"Sometimes," Kakashi said, a knowing tone in his voice, "the simplest C-rank missions can unexpectedly turn into B-rank missions. It's not impossible."
That was all the convincing Naruto needed. "Alright, then!"
Hiruzen sighed. "Let the client in."
Soon, the door was pushed open, and a drunken old man staggered in, reeking of sake. Naruto's imagined scenario of protecting a beautiful princess crumbled instantly. "Is this the old drunkard we're supposed to protect?!"
The old man shot back, "And this blond brat is the ninja protecting me?!"
"I'm a genius who graduated first in my class!" Naruto roared. "How dare you look down on me!"
The man seemed slightly impressed. "Oh? Is that so? I couldn't tell."
Naruto was speechless.
"Alright, alright, Tazuna," Hiruzen interjected. "Team 7 is indeed our best new team. With them escorting you, your safety can be guaranteed." Only then did the man, Tazuna, nod.
They quickly learned the details. Tazuna was a master bridge builder from the Land of Waves. A corrupt shipping magnate named Gato had seized control of the island nation's economy and was trying to stop Tazuna from completing a bridge that would break his monopoly. Gato had hired thugs to assassinate him. Since no hostile ninja were expected, the mission was only ranked C.
"No ninjas?" Naruto scoffed. "Ordinary thugs will be easy." In the ninja world, what ordinary people considered bandits or mafia were indeed insignificant threats.
Just as Team 7 was preparing to leave, the mission hall door opened again. It was Team 8: Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sakura Haruno, led by their Jonin instructor, the newly promoted Kurenai Yuhi.
Seeing Sasuke, Sakura was overjoyed and rushed forward. "Sasuke-kun! It's so good to see you!" Sasuke, of course, paid her no attention.
Kurenai frowned slightly. "Kakashi, your Team 7 has taken all the missions. What are the rest of us supposed to do?"
Kakashi offered a wry, eye-crinkling smile. "Sorry, Kurenai. You'll have to take that up with Naruto."
Kurenai's gaze shifted, scrutinizing Naruto from head to toe. She was extremely curious about this boy with such a special identity and an even more bizarre reputation. Naruto felt a little uncomfortable under her intense gaze. "Hey, teacher, have you looked enough?"
Kurenai smiled sweetly. "Asuma said you were an interesting one. It seems he was right."
"I don't know about interesting," Kakashi said, "but he's definitely troublesome." He waved the mission scroll in his hand.
When Kurenai saw the C-rank marking, her expression changed. "A C-rank mission? Your team has already started taking on missions of that level?!"
"This is also Naruto's masterpiece," Kakashi said with a sigh.
Kurenai immediately understood, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Naruto Uzumaki, why are you pushing yourself so hard?"
*Why does everyone keep asking me that?* Naruto thought. He couldn't exactly say the system was forcing him, so he just puffed out his chest proudly. "For my dream, of course! To become Hokage!"
"And to surpass all the previous Hokage and make everyone acknowledge my strength!" Kurenai finished, smiling. "I remember Asuma mentioning that. You're already the top student at the academy; everyone already recognizes you."
"That's far from enough!"
Looking at Naruto's energetic face, Kurenai couldn't help but shake her head and smile. "Just as Asuma said... an interesting one. But Kakashi, a C-rank mission could easily escalate. Aren't you worried about these new recruits?"
"To be honest, I'm not," Kakashi replied. "Team 7 is the strongest, and that's not just Naruto bragging. Even if they encountered a true Chunin, these three would not be defeated." He recalled the horrific scene from the bell test.
Kurenai glanced at her own students. Kiba was already arguing with Naruto, while Sakura was revolving around Sasuke like a planet around a sun. Shino remained silent and nearly invisible. "They are all very good," she said. "Kiba and Shino are rising stars of their clans. And Sakura... I've discovered she has a great talent for genjutsu. Perhaps she can even inherit my mantle."
Hearing this, Sakura puffed out her chest proudly. "Sasuke-kun, did you hear that? I'm going to shine in the art of illusion!" Sasuke ignored her, but inwardly, he scoffed. *When it comes to genjutsu, who in the entire ninja world can compare to the Uchiha clan?*
"Alright, let's end the small talk here," Kakashi said, waving. "Team 7, prepare to move out."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei!"
"Great!" Naruto was buzzing with excitement.
"Watch out, Naruto," Kiba called from behind. "C-rank missions are no joke!" Though his words were sarcastic, there was a hint of genuine concern.
Naruto just raised a hand without turning his head. "Easy!"
Kurenai patted Sakura's head as she watched Sasuke's retreating back. "Alright, Sakura, as long as you work hard, you'll have the chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with him."
"Yes! Thank you, Kurenai-sensei!"
Kurenai smiled gently and went to the Hokage to accept a mission. "Our mission for today is... a villager's home is suffering from a severe rat infestation. He requests a ninja's help to eliminate them."
Sakura's face fell. "...Huh?!" Kiba and Shino exchanged a look and sighed helplessly.
At the main gate of Konoha, Kakashi and Tazuna waited. Because they were going on a long trip, the three genin had gone to make preparations. Naruto, having earned hundreds of thousands of ryo from his mission frenzy, had upgraded all his gear, buying a new frog wallet, straps, and a fresh batch of kunai and shuriken. Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned, showing no signs of any change. Hinata had thoughtfully prepared water and rations for the journey.
Kakashi checked their preparations, then gave the order. Team 7 officially headed towards the Land of Waves. This was the first time Naruto had truly left Konoha Village.
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