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"Why the remaining Uchiha clan child? Taking him back serves no purpose, right?" Acquiring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki could be considered a reasonable act, but what use was the Uchiha survivor? Their Kirigakure wasn't lacking Kekkei Genkai.
"Um—" The Kirigakure ANBU seemed momentarily stumped, then spoke rapidly. "...Lord Mizukage intends to mass-produce Sharingan. Bring him back for breeding..."
"Cough!" Zabuza's perpetually serious expression suddenly cracked. He coughed and quickly covered Haku's ears. Although he knew Lord Mizukage's actions weren't always reliable, issuing such a directive was completely beyond his expectations.
"Hm?" Haku looked blankly at Zabuza beside him, having his ears suddenly covered.
"Children shouldn't hear this."
"Ah well, anyway, that's the situation!"
"Good luck! The mission cannot fail~" The Kirigakure ANBU tilted his head slightly, shot them a star-wink, then took two steps back and vanished from the spot.
"Weirdo." Zabuza looked towards the direction the ANBU disappeared, unable to help shaking his head silently.
...
"Alright, let's go!"
"This is my first time outside the village!"
Naruto ran ahead of the group, rushing out of the Konoha gate, turning back excitedly to shout at the others. Carrying a backpack, small in stature, his reaction resembled an elementary school student on a field trip more than a ninja.
"Hey, sending such a brat, is it really okay?" Tazuna held his liquor bottle, looking hesitantly at Kakashi behind him.
Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly, forcing a couple of laughs.
"Well... with me, a Jonin, accompanying, there shouldn't be any problems."
On the lush branches nearby, two pairs of eyes faintly revealed themselves, closely watching the group.
Although conflicts frequently arose within the group, fortunately, Kakashi could still mediate, preventing Naruto from actually punching the client.
All three kids were essentially leaving the village for the first time. While Sasuke and Sakura weren't as overtly excited as Naruto... compared to surveying their surroundings, their attention was more focused on seeing new things.
Water puddles on the ground clearly reflected the group's moving figures. Kakashi glanced aside with his dead fish eyes, then quickly retracted his gaze.
Just a few steps further, two figures swiftly emerged from the puddles, Kirigakure forehead protectors slashed with a horizontal line. Immediately, the two, wielding chains seemingly pieced together from shuriken, leaped out of the water, charging straight towards Kakashi walking at the rear.
Clang!
The sound of shaking chains echoed. In an instant, Kakashi was entangled from both sides, bound tightly.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were startled by the sound, whirling around. However, at their speed, they couldn't react in time, watching helplessly as Kakashi was bound by the two chains.
In a flash, Kakashi's figure was directly shredded into a pile of flesh within the chains.
"Eek." Hatake Kuroshi, sitting on a nearby branch, couldn't help grimacing. Good grief, Kakashi really went all out scaring them. Wouldn't this give the three kids some psychological trauma?
Hatake Kuroshi briefly scanned the two holding the chains. Although Kirigakure missing-nin, their equipment was likely obtained from Gato. Just two small fries.
The three kids were instantly shocked by the sudden turn of events, taking a step back, looking fearfully at the two Kirigakure missing-nin holding chains.
"Second one!" The two instantly flashed behind Naruto, the chains pieced together from shuriken ringing close to his ear. Naruto was frozen stiff by the sudden development.
Sasuke leaped up, drawing kunai and shuriken from his tool pouch, accurately throwing them towards the chains.
Swish—!
Clang!
The shuriken firmly pinned the chains to the tree trunk. Sasuke simultaneously jammed the kunai in his hand into the center ring of the shuriken.
Can't pull it free!? The two missing-nin's attack was interrupted, their pupils constricting instantly.
Sasuke landed on their shoulders, then leaned down, grabbed both their arms, and kicked them away.
"Amazing." Naruto stared blankly at Sasuke's fluid movements.
The chains hanging in their hands snapped with a click. The two missing-nin barely stumbled back two steps before steadying themselves. They immediately split up, charging towards Naruto and Tazuna.
Sakura looked back and forth in panic, instinctively shielding Tazuna.
Sasuke ducked down, paused slightly, then quickly moved in front of Sakura.
Just at this critical moment, Kakashi suddenly appeared, swiftly grabbing both missing-nin by the neck, choking them unconscious.
Naruto and Sakura's eyes instantly lit up with admiration, rushing over shouting, "You're not dead, Kakashi-sensei!"
Sasuke, having stepped forward to block nothing, pouted slightly.
"Stealing the spotlight."
Kakashi, with his dead fish eyes, carried one in each hand like groceries, looking completely unfazed by the two missing-nin. Even in Kirigakure, these two would only be Chunin level. Kirigakure had Hunter-nin units; missing-nin were usually executed immediately upon discovery. These two likely didn't dare stay in the Land of Water due to weakness, coming out to the Land of Waves as hired ninjas.
Even if Kakashi was slacking, dealing with these two was more than easy.
"Sorry Naruto, didn't save you in time, letting you get hurt."
"But I didn't expect you to just freeze."
"Ah, right. Their claws have poison. You should quickly let out the poisoned blood on the back of your hand."
Naruto looked somewhat belatedly at the back of his hand. He had been too tense earlier and hadn't noticed he was injured. Several scratches marked the back of his hand, the blood flowing out already a dark purple.
"Eh? Ah ah...!"
Tazuna, seeing the two dealt with, let out a long sigh of relief.
"Phew... looks like we're saved."
"Hey! You could have handled them alone! Why did you let these kids fight?" Tazuna complained to Kakashi, clearly dissatisfied with this almost manufactured sense of crisis.
Kakashi tied the two unconscious missing-nin to a tree, looking at Tazuna with one listless dead fish eye.
"As you saw, if I wanted to act, I could have killed them instantly."
"But I needed to know if these guys were after you, or one of us."
"You know, once enemy ninjas appear, this mission shouldn't be C-rank anymore. It should be upgraded to B-rank with increased pay."
Tazuna was momentarily speechless, averting his gaze. He hadn't expected to be found out so quickly. Although Gato mostly used armed groups like gangs, this time, likely knowing he sought help from Konoha, Gato directly sent ninjas to intercept him.
"Someone's injured, plus there's an issue with the mission classification. Yosh, let's head back." Kakashi tilted his head back, scratching his cheek, speaking matter-of-factly.
"No way!" Naruto, stung by Kakashi's earlier remark about freezing, was even more unwilling now to delay the mission because of himself. Even if this mission was beyond their capabilities.
Hatake Kuroshi rested his cheek on his hand, watching the people below the branches. Tazuna's matter was clearly swept aside by Naruto's fuss. Judging by Kakashi's attitude, he wasn't genuinely intending to turn back either. This mission likely couldn't be aborted.
...
Land of Waves, inside Gato's Shipping Company.
"Killed!? Those two missing-nin cost me quite a bit of money!" Gato, looking like a dwarf, glared furiously at his subordinates. The men in black suits were all too scared to make a sound.
Zabuza leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed, watching the group coldly, unable to help sneering internally. Two Chunin-level missing-nin who were too scared to even return to Kirigakure... what abilities were there to speak of? Facing Sharingan Kakashi and his team? Wasn't that just sending them to their deaths?
Gato knew well that using those gangs against ninjas was basically throwing lives away. Immediately, he shifted his gaze towards the expressionless Zabuza and Haku.
"Hey, you two were Kirigakure ninjas before, right?"
"Go stop Tazuna and those guys! Don't let them continue building the bridge!"
"I'll raise your pay later!"
Zabuza and Haku exchanged glances, quickly weighing the two matters in their minds. The new mission from the Mizukage was also to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Uchiha survivor alive. These two tasks could be considered overlapping.
Gato actually didn't have many ninjas around him, mostly just weak armed forces. Zabuza and Haku could each handle a large group without issue. Dealing with those brats first, then coming back to finish him off, was feasible.
"Hmph, this counts as extra work. Double my pay later." Zabuza disdainfully tossed his suit jacket to the ground, then picked up the Executioner's Blade beside him, kicked open the main door with Haku, and walked out.
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