Chapter 108
"C-rank missions can sometimes unexpectedly escalate to B-rank; it's not impossible."
Naruto finally showed some signs of relenting.
"Then, alright..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also breathed a sigh of relief: "Let the client in."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Soon, the door was pushed open, and a drunk old man stumbled in, reeking of alcohol.
Naruto's fantasy of protecting a princess came crashing down.
"The client we're protecting is this old drunk?!"
The old drunk, however, retorted: "The Ninjaprotecting me is this yellow-haired brat?!"
Naruto was furious: "I'm a genius who graduated first in the Ninja Academy!"
"How dare you look down on me!"
The old drunk was slightly moved: "Oh? Is that so? I certainly can't tell..."
Naruto: "..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed: "Alright, alright, Tazuna, Team 7 is indeed our most excellent squad, and with them escorting you, your safety can be fully guaranteed."
With Hokage-sama's words, Tazuna finally nodded.
Naruto and the others quickly understood the mission details.
Simply put, it was about the Land of Waves.
A businessman and leader of a dark organization named Gato had taken over the Land of Waves' shipping, blockading sea traffic, attempting to monopolize everything in the country and claim it for himself.
The bridge Tazuna was building was the only hope of breaking this monopoly.
For this, Gato had hired thugs to assassinate Tazuna, and the purpose of this mission was to successfully escort him back to the Land of Waves.
Since Tazuna's request did not involve enemy Ninja, it was only a C-rank mission.
Naruto pouted: "No Ninja, huh? Ordinary thugs will be simple..."
This wasn't Naruto boasting; in the Ninja World, what ordinary people considered bandits, ruffians, mafias, and underground forces were indeed insignificant.
Just as Team 7 was about to depart for the Land of Waves to complete their mission,
the mission hall door was pushed open again, and this time, familiar faces walked in... members of Team 8, including Shino Aburame, Inuzuka Kiba, and... Sakura Haruno.
Their team leader was the newly promoted Jonin, Kurenai Yuhi.
Sakura Haruno's eyes lit up when she saw Sasuke, and she rushed forward, calling out with shining eyes.
"Sasuke-kun! Long time no see!"
Sasuke, of course, couldn't be bothered to respond.
Kurenai Yuhi's brows furrowed slightly: "Kakashi, your Team 7 has taken all the missions, what are the rest of our teams supposed to do?"
Kakashi gave a wry smile.
"Sorry, Yuhi, but you can't blame me for this; it's all Naruto's fault."
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
Kurenai Yuhi scrutinized Naruto from head to toe, extremely curious about this individual with such a special identity and an even more bizarre history.
Naruto held his head, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of the beautiful Jonin.
"Hey, hey, sensei, have you stared enough?"
Kurenai Yuhi smiled charmingly: "Asuma told me he was a very interesting fellow, and it seems he truly is..."
Kakashi said: "Well, I don't know if he's interesting, but he's certainly troublesome."
He held up the mission scroll in his hand.
Kurenai Yuhi's expression changed when she saw the rank marked on it.
"C... C-rank mission?!"
"Your Team 7 is already taking on missions of this rank?!"
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Kakashi gave a wry smile: "This is also Naruto's masterpiece."
Kurenai Yuhi immediately understood.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"Uzumaki Naruto, why are you pushing yourself so hard?"
Naruto thought to himself, why does everyone like to ask him this question... He couldn't say it was the system forcing him, so he just patted his chest and proudly declared.
"That's for my dream, of course!"
Kurenai Yuhi asked: "To become Hokage?"
"I remember Asuma saying that..."
"Exactly! And to surpass all previous Hokage! To make everyone acknowledge my strength!"
Kurenai Yuhi smiled charmingly: "You were first in the Ninja Academy; everyone already acknowledges you."
"It's far from enough!"
Looking at Naruto's vibrant face, Kurenai Yuhicouldn't help but shake her head and smile.
"He's just as Asuma said, an interesting fellow..."
"But Kakashi, a C-rank mission could very likely turn into a B-rank mission. Aren't you worried about these newcomers having problems?"
Kakashi honestly replied: "To be frank, I'm not worried."
"Team 7 is the strongest; that's not Narutoboasting."
"These three children would never lose, even if they encountered a real Chunin."
Kurenai Yuhi was surprised.
"Oh? You have such confidence in their abilities?"
Kakashi smiled slightly, his visible right eye curving into a crescent moon.
"It's not confidence; it's a fact."
He recalled the intense bell-stealing scene... "How are your disciples?"
Kurenai Yuhi glanced at the three: Inuzuka Kibawas bickering with Naruto, neither willing to back down.
Sakura Haruno, of course, was circling Sasuke.
Shino Aburame was silent, with little presence.
"They are all very excellent too."
"Kiba and Shino are rising stars of the Inuzuka Clan and Aburame Clan; I believe they will both become strong Ninja who can stand on their own."
"As for Sakura..."
Kurenai Yuhi smiled gently: "I've noticed she has a great talent for genjutsu."
"It's perfect; she might just inherit my legacy."
Sakura Haruno heard Kurenai Yuhi-sensei's words and couldn't help but puff out her chest proudly.
"Sasuke-kun, did you hear that?"
"In the future, I will definitely shine brightly in genjutsu!"
"You know, there are very few Ninja who master genjutsu..."
Sasuke ignored her, but inwardly, he was unimpressed.
When it came to genjutsu, who in the entire Ninja World could compare to the Uchiha Clan?!
Even if Sakura had a talent for genjutsu, she could never surpass him, an Uchiha.
Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi waved their hands.
"Alright, let's end the pleasantries here."
"Team 7, prepare to depart."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei."
"Yay!"
Naruto excitedly got ready to leave.
From behind, Inuzuka Kiba said: "Be careful, Naruto, a C-rank mission isn't child's play!"
Although his words had a hint of sarcasm, he was genuinely concerned.
Naruto raised his hand without looking back.
"Easy peasy!"
Although Inuzuka Kiba was unconvinced, he had witnessed Naruto's hard work, from a Loser to a genius who took first place, and deep down, he still admired him.
He rubbed his nose and chuckled: "What an arrogant guy..."
Sakura Haruno gazed at Sasuke's back with a sense of loss, fantasizing that she was the one fighting alongside him... Kurenai Yuhi patted her head.
"Alright, Sakura, if you work hard, you'll have a chance to stand alongside Sasuke."
"Mmm, thank you, Yuhi-sensei!"
Kurenai Yuhi smiled gently and went to Hokage-sama to accept a mission.
"Our mission today is..."
"A villager's home is severely infested with rats, and they've requested Ninja help to eliminate them!"
Sakura Haruno: "...Huh?!"
Inuzuka Kiba and Shino Aburame exchanged glances, both sighing helplessly... Konoha Village, main gate.
Kakashi and the client, Tazuna, were waiting for the three to return.
Since they were going on a long journey, Narutoand the others needed to prepare.
Naruto didn't have much to bring; he had earned hundreds of thousands of Ryo from frantically doing missions for seven days, making him a small fortune now.
Although this money wasn't much in the Ninja World.
But it allowed him to update his equipment, buying a new frog wallet, bandages, a Ninja tool pouch, and so on, and of course, a new batch of Kunai, Shuriken, and other Ninja tools.
The rest were standard Ninja gear and didn't need to be purchased.
Such as the Konoha Ninja forehead protector, uniform, arm guards, leg wraps, and so on.
Sasuke was even more light-hearted, showing no visible changes.
Hinata, on the other hand, carefully prepared water and dry rations for their journey.
Kakashi inspected the trio's preparations, then gave the order, and Team 7 officially headed towards the Land of Waves.
This was Naruto's first time truly leaving Konoha Village.