"What's this? Why are there only little brats?"
Inside the mission reception hall of the Hokage Building, Tazuna, who was drunk, looked at the group in front of him with clear disdain.
"I'm a super expert bridge builder. While I'm back in my country constructing the bridge, you brats better protect me with your lives."
As he spoke, he took another swig of alcohol.
"Ugh, he's just like Naruto… a total drunk."
Seeing the client, Sakura, who was originally happy because she and her team had finally received their first C-Rank mission, immediately became unhappy.
"No, no, I'm totally different from this kind of person."
But when Naruto heard this comment, he immediately waved his hands in protest.
"Even I wouldn't drink such cheap booze."
"That's what you're complaining about?!"
Upon hearing his reply, Sakura yelled in exasperation.
Beside her, Sasuke sighed and facepalmed, already feeling like this mission was doomed.
The client named Tazuna also had the same idea as him.
'Sigh… If only I could afford to hire real Chunin, I wouldn't have to rely on these brats...'
He grumbled in his heart.
Hiruzen, who was watching the whole scene, also lowered his hat silently.
He had originally assigned this mission to temper Team 7 and, at the same time, continue observing Naruto.
After all, over the past few days, he had been closely monitoring Naruto's training sessions with his grandson, Konohamaru. The changes in Naruto were so drastic that he barely recognized him anymore.
If he hadn't confirmed again and again that Naruto hadn't been replaced, he would have sent Anbu to capture Naruto long ago.
Come to think of it, he originally thought that after making this decision, Danzo would jump out to oppose it, or insist on sending his Root to monitor the situation.
But strangely, the old war hawk had been unusually quiet lately, so much so that even he, the Hokage, couldn't locate him.
But, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With Danzo no longer buzzing around like an annoying fly, Hiruzen found his mood significantly improved.
Despite Tazuna's lingering doubts about Team 7's capabilities, his limited funds left him no choice but to set off with them.
After packing their supplies, the group departed through the main gate of Konoha.
"Whoa, so this is what the outside world looks like?"
Naruto sipped his sake leisurely while taking in the scenery beyond the village.
Hearing this, Tazuna nearly choked on his drink, coughing twice before wiping his mouth.
"Hey, you-"
He originally wanted to say, "You little brat, have you never even left the village before?", but when he saw Naruto's imposing physique, he swallowed his words.
'Forget it, I won't bother with him.'
Naruto didn't mind his reaction and simply grinned at him.
Since they were escorting a civilian, their pace wasn't particularly fast. Even after several hours of travel, they still hadn't left the forest.
The sunlight overhead was harsh, but fortunately, Naruto was dressed lightly today, unlike Kakashi and Dazno, who were bundled up in heavy clothing.
After passing a small puddle, they continued forward.
At this time, a pair of Ninjas wearing Kirigakure forehead protectors slowly emerged from the water.
They are the Demon Brothers, a duo of Chunin who specialized in coordinated attacks to deal with their targets.
Watching the group's retreating backs, they quickly decided on their first target… the team's leader, Kakashi, who seemed completely unaware of their presence.
One of them leaped high, landing right in front of Kakashi.
The bladed chain between the two brothers swiftly wrapped around Kakashi, and with a simultaneous tug from both of them, Kakashi's body was instantly cut into several pieces and fell to the ground.
"Aaahhh-!"
Sakura, who hadn't processed what had just happened, couldn't hold back a scream, while Tazuna's face instantly turned pale.
In his opinion, if even the Jonin in charge of leading the team was killed without putting up a fight, then his own chances of survival were slim.
Beside them, Sasuke remained composed, his expression cold, as if completely unfazed by Kakashi's apparent death.
Naruto, on the other hand, was even more relaxed. He even took a sip from his flask of sake, acting as though he hadn't seen anything at all.
"The second one!"
The Demon Brothers swiftly flashed behind Naruto, attempting to repeat their earlier tactic.
However, Sasuke reacted quickly, drawing a kunai and shuriken and hurling them with precision, pinning the chain to a nearby tree.
Seeing their arms restrained by the chain and unable to move, the two brothers exchanged a glance and activated a hidden mechanism.
The chains on their arms instantly detached, and they lunged toward separate targets.
'Let's see how you block this!'
Their sharp claws aimed for Naruto, who still seemed completely unprepared, as well as Tazuna, who was just an ordinary civilian.
Naruto still hadn't put down his flask, appearing completely unfocused.
However, if one moved the flask aside, they'd see his eyes were locked onto Sakura's position.
The two attackers were fast, so fast that even Sasuke couldn't react in time before the metal claws were about to strike Tazuna.
"Uncle, get back!"
Even though she was scared, Sakura remembered her duty as a Ninja. Despite her trembling hands, she stood firmly in front of Tazuna, gripping her kunai defensively.
Seeing this scene, Naruto smiled gently, and a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes.
'Courage at the critical moment-'
"Where the hell are you looking?!"
The elder of the Demon Brothers, Meizu, couldn't help but let out a loud shout when he saw Naruto's distracted gaze.
Bang!
His claw was suddenly caught in Naruto's grip.
'Idiot! My weapon is coated in deadly poison!'
Though his movement was restricted, Meizu wasn't worried. With a subtle flick of his fingers, the hidden blades inside the claw retracted sharply.
"You talk too much."
Having witnessed a seedling's growth, Naruto was in a decent mood.
Crunch!
The metal gauntlet and claw shattered under an overwhelming force, and the arm inside was crushed into pulp.
"Aaahhhh-!!"
Meizu couldn't hold back a scream of agony. Fortunately, Naruto was kind-hearted. He didn't prolong the suffering, instead, he released his grip, then drove his fist straight through the man's chest.
The splattering blood seemed to be blocked by an invisible force, leaving Naruto untouched, but the other enemy was drenched in the warm liquid.
Feeling the blood on his body and seeing his brother's lifeless body, the younger brother, Gozu, immediately leaped back in panic, scrambling to escape.
At this time, Kakashi, who had been observing the whole time, finally showed up and knocked the opponent unconscious.
"Ah… Naruto, you-"
Looking at the Kirigakure's Missing-nin with a big hole in his chest in front of Naruto, and then looking at Sasuke and Sakura, whose expressions had shifted dramatically, Kakashi felt a headache.
"You really… went too far."
"Ah, sorry sorry, I'll be more careful next time."
Naruto scratched his head apologetically, as if he'd only made a minor mistake.
But after what they had just witnessed, none of the others could see him as the same goofy, grinning Genin from before.