The journey was somewhat somber.
What broke the monotony was the client, Tazuna's complaints.
"Sigh, you Shinobi from big villages wouldn't understand."
He staggered along at the front, as if talking to himself, yet also as if confiding in the Shinobi behind him, "Our Land of Waves is just an island trapped by the sea, dirt poor."
Naruto was initially curious about his first time leaving the village, looking around everywhere, but after half an hour of reports on the Land of Waves' shipping tariffs and market depression, he became somewhat listless too.
Tazuna grew more agitated as he spoke, his flushed face full of indignation, "That's why I must build that bridge!"
"Only with that bridge can we reconnect with the mainland! Only then will the people of the Land of Waves have a way out!"
He turned around, trying to seek a trace of resonance, understanding on the young faces.
However, Naruto was curiously staring at the scenery, Kakashi was still reading his little book, and Sasuke maintained an aloof, unapproachable coldness from start to finish.
"Are you even listening?!" Tazuna was somewhat frantic.
"I heard it."
Sasuke didn't look up, uttering three words flatly, "About how tragic your country is, and how important that bridge is. This is the third time you've repeated it."
Those pitch-black eyes slowly lifted, glancing at Tazuna.
Just that one glance made Tazuna's incessant chatter cease abruptly. He wisely shut his mouth and silently turned around.
The team fell quiet again, only the rustling of footsteps audible.
Soon, they were about to exit the forest.
Ahead on the dirt road was a fairly large puddle of water, reflecting shimmering waves under the sunlight.
Kakashi's steps paused slightly, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly.
'The weather was clear. How could a puddle of water appear out of nowhere on this dry dirt road?'
'It seemed a bit too deliberate.'
He understood in his heart but didn't raise the alarm immediately. Instead, he deliberately slowed his pace, falling to the back of the group.
He wanted to see if his two students could detect this obvious anomaly.
However, Naruto was humming an off-key tune, skipping forward, completely oblivious to the puddle.
And Sasuke...
The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched helplessly under his mask.
Sasuke actually stepped expressionlessly directly into the water.
"Sigh..." Kakashi sighed in his heart.
'It seemed a lack of practical experience was their biggest shortcoming after all.'
'Whether it was Sasuke's overconfidence or Naruto's complete lack of vigilance, both could be fatal in a real mission.'
'Oh well, consider it their first lesson.'
Kakashi's nerves instantly tightened, ready to act at any moment.
But bizarrely, nothing happened.
The puddle remained a puddle. Sasuke simply lifted his foot out calmly and continued walking forward, as if it really was just a harmless pool of water.
'Had I been overthinking it?'
Kakashi frowned, a trace of confusion flashing through his mind.
However, the next second, his eyes snapped wide open.
On the surface of that puddle, a wisp of black flame was silently igniting.
It followed the ripples Sasuke had just made, rapidly spreading towards the depths of the puddle.
Immediately after, two piercingly screams, forcibly suppressed deep in throats, echoed muffledly from beneath the water.
The sounds were filled with extreme agony.
Tazuna was scared out of his wits by the sudden turn of events. He didn't even see what happened, only heard the terrifying ghostly wails, and immediately crouched on the ground, hands over his head, trembling like a leaf.
"D-don't kill me! Take all the money! Just don't kill me!" He wailed incoherently.
Clearly, this wasn't the first time he had been attacked.
Under Naruto's dumbfounded gaze, the puddle began to vanish at a visible rate.
The pond dried up, revealing the moist, charred black earth beneath.
On the ground, two mangled bodies were exposed. Their attire was already burned to tatters.
The iron claw chains in their hands were still held in an attacking posture, but the people were long gone, devoid of sound.
Kakashi slowly walked up from the rear of the group, staring fixedly at the two corpses. The black flames were still burning silently until they completely consumed the bodies, then slowly extinguished.
His heart was roiling with shock and awe.
He sharply looked up, his gaze fixed on the back of the boy who hadn't turned around once.
'When had he made his move?'
'Was it the moment his feet stepped into the water?'
'Through a simple contact, it was transmitted silently?'
Kakashi's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
He had genuinely believed, just moments ago, that Sasuke hadn't noticed.
"What was that just now?!"
Naruto finally snapped out of his shock, "Were those two guys enemies?"
Kakashi didn't answer Naruto's question immediately.
He slowly walked to the charred patch of earth and crouched down, his expression turning grave.
Before the two Shinobi were completely incinerated, he had seen the forehead protectors they wore… the unmarked symbol of Kirigakure.
'There was a possibility of disguised identity, but active-duty Shinobi coming into the Land of Fire to carry out an assassination...'
'The nature of the situation had completely changed.'
"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto, seeing his teacher's serious expression, also realized something was wrong.
Kakashi stood up, dusting off his hands. He didn't address Naruto, instead turning his gaze to the old man who had been crouching on the ground the whole time.
"Tazuna-san."
Kakashi's voice was calm, "I think you owe us an explanation now."
He paused, his tone turning a few degrees colder, "The mission request made no mention that we would become assassination targets for Kirigakure's Shinobi."
Tazuna's body stiffened violently. He opened his mouth as if to defend himself, but ultimately hung his head in defeat.
He repeated the complaints he'd made earlier, only this time in more detail, revealing the mastermind behind the constant resistance to building the bridge… a wealthy man named Gato.
"...That's how it is."
He smiled bitterly, "I didn't have the money to post a B-Rank or higher mission. I could only falsify the mission rank. I know it's despicable, but this is the only hope for our Land of Waves."
After hearing this, a look of sympathy appeared on Naruto's face, while Kakashi fell silent.
After a moment, he nodded, having made a judgment.
"I understand, Tazuna-san."
Kakashi's tone returned to its usual laziness, but his words made Tazuna's heart instantly sink to the bottom.
"Since the situation has exceeded the scope of a C-Rank mission, according to regulations, we need to return to the village to reassess the mission rank and adjust personnel."
"So, please come back to the village with us."
"W-what?!"
Tazuna's face changed drastically, "You're going to abandon the mission? Leave our Land of Waves to fend for itself?!"
Even the always silent Sasuke looked at Kakashi in surprise at this moment.
'Go back?'
'Just because of a few extra pieces of trash?'
He glanced at the two charred marks on the ground, a flicker of confusion and disdain in his eyes.
"Just keep moving forward." Sasuke said indifferently, breaking the deadlock.
His voice wasn't loud, but it drew everyone's attention to him.
Kakashi looked into Sasuke's calm eyes, his mind racing.
He knew, of course, that his own strength was enough to handle any enemies that might appear.
The strongest opponent was probably just an ordinary Jonin, but the focus of this mission was to train the newcomers.
But Sasuke's strength...
Kakashi's gaze swept over the two swords at Sasuke's waist, then recalled the bizarre black flames from earlier.
Frankly, he was starting to find this student somewhat inscrutable.
"...Alright."
After weighing the pros and cons in his heart, Kakashi finally nodded, acquiescing to Sasuke's suggestion.
"Since Sasuke says so, we'll continue forward." He shrugged casually.
"Oh!"
The despair on Tazuna's face was instantly replaced by ecstatic joy.
He looked excitedly at the black-haired boy who had been scowling the whole time, his eyes filled with gratitude.
He had originally thought this kid was the worst of the three in terms of temperament.
He never expected that at the most critical moment, it would be him who stepped forward, insisting on protecting him.
'This child...'
Tazuna looked at Sasuke's cold, still somewhat youthful profile, the resentment from being electrocuted earlier completely vanishing.
He seems... somewhat cute after all.
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