Chapter 18: The Ambush
After receiving the mission scroll, Kakashi immediately led Naruto and the others into action.
Their first task was to locate the client, a man named Tazuna. They found him in a tavern, drunk and reeking of alcohol, his clothes disheveled and his speech slurred. When Tazuna learned that three freshly graduated genin would be responsible for his protection, his face twisted with dissatisfaction.
The old man wanted the highest level of security while paying the smallest amount of money—an impossible dream. Fortunately, once he was told that a Jōnin named Kakashi would also be accompanying the team, Tazuna reluctantly agreed and calmed down.
As the finest bridge builder in the Land of Waves, Tazuna cut a surprisingly shabby figure. Sakura wrinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol clinging to him, but no one commented on his state. Under Kakashi's patient persuasion, the group quickly departed Konoha and set out on the road to the Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves was a small, impoverished nation without a single ninja of its own. It was connected to other countries by only a single bridge. In recent years, however, an uninvited and tyrannical visitor had arrived—a wealthy shipping magnate named Gatō.
Gatō was immensely rich. Upon reaching the Land of Waves, he had swiftly monopolized the nation's commerce, plunging the people into poverty and despair. He had even sabotaged the island's only connection to the mainland, cutting off trade and travel in an effort to crush resistance and cement his control.
Desperate to save his homeland, Tazuna had scraped together what little money he could and traveled to Konoha to hire help. The mission, as officially stated, was to escort Tazuna safely back to the Land of Waves and assist him in rebuilding the traffic bridge.
On the surface, this seemed like a straightforward, low-risk mission. A land without ninjas meant that even three genin should be able to handle the job easily. After all, in the ninja world, the gap between ordinary people and trained shinobi was vast. Unless a civilian had trained to the absolute peak of human ability, they could not hope to compete.
But Naruto knew better. This mission was far more dangerous than it appeared.
——
Sure enough, not long after Naruto and the others crossed the border of the Land of Fire, Kakashi's relaxed expression tightened. His visible eye narrowed beneath his forehead protector. Something was wrong.
Sakura and Sasuke, however, remained oblivious to the rising danger. This was their first time traveling outside the village. In the past, even school exercises had only taken place in the familiar training grounds around Konoha. They had never seen the wider world.
Both of them gazed at the passing scenery with wide-eyed curiosity—the dense forests, the winding rivers, the distant mountains. Tazuna, warming to his role as guide, had begun regaling them with stories of the Land of Waves' beautiful vistas and his fond memories of happier days.
Then, without warning—
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Two black shadows streaked through the distant forest. A moment later, a rush of wind heralded the arrival of two massive shuriken, spinning through the air directly toward Tazuna!
Sakura and Sasuke froze. The sudden attack caught them completely off guard. Before they could react, two figures burst from the treeline, moving with the speed and precision of trained killers. Their target was clear—the bridge builder.
Kakashi, who had already drawn a kunai, deflected the two incoming shuriken with sharp, practiced motions. Clang! Clang! The giant blades spiraled away, embedding themselves in a tree.
But the enemy ninjas did not stop. They charged past Kakashi, ignoring him completely, and lunged toward Sakura and Sasuke—who were still standing frozen in place, their faces pale with shock. They couldn't move. They couldn't even run. The raw, unexpected violence had paralyzed them.
Kakashi's eyes widened. He spun around and sprinted toward his two frozen students, putting himself directly between them and the attackers. His body blocked their path.
The enemy ninjas smirked. This was exactly what they had planned. They had wanted Kakashi to put himself in harm's way. Their bodies surged with sudden, explosive speed—faster than before—and their kunai plunged deep into Kakashi's torso.
THUD.
Kakashi collapsed, blood spraying across the grass.
"First target eliminated," one of the ninjas rasped, his cold gaze shifting to the two terrified genin. "Next."
They lunged again, kunai raised high, ready to cut down Sasuke and Sakura.
Sasuke's mind screamed at his body to move, but nothing happened. His limbs were lead. His heart was a cold stone in his chest. Kakashi is dead. Our teacher is dead. We're going to die—
Sakura was no better. Her eyes were wide, her breath caught in her throat. Tears of pure terror welled in her eyes.
Just as the enemy blades began their descent—
Whoosh.
A shadow soared overhead. A voice, calm and cold, cut through the chaos.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive orb of raging flames roared down from above, streaking directly over Sasuke and Sakura's heads and slamming into the path of the two ninjas. They scrambled backward, barely avoiding the blaze, their attack thwarted.
The two assassins looked up, searching for the source of the attack. Their eyes landed on a figure standing on a low branch above the road.
Naruto.
He stared down at them with cold, unfazed eyes. He did not look frightened. He did not look frozen. He looked, instead, like a hunter evaluating his prey.
Then he dropped from the branch and landed lightly between his teammates and the enemy. His posture was relaxed, but there was steel beneath the calm.
Sasuke and Sakura stared at his back in disbelief.
Why? Sasuke's mind raced, a toxic mix of frustration and bitter envy swirling in his chest. Why can HE move? Why can HE fight? Kakashi is dead! Our teacher was just murdered in front of us! This is real combat—real killing—so why isn't he afraid?!
Sakura, on the other hand, felt something else entirely. Her eyes, still wet with tears, now shone with something close to awe. Naruto had appeared like a savior—like a hero out of a story. In the moment of greatest fear, he had stepped forward without hesitation.
Their teacher had fallen.
But Naruto had risen.