The villagers were startled by the way Naruto's team cleared the land.
No one had ever seen such a method before.
But compared to hacking away with shovels, their strange technique was far faster.
Using only their fingers, the three tore through the soil without resistance, reclaiming wasteland at a pace visible to the naked eye.
By lunchtime, they had already finished three days' worth of planned work.
Grateful, the villager treated them to a feast.
After washing up, he discreetly glanced at their fingers completely uninjured.
As expected of true shinobi. As expected of Lord Naruto.
Once the meal was finished, he offered their payment with the utmost respect.
Kakashi took half for himself, while the other half was to be split among Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
But none of the three cared for such rewards. Money was the least of their concerns Sasuke had his rental properties, Naruto had his parents' inheritance, and Hinata was the heiress of the Hyūga clan.
Days passed in this manner, with missions doubling as training. Tasks that dragged on were left to shadow clones, while anything useful was tackled directly.
Kakashi said nothing whether it was clones or not, the jobs got done.
After accumulating enough D-rank missions, the Third Hokage finally assigned them a C-rank escort: protecting the famous bridge-builder Tazuna back to the Land of Waves.
Inside the Hokage's office, Tazuna reeked of alcohol, swaying unsteadily. His bleary eyes swept over the three genin with disdain as he muttered, "Just these brats are supposed to protect me?"
The assisting ninja beside the Hokage frowned, his voice sharp: "Show some respect. That boy is the son of the Fourth Hokage!"
Tazuna froze as if struck by lightning. The alcohol fled his system at once, and cold sweat drenched his back.
Only then did he realize that the seemingly ordinary blond boy before him carried a terrifying background.
Flustered, he bowed repeatedly. "I I'm sorry!"
Kakashi, calm as ever, spoke evenly: "If there's nothing else, we leave in an hour."
Tazuna hurriedly nodded.
Kakashi turned to his students. "Go pack up. Meet at the village gate in one hour."
At the gates of Konoha, Kakashi carefully recorded the details of their mission before leading Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Tazuna out of the village.
For Naruto and Sasuke, it was their first time leaving Konoha. Every tree, every breeze of the outside world thrilled them, like fish finally breaking free from a small pond into the vast sea.
Hinata, however, had seen the outside world before on family visits. She remained calm and observant, quietly scanning their surroundings as they traveled.
After crossing the borders of the Land of Fire, Kakashi gave a warning: "Be cautious now. Beyond this point, we may encounter enemy shinobi. Still, this is only an escort mission there shouldn't be any real battles."
At those words, Tazuna's eyes flickered with unease. He lowered his head, silently following behind.
Kakashi caught the look.
Later, as they passed by a roadside puddle, two heads suddenly emerged from the water. In an instant, they leapt out, chains whipping around and tearing through the unguarded Kakashi, who was idly reading his book.
Without pause, the assassins lunged straight for Tazuna.
They completely ignored the three genin.
To two seasoned chunin, genin were nothing but insects to be crushed in passing. Their true mission was the death of the bridge-builder.
But the next moment, both assassins were sent flying backward, blood spraying from their mouths as they slammed into nearby trees and hung there like grotesque murals.
Naruto tilted his head, his gaze falling on the frozen Tazuna. "Huh. I thought they were after me, but it looks like you're the target, old man?"
"I…" Tazuna opened his mouth, words failing him.
At that moment, the supposedly slain Kakashi reappeared behind him, voice hard. "A C-rank mission does not include facing enemy shinobi. You lied about the mission's rank, didn't you?"
Lying about a mission's true danger was a crime that could get shinobi killed.
Normally, a chunin with three genin could handle a C-rank escort. But if enemy shinobi were involved, the risk skyrocketed. Even a jonin could die under the wrong circumstances.
That was why every village loathed clients who deceived them.
"Sumimasen!" Tazuna dropped to his knees in a perfect dogeza.
He poured out his story: how the people of the Land of Waves pinned their hopes on the bridge, how the tyrant Gato had left them impoverished, and how he could not afford the price of a true B-rank mission.
And because of Konoha's reputation, he had come here anyway.
Kakashi's single eye narrowed. So, the old man wanted to exploit Konoha's honor?
He looked to his students. "What do you three think? Whether we continue or not is up to you."
To him, the mission was just training for them.
Naruto waved a hand casually. "Let's continue. We'll have to face enemy shinobi sooner or later might as well start now."
Sasuke and Hinata both nodded in agreement. If Naruto had made his decision, they would support him. Besides, unless multiple kage-level opponents appeared, there was little they feared.
"In that case, we continue," Kakashi said.
Tazuna fell into another desperate dogeza, tears of gratitude spilling as he bowed.
Meanwhile, in a small hut in the Land of Waves…
Zabuza Momochi, wielder of the Executioner's Blade, sat in the shadows, his gaze sharp.
Across from him stood a man with an unsettling smile, gripping the twin-bladed Thunder Swords.
"Raiya Kurosuki," Zabuza growled, "what are you doing here?"
Raiya chuckled darkly. "Now, now, why the hostility? We're both from the same generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, aren't we?"
Zabuza snorted with contempt. He didn't even bother to hide the disdain in his eyes.
Raiya's smile thinned, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'd love nothing more than to give you a grand funeral, Zabuza."
"You can try," Zabuza said coldly, raising his massive blade, his voice dripping with killing intent.
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