Especially after the previous battle when Team 7 was formed, Sakura realized that, compared to Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Sasuke, she was more like a burden within the team. Of course, even the lowest-ranked genin could handle most C-rank missions because, ultimately, ninjas were ninjas, and they couldn't be compared to ordinary people. Most C-rank missions involved encounters with ordinary people, and C-rank missions involving rogue ninja were already among the most challenging C-rank missions. So, theoretically, even Sakura should be able to handle numerous bandits and thieves effortlessly. However, this was just a theory. (After all, there was a lack of combat experience, weak mental state, and other factors. Strength was one thing, but being able to utilize it was another. Over the decades since the founding of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, there were cases of genin being killed by ordinary people. These were examples of poor mental fortitude and capability. The first battle would often leave them in a state of shock, even causing them to stand still and be killed.)
As there were theories, there were real-life examples as well.
Sakura, who had grown up almost like a hothouse flower, and even weaker than ordinary flowers, might find C-rank missions somewhat challenging. Fortunately, Sakura was self-aware of this. Shortly after the Third Hokage spoke, she adjusted her mindset. However, Sakura didn't know that this special C-rank mission was a task that Naruto was determined to accomplish!
"That's right, Naruto! Remember what the Hokage said! Do you understand your position now!?"
Iruka, who was standing nearby, echoed the Third Hokage's words, looking at Naruto with a serious expression.
"Yes, I understand, Iruka-sensei. But we're no longer kids in the Ninja Academy. I believe our team is fully capable of taking on C-rank missions. D-rank missions no longer hold much meaning for us. If a fledgling bird always stays in its nest, it will never soar into the sky, right? Grandpa Third! Moreover, I heard that Kakashi-sensei graduated from the academy when he was only five or six years old. By the time he was our age, he was already a Jonin!"
Naruto looked at the Third Hokage and Iruka with a serious expression. As he finished speaking, he turned to look at Kakashi, blinked, and chuckled.
Naruto's words caused different degrees of surprise in Sakura and Sasuke. A Jonin at the age of twelve? Graduated from the academy at five or six years old? Sasuke, in particular, stared at Kakashi with an astonished gleam in his eyes.
Even Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. It was amusing to have a point of reference like this.
"A fledgling bird? Soaring into the sky?" The Third Hokage, sitting at his desk, had a somewhat murky look in his eyes that seemed to clear up at that moment. He gazed at Naruto, and a fleeting sense of nostalgia and remembrance crossed his eyes. His gaze became deeper in an instant.
"Minato, your child has grown up. He will surely become an outstanding ninja of Konoha, just like you."
The same smile, the same confidence, the same golden figure.
At that moment, in the depths of the Third Hokage's heart, the figure of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, emerged.
"Is that so? Very well, I understand your determination, Naruto. However, missions are not something one person can undertake alone. Your team is a whole, so I need to ask for the opinions of the other two members in your team. Do you both believe your team has the capability to take on C-rank missions?"
After nodding at Naruto, the Third Hokage shifted his gaze to Sakura and Sasuke, asking with a gentle but slightly stern tone.
"Yes!"
While Sakura had some hesitation at first, she agreed after seeing Sasuke's firm and enthusiastic response. Her beloved Sasuke had expressed his desire to take on C-rank missions, and despite her internal resistance, Sakura had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
"Thank goodness Kakashi-sensei is here. There shouldn't be any problems with a C-rank mission..."
Although she was still a bit anxious, seeing Kakashi by her side helped alleviate some of Sakura's worries.
From Iruka's perspective, however, regardless of whether it was Sakura, Sasuke, or Naruto, they were still just a group of children who had graduated from the academy only a few days ago. C-rank missions were completely different from D-rank missions. C-rank missions usually involved bloodshed, including but not limited to protecting caravans (the type that encountered bandits only), eliminating bandits, clearing out the criminal underworld, or even exterminating rogue ninja causing trouble in border areas. (Note that these rogue ninja were intentionally causing trouble and disrupting local production. Otherwise, the villages generally turned a blind eye to them.) In most cases, C-rank missions involved violence, and it was not uncommon for them to result in deaths.
Allowing newly graduated genin to participate in such missions?
Iruka believed it was highly inappropriate.
At this moment, Iruka had forgotten, or rather, deliberately overlooked the fact that Naruto had already shed blood on the day of his graduation, single-handedly killing a chunin-level opponent.