Chapter 62 – The Attack
"You all know the mission, so I won't repeat myself. Pack up and assemble at the Village gate at eight tomorrow morning."
Kakashi swept his single eye over the three students in front of him.
Sakura's face was thoughtful, her eyes unfocused.
Though she looked spaced-out, she was actually memorizing key points.
Taijutsu, genjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu…
So much, so many, it nearly filled every minute.
Sasuke, hands in pockets as always, had a face that faintly betrayed eager anticipation.
Only Naruto seemed weighed down by something.
Kakashi frowned, recalling the boy's behavior the past few years.
Don't tell me he doesn't want to leave the house, just wants to be a shut-in?
That won't do.
He's weird.
Minato-sensei was sunny and outgoing, Kushina-sensei a fiery red pepper.
How did their son turn into such a homebody?
Who knows whose influence he's under.
"Naruto, going out on missions is everyday business for Ninja; sometimes you're gone ten to fifteen days at a stretch."
Kakashi patted his shoulder, speaking with the gravity of a teacher.
Finally a chance to act like a mentor.
Among the three, he'd hardly taught Narutoanything.
Hand the kid a Wind Release scroll and he masters the whole thing in a few months.
Left Kakashi with no role to play.
Naruto blinked at the words, realized the misunderstanding, and laughed: "I'm fine, just a bit nervous about my first mission."
"I see."
Kakashi nodded. Sure, Naruto was strong, but he was only twelve and had never left the Villagebefore.
"First-time jitters are normal. Don't worry—go home and get ready."
"Yes, sensei."
Naruto waved goodbye to the three and vanished on the spot.
Moments later he reappeared, transformed into Kakashi, and strolled around the mission desk.
He found no request involving Tazuna.
Was the timeline shifting?
The butterfly effect?
Or was a Shadow Clone messing things up?
These two guesses flashed through Naruto's mind, but he couldn't prove either.
Once again he felt how little intel he had.
White Zetsu would sure come in handy.
The next day.
Since it was an official mission, even Kakashiwasn't late.
"Greetings, my name is Higashino Yoshi, the client who posted this mission."
A middle-aged man in official robes.
Slightly stout, with a smile that put people at ease.
Reminded Naruto of another agile fat man—Sammo Hung.
He half expected the guy to snap into combat mode any second.
Hard to slap a smiling face, after all.
Kakashi's tone was mild as well.
"I'm Kakashi Hatake, Jonin. These three are my Genin students: Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura."
A veteran Jonin, he'd met plenty of troublesome clients.
This one seemed decent.
Luck was on Naruto's side for once.
All in all, a very harmonious start.
"Please follow me."
Higashino Yoshi took the lead.
A few minutes later a nineteen-man escort appeared before them.
The four weren't surprised.
The city was called Yashiro; the lord of Yashiro was its protector.
They were escorting the lord's son, so a large escort made sense.
Naruto stuck to Ninja rules, studying the group.
All were trained professional samurai.
What caught his curiosity was the carriage in the middle.
Forged from fine steel.
Scarred all over.
Arrows and blades.
Some of the marks looked fresh.
Proof they'd been attacked before.
The enemy had them worried enough to hire Ninja.
Finished analyzing, Naruto said nothing.
He was here to work.
That's Ninja for you: ignore anything outside the mission.
A heartless wage-slave.
They declined Higashino's offer to ride in the carriage.
Split into two teams: Kakashi at the rear, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura at the front.
No matter where trouble hit, they could support each other.
Sakura still seized every second to study.
All along the road she muttered key points.
Human anatomy, organ tissue, emergency treatment…
When tired she'd glance at Sasuke.
Instantly shake off fatigue and feel recharged.
Naruto could only give a thumbs-up and shout, "Sakura's awesome!"
Sasuke ignored her gaze, senses alert to the surroundings—just like his big brother taught him.
Thinking of Itachi made him worry what that fallen witch might do using his brother's body.
Half an hour in, angry shouting erupted from the carriage.
Naruto looked up.
A man and a woman.
There's another woman hidden inside?
Playing it fancy, huh.
"It's fine, don't mind it."
Seeing Naruto's group react, Higashino waved them off and walked to the carriage.
Moments later all was quiet again.
Only Naruto, sharp as ever, felt the carriage trembling faintly.
He couldn't help thinking of Oda Nobuaki.
Great—another guy who can't leave his little brother alone.
Rotten.
The trip from Konoha to the Land of Fire's Metropolis would take several days.
Night fell.
A campfire was lit.
"Sasuke-kun, I practiced making soldier pills—want one?"
At dinner Sakura decided to show off her logistics skills and handed out a bag of soldier pills to the trio.
Naruto was about to pop one when a thought struck him.
These are Sakura's soldier pills.
The kind that could kill.
But Sasuke didn't know.
Taking one for the team, he swallowed it whole.
His face turned green in an instant.
"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"
Sakura rushed over, hands glowing green, starting basic treatment.
Naruto and Kakashi exchanged glances and did the same thing.
They quietly pocketed their pills.
Sasuke chugged several bowls of water before he recovered.
The pill worked, but the taste nearly finished him off.
Sakura apologized over and over.
"Sorry, Sasuke-kun, I followed the book exactly."
"I thought your Medical Ninjutsu just now was pretty good,"
Naruto said with a grin. "Think of it as practice for Sakura, Sasuke."
"…"
Sasuke shot him a glare—if it's practice, why don't you try?
Naruto shrugged in delight.
She's not my wife.
You're the perfect guinea pig.
Naruto pulled out four fish, prepped them, and set them over the fire.
Sakura exhaled in relief; she dared not feed them any more soldier pills.
Dinner done.
They slept in two tents.
Sakura got one to herself.
The moon climbed to mid-heaven.
Fog rolled in.
Slowly wrapping the camp.
Naruto opened his eyes.
Gave a light shove to Sasuke sleeping beside him.
Kakashi needed no wake-up; he'd been first to rise, and seeing Naruto alert he nodded in approval.
"People."
Naruto whispered, "Pretend you're going to the latrine."
Sasuke instantly perked up, dressed, and slipped out.
"Should be Hidden Mist Ninja."
Kakashi eyed the mist outside the tent.
The signature was obvious.
He glanced back at Naruto.
Cooler than he was.
What the heck was there to be nervous about?
And here he'd believed Naruto's words back at the Village gate.