Chapter 425: Two-Way Mission
The next day, early morning, in front of the Konoha gates.
Team 7, one adult and three children, gathered here, fully equipped and ready to go.
The expressions of the four were all different.
Kakashi was calm and thoughtful. Yesterday, he had received a reminder from Obito and roughly guessed the situation of this mission, but what exactly they would encounter was still unknown. In short, it should, probably, perhaps, maybe, almost certainly not be dangerous... right?
Sasuke had his hands in his pockets, his expression cool, looking like 'I've seen the world, it's just a mission outside the village, what's there to look forward to.'
Sakura-kun would occasionally peek at Sasuke, her cheeks frequently flushing, and she also carried a bit of excitement about going on a mission outside the village—she had never left Konoha before.
"So slow, Uncle Tazuna couldn't have overslept, right?" Naruto complained softly. Though there was no dissatisfaction on his face; in his heart, he super liked Uncle Tazuna...
"He's here," Kakashi said calmly, making the three of them focus their gazes forward.
'Masahiko-brand Tazuna' swayed over, looking like he had a hangover and hadn't woken up yet, waving his hand: "Young Master Naruto! Sorry, I'm late!"
Naruto was stunned. It was the first time someone had addressed him like this, and it sounded... especially comfortable!
However, his mouth knew how to be polite: "Uncle! Just calling me Naruto is fine!"
Masahiko secretly laughed in his heart. If he didn't trick this brat Naruto into limping this time, he wouldn't be called the Great Swindler Uzumaki in the future.
"Princess Kushina Uzumaki's son is indeed polite, unlike other brats who don't even say hello when they see me, the mission client."
Sasuke and Sakura-kun's expressions stiffened. This client... continuously praising Naruto and them enduring it was one thing, but did he have to praise him by comparison?
Kakashi gave Tazuna a deep look, understanding in his heart: "Let's set off!"
The group of five hit the road. Tazuna constantly praised Naruto along the way, occasionally popping out with lines like 'Putting Young Master Naruto in this squad is really doing him a disservice,' which made Naruto feel a bit embarrassed...
He didn't even know he had such prestige among the civilians of the Land of Whirlpools?
Masahiko did this for two purposes. First, he remembered that in the original story, Tazuna initially found Naruto very unpleasing to the eye; doing the opposite might earn him more Witness Points. Second, the upcoming play needed this brat Naruto to cooperate. If he didn't trick him thoroughly, it would be bad if the acting got messed up.
"For the sake of Witness Points, Great Ancestor has lost his bottom line just like this." Looking at Naruto bubbling with joy in front of him, Masahiko muttered inwardly: "A me like this is simply invincible."
Because there was the ordinary person 'Tazuna' with them, the team's traveling speed was very slow. By evening, they hadn't even covered half the distance.
"It's getting dark, can we rest here for a bit?" Tazuna suddenly spoke up.
Naruto was startled: "Is Uncle tired?"
"Ah, tired."
Sasuke and Sakura-kun tacitly exchanged glances for the first time, and even their inner thoughts were identical: This bastard is tired from praising Naruto, right? Resting is good. If we keep walking, we're going to attack the client...
This place happened to be a desolate wilderness, with no signs of human habitation within ten miles. Kakashi pondered for a moment, turned his head, and said: "Mr. Tazuna, you specifically picked Naruto for this escort mission, there must be another purpose, right!"
Masahiko was secretly delighted. He was just worrying about how to introduce the main topic. Kakashi's assist was very nice; he'd add a chicken leg to his meal when they got back!
Scratching his head and smiling, Tazuna said: "There is another purpose, a small purpose..."
Naruto was stunned: "Another purpose?"
Tazuna nodded: "I hope Young Master Naruto can help me a bit. The situation in our Town of Waves is special. Although it belongs to the Land of Whirlpools, it is actually self-contained. The Town of Waves is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and communication with other towns and villages in the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Fire relies entirely on two cross-sea bridges, but now there's a little trouble..."
Masahiko wasn't spouting nonsense; the Land of Whirlpools did indeed have this 'island town' called the Town of Waves, and there were indeed two cross-sea bridges.
"A merchant named Gato has taken control of these two bridges, collecting tolls from passing merchants to amass wealth. It greatly affects the development of our Town of Waves, but we have no way to deal with it. It's said that behind Gato are two high-level ninjas from the Land of Whirlpools, so I want Young Master Naruto to help..."
Naruto scratched his head: "Two high-level ninjas from the Land of Whirlpools? Amassing wealth? That's too much!"
Tazuna nodded repeatedly: "Right, way too much!"
"Who is it?"
Tazuna shook his head: "I don't know either. In the past, it was always their subordinates who came forward..."
Naruto hesitated for a moment: "Uncle, why didn't you say so earlier? I'll go talk to Great Ancestor about it..."
"How could I trouble Great Elder Masahiko Uzumaki? The old man is busy with a myriad of affairs every day, how would he have time to care about this little matter? Young Master Naruto, you alone can solve it. Which high-level ninja of the Land of Whirlpools wouldn't give you face?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. Now he could be certain of Tazuna's identity...
Naruto scratched his head. This talk... Glancing at Sakura-kun and Sasuke from the corner of his eye, he immediately patted his chest and guaranteed: "No problem, leave it to me!"
Tazuna decisively offered praises, making Naruto feel incredibly comfortable...
Sasuke and Sakura-kun felt they had taken the wrong mission. Wouldn't it have been better to just obediently plant trees and flowers?
Kakashi had basically sorted out the clues: Tazuna was Senior Masahiko in disguise. Praising Naruto was to make him meddle in other people's business. The two high-level ninjas from the Land of Whirlpools were the opponents for this time, serving as a tempering experience for Naruto and the other two... He just hoped Senior wouldn't go too overboard.
The next day, near the 'Land of Fire Bridge' in the Town of Waves, Land of Whirlpools.
Kakashi looked at the two ninjas in front of him and helplessly rubbed his forehead: Are Senior's tempering targets not just these three children, but also me?
"Who are these two weird-looking guys?" Naruto scratched his head and asked.
Tazuna provided an explanation at the right time: "Young Master Naruto, you actually don't know them? I also didn't expect that the ones behind Gato would actually be them! That one who looks like a shark is named Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Six Ninja Swordsmen of the Land of Whirlpools. That one without eyebrows is named Zabuza Momochi, also one of the Six Ninja Swordsmen of the Land of Whirlpools. They were originally both ferocious ninjas from the Hidden Mist Village, but were later incorporated by the great Great Elder..."
"This guy named Tazuna is a bit off." Sasuke pondered slightly; his IQ was much higher than Naruto's...
"Are they enemies?" Sakura-kun became nervous. Looking at the appearances of the opposing duo, they didn't seem like people to be trifled with...
Kakashi drew the 'White Fang' he had always carried on his back, understanding in his heart that this was a battle designed by Masahiko. They had to fight, but the two opposite them didn't seem to have any will to fight...
Kisame and Zabuza were both very helpless; they had been forced to accept an S-rank mission.
Kisame's mission was to stall Kakashi Hatake and prevent him from interfering in the other battles. Zabuza's mission was to launch a trial of blood and tears for Naruto's trio, without striking too heavily...
However, if necessary, Zabuza could kill their client, Tazuna!
"Tazuna... is this the old man?"
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