Inside a hot spring inn in Konoha Village.
Jiraiya walked in casually, holding a takeout box that emitted the aroma of food in one hand, pushing the door open with his shoulder. "Yo, you two travelers, your lunch is here! A Konoha specialty, Ichiraku Ramen with double the luxury chashu! Of course, sponsored by your friendly neighborhood, Jiraiya-sama!"
Inside the room, Boruto, who had just finished his morning Taijutsu training, and Adult Sasuke, who was wiping the Kusanagi Sword on the bed, both looked up.
Boruto caught the scent, his eyes lighting up as he immediately sprang to his feet, cheering, "Wow! Ichiraku ramen! With double chashu! Thanks a lot, Pervy Sa... ah no, Jiraiya-san!"
He nearly slipped up, quickly correcting himself and eagerly taking the box.
Adult Sasuke also stopped wiping the Kusanagi Sword, nodded briefly at Jiraiya, and said concisely, "Thanks."
His complexion was much better than when he first arrived in this era, the gloom and fatigue between his brows having lessened considerably.
But deep in his eyes, the vigilance honed by countless hardships never faded.
Their arrival in this era had been sudden; most of their money was currency from after Konoha Year 63, useless here as scrap paper, with only a tiny amount of currency from before Konoha Year 63 being usable.
Although Jiraiya was helping them out, they couldn't rely on him forever, especially since Boruto was still growing and ate a lot.
So finding a way to make money had become another major task for them, alongside secretly observing Konoha and Naruto of this era.
Jiraiya sat down cross-legged, watching the two open the box and eagerly start devouring the steaming ramen, a smile appearing on his face.
He stroked his chin and said casually, "Oh, right. While I was wandering around this morning, I heard some news. Naruto and his Team 7 have taken a C-rank mission and have already left the village."
Boruto, who was loudly slurping up a mouthful of noodles, asked vaguely, "C-rank? What kind of mission? Escorting a merchant convoy? Or wiping out mountain bandits?"
Jiraiya said, "Sounds like escorting some old bridge builder back to his country... called the Land of Waves, I think? A small island nation with almost no Ninja. The mission is to get the old man home safely and provide protection while he builds the bridge."
"The Land of Waves?!"
Adult Sasuke's hand holding his chopsticks froze abruptly, his brow furrowing instantly, a flicker of reminiscence flashing through his eyes.
This place name was deeply etched in Adult Sasuke's memory!
That was the first real Ninja mission he, Naruto, and Sakura had undertaken under Kakashi's leadership. It was their first encounter with life-and-death crisis, their first true glimpse of the Ninja World's cruelty.
Momochi Zabuza, that cold-hearted Kirigakure's Missing-Nin, and Haku...
That youth with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai who ultimately chose to sacrifice himself to save Zabuza.
The intensity of that battle, Haku dying under Kakashi's Raikiri, Zabuza's final farewell to Haku...
Those scenes, even after so many years, even after countless more brutal battles, remained vividly etched in his memory.
That was also where the bond between him and Naruto, as comrades in the truest sense, first took root.
"Sensei?" Boruto noticed Sasuke's sudden change in expression, put down his chopsticks, and asked with some concern, "What's wrong? This Land of Waves... is there a problem?"
He came from a peaceful era and only knew of the 'Land of Waves mission' from his father's occasional, vague mentions of a 'first dangerous mission'… he didn't know the details.
Jiraiya looked at Sasuke, curiosity in his eyes.
Adult Sasuke did not answer Boruto immediately. He closed his eyes, as if rapidly sorting through his memories.
The Land of Waves mission...
The enemies were Zabuza and Haku, formidable opponents, but the Kakashi of that time was sufficient to handle Zabuza. While he, Naruto, and Sakura had fought hard, they had ultimately defeated Haku, completed the mission, and Tazuna's bridge was finished, even named the [Naruto Great Bridge].
And there was no appearance of any strange person in his memories either.
Logically, it should have been a thrilling but meaningful experience for growth.
But...
His eyes snapped open.
'No!'
'Because of the appearance of that enigmatic 'Shura', this timeline had already diverged significantly from the history I remembered!'
'Who could guarantee that the Land of Waves mission would still unfold according to the script in my memory?'
'Was Otsutsuki Urashiki also lurking in the shadows?'
The appearance of any single variable could turn an otherwise safe mission into a deadly trap!
Especially Naruto, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, was the most conspicuous target himself.
"We're going too." Adult Sasuke put down his half-eaten ramen.
He looked at Jiraiya and said, "To the Land of Waves. We'll shadow them."
Jiraiya raised a white eyebrow: "Oh? That tense? You think Naruto's mission will be dangerous? I recall there aren't any strong factions around the Land of Waves, right? At most some Missing-Nin or thugs hired by unscrupulous merchants."
Having travelled the Ninja World for years, Jiraiya was familiar with the conditions of various countries. That small place, the Land of Waves, indeed seemed unlikely to harbour enemies capable of threatening Kakashi.
"Under normal circumstances, probably not." Adult Sasuke stood up, walked to the window, and gazed towards the general direction of the Land of Waves beyond the village, his single arm clenching unconsciously.
Boruto sensed the tension and put down his chopsticks too: "Master, are you saying they might run into trouble? Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"
Jiraiya looked at the grim-faced young Sasuke, then at the eager Boruto, stroked his thick white hair, and wore a somewhat helpless yet excited smile: "Oh dear, looks like my planned research trip for the afternoon is shot."
He slapped his thigh decisively: "Well then, let's all go! Let's see if this C-rank mission has any 'surprises' for us. Finish eating quickly and pack up. We should get ahead of them."
The atmosphere in the room instantly shifted from leisurely lunchtime to one of tension and urgency.
…
Three days later.
Time passed quickly amidst the fatigue of travel and the tireless energy of youth.
Leaving the lush forests of the Land of Fire, Team 7 headed east.
Naruto, like a puppy leaving home for the first time, was bursting with curiosity about everything and possessed boundless, restless energy.
He'd either run off the road to chase butterflies, shout excitedly at startled rabbits, or more often, engage in endless, childish arguments with their client, Tazuna.
"Hey! Drunkard old man! Walk faster! At this rate, we won't reach the Land of Waves until next year!" Naruto, hands on his hips, blocked the path of Tazuna, who was swaying along slowly and taking occasional swigs from his bottle, and yelled in dissatisfaction.
Tazuna let out a loud, smelly burp, his bleary eyes slanting at Naruto. He retorted without mercy: "Shut up, shorty! You think everyone's got springs in their legs like you do? This old man's a bridge builder, I rely on skill and brains, not brute force! Besides, I'm the client, you're supposed to be protecting me! Don't you know the rules, kid?"
"Who're you calling shorty, you stinking, boozing old geezer!"
"Yeah, you! What're you gonna do about it? Gonna bite me? Nyah nyah..."
"Argh! You make me so mad! Menma-nii, don't hold me back, I'm gonna teach this old geezer a lesson today!"
Menma usually just smiled helplessly, occasionally reaching out to stop Naruto as he looked about to lunge.
Kakashi, as always, was engrossed in Icha Icha Paradise, as if the surrounding noise had nothing to do with him. Except occasionally, from above the book, his dead fish-like eye would glance at the two red-faced arguers, then he'd shake his head and return to his 'literary world'.
Hinata mostly stayed quietly by Menma's side. Only when Naruto and Tazuna's arguments got too heated, or when Menma intervened to mediate, would her gaze move between Menma's smiling profile and the back of Naruto's angry head, a shy smile on her lips. Occasionally, she'd blush slightly at some of Tazuna's overly crude expressions.
Amidst this noisy yet oddly 'harmonious' journey, the uniquely humid air of the Land of Fire's eastern coastal belt gradually replaced the dryness of the inland areas.
The vegetation alongside the road changed too, tall trees giving way to more shrubs and salt-tolerant plants.
The salty tang in the air grew stronger, and the wind carried a coastal dampness that seemed to pierce through clothing.
"Phew! So this is the smell of sea breeze?" Naruto, leading the way, wiped the sweat from his forehead, exaggeratedly took a deep breath, then pointed excitedly at the faint line of azure visible ahead.
"Look! Look! It's the ocean! We're almost at the coast! Man, it's hot!"
Tazuna stopped too, squinted his drunken eyes towards the distance. He took another swig of his sake before mumbling unclearly, "Oh... we are almost at the coast. I remember... there's a small town ahead. I should be able to find someone we know to ferry us across."
Kakashi finally looked up from his book, lazily glanced ahead, then at the sky, estimating their journey.
Hinata, curious about the Land of Waves Tazuna had mentioned, asked softly, "Tazuna-san, what kind of country is the Land of Waves? I... I haven't travelled this far from home before."
Having said that, she instinctively moved closer to Menma. Only near him, it seemed, could she muster the courage to initiate conversation with a stranger.
Menma also looked at Tazuna, waiting for his answer.
He too was somewhat curious about this small nation whose fate might have been changed by his own intervention.
Tazuna seemed touched by Hinata's shy, polite question. He reined in some of his usual drunkenness and gruffness, gazed towards the sea, a complex glint in his eyes, and spoke slowly: "The Land of Waves... it's a very small island nation, surrounded by the sea on all sides. Because of the sea, the fishing industry has always been decent. I wouldn't call it wealthy, but with the fish we catch, and trading with merchant ships from the Land of Fire, the Land of Water, and the Land of the Sea… exchanging our catches and marine products for daily necessities… everyone managed to get by. At least nobody starved."
His tone initially carried a simple, rustic pride in his homeland. But as he spoke, his voice grew heavier, the wrinkles on his face seeming deeper. "About... three years ago, I guess. A big trading company called the Matsuo Group suddenly appeared. Somehow, they managed to bribe the Daimyo of the Land of Waves and those greedy nobles. They passed a law forbidding us fishermen from selling our fish directly to foreign ships anymore. All catches had to be sold cheaply to the Matsuo Group, who would then buy and sell everything themselves."
"The small-time merchants who used to scrape by on small boats, trading specialties between countries to support their families, were also suppressed by various means. Either they were driven to bankruptcy, or... they just never came back."
Tazuna's voice was filled with helplessness and resentment. He took a fierce swig of sake, as if trying to wash away the knots in his heart with the harsh liquid.
"That bloodsucker Matsuo, he takes the fish, pearls, coral, and other specialties we work so hard for at pitifully low prices, then sells them at exorbitant prices to big merchants from the Land of Fire or Land of Water. We work ourselves to the bone and can barely afford food..."
"Building that sea-crossing bridge, we wanted to break their monopoly, connect the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire, so we wouldn't be exploited anymore! But... ah..." He sighed and didn't continue.
Menma listened quietly, his heart undisturbed.
'Indeed, the profit-seeking nature of capital wouldn't change just because a Gato disappeared.'
'When an old monopolist falls, new ones always rush in greedily to fill the void.'
'The Matsuo Group...'
'From the name, it sounded like a merchant guild native to the Land of Fire.'