"Yes, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura straightened their postures immediately and responded loudly.
Except that Sakura still had a trace of worry lingering on her face.
Even Sasuke, who was usually expressionless and cold, revealed a faint hint of excitement at this moment. Being able to participate in a mission involving actual combat experience represented a qualitative leap far beyond the previous D-rank missions. Although the mission had not yet begun, Sasuke had already made up his mind in secret—this task must be completed in the most perfect and flawless manner possible. Only by doing so could his evaluation be improved, allowing him to receive more C-rank missions, and even B-rank missions in the future.
As for Naruto, he quickly adjusted his mindset within this short period of time.
Suppressing bandits was suppressing bandits.
For now, it was still a rare opportunity for real combat experience.
During this mission, he could further temper and refine his combat skills.
Even if the opponents were only incompetent bandits.
They would still serve a sharpening purpose.
"Yosh! Then, let's go!"
After Kakashi nodded, he raised his hand and waved it decisively.
"Swish."
"Swish."
"Swish."
The three figures disappeared from their spots simultaneously, heading back toward their respective homes.
"Just bring a change of clothes and some soldier pills or compressed food. That should be enough for a mission like this. Oh, and don't forget sleeping bags. Judging by the distance, you'll probably need to stay overnight—just in case you can't make it to a town…"
Back in his apartment, Naruto quickly pulled out his backpack and began packing everything he could think of.
"If I earn a bit more mission reward, I can go get my clothes custom-made…"
Looking at the orange jacket he had just stuffed inside, Naruto muttered quietly to himself while calculating inwardly.
He had already said it before.
Whether in this life, or in his previous life when he read the original story—
Honestly speaking—
For this orange outfit.
Naruto truly felt it was extremely tacky.
Before, he had neither the ability nor the means to change it. But now, after officially becoming a ninja—
He had a stable source of income.
And no clothing shop in the village would refuse him service (this was one of the privileges of being a ninja).
Naruto had already decided that he must replace the orange clothes on his body.
And not just buy something off the shelf—he would go to a shop and have something custom-made.
"Maybe after completing this C-rank mission, the reward will be enough."
After packing his luggage, Naruto took a final glance around his apartment.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Naruto patted his cheeks lightly, walked out the door with renewed vigor, and dashed toward the gates of Konohagakure.
After all—
This was his first C-rank mission.
And he would finally be leaving Konoha Village to go somewhere farther away.
Seeing a different landscape.
If Naruto said he wasn't excited at all, that would definitely be a lie.
The gates of Konohagakure.
The familiar gatekeeper duo of the village—Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, two Chūnin—could be considered minor supporting characters with the most screen time in the early stages of Naruto.
Just as Naruto stepped into the range of the village gate—
Within Naruto's perception—
He could clearly feel that the moment he appeared alone at the gate, the bodies of the two Chūnin tensed up immediately. Although their actions appeared casual on the surface, within Naruto's perception it was extremely obvious that all of their attention had focused on him.
(This was different from the malicious perception brought on by the Nine-Tails' chakra. This was Naruto's own innate perception ability, similar to that of a sensory-type ninja. Naruto himself didn't understand the principle behind it. He had possessed it even before he refined chakra, and after chakra refinement—especially with the enhancement of his spiritual energy—this perception ability became even sharper and more precise. Naruto didn't know why, but he suspected this might be his own "golden finger." If it could later overlap with the Nine-Tails' malicious sensing ability, he didn't even know how terrifying the result would be.)
It was as if they were prepared to restrain him by force at any moment.
The next instant—
Kakashi Hatake appeared behind Naruto.
The moment Kakashi's figure entered Naruto's perception—
The previously tense muscles of the two Chūnin completely relaxed.
"Hmph. No matter who it is, the attitude at this time is still almost the same—just the difference between having strength and not having it."
Naruto's expression remained unchanged on the surface, but inwardly he sneered coldly.
"Yo, Naruto. You're here pretty early."
Just as mentioned before, Kakashi was always late when it came to unimportant matters. But once it involved missions—no matter how simple—Kakashi always took them seriously. For a ninja, missions were synonymous with responsibility. Completing the task entrusted by the client was the most fundamental duty of a shinobi.
This wasn't just limited to this C-rank mission.
Even the previous boring D-rank missions—
No matter how monotonous they seemed, from the moment the mission was accepted until it was completed and reported, Kakashi would always remain with Team Seven.
Seeing Kakashi, who was also carrying only a simple backpack, Naruto turned around and smiled faintly. He didn't deliberately exaggerate his expression, nor did he try to hide anything.
"After all, it's my first C-rank mission. I'm still a bit excited, Kakashi-sensei."
At this moment, Naruto's emotions were genuine.
Someone once said—
The most convincing lie is a lie mixed with ninety-nine percent truth.
The same applied to acting and disguise.
If you want to deceive others, often you must first deceive yourself.
When you no longer believe that you are acting—
That is when deception reaches its highest level.
Of course, Naruto didn't possess such an advanced level of "falsehood literacy."
But as someone who had spent several years in the business world in his previous life—and had even been deceived once or twice—this level of verbal control and emotional expression posed no problem for him. Moreover, after twelve years of constant "acting training," even when facing Hatake Kakashi or the Third Hokage himself, Naruto could easily switch states.
Entering the role.
Exiting the role.
All within a moment.
"Well, well. This C-rank mission is indeed suitable for you. Do your best."
Kakashi, naturally, could not see through Naruto's subtle concealment. Or perhaps, from the beginning, Kakashi never thought Naruto was disguising anything at all. He simply looked at Naruto with a familiar lazy smile and spoke casually.
Or rather—
No one in Konoha Village would ever suspect Naruto of disguising himself.
After all, this was someone who had been under the highest level of surveillance from the moment of his birth.
If he could truly disguise himself—
Wouldn't that mean he had been doing so since infancy?
Naturally, no one would think that way.
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