Naruto stepped forward, tying up Zabuza tightly, even securing locks on all his finger joints to ensure he could no longer form hand signs.
Just then, a sharp whistling sound echoed through the air as Kakashi's figure hurriedly returned from the dense forest.
Slung over his shoulder was a young man who had already been knocked unconscious. With delicate features and long hair tied back, he looked surprisingly like a young girl?
"Whoa, Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto's eyes widened as he pointed at the person Kakashi was carrying, "Is the other enemy a girl? You really don't know how to be gentle with ladies!"
Kakashi didn't explain immediately. His eyes were filled with unconcealed surprise as he looked at Zabuza, who was tied up like a rice dumpling in the field.
"Oh? Sasuke, you've already taken care of Zabuza?"
He had believed that with Sasuke's strength, he could hold off Zabuza long enough. Plus, with the Hokage's secret arrangements already in place, he felt confident chasing after the other target.
But he never expected Sasuke to finish Zabuza off completely.
And by the looks of it, without a single scratch.
Sasuke withdrew his chakra, replying indifferently, "This so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist… their reputation seems overrated."
'Overrated?'
Hearing this comment, Zabuza's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
'If an ordinary Jonin encountered me in this thick mist, they'd likely be silently cut down within a few rounds.'
'But this brat's Sharingan was too bizarre, along with those strange swords at his waist.'
'Facing him without any prior intelligence was like being completely suppressed.'
Kakashi didn't press for details about the battle. Right now, he needed to deal with the captives as quickly as possible.
He bit his thumb, quickly formed hand signs, and then pressed his palm against the ground.
Black curse marks spread rapidly across the ground like vines.
"Summoning Technique: Eight Ninja Hounds!"
A white surge erupted. At the center of the formation formed by the spreading curse marks, eight Ninken abruptly appeared.
They varied in color and size.
The leader was a pug named Pakkun, perched atop the largest black bulldog.
"Yo, Kakashi," Pakkun lazily raised a paw and yawned, "What's with summoning all of us this time? It's been a while since we had such a big production."
"There's something I need you all to handle now," Kakashi said, his expression turning serious.
Pakkun let out a bark, jumped down from the bull mastiff, shook his fur, and signaled for Kakashi to continue.
"Take these two Missing-nin back to Konoha." Kakashi pointed at Zabuza and Haku on the ground, "When you see Hokage-sama, tell him the intelligence for the Land of Wave's mission was incorrect. These are the Shinobi we captured, and the village needs to decide the next steps."
"Understood." Pakkun sniffed the air and nodded, "The mission itself isn't difficult, but if they wake up and resist midway, it could be a bit troublesome."
"Leave it to me."
A cold voice rang out as Sasuke stepped forward.
"Oh, it's Sasuke. You've grown so much." Pakkun said naturally, wagging his tail in greeting.
Sasuke didn't respond. He walked up to Zabuza, who was still struggling, raised his right hand with two fingers extended, and pressed them to his forehead. The strands of hair over his forehead were blown aside by an invisible airflow.
"Sharingan!"
Within his crimson pupils, three tomoe slowly rotated.
The defiance in Zabuza's eyes instantly faded. His body went limp, completely unconscious.
Watching this scene, Kakashi took the opportunity to explain about the 'girl' on his shoulder.
"Naruto, this kid is a boy. He just has a somewhat feminine appearance."
Hearing this, Naruto felt as if something inside him had shattered into pieces.
"And his abilities are quite remarkable. He possesses the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, making him far more valuable than Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi continued, then paused, his tone becoming somewhat meaningful, "If utilized properly, Konoha might just gain another Kekkei Genkai."
The eight Ninken acknowledged their orders, skillfully secured the two prisoners, and swiftly disappeared deep into the forest under Pakkun's lead.
The subsequent bridge construction proceeded unusually smoothly.
Gato seemed to have not given up despite Zabuza's defeat, persistently sending wave after wave of Rogue Samurai to cause trouble.
These motley crews were low-skilled. Their techniques were, in Sasuke's eyes, utterly pathetic.
Naturally, he had no interest in wasting energy on such small fry.
But for Naruto, these enemies were the perfect training partners.
At first, facing groups of enemies, Naruto would still appear flustered, only managing to deal with them clumsily after a struggle.
But after just a few short days, utilizing his countless shadow clones' swarm tactics, he could already effortlessly and unscathed take down large groups of enemies.
A week later, the Bridge of Hope, connecting the Land of Waves to the mainland, was successfully completed.
Tazuna and the people of the Land of Waves held a grand celebration for this bridge symbolizing hope. Tazuna even proposed naming it the 'Great Sasuke Bridge'.
But he was forcefully shut down by the cold look in Sasuke's eyes.
On the eve of the mission's end, a light drizzle began to fall.
'This being my first mission, I can't let any loose ends cause problems later.'
Thinking this, Sasuke's figure silently vanished.
The next morning, as Team 7 prepared to depart, news spread throughout the Land of Waves, the merchant Gato and all his subordinate samurai had been found dead within his luxurious mansion overnight, all in a single night
On the journey back to the village, Naruto was still gleefully chattering about it, guessing which righteous ally had delivered heavenly punishment.
Kakashi just shot a meaningful glance at the black-haired boy walking at the front and said nothing.
After returning to the village, life seemed to return to its usual calm.
Day after day of training became almost the entirety of Team 7's life.
However, unfamiliar faces began to appear sporadically throughout the village. They wore various outfits and headbands from different villages.
It felt like an omen.
Until one day.
Team 7 assembled once again at Training Ground 3.
Kakashi leaned against a tree trunk, his expression more serious than usual.
"Sasuke, Naruto..."
He pulled two forms from his pocket and waved them in front of the two, "Although it's a bit sudden, I've already registered you. I intend to officially recommend you both to participate in this Chunin Exams."
"Chunin Exam?"
Naruto instantly got excited, snatched the application form, his eyes wide and round, "Really? Kakashi-sensei! We can participate? Yeah!"
Sasuke, however, did not take the form. He could sense that this Chunin Exams was somewhat unusual, 'Those unfamiliar Shinobi in the village had probably come for this.'
But he still shook his head.
"I refuse."
"Huh?! Why, Sasuke!?" Naruto turned back, puzzled.
Kakashi seemed to have expected this and sighed helplessly. "Can you give me a reason, Sasuke? This is an opportunity all genin dream of."
"Unnecessary."
Sasuke's reply was blunt, "The title of Chunin is useless to me."
A mere exam among Genin is just child's play.
"You can't say that," Kakashi said, seemingly not planning to give up easily. He continued in a tempting tone, "This exam is jointly hosted by the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Many powerful individuals from other villages will be there. You might even see some very interesting people."
The motion of Sasuke wiping his blade paused almost imperceptibly, but then steadied again.
He still refused.
"When the time comes, I will go watch the matches." He stated indifferently, offering his final reply, "But there's no need to waste time participating personally."
"Sigh, I really don't know what to do with you." Kakashi scratched his head helplessly but had to accept it.
'The Chunin Exams...'
Naruto clutched the application form in his hand, glanced at Sasuke's resolute attitude, and the excitement on his face slowly faded, replaced by hesitation.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi noticed the change in his expression.
"Um." Naruto spoke somewhat awkwardly, "If Sasuke isn't participating, then should I also…"
Kakashi interrupted him, his expression turning serious, "Let me ask you, what is your dream?"
"To become Hokage, of course!" Naruto blurted out almost instantly.
"Then do you know the minimum rank requirement to become Hokage?"
"What is it?"
"It's a Jonin."
Kakashi looked Naruto in the eye, enunciating each word clearly, "And the Chunin Exams is the first hurdle you must clear on your path to becoming a Jonin."
"If you shrink back from even this first step because your companion isn't participating, then how can you talk about becoming Hokage?"
These words struck Naruto's heart like a heavy blow.
'My goal is to become Hokage.'
'The path I walk is different from Sasuke's.'
'If I rely on him for even something this small, how can I ever hope to catch up to his back, how can I become a Hokage recognized by everyone?'
If I have to rely on him even for such a small matter, how can I possibly catch up with him? How can I possibly become the Hokage recognized by everyone?
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto's eyes regained their determination. He clenched the application form in his hand tightly.
"I will definitely pass this exam and amaze everyone!"
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