Chapter 46: Are You Confident You Can Defeat Zabuza?
Seeing that Naruto flatly refused to believe it, Kakashi didn't explain any further.
After all, Yoruha's situation really was unusual.
Turning his head, Kakashi said to Tazuna, "Mr. Tazuna, how many Jonin has Gato hired?"
"Other than Zabuza."
Tazuna thought for a moment and said, "I'm not too sure. Before this, I only heard that Gato had hired Jonin, but I didn't even know which Jonin he'd hired."
Kakashi fell silent for a while.
He was considering whether this mission should continue.
One Zabuza was already troublesome enough.
If another Jonin showed up, things would become very difficult.
Kakashi looked toward Yoruha.
He wanted to ask for his opinion.
Yoruha nodded. "We've come this far, so we can only keep going."
"During this time, I'll work hard. At the very least, I can hold off one Jonin. And with Kakashi-sensei's strength, if I can stall one of them, you should be able to defeat Zabuza."
"If they only have Zabuza as their one Jonin, then if we join forces, he won't stand a chance."
Kakashi thought for a moment, then said, "Alright. In that case, we'll continue carrying out this mission."
"While we're protecting Mr. Tazuna, I'll make time to teach you some jutsu."
"You already have Jonin-level strength, and your practical combat experience is pretty good too."
"If you add a few more lethal jutsu, then you'll truly be a Jonin in every sense."
Kakashi wasn't exaggerating at all when it came to Yoruha's strength.
"I will."
Yoruha also agreed with Kakashi's suggestion.
Naruto crowded over and said, "Kakashi-sensei, don't forget about us. We're your students too."
Kakashi looked at Naruto and said, "Of course I know that. But right now, you're not suited to directly learning jutsu. You need to build a proper foundation first."
Naruto looked confused. "What foundation?"
"Kakashi-sensei, are you just making excuses because you don't want to teach us?"
Naruto felt sure Kakashi was only saying that because he didn't want to teach them.
Kakashi was somewhat helpless.
"You obviously have to build a good foundation first. You haven't even learned Chakra control, let alone started learning jutsu."
"Yoruha already has very good control over Chakra, so he doesn't need to keep learning how to control it."
Naruto still felt Kakashi was playing favorites.
Sasuke, meanwhile, looked thoughtful.
Unlike Naruto, he agreed with Kakashi's thinking.
And Sakura looked at Yoruha with admiration.
Yoruha was so strong, yet he acted so calm.
Watching Naruto turn his head away, pouting and fuming, Kakashi felt very helpless.
He really wasn't showing favoritism.
Though he did value Yoruha more, Naruto was still the Fourth Hokage's son, and someone the Third Hokage had personally entrusted to him for focused training.
No matter how you looked at it, Kakashi wasn't being unfair.
It was just that Naruto's foundation was basically nonexistent, so what exactly was he supposed to teach him?
Even if he did teach him, Naruto probably wouldn't learn it.
After all, Naruto was terrible even at the Clone Technique.
If the Shadow Clone Technique hadn't happened to suit his constitution so well,
he might not have been able to learn that either.
Back then, the Third Hokage had truly gone to great lengths to make sure Naruto learned the Shadow Clone Technique.
Even the Scroll of Seals, such an important ninja scroll, could be "stolen" by him so easily.
A huge number of ninja had been mobilized to search for him, and yet none of them found him.
It was easy to imagine how much effort the Third Hokage had put into that.
The ninja sent out to find Naruto were probably worried they'd be punished if they actually caught him by accident.
Kakashi felt helpless, but there was no point saying it—Naruto wouldn't believe him anyway.
So he simply stopped explaining.
...
The group continued on their way.
At last, they arrived at Tazuna's home.
There were three people there: his daughter Tsunami and his grandson Inari.
Inari looked at Kakashi and the five of them with open suspicion in his eyes.
During dinner, Tazuna and Tsunami told Inari everything that had happened along the way.
Originally doubtful of Kakashi's group, Inari now looked at Kakashi and Yoruha with shining eyes.
"Y-you... can you really defeat Gato's ninja?"
Inari couldn't help asking Kakashi.
Kakashi scratched his head and said, "Probably."
Seeing how unconfident Kakashi looked, the hope that had just risen in Inari shattered again.
"So it really is impossible... Those ninja are so strong. How could anyone beat them?"
Naruto immediately bristled at that. "Don't be so gloomy. I'm a ninja who's going to become Hokage. No matter how strong Zabuza is, I'll definitely beat him."
But Inari had no interest at all in Naruto's passionate declaration.
He even mocked him. "Even your teacher doesn't look confident. How could you possibly do it?"
Naruto clenched his fists and said seriously, "Zabuza's nothing. I can beat him too."
Sitting nearby, Sakura and Sasuke both looked at Naruto's emotional display with speechless disbelief.
In the previous fight, Naruto had not exactly looked as heroic as he did now.
Inari didn't believe him at all and said with contempt, "Gato is far stronger than you imagine."
"Anyone who goes against him will die."
As if recalling something painful, Inari shouted those words with sudden emotion.
Naruto was stunned by Inari's outburst.
He didn't understand why they had come to help him, yet Inari still had this kind of attitude.
After saying that, Inari ran outside.
Tazuna sighed.
Kakashi asked, "That child must have gone through something painful, and it has something to do with Gato, doesn't it?"
Tazuna said, "His father was killed by Gato for standing up to him."
"Ever since he saw his father murdered by Gato with his own eyes, Inari has never believed anyone could defeat Gato."
"He thinks people who try to be heroes are fools."
"But actually, Inari always took great pride in his father."
"It's just that what happened back then hit him too hard."
After hearing Tazuna out, Naruto, who had wanted to argue with Inari, fell silent.
Sitting beside Tazuna, Tsunami sighed. "That child also hopes someone will stand up and defeat Gato. But unfortunately, all these years, no one has managed to do it."
"Actually, it's not just Inari. Everyone in the Land of Waves hopes someone can defeat Gato."
Naruto looked at Tazuna seriously and said, "I'll definitely defeat Gato and make Inari change his mind."
But after Naruto said that, Tazuna didn't look at him. Instead, he looked at Kakashi and Yoruha.
"Kakashi, Yoruha, do you really have confidence you can defeat that Zabuza?"
Naruto was furious.
But he also knew that in the earlier battle, Kakashi and Yoruha really had displayed tremendous power.
He himself hadn't performed well at all.
Yoruha said nothing.
He felt it wasn't his place to speak.
Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "If it's only Zabuza, then I'm confident I can defeat him myself."
"Not to mention that Yoruha is here too. If it really is only Zabuza, then he's no match for the two of us."
"But if Gato hires another Jonin, then it's hard to say how things will turn out."
After hearing Kakashi's answer, Tazuna looked worried.
Being able to hire Kakashi and Yoruha with nothing more than the payment for a C-rank mission was already an extraordinary stroke of luck.
He couldn't very well ask for anything more.