"Alright then, thank you all for safely escorting me home!"
After saying goodbye to the boatman, Tazuna smiled at the members of Team 7.
"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi replied half-heartedly, sighing inwardly.
This had to be the worst client in history.
While he had been teaching Naruto and the others on the boat earlier, Kakashi had also been thinking about the situation ahead.
According to Tazuna, the person trying to assassinate him was Gatō, one of the richest men in the world.
Anyone who could rise to the top in their field was certainly not a fool. With Gatō's intelligence network, it was very possible that the moment Tazuna left the Land of Waves, Gatō already knew he would head to Konoha to hire ninja.
This was a world ruled by ninja.
Naturally, Gatō would hire ninja as well to accomplish his goals.
At first he might only send relatively inexpensive mercenaries. But as those attackers were defeated one after another, Gatō might escalate the pressure—until eventually he decided that the Land of Waves simply wasn't worth the cost anymore.
During that process, injuries among Team 7—including Kakashi himself—would be unavoidable. Ninja tools, medicine, and other supplies would also be heavily consumed.
If things continued like that, the reward for completing the mission would barely even cover the expenses.
After all, officially this was still only a C-rank mission.
Of course, all of that was only relevant after safely escorting Tazuna home. During the journey itself, Gatō would most likely continue sending assassins.
Considering that the Demon Brothers, who were roughly chūnin-level, had already been defeated, the next opponent would likely be jōnin-level.
Sigh… what a headache…
Kakashi complained silently, his eyes turning dull and lifeless.
If it weren't for the sake of training his students, even if Tazuna begged on his knees, Kakashi would never have continued such a mission.
However—
Kakashi looked at Naruto, who had deliberately positioned himself in the formation so he could support both the front and rear of the group at any moment.
His irritation faded somewhat.
With such a reliable kid around, maybe this mission wouldn't be so troublesome after all.
While observing Naruto, Kakashi also kept an eye on Sasuke and Sakura.
Sasuke appeared relaxed, but his body was clearly prepared to enter combat at any moment.
Sakura kept her right hand resting on her ninja pouch, her eyes constantly scanning both sides of the road.
Suddenly—
A strange rustling sound came from the grass on the right side of the road.
Sakura's pupils shrank.
Almost instinctively, she threw a shuriken.
"Whoosh—thud!"
The shuriken flew into the grass and struck something with a soft impact.
The group immediately halted.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Naruto drew a kunai and exchanged a glance with Kakashi before cautiously approaching to investigate.
He parted the grass and pulled out a white rabbit with a shuriken embedded neatly in its head.
Seeing this, Sakura blushed with embarrassment.
She felt awkward about her overreaction.
Sasuke glanced at it and scoffed.
"You're overreacting. It's just a wild rabbit."
Sakura became even more embarrassed, curling her toes inside her shoes.
But Naruto's expression remained serious as he locked eyes with Kakashi.
He tossed the rabbit aside and moved to the flank of the formation, forming a pincer position with Kakashi.
"Sasuke, Sakura! Protect Mr. Tazuna!" Naruto ordered sharply.
"Naruto?" Sakura obeyed immediately and shielded Tazuna, but confusion remained on her face.
Sasuke also frowned at Naruto's intense reaction.
"Dead last, you're being too tense. It's just a rabbit—"
"No. Sakura's instincts were good," Naruto interrupted.
"The enemy may already be here."
"What?" Sasuke's gaze sharpened. "How do you know?"
"Because the rabbit I just picked up wasn't an ordinary wild rabbit."
"It was a snow rabbit."
A snow rabbit?
Sakura stared at the animal as memories from the academy surfaced.
"Snow rabbits change the color of their fur depending on sunlight exposure… that rabbit's fur is white…"
Her eyes widened in shock.
"White fur appears during winter when sunlight hours are short—but it's spring right now!"
Sasuke immediately grasped the implication.
"That means the rabbit was raised indoors, away from sunlight—specifically kept as a Substitution Technique medium!"
"Correct," Kakashi said calmly while scanning the surroundings.
"Using living animals as substitutes is a technique commonly used by ninja from Kirigakure."
"We're being watched."
The moment Sakura finished speaking and Sasuke and Kakashi reached their conclusions—
[Ding!]
[Story Mission Triggered: Encounter with the Demon of the Hidden Mist]
Mission Requirement: Survive Momochi Zabuza's attack and assist Hatake Kakashi in defeating the enemy.
Reward: 200 Gold Coins + 40 Ninja Fragments.
Two hundred coins and forty fragments?!
Naruto's heart jumped.
This reward was on a completely different level compared to ordinary missions.
Forty fragments could exchange for an A-rank ninja template, while one hundred fragments could unlock an S-rank template.
If he obtained this reward together with his current savings, he would have enough to unlock an S-rank ninja template!
Right then—
"WHOOOSH—"
A terrifying cutting sound ripped through the forest.
A massive shadow spun through the air toward Team 7, its blade gleaming with murderous cold light.
"GET DOWN!!!" Kakashi shouted.
Sasuke reacted instantly.
He shoved Tazuna down and dropped flat to the ground himself.
Naruto, however—
Had been momentarily distracted by the system notification.
His reaction came half a second too late.
The enormous blade, reeking of blood, was about to slice him clean in half—
"NARUTO!!!"
Sakura suddenly burst forward with unexpected courage and tackled Naruto to the ground.
The blade roared past just above her head.
Her forehead protector was ripped away and slammed into a nearby tree with a heavy thud, the blade quivering violently.
The Broken Blade of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Kubikiribōchō?!
Kakashi's pupils shrank.
The next moment, a tall, imposing figure appeared standing atop the handle of the massive sword.
The man faced away from Team 7 but tilted his head slightly.
Bandages wrapped around most of his face, leaving only a pair of cold, murderous eyes visible.
The Demon of the Hidden Mist.
Momochi Zabuza.
"Well, well…" Kakashi slowly stood up and dusted off his clothes as if nothing serious had happened.
"Isn't this the rogue ninja of Kirigakure—Momochi Zabuza?"
"I never expected to run into the famous Copy Ninja Kakashi here."
Zabuza's gaze shifted toward the trembling Tazuna.
"My apologies. Please hand over that old man."
"C-Copy Ninja Kakashi?!" Sasuke froze as if struck by lightning.
He whipped his head toward Kakashi.
Kakashi calmly lifted his forehead protector.
His previously hidden left eye was revealed—
A three-tomoe Sharingan.
Sasuke's eyes filled with shock.
"That's impossible… How could he have the Sharingan? Even within the clan, only a few awaken it. And he's not even an Uchiha…"
A horrifying thought formed in Sasuke's mind as he remembered Kakashi always covering his left eye… and the massacre of the Uchiha clan.
His breathing became uneven.
His gaze filled with suspicion—and pain.
Could it be…
Did Kakashi's Sharingan come from one of his fallen clansmen…?
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