When those two assassination ninja ambushed Kakashi just now, Naruto, who wasn't far from him, had a stroke of bad luck—he was grazed by the spiked chain.
Now, the wound on his hand where the spiked chain had cut him had already turned a dark, purplish black!
Kakashi glanced at the injury. Years of battle experience told him exactly what it meant.
"The spiked chains those two were carrying are poisoned. We need to bleed it out right away—if the toxin spreads, it could be fatal."
Sasuke stood nearby, arms crossed.
"What a troublesome coward."
For once, Naruto didn't talk back. He just stood there in silence.
He was still ashamed over how he'd frozen up just moments earlier.
Now, with Sasuke's jab, Naruto only lowered his head, lost in thought.
"Alright, Naruto—don't just stand there. Hurry and bleed it out before the poison gets to your brain," Kakashi reminded him.
Naruto nodded, gritting his teeth as he pulled a kunai from his pack.
Shhk!
He dragged the blade across the injured spot, letting the thick, black-red blood flow freely.
"I swear on this wounded arm—I'll never shrink back when danger comes again!!"
Uzumaki Naruto spoke with a firm, unyielding gaze.
In that moment, it felt like he'd grown.
Shinju was mildly surprised. Seeing the determination and resolve in Naruto's eyes, he felt glad for his growth.
But as a kid with common sense, Shinju couldn't help but warn him,
"If you don't stop the bleeding soon, you'll die from blood loss too."
"Huh?"
Naruto's dramatic moment instantly crumbled. He frantically rummaged through his ninja pack for a bandage.
Shinju sighed, pulled out the bandages he carried with him, and stepped forward to help wrap the wound.
But the moment he got a clear look at the fresh cut, Shinju noticed something strange.
The wound… was already showing signs of healing.
Was Naruto's regeneration really this crazy?
Or… was something else interfering with his body?!
Shinju glanced at Naruto's clueless expression. Even if he asked, Naruto probably wouldn't be able to explain, so he swallowed his doubts.
After a quick wrap-up, the group was ready to move on.
Kakashi suddenly turned back and called out,
"Tazuna-san, there's something you need to explain to us."
"When you issued this mission, you never mentioned that ninja were targeting you."
"The request you submitted was for protection against bandits and thieves."
"Fighting ninja isn't part of a C-rank mission."
"A false commission makes things a real headache for us."
Tazuna lowered his head in embarrassment, staying silent.
Kakashi pressed,
"You need to be clear—who just attacked you, and why are they after you?"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Shinju all turned their eyes to Tazuna.
As much as they enjoyed going out on missions, none of them wanted to be played for fools.
Realizing he couldn't hide it anymore, Tazuna simply sat down and began,
"I'm sorry. I deceived you."
"The truth is, my life has long been marked by a very dangerous man."
"You should've heard his name before—the shipping magnate, Gato."
"Gato?"
Kakashi's tone lifted.
Having spent so much time on missions outside Konoha, the name was far from unfamiliar to him.
"He's one of the richest men in the world," Kakashi said.
Tazuna nodded.
"That's right. On the surface, he's the big boss of a shipping company. But behind the scenes, he uses thugs and ninja to smuggle contraband, and eventually he'll even swallow up other companies and nations—doing nothing but shady, underhanded deals."
"About a year ago, he set his sights on the Land of Waves. With his wealth and violence, he quickly monopolized our sea transport."
"For an island nation like ours, whoever controls the sea routes controls our wealth, politics, and people."
"That's why the only thing Gato fears is the Land of Waves building a bridge of its own—something that would break his monopoly."
"So that means… bridge-builder Tazuna-san became Gato's obstacle," Naruto concluded.
"Not bad, Naruto. You actually put that together so fast. I thought your knucklehead brain wouldn't get it," Sasuke teased.
Naruto: "Stop looking down on me! (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ)"
Kakashi motioned for them to quiet down and turned back to Tazuna.
"But I still don't get it. Even if the mission was dangerous, you could've told the village from the start. That way they could assign ninja suited for the job."
"A commission that hides the truth just causes trouble for both sides."
Tazuna's weathered face reddened as he explained,
"The Land of Waves is dirt-poor. Even our daimyo has no money. I'm penniless myself. There's no way I could afford the reward for a B-rank mission or higher."
Kakashi spread his hands in a helpless gesture.
"This mission is completely outside the scope of what we took on. Sorry, but we'll have to terminate here. I won't risk my students' lives."
Naruto stepped forward.
"If we leave, won't Tazuna-ossan be as good as dead? And then the Land of Waves will stay under Gato's control forever."
Even Sasuke, usually cold, stepped in with sympathy.
"Yeah. Without us, he won't last long."
Kakashi's eyes drooped.
Sure enough, bringing a bunch of kids was always trouble.
Tazuna gave them a warm, understanding look.
"It's fine. This mission really does go beyond what you were hired for. If you head back to your village, I'll understand."
"Of course, that means I'll soon be killed by the assassination ninja, the people of the Land of Waves will keep suffering, and my eight-year-old granddaughter will cry herself to sleep every night…"
"Don't try to play the sympathy card right now. (눈‸눈)" Kakashi shot him down mercilessly.
Still… even that clumsy attempt at tugging heartstrings had some effect.
"Kakashi-sensei, can't we help this old man?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke also looked over at Kakashi with expectant eyes.
Kakashi sighed, finally turning his gaze on Shinju.
If even one of them didn't want to take the mission, he'd turn the whole team around and head back to Konoha.
Shinju met Kakashi's eyes, thoughtful.
Saving an entire nation sounded grand, and Shinju had once dreamed of such things.
But safety came first.
So he asked Kakashi,
"Can you guarantee the three of us will be safe?"
Kakashi's eyes curved in a smile.
"Before I die, I won't let any of you be harmed."
Shinju: "But Naruto's hand just got cut a moment ago."
Kakashi: …(눈益눈)…
Don't bring up awkward facts right when I'm making a promise!
----------------
For each review +1 Chapter
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo