Naruto looked at him, his anger suddenly catching in his throat.
He wasn't smart, but he could tell Tazuna really had no other choice.
Even so, having no choice didn't erase the fact that he'd tricked them into risking their lives.
Kakashi sighed softly.
"I understand the situation with the mission."
"I'll decide whether we continue."
With that, he turned to the two Kirigakure Ninja, ready to ask for more details.
But Madara had run out of patience.
He had heard every word the two Kirigakure Ninja had just said.
They weren't innocent bystanders.
They were ninja who had come to kill.
Their loose tongues had only been the spark.
What really annoyed him was that minor characters like them dared to harbor killing intent in front of him, and even dared to treat Tazuna and Team 7 as prey.
Madara raised a hand.
Kakashi's expression changed.
"Wait-"
Before he could finish, Madara vanished from where he stood.
The next instant, he appeared in front of the two Kirigakure Ninja.
Both hands shot out at once, seizing them by the throat.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones was sharp enough to set their teeth on edge.
The two Kirigakure Ninja went limp before they could even scream.
Madara casually flung the two bodies into the grass by the roadside, as if tossing away two filthy things.
The entire group fell silent.
Naruto's eyes went wide. He had been about to speak, but now every word was stuck in his throat.
Sakura went pale and instinctively took half a step back.
Sasuke stared fixedly at Madara's back, a layer of cold sweat breaking out across his own.
He had seen Kakashi fight.
He had also seen battles between ninja.
But the way Madara killed was far too swift and clean.
As swift and clean as crushing two bugs.
No hesitation.
No pause.
Not even a flicker of emotion.
Tazuna's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
He finally understood completely that the people accompanying his group this time were no ordinary companions.
This was a monster.
A real monster.
Kakashi looked at the bodies, then at Madara, and after a long moment, all he could do was let out a breath.
"You acted far too quickly."
Madara said coldly, "Everything that needed asking has already been asked."
"Keeping them alive would waste time."
Hashirama scratched his head.
"Madara, you're still too quick to lose your temper."
Madara glanced at him.
"Do you want to plead for them?"
Hashirama immediately shook his head.
"Not really."
"They were ninja who came to kill, so it's normal for them to die on a mission."
"I just think you could have been a little gentler."
Madara sneered.
"I was already very gentle."
At those words, a chill ran through the members of Team 7.
He called that gentle?
What would it have looked like if he'd been rougher?
Would he have beaten them to dust?
Far away in the Undead Tavern, Zhang Yu watched this through the viewing screen, his mouth twitching violently.
"Madara, Madara."
"You've been holding it in the whole trip and finally found an outlet, haven't you?"
Amused as he was, Zhang Yu could see it too.
Madara was genuinely angry now.
If he let Madara keep playing around like this, forget two Kirigakure Ninja-even a few more wouldn't be enough for him to crush.
Zhang Yu immediately opened the tavern group chat.
[Zhang Yu: Hashirama, Madara.]
[Zhang Yu: Don't get so caught up playing around that you neglect the mission.]
[Zhang Yu: The main point of this trip is the recruitment mission.]
[Zhang Yu: Zabuza and Haku are the targets.]
As soon as the messages went out, Hashirama replied.
[Hashirama Senju: Understood, boss!]
[Hashirama Senju: I'll keep an eye on Madara!]
Madara soon replied as well.
[Madara Uchiha: I haven't forgotten.]
Zhang Yu looked at those words and didn't believe him for a second.
[Zhang Yu: Especially you, Madara.]
[Zhang Yu: Don't go wanting to kill everyone you see.]
[Madara Uchiha: They deserved to die.]
[Zhang Yu: Even if they deserved to die, don't snuff out every lead on the mission.]
The chat went quiet for two seconds.
[Madara Uchiha: Got it.]
Hashirama immediately added another message.
[Hashirama Senju: Don't worry, boss!]
[Hashirama Senju: We'll definitely make the recruitment mission our priority!]
Zhang Yu rubbed his brow.
"I hope you two really remember that."
On the screen, Kakashi now knew the whole truth about the mission.
He looked at Tazuna, his voice much more serious than before.
"Mr. Tazuna."
"You concealed how difficult this mission was."
"This is no longer a C-rank mission."
Tazuna lowered his head.
"I know."
"But I really had no choice."
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Kakashi-sensei, let's keep going!"
Sakura was startled.
"Naruto!"
Naruto clenched his fists.
"We've already come this far. How can we turn back?"
"And the people of the Land of Waves need this bridge too, don't they?"
Sasuke said coldly, "Dead last, don't make it sound so easy."
Naruto immediately glared at him.
"Smug Sasuke, are you scared?"
Sasuke's face darkened.
"I just hate being lied to."
Seeing the two brats about to start arguing again, Kakashi pressed a hand to his temple.
Under normal circumstances, he would definitely have considered retreating.
After all, Team 7 had only just graduated, and the sudden increase in the mission's difficulty was dangerous.
But things were different now.
He glanced at Hashirama beside him.
Then he glanced at Madara.
If a lineup like this had to fear assassination attempts from Kirigakure, they might as well quit the Shinobi World altogether.
Kakashi suddenly felt more confident.
He cleared his throat.
"Now that the situation has been explained, the mission will continue."
"But from this point on, everyone stay on high alert."
"This is no ordinary escort mission anymore."
Naruto nodded excitedly at once.
"Right!"
Though Sakura was nervous, she answered too.
Sasuke said nothing and simply followed along in silence.
Tazuna secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then cautiously glanced at Madara and immediately lowered his head again.
He no longer dared to put on airs as their employer.
With this man around, he felt that saying one more unnecessary word could cost him his life.
The team continued onward.
Before long, they reached the ferry crossing.
Mist hung over the Land of Waves. The river was wide, and a small boat waited by the bank.
When the boatman saw Kakashi's group, he waved to them, his face tense.
"Get aboard, quickly."
"Don't make too much noise."
Once the group boarded, the little boat was slowly rowed into the mist.
The water was still.
White mist drifted just above the surface, and the outline of a great bridge gradually emerged in the distance.
Naruto stood at the side of the boat, unable to keep his eyes from widening.
"What a huge bridge!"
Tazuna looked at the unfinished bridge, a complicated look in his eyes.
"That is the hope of our Land of Waves."
Kakashi didn't respond.
He had been watching their surroundings the whole time.
The mist was too thick, ideal for Kirigakure Ninja to operate in.
Yet the two great figures beside him were as relaxed as if they were out for a stroll.
Hashirama crouched at the stern, watching the water. He even reached out and trailed a hand through it.
"The scenery here isn't bad."
Madara sat on the other side with his arms crossed.
"Boring."
Hashirama said quietly, "Don't keep saying that."
"These kids are still here."
Madara glanced at Naruto and Sasuke.
One boy was curious, while the other wore a tense expression.
They really were annoying when they argued.
But after watching them for a while, he found himself reminded of things from the past.
Hashirama evidently felt the same way.
He lowered his voice. "Madara, look at those two. Don't they remind you a little of us back then?"
Madara snorted.
"I wasn't this weak before."