In the end, Team 7 decided to take on this mission.
Shinju agreed mainly because he noticed that Kakashi-sensei had been wearing an easygoing expression the entire time.
It seemed that, to Kakashi, this mission wasn't anything difficult.
Since their lives wouldn't be in danger, there was no harm in making the trip.
After another half-day of travel, they arrived at the coast.
After Tazuna and a boatman had a short negotiation, the boatman, eyes full of admiration, agreed to take them to the Land of Waves.
The closer they got to the Land of Waves, the thicker the mist over the sea became.
After traveling a bit further, Shinju spotted a large, unfinished bridge out on the water.
Tazuna pointed at it and said,
"My job is to get this bridge completed, so the Land of Waves can have a link to the outside world and break free from Gato's grip."
"We're saving an entire country's people here!"
An excited Naruto shook Shinju's hand as he spoke.
Shinju nodded, feeling that he had made the right choice.
Soon, the small boat entered the Land of Waves' waters, and the group went ashore.
Once on land, Tazuna's expression clearly relaxed.
"Finally, we're in the Land of Waves. Please, I'm counting on you to get me home safely!"
Kakashi, still looking lazy and annoyed, said,
"Now that we've landed in the Land of Waves, if any more ninja attack, they're probably going to be at least Chūnin, maybe even Jōnin. The three of you, stay alert."
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei, I can take care of myself!"
Naruto thumped his chest confidently.
Shinju, however, scanned the surroundings warily.
Ever since they had landed, he had this odd feeling—like someone had been watching them.
On the road, Tazuna led the way, with Shinju, Sasuke, and Kakashi surrounding him in the middle for protection.
Naruto, because he'd frozen up during the last attack, was determined to redeem himself this time—so he took the lead, scouting ahead.
Kakashi frowned, walked up, and rapped Naruto on the head.
"Hey, quit jumping at shadows. You're making everyone tense."
Rubbing the lump on his head, Naruto protested,
"Jumping at shadows? This is called being careful!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto seemed to sense something again.
Swish!
The shuriken in his hand flew!
Shinju also felt something odd and glanced toward where Naruto had thrown it.
Kakashi smacked Naruto's head again (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ).
"Don't go throwing dangerous things like shuriken around. You could easily hurt an innocent person!"
Still unwilling to give up, Naruto went to check.
Shinju, Sasuke, and Tazuna followed.
Pushing aside the underbrush, they saw Naruto's shuriken embedded in the root of a tree.
The tip had pierced right through the ear of a small white rabbit, pinning it in place.
"Good thing it's just a small animal and not a person. Otherwise, you'd be sitting in a Land of Waves jail right now," Sasuke said.
Kakashi, however, stared at the rabbit, his expression thoughtful.
"That's strange… white fur?" Shinju murmured. "A rabbit of this kind should only have white fur during the short daylight of winter… or if it's been kept indoors, away from sunlight…"
"And the reason for keeping it…"
Kakashi walked up. "It's for use as a replacement target."
Shinju froze and stepped back half a pace — --d͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪ ‧̣̥̇)
If that was the case…
Danger was lurking nearby!
Kakashi barked the order, "Protect Tazuna!"
And at that moment—
Whoosh!!!
A massive sword, over two meters long, came hurtling out of the forest!
It spun through the air, aimed straight at Tazuna's head!
Shinju hastily pulled shuriken from his pouch and hurled them at the sword!
Swish swish swish!
The shuriken split into hundreds of shadow copies, colliding with the huge blade.
Clang clang clang clang clang clang…
The repeated impacts knocked the blade off course.
It smashed into a tree to their left!
And then—
A figure burst from the trees!
He landed atop the embedded sword's hilt!
Kakashi's gaze turned cold.
The rogue ninja from Kirigakure, known as the "Demon of the Hidden Mist"—Momochi Zabuza!
"Kakashi-sensei, leave this guy to me!" Naruto stepped forward heroically.
He barely finished the sentence before Kakashi barked, "Get back! This guy will kill you!"
"What?" Naruto blinked.
Kakashi explained, "He's Momochi Zabuza, once one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. His specialty is the Silent Killing technique."
"He's a truly ruthless ninja. In his graduation exam, it's said he single-handedly killed every other student in his class."
Shinju's eyes widened. "About how many people?"
Before Kakashi could answer, Zabuza spoke from atop the sword hilt, sounding proud.
"Not many—only about a hundred."
Shinju, Naruto, Sasuke: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
Was this what a true monster looked like?!
Shinju stepped back again, unsettled.
His own graduation exam had been nothing more than answering a few questions and using a few jutsu.
Compared to this… that was child's play.
It seemed this world was full of countless powerful shinobi.
Zabuza's cold, sharp gaze ignored the three kids entirely, focusing on Kakashi.
"Copy Ninja Kakashi. I remember your name from my bingo book. You've got the Sharingan and have copied over a thousand jutsu."
"Looks like, before I can kill my target, I'll have to take you out first."
Kakashi didn't answer him directly. Instead, he turned to Shinju and the others.
"The three of you, protect Tazuna. Wait for your chance to escape. Don't hesitate."
"You won't be going anywhere!" Zabuza said arrogantly.
He leapt to the nearby lake and began weaving hand seals at high speed!
"Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Fwoooosh…
White mist began to rise from the lake, quickly enveloping Kakashi, Shinju, and the others.
The fog grew denser and denser, blocking their vision entirely.
In the oppressive mist, Shinju's breathing grew rapid and tense.
This was the first time he had truly felt threatened.
"You three, protect Tazuna!" Kakashi's voice came from somewhere in the mist.
Then, Zabuza's cold, emotionless voice echoed through the whiteness.
"Throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart… so many vital points. Which one should I go for first?" he said mockingly.
He was savoring the fear and despair on their faces.
----------------
For each review +1 Chapter
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo