"Really, to ask a group of children to escort me? Konoha doesn't seem to take this task seriously, right? Should you protect me, or should I protect you?"
Tazuna said with a heavy sigh. Earlier, at the mission hall, he had heard the staff talk about how powerful Team 7 was. He had high expectations. However, upon seeing three children and a one-eyed man, his sense of security vanished.
"What are you talking about, you bad old man? Do you think we need you to take care of us? We're shinobi! Do you even know what that means?"
Sakura, with veins popping on her forehead, shouted angrily at Tazuna.
Sasuke stood silently, leaning against the doorframe at the entrance of the village, detached from the situation and contemplating what kind of new jutsu Uchiha Yagami might teach him after the mission.
Naruto, on the other hand, positioned himself between Sakura and Tazuna. While he initially didn't want to get involved, his feelings urged him to intervene—not to scold Tazuna but simply to stop Sakura from escalating further.
Kakashi watched the scene with his usual indifferent expression, his visible eye half-closed.
"Wow, are you all this enthusiastic about your first mission outside the village? Seems like you're not training them enough, Kakashi," a voice interjected.
Yagami had just arrived and observed the scene.
To be honest, Yagamifound it difficult to evaluate this iteration of Team 7. The two boys, Naruto and Sasuke, had diverged so much from the individuals he remembered from the original records of their lives.
Naruto still carried his trademark boisterous energy, but under Yagami's influence, he had developed a more thoughtful and comprehensive approach to his actions. He was less impulsive and more deliberate in his choices.
Sasuke, though still reserved, had shed his arrogance. He approached situations with a calm demeanour, exuding a sense of maturity that was unusual for someone his age.
From the perspective of a shinobi, both of them were undoubtedly competent. However, their abilities were quite atypical for fresh academy graduates.
As for Kakashi, he seemed to primarily guide Sakura, leaving Naruto and Sasuke to fend for themselves—or perhaps even guide Kakashi in certain cases.
This dynamic created a peculiar atmosphere within Team 7. Kakashi and Sakura operated on one wavelength, while Naruto and Sasuke were on another entirely.
"Senior Yagami! You're here..."
Sasuke greeted him immediately, prompting Naruto and Sakura to stop their argument and look at Yagami, visibly embarrassed.
Yagami found this reaction odd. Naruto's embarrassment was understandable given their familiarity, but what about Sakura? He had no particular connection to her.
Was it because of Sasuke? No, that didn't seem likely. Sakura was Sasuke's peer, not someone who would defer to him.
Shaking off the thought, Yagami didn't spare Sakura another glance. Instead, he turned to Kakashi and nodded, signalling that he was ready to depart.
Yagami's presence seemed to settle the group. Even Tazuna, noticing the Uchiha clan emblem on Yagami's attire, decided to withhold further complaints.
"It's true that three kids and a one-eyed dragon would make anyone insecure, but with a Uchiha around, there's no problem!"
Across the shinobi world, the reputation of the Uchiha clan was beyond question. Particularly the Uchiha Security Force, which is renowned for its efficiency and competence. If not for their steep commission fees, they would likely monopolize mission requests from all five major villages.
Most importantly, Tazuna was aware of the problem his home in the Land of Waves faced: Gato. If Gato was truly in conflict with the Uchiha, then the presence of a Uchiha could shift the situation dramatically.
"Hey! You're like a useless old man. What kind of country is the Land of Waves, anyway?"
As they travelled, Kakashi led the group from the front, Yagami stayed at the rear as support, and the three genin formed a triangle formation around Tazuna for protection. Naruto, positioned on Tazuna's right, naturally couldn't help but ask.
"What do you mean by 'useless old man'?"
Tazuna's mouth twitched as he glared at Naruto in annoyance, but the thought of his homeland softened his expression.
"The Land of Waves... While it's not as prosperous as the Land of Fire, it's a place where people used to live comfortably.
The people there were full of hope for the future, always working hard for a better life...
But after a man named Gato arrived..."
"Mr. Tazuna, please stop for a moment. Did you just say 'Gato'? As in the Gato Company?"
Kakashi, walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks. At the mention of Gato's name, his eyelids twitched. He turned to Tazuna and questioned him with a serious tone.
Ever since the Uchiha clan had leveraged commerce to establish themselves as a major power in the shinobi world, all villages had begun paying attention to wealthy businessmen like Gato.
"Yes, Gato is ostensibly the head of the Gato Company, dealing in maritime shipping. However, he's willing to do anything to maximize his profits.
After arriving in the Land of Waves, he used his wealth to hire samurai and wandering shinobi, monopolizing the country's external transportation channels. We..."
As Tazuna spoke, the group advanced, but Kakashi, Yagami, Naruto, and Sasuke all noticed a suspicious puddle on the road ahead.
Kakashi relied on his experience, Yagami and Sasuke utilized their keen eyesight, and Naruto sensed it through the abilities Kurama provided him.
The Mist Shinobi attempting to conceal themselves were nothing to this team.
Catching Kakashi's eye, Yagami shrugged, turning his head aside, clearly indicating he wasn't going to intervene. This was Team 7's responsibility to handle.
"If it's Gato..."
Kakashi began to respond, but before he could finish, two shinobi suddenly emerged from the puddle, their chains flying toward him.
In an instant, the chains wrapped around Kakashi, and the Mist Shinobi used their combined strength to tear him apart.
"The legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi? Nothing special! He couldn't even last one attack," one of the Mist Shinobi sneered as the remains of Kakashi's body scattered across the ground.
The masked Mist shinobi turned his attention to the three genin and Tazuna, ready to make his next move.
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