Two days later—
In only forty-eight hours, Team Seven had already learned to walk—just barely—over the surface of a still pond. Not perfect yet, but close. The master–disciple task should be finished soon.
In those two days the squad had also taken a few D-rank missions. Ayato, true to form, showed no interest in lowly D-rank work; he'd been spending like mad and enjoying himself around the village while the kids actually did the errands.
Hokage Building — office.
Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor, arms folded and sticking out his lower lip in petulance. "Grandpa Hiruzen! I'm ready to handle things on my own — give me a real, high-difficulty mission! I don't care — even a bandit sweep! Or an A-rank! If there's nothing hard, I'll sleep right here until you give me a mission!"
Naruto had had it with D-rank chores. A real shinobi fought real threats — and after these days of training he could feel himself getting stronger. He wanted a proper fight.
Sakura snapped and socked him hard. "Don't be an idiot and give the Hokage trouble!" She pinned Naruto to the floor with a flurry of scolding punches and hurried bows to the Hokage.
"Very sorry, Hokage-sama! I'll teach him a lesson!" she fussed, while Naruto whimpered from his red, swollen cheeks. "S-Sakura-chan—I didn't even have time to say anything…" he protested.
Sasuke muttered under his breath, "Two idiots."
He wanted a tough mission too — to prove the Uchiha's strength and show everyone that Sasuke was the strongest genin of the class. He fumed at the thought of being left behind.
Hiruzen watched them with a soft, complicated expression. "Young people have energy," he said, drawing on his pipe. The sight of Team Seven — impulsive, foolish, fierce — tugged at something in him. They reminded him, too painfully, of the past: of the bright student who became a traitor.
Ayato came in then, hands in pockets, and stood in front of Hiruzen. Sakura snapped upright, still clutching Naruto's collar to keep him in line.
"If you push an old man too far, what then?" Ayato teased Hiruzen, voice light but edged with mock threat.
Hiruzen's face tightened for a heartbeat, then smoothed into his normal calm. The old man's gaze became quietly sharp — an edge beneath the softness. He straightened. "I am the Third Hokage. Age means nothing — I still have a duty to protect the village."
Ayato only smiled. "I had a little hope, though."
Hiruzen turned to the three genin. "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura — it's good to want difficult missions. But impatience won't make you stronger. Chasing power blindly can lead one astray."
His voice carried a faint, private sorrow. He thought of a student long lost to obsession. He stared down at the village spread beneath the window and spoke quietly about the Will of Fire — leaves and flame and the old responsibility to kindle and protect what would grow.
Team Seven listened, puzzled. The "Will of Fire" sounded lofty; they had trouble grasping its meaning.
Ayato clapped his hands and scoffed. "Very poetic. Want me to give you an award?"
Hiruzen shot him a look. "Ayato—enough."
Ayato shrugged and said, "Light needs shadow. You may see the bright flames, but you can't see what's in their shadow. Blazing fires burn away reason and carry hatred."
Hiruzen huffed and replied dryly that he would not be lectured by a young punk.
Ayato patted Hiruzen on the shoulder and put on a mock–sagely expression. "Just a little advice. You'll understand later."
Hiruzen eyed him suspiciously. Ayato wasn't interested in the old grudges — he was waiting for the moment when Orochimaru would show himself. Then the picture would be clear.
Ayato scooped up the three of them in a loose embrace. "Don't get lost in talk of ideals. Be who you want to be. Do what you want. Don't leave the biggest regrets on your heart. And—don't learn everything from that old man." He wrinkled his nose. "He likes to go on and on."
Hiruzen's face darkened. Ayato's insolence knew no bounds.
Ayato tapped Sasuke on the shoulder as if reading his mind: "You want revenge. You don't need the Will of Fire. You just want power. Fair enough."
Sasuke's jaw tightened and his face warmed with awkwardness — Ayato had voiced the private thought Sasuke had refused to admit out loud.
Hiruzen sternly rebuked Ayato, but Naruto pushed his forehead protector up and declared, dead serious, "Grandpa Hiruzen, I'm going to be Hokage! Give Team Seven a big mission!"
Ayato sighed theatrically. "If you marry the Hokage, you'll be a Hokage-man tomorrow. As your teacher, I'll give you my blessings." He struck a pathetically ceremonial pose — the class was speechless.
Hiruzen, losing patience, let the reprimand go and shifted to business. "There is a C-rank escort mission." He tossed a scroll toward Ayato.
At that moment the door opened and an older man, reeking of sake, staggered in. Hiruzen called, "Mr. Dazuna — please come in."
Ayato sat back, sucking on his lollipop, and watched the man enter with casual interest.
Dazuna. The Land of Waves.
That name flashed across Ayato's mind. That meant this mission would be connected to the Land of Waves — and potentially to a feared shinobi rumored to haunt the mist.
Perfect, Ayato thought. A chance to test Hado #90 — Black Coffin (Kurohitsugi).
He had used Black Coffin a few times already and knew its destructive reputation. He hadn't yet tried it on a living target.
Now, the echo of a real mission involving the Land of Waves and a notorious Mist shinobi made his lips curve.
This would be interesting.
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