The Demon Brothers' Defeat
Meitou panicked. He had lunged in with absolute confidence, certain that the three brats escorting Tazuna would fall apart the moment they saw real killing intent. But before he could even comprehend what happened, his body was engulfed in roaring flames.
He didn't even have time to scream.
In the blink of an eye, the two rogue Ninja from the Hidden Mist—known as the Demon Brothers—collapsed lifelessly onto the dirt road.
Tazuna froze in place. His legs trembled, and his breath caught in his throat. He had known these Mist rogue-nin were dangerous… but for them to be eliminated so quickly?
Only now did the old bridge builder understand what kind of terrifying abilities the Leaf Ninja possessed.
So this is what it means when someone says they're strong…
Maybe Kakashi and that blond kid Naruto weren't bragging after all.
Just as Tazuna was coming to terms with reality—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Someone applauded lightly.
A familiar silver-haired figure dropped gracefully from the branches above, landing in front of the group with an easy smile hidden beneath his mask.
Kakashi straightened up.
"Aferin, Naruto, Sasuke ve Hinata."
All three Genin jumped in shock.
Naruto nearly dropped his kunai.
"K-Kakashi-sensei?! I— I thought you—"
"Thought I was dead?" Kakashi's visible eye curved. "Naruto, you underestimate your sensei far too much."
"Then why were you lying there like a corpse instead of helping us fight?!" Naruto demanded.
Kakashi shrugged casually. "Because I wanted to test you, of course."
He glanced at the unconscious Demon Brothers.
"But I didn't expect you three to handle everything this well. Impressive."
He tapped the dead rogues with his sandal.
"These two were both Chūnin-level ninja from the Hidden Mist. But you defeated them decisively. Your strength already surpasses that of ordinary Chūnin."
Kakashi crossed his arms, speaking with the pride of a teacher who was genuinely impressed.
"And this was your first life-or-death battle. To perform so flawlessly is beyond my expectations."
He chuckled.
"As Naruto said—Team 7 really might be the strongest."
Naruto puffed up with pride—until the realization finally struck him.
"Wait… so you were faking dead the whole time?!"
"That's right."
"Kakashi-sensei!! You scared me to death! I thought you were really gone!"
Kakashi only laughed.
"If I hadn't acted, how else would I see how well you all function under pressure?"
Naruto wanted to be angry—but the praise felt too good.
"Well… I guess that makes sense."
---
Hinata's Awareness
Kakashi turned toward Hinata, his tone softening.
"And Hinata… excellent work."
Hinata stiffened.
"M-Me?"
"You detected the Demon Brothers' movements before they even appeared. You also realized I was pretending to be incapacitated. And instead of acting rashly, you chose to protect our client while trusting Naruto and Sasuke to handle the fight."
Hinata's blush exploded across her cheeks.
"Ka-Kakashi-sensei, y-you're praising me too much…"
Naruto gawked.
"So you knew Kakashi-sensei wasn't in danger the whole time? That's cheating!"
Hinata fidgeted shyly.
"Um… b-because I trusted Naruto-kun and Sasuke… I knew you'd both be fine…"
Naruto pouted dramatically.
"That's still sneaky!"
Kakashi placed a hand on each student's shoulder.
"Enough teasing. All three of you did remarkably well."
His tone shifted, becoming more serious.
"Although the Demon Brothers were only Chūnin, they came from the Blood Mist era of the Hidden Mist. They were ruthless, experienced killers. The fact that you defeated them so quickly wasn't only because of your talent—but because they severely underestimated you."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"So basically… they didn't take kids seriously, and that made things easier."
"Exactly."
---
Sasuke's Observation
Naruto pointed dramatically.
"Fine! But at least Sasuke freaked out too!"
Sasuke snorted.
"I realized something was wrong the moment they appeared, Loser."
"Pretty?!"
Even Kakashi raised a brow.
"Sasuke, you shouldn't have been able to sense their presence without activating your Sharingan. Your perception shouldn't surpass Hinata's Byakugan."
Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly.
"It was simple. If two Chūnin-level rogues could really kill an Elite Jōnin like you… then we'd all already be dead. So obviously, you were acting."
Naruto blinked, dumbfounded.
"So even Sasuke figured it out…"
But Naruto wasn't giving up.
"Okay then, Kakashi-sensei—Hinata has the Byakugan. How did you detect the enemies before the attack?"
Kakashi pointed toward a small puddle on the otherwise dry road.
"No rain recently. Clear skies. But a puddle appears out of nowhere? Suspicious."
Naruto slapped his forehead.
"Ugh! I still have so much to learn…"
Kakashi chuckled.
"That's something that comes with experience. Considering your age, all three of you are already geniuses."
---
Tazuna's Lies Exposed
Turning away from his students, Kakashi's gaze hardened as he looked at Tazuna.
"Tazuna-san, it's time to tell us the truth. Otherwise, this mission ends here."
Tazuna froze.
Naruto also felt his stomach tighten.
There was no denying it—this was not a C-rank mission anymore.
Not that Naruto was upset.
If anything, it made things more exciting.
After a moment, Tazuna crumpled to his knees.
Tears welled in his eyes as he begged for forgiveness and spilled the truth—about Gato, about the suffering of the Land of Waves, and about how he had lied because he had no money.
Kakashi listened silently—until Tazuna mentioned one key name:
Zabuza Momochi.
Kakashi's expression darkened instantly.
"Zabuza Momochi… the Demon of the Hidden Mist."
Naruto tilted his head.
"Kakashi-sensei, is he that strong?"
Kakashi exhaled deeply.
"One of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. A master of silent killing. He once attempted to assassinate the Mizukage himself."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
"He tried to kill the Mizukage?! That's like attacking the Hokage!"
"That's exactly why he's so dangerous."
Kakashi straightened.
"Tazuna-san, I will continue this mission. But only under three conditions—
One: you will compensate the mission rank difference after completion.
Two: you will hide nothing else from us.
Three: you will obey my commands completely."
Tazuna bowed repeatedly.
"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi turned to the team.
"If any of you are afraid, we can return now."
Naruto puffed out his chest.
"No way! This is the high-level mission I've always dreamed about!"
Hinata nodded shyly.
"I-I… I will continue too."
Sasuke smirked.
"A rogue-nin, huh? Perfect. I need someone strong to measure myself against."
Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. You all have courage. Then let's proceed."
---
At Gato's Hideout
Elsewhere in the Land of Waves, inside a dim warehouse guarded by hired thugs, a short, scruffy man entered with an annoyed expression.
Gato slammed his fist on the table.
"Zabuza Momochi! You told me you would kill Tazuna today! Where are your results?! My men go out and not a single one returns!"
In the center of the room, Zabuza sat with his massive executioner's blade leaned against his shoulder. His face was hidden behind bandages, but his murderous glare pierced through the room.
"Stop whining, Gato."
Zabuza stood up slowly, the pressure of his killing intent filling the room like suffocating mist.
"If you're dissatisfied, then leave."
Gato's face went pale.
"Z-Zabuza… I paid a fortune to hire you! If you can't kill Tazuna, why am I spending so much money?!"
Zabuza grabbed the executioner's blade with one hand and pointed the monstrous weapon directly at Gato's throat.
"You want to die?"
All of Gato's guards froze in terror.
Gato clenched his teeth.
"Killing me is easy! But without clients, you'll starve to death! No one will hire a swordsman who slaughters his own employer!"
Zabuza withdrew the blade slowly.
"The ones I target never escape," he growled.
"The Demon Brothers are dead—that part was my miscalculation. I didn't expect someone as poor as Tazuna to hire a powerful Leaf Ninja. But that doesn't matter."
With a sudden violent motion, Zabuza hurled the executioner's blade.
BOOM!
It slammed into the wall, sending dust flying.
Every man in the room flinched in fear.
---
Journey Through the Fog
Meanwhile, a small wooden boat glided quietly through dense sea fog.
Because the Great Sea Bridge was still incomplete—and large ships were controlled by Gato—Tazuna had no choice but to smuggle Team 7 into the Land of Waves by small boat.
Naruto stood impatiently at the bow, squinting into the mist.
"Oi, old man! How much farther?! I can't see a thing!"
The fog thickened around them, the quiet waves lapping against the boat like whispers.
Their real journey was only beginning.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)