry for the trouble."

He didn't think Aogetsu seemed as dependable as other Jonin.

But what choice did he have without money?

Aogetsu regarded Tazuna calmly. "The job you posted is an escort mission that involves dealing with bandits, right?"

"The assignment is to escort Mr. Tazuna safely back to the Land of Waves. You may encounter a few bandits along the way." Hiruzen held a scroll and read from the commission written on it.

Escort the client back to the Land of Waves and deal with a few bandits on the way. With no Ninja among the enemies, it was plainly a C-Rank mission.

Aogetsu glanced at Hiruzen. "Old man Third Hokage, I wasn't asking you. If you love butting in so much, how does your wife put up with it?"

"You little brat!" Hiruzen's face darkened.

"It... it's a C-Rank escort mission," Tazuna said, looking guilty.

"For this price, dealing with bandits sounds fair. But if we run into enemies beyond the scope of a C-Rank mission, my students could be in danger. I'll raise my price on the spot." A cold glint crossed Aogetsu's eyes.

"If you refuse my offer then, I'm afraid you'll have to wait to die." Aogetsu smiled faintly, but there was danger in that smile.

As someone who had crossed into this world, he knew exactly what this mission was hiding.

Protect Tazuna and hold off the Demon of the Mist!

So he had already decided to raise his price when the time came. The Land of Waves had no money now, but once the bridge was completed, it would become prosperous!

Tazuna's face fell. He said nothing more.

The members of Team 7 looked at Aogetsu in confusion.

They only had to escort Tazuna to the Land of Waves and deal with a few bandits along the way. What could be dangerous about that?

"Let's go to the Land of Waves. Don't forget to bring snacks." Aogetsu walked out of the office.

"Teacher Aogetsu, we're going on a mission!" Sakura Haruno protested. Snacks on a mission? Were they going on a picnic?

Tazuna watched Aogetsu leave and sighed inwardly.

Ah.

Could that frivolous man know something?

Impossible!

If Aogetsu knew, why would he willingly take Team 7 to their deaths?

Was Aogetsu even strong?

If he's weak, we'll all die!

Soon, with Aogetsu at the head of the group, Team 7 escorted Tazuna out of the village...

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Acquired!

In the Land of Waves.

The sun blazed beneath a cloudless sky.

"What kind of plant is that? I've never seen one before." Naruto Uzumaki wore a huge backpack and looked around like a tourist. It was his first mission outside the village, and he could barely contain his excitement.

Sasuke Uchiha walked with his hands in his pockets and a tiny backpack on his shoulders. He gave Naruto a cool glance. "Idiot. While you're busy fooling around, the enemy could appear without warning."

Sakura Haruno, who also carried a small backpack, shot Naruto a fierce look. "Naruto, you should learn from Sasuke. We're escorting a client. We need to stay alert."

Of all Team 7, only Naruto had followed Aogetsu's advice and packed plenty of snacks for the mission.

"Tch. What's there to learn from that show-off Sasuke? Of course I remember the mission. We might run into some nasty bandits." Naruto pulled out a Kunai and checked left, then right, scouting with exaggerated movements.

"I'm watching for enemies! If any bandits show up, I'll beat them easily!"

"Complete moron. Why would an enemy come out in the open?" Sasuke sneered. "They're probably waiting for all of us to let our guard down before they strike and kill the client."

Team 7 had already reached the Land of Waves without encountering a single bandit since leaving the village.

Either the bandits had given up on attacking, or they were waiting for everyone to lower their guard.

"Sasuke is so cool!" Sakura gazed dreamily at the aloof Sasuke, then glanced at Naruto with distaste. "Compared to him, Naruto..."

Even on his first mission outside the village, Sasuke could analyze the situation so calmly.

Sasuke is amazing.

"Damn it! What's he showing off for? He just loves the attention!" Naruto glared at Sasuke beside him, so angry his teeth hurt.

"They're only a few bandits. We can deal with them without trying." Aogetsu took a bag of Salt-and-Pepper Chips from Naruto's backpack. As he opened it, he glanced at Tazuna. "Right, old man?"

Tazuna's heart lurched. His eyes darted about, and he forced himself to answer. "Uh... yes."

Naruto saw Aogetsu take the chips and grumbled, "Teacher Aogetsu, I paid for those snacks! You told us to bring them because you wanted to eat them yourself, didn't you?"

Aogetsu pulled out a chip and waved it at him. "Want some? Don't be shy."

He did enjoy snacks, but carrying a big bag of them was a hassle. That was why he had told Naruto to buy them.

Naruto fumed. "That's my point! I bought those chips!"

Sakura watched Aogetsu's casual behavior and groaned. "Naruto's an idiot, Teacher Aogetsu, but could you at least take this seriously? We're on a mission."

Aogetsu had been relaxed from start to finish, treating the mission like a sightseeing trip.

Sakura couldn't take it as lightly as he did. This was a difficult C-Rank mission.

Even if their enemies were only a few bandits, one careless mistake could get someone killed!

"No need to worry so much. If we run into danger, we'll use the old man as bait and run for it." Aogetsu gave Sakura's rounded backside a slap.

"Is that something an escort should say? And where do you think you're touching me?" Sakura felt a slight sting, and her fair cheeks flushed as she glared at Aogetsu in embarrassed anger.

Jerk!

Pervert!

Why does Teacher Aogetsu keep taking advantage of me?

Is he just a lecher?

Or... does Teacher Aogetsu like girls like me?

Oh my gosh!

Does Teacher Aogetsu like me?

Sakura's face turned bright red. She glanced shyly at Aogetsu, then stole a look at Sasuke.

Teacher Aogetsu is handsome, but calm, collected Sasuke is handsome too.

What do I do? It's so hard to choose!

"I know I'm handsome, but don't get carried away. I only touched you because you're the only girl here." Aogetsu ate a chip and looked calmly at Sakura's blushing face.

The journey was boring. He had to have a little fun.

Truth be told...

Her backside was small, but it felt nice.

"Sakura gets carried away so easily," Naruto sighed.

"Who's getting carried away?" Mortified that her thoughts had been seen through, Sakura flushed even deeper and punched Naruto in a fit of anger.

Thud! Naruto hit the ground. Clutching his aching head, he muttered, "Why am I the one getting punched?"

Teacher Aogetsu had touched Sakura's backside, but Naruto Uzumaki was the one who got hit.

Why?!

Aogetsu glanced at Sakura. A moment ago, she had been frightened and worried that enemies could appear at any time. After all the fooling around, she didn't seem quite so afraid.

"Stop." Aogetsu raised a hand, signaling everyone to halt.

"Is there an enemy?"

Every member of Team 7 went pale. They immediately drew their Kunai and formed a protective circle around Tazuna.

Tazuna's heart was heavy, and his eyes were full of fear. He had long since accepted that he might die, but he feared death because he still had a dream to fulfill.

He wanted to finish the bridge before he died so everyone in the Land of Waves could live happily—or at least have enough to eat!

"There's a lake." Aogetsu pointed to the water ahead.

"A lake?"

The whole of Team 7 was baffled. Tazuna froze, too.

A lake?

What about it?

"Teacher Aogetsu, so you noticed it too! I spotted something wrong with that big lake up ahead ages ago. The enemy's hiding in there, right?" Naruto gripped his Kunai and stared warily at the water, sneaking a glance at Sakura as he spoke.

Heh, Sakura.

See how smart I am?

Finally, it's my turn to shine!