Hearing the news, Naruto sprang straight up from the ground and rushed over to Uchiha Xin, wild with joy.
"This is awesome! Xin! We're actually in the same team!"
Naruto threw an arm around Xin's shoulders and cheered loudly.
"To celebrate Xin joining us, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen for lunch today!"
Standing off to the side, Sakura outwardly asked in puzzlement.
"Kakashi-sensei, aren't teams only supposed to have three people? Doesn't this put us over the limit?"
Inside, however, she was cheering like mad.
Yes! Another handsome guy!
But who's more handsome, Shin-kun or Sasuke-kun? It's so hard to choose!
Sasuke kept both hands in his pockets and snorted.
He looked Uchiha Xin up and down, his tone arrogant.
"I don't care if they add people on a whim, but don't drag me down on missions."
Hearing this, Naruto immediately flew into a rage.
"You stuck-up Sasuke! Who are you calling dead weight? Xin's really strong!"
"You idiot dead last, are you looking for a fight?"
Sasuke shot Naruto an icy glare.
In an instant, the two were forehead to forehead, arguing without either giving an inch.
Watching the noisy scene, Uchiha Xin rubbed his temples helplessly.
"All right, stop arguing."
Uchiha Xin spoke up, interrupting them.
"To celebrate my joining, lunch is on me today. Let's all go get ramen."
Hearing that someone was treating, Naruto instantly forgot about Sasuke and jumped for joy.
"Long live Xin! I'm having three big bowls of special tonkotsu ramen!"
Sakura readily agreed as well, looking at Sasuke with anticipation written all over her face.
Sasuke folded his arms, turned his head aside, and stubbornly said,
"Since you insist on treating us, I suppose I can reluctantly come have a little."
Time flew by, and half a month passed.
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was rather tense.
"No! Absolutely not! I'm never catching cats, picking up trash, or babysitting for people again!"
Naruto Uzumaki crossed his arms over his chest and plopped down on the floor, roaring at the Third Hokage behind the desk.
"I'm the man who's going to become Hokage! How can I waste my time on boring stuff like this every day?"
"Kakashi-sensei, I want to do a C-rank mission like the ones Xin did before!"
Kakashi stood to the side, rubbing his temples helplessly, still holding his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
Sasuke Uchiha kept both hands in his pockets and snorted. Although he said nothing,
his eyes also revealed his weariness with D-rank missions.
Sakura, meanwhile, tried to pull Naruto off the floor with an embarrassed look on her face.
Uchiha Xin leaned against the wall beside the door and yawned.
Ever since he joined Team 7, the past half month had been nothing but these trivial errands.
Even he was getting a little bored.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed away at his pipe.
Watching Naruto throw a tantrum on the floor, he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"Naruto, you've only recently graduated. Basic missions are meant to develop your teamwork."
"I don't care! I'm already really strong! I want a real mission!"
Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs.
The Third Hokage sighed, sweeping his gaze over the members of Team 7.
Finally, his gaze lingered on Uchiha Xin for a moment.
"All right. Since you insist, I happen to have a C-rank protection mission here."
The Third Hokage waved the mission request in his hand.
"Come in, Mr. Tazuna."
The office door swung open, and a shriveled old man wearing a bamboo hat staggered in, reeking of alcohol.
He was also carrying a liquor bottle and blearily looked over Team 7's Genin.
"What's this? These are Konoha's ninja?"
"Except for the masked one, they all look like a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats."
Tazuna let out a drunken hiccup and mocked them without restraint.
"Especially that little runt. He looks like a complete idiot."
"Little runt? Who's a little runt?"
Naruto looked from side to side and realized he was the shortest person there, immediately flying into a rage.
He jumped up to hit Tazuna. "I'm gonna kill you, you lousy old man!"
Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar and hoisted him into the air.
"Naruto, we're supposed to protect the client, not kill him."
As Uchiha Xin looked at the drunken old man before him, something stirred in his mind.
The Land of Waves mission. Tazuna, the master bridge builder.
That meant the Land of Waves arc, the first major climax in early Naruto, had finally officially begun.
"You have one hour to prepare. Meet at the village gate in an hour."
Kakashi gave the order.
One hour later, at Konoha's main gate.
With a huge marching pack on his back, Naruto bounced up and down excitedly.
"Let's go! This is my first time leaving the village! World outside, here I come!"
The group set off for the Land of Waves.
The sunshine was lovely and the breeze gentle. It looked just like a relaxing outing.
Yet Uchiha Xin's gaze casually swept over the woods beside the road.
With his current chakra reserves, comparable to Kage Level after opening four gates, and his keen perception,
he had already detected two extremely well-concealed traces of killing intent several minutes earlier.
The group continued onward, passing through a low-lying stretch where a puddle of water had yet to dry.
It had not rained at all for days, so the puddle's presence made no sense.
Kakashi had clearly noticed it too, but he merely raised his eyelids.
Pretending he had discovered nothing, he kept walking.
The instant Kakashi walked past the puddle,
Splash!
Two figures wearing gas masks, their arms wrapped in bladed chains, suddenly burst out of the water.
Kirigakure missing-nin, the Demon Brothers!
One on either side, they wove their chains into a net of death in midair, instantly binding Kakashi tight.
"The first one!"
The Demon Brothers grinned viciously and gave a fierce yank.
Slash!
The sharp chains instantly sliced Kakashi's body into several pieces. Blood gushed out, spattering the ground.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura let out a piercing scream and collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale.
Naruto was so frightened that his entire body went rigid. His legs felt as though they were filled with lead, and he could not move a muscle.
Although Sasuke forced himself to remain composed, the hand holding his kunai was shaking too.
Having succeeded in one strike, the Demon Brothers immediately shifted their gazes to Tazuna, who stood at the back.
"You're next, old man!"
Swinging their chains, the two lunged straight at Tazuna with fierce killing intent.
At that critical moment,
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A calm yet oppressive voice suddenly rang out.
Uchiha Xin had already finished his hand seals. His chest swelled, and he forcefully expelled a scorching blast of air.
Boom!
An enormous mass of chakra instantly transformed into a gigantic fire dragon.
The fire dragon roared as it soared into the sky, instantly sucking the surrounding air dry.
The terrifying heat made even the soil on the ground begin to melt.