The next day, inside the Hokage's office.
"A C-rank mission?"
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffed on his pipe as he looked at Saiki.
"Are you certain Team 7 is ready?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Saiki replied with a nod.
"They've completed their foundational training. It's time they experienced a real mission."
Hiruzen considered this for a moment, then flipped through the mission scrolls in his hand.
"There happens to be an escort assignment," he said, looking up.
"You'll escort a bridge builder from the Land of Waves—Tazuna—back to his home. The journey will take about a week. You may encounter bandits along the way, but there should be no ninja involved."
Saiki's heart stirred.
So this was it.
The Land of Waves mission.
"I'll take it," Saiki said without hesitation.
"Very well."
Hiruzen nodded and called toward the door.
"Please come in, Mr. Tazuna."
The door opened.
An elderly man with glasses, unshaven stubble, and a strong smell of alcohol stepped inside.
"These are the brats who are supposed to protect me?" Tazuna scoffed, eyeing Team 7 suspiciously.
"Especially the shortest one—he looks completely unreliable."
"Who are you calling unreliable?!" Naruto snapped, jumping up.
"I'm going to be the Hokage someday!"
"Hokage? You?" Tazuna laughed dismissively.
"I doubt you could even handle an ordinary ninja—"
"Mr. Tazuna."
Saiki cut him off, his voice flat and cold.
"I suggest you show proper respect to the ninja assigned to protect you," he said calmly.
"After all, your life will be in our hands."
Tazuna froze, Saiki's presence pressing down on him like a weight.
"Of course," Saiki continued, "if you truly believe we're unreliable, you're free to cancel the mission now.
Konoha ninja never force their clients."
"I—I didn't mean it like that…" Tazuna muttered awkwardly.
"Then mind your words."
Saiki smiled, though his eyes remained sharp.
"Tomorrow morning, gather at the village gate at eight o'clock sharp. We won't wait for anyone."
"Y-yes… understood…"
Tazuna wiped cold sweat from his brow.
---
The next day, 8:00 a.m.
At the gates of Konohagakure.
Naruto was lugging an enormous backpack stuffed to the brim with instant ramen.
"Naruto, why are you bringing so much ramen?" Sakura asked, completely speechless.
"This mission could last a whole week!" Naruto said righteously.
"What if I get hungry?"
Sasuke carried a sleek, well-organized pack filled with ninja tools and supplies.
Saiki arrived last, carrying only a small bag.
Tazuna was already waiting at the gate. This time, he kept his mouth firmly shut.
"Everyone's here," Saiki said. "Let's move."
The five of them departed the village and headed toward the Land of Waves.
---
After ten minutes on the road, Tazuna finally couldn't hold it in.
"Sigh… this road is rough. These old bones of mine…"
"Mr. Tazuna," Saiki said without even turning his head,
"This is the standard route for a C-rank mission. If you wanted comfort, you should've applied for a B-rank mission. That includes carriage escort."
"But B-rank missions cost too much…"
"Then endure it," Saiki replied lightly.
"Or you're free to walk back to the Land of Waves on your own."
Tazuna immediately shut up.
Naruto whispered from behind, "Kakashi-sensei is awesome. He's got that old guy totally under control."
"Be quiet, Naruto," Sakura whispered back.
"That's rude."
Another hour passed.
"I'm hungry… can we take a break?" Tazuna tried again.
"No," Saiki replied flatly.
"According to our schedule, we'll reach the next rest point before noon. If you can't keep up, I'll have Naruto carry you."
"No! No!" Tazuna shook his head frantically.
"I can still walk!"
Let that brat carry him? He'd rather crawl.
Sasuke glanced at Saiki's back, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
Kakashi-sensei wasn't nearly as gentle with the client as he was with them.
---
At noon, the group stopped to rest in a forest clearing.
Naruto happily prepared a bowl of instant ramen.
Tazuna sat off to the side, pulling out a flask.
"I wouldn't drink that," Saiki said suddenly.
"Huh?" Tazuna frowned. "Does my drinking bother you?"
"It might," Saiki replied calmly.
"There's a good chance we'll be fighting soon. If you're drunk, protecting you becomes a liability.
If you die like that, don't blame us."
Tazuna's hand froze. He quietly put the flask away.
"Tch… can't do this, can't do that…"
"If you complain one more time," Saiki said with a smile,
"I'll tie you up and carry you to the Land of Waves."
"Then you won't have to walk, eat, or drink."
"I—I won't complain anymore…"
Tazuna was completely obedient now.
Naruto tried to hold it in, his shoulders shaking.
Sakura burst out laughing.
Even Sasuke, though expressionless, had a faint smile in his eyes.
---
After the break, they continued onward.
Saiki deliberately walked at the back of the group.
Ahead, by the roadside, lay a puddle.
Under a clear sky.
No rain for days.
An obvious anomaly.
"Naruto," Saiki called out suddenly.
"Huh?" Naruto turned around.
"Do you notice anything strange?" Saiki asked.
"Strange?" Naruto looked around. "Not really…"
"Observe your surroundings," Saiki reminded him.
"A ninja must always stay alert."
Naruto frowned and examined the area carefully.
Trees.
Road.
Sky—
Then he saw it.
"Wait… it hasn't rained in days. Why is there a puddle here?"
"Good," Saiki said. "You noticed. So what should we do?"
"Get ready to fight?" Naruto guessed.
"Yes." Saiki nodded, then looked at Sakura and Sasuke.
"You two?"
Sakura nodded seriously. "It's definitely suspicious."
Sasuke's hand quietly reached for his weapon pouch.
Saiki continued walking forward as if nothing were wrong.
The moment they passed the puddle—
Splash!
The puddle erupted, and two ninja wearing gas masks burst out!
Spiked chains connected their wrists as they lunged straight for Tazuna.
"Protect the client!" Saiki shouted—
Yet he remained standing to the side.
"Kakashi-sensei?!" Sakura cried out.
"This is live combat training," Saiki said calmly.
"The three of you handle it. I'll only guide—no intervention."
"What?!" Naruto's eyes went wide.
But the Demon Brothers were already upon them.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto hastily formed hand seals. Dozens of shadow clones appeared, forming a wall in front of Tazuna.
The Demon Brothers swung their chains.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Clones dispersed one after another.
"Naruto," Saiki called out, "too many clones. The quality's too low.
Reduce the number—focus your chakra."
"Got it!"
This time, Naruto created only a dozen clones. They were noticeably sturdier, holding their ground.
"Sakura," Saiki continued, "take command."
"Yes!"
Sakura instantly snapped into action.
"Naruto, clones attack from both sides! Sasuke, use Fire Release to suppress them!"
Sasuke formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The fireball roared toward the Demon Brothers.
"Tch—cheap tricks!"
They leapt aside—
Straight into Naruto's flanking clones.
"Sasuke," Saiki said, "your Fire Release lacks power. Increase your chakra output. Remember your control training."
Sasuke clenched his teeth and formed the seals again.
This time, the fireball was noticeably larger.
"Good. Keep going."
Under Saiki's guidance, the three quickly fell into rhythm.
Naruto's clones pressured the enemy.
Sasuke handled offense.
Sakura stayed close to Tazuna while directing tactics.
Despite being chunin, the Demon Brothers began to falter.
"Damn brats!"
One of them suddenly surged forward, whipping his chain toward Sasuke.
"Look out!" Sakura shouted.
Sasuke blocked with a kunai—
Clang!
Sparks flew.
But the strength behind the blow sent Sasuke flying backward.
The second Demon Brother seized the opening, wrapping his chain tightly around Sasuke's arm.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.
"Stay calm," Saiki's voice cut in.
"Watch the enemy. Find the opening."
Sasuke forced himself to breathe.
The chain tightened, pain shooting through his arm.
But his gaze stayed locked on his opponent.
Movement… weakness…
Suddenly, a sharp sting flared in his eyes.
Not unfamiliar.
That night.
The night of the massacre.
When he'd seen his parents lying in pools of blood—his eyes had burned like this.
So it had already happened back then…
The world snapped into clarity.
He could see muscle contractions, predict the chain's next movement—
In his vision, crimson tomoe began to spin.
Not one.
Two.
On the night of the massacre, he had awakened the one-tomoe Sharingan—
but after collapsing into a coma, the trauma had forced it into dormancy.
Now, under the pressure of real battle—
It didn't just awaken.
It evolved.
Two-tomoe Sharingan.
---
[System Notification]
[Major breakthrough detected: Uchiha Sasuke]
[Sharingan awakened (Two Tomoe)]
[Character Card Advancement: C-Rank → C-Rank Special Form: Sasuke (Sharingan)]
[Special Effect: All attributes ×1.5]
[Reward: C-Rank Special Character Card – Sasuke (Sharingan), 300 System Points]
[Original C-Rank Sasuke card automatically upgraded]
---
"I see it…" Sasuke murmured.
Under the Sharingan's insight, every movement of the Demon Brothers slowed.
He spotted the flaw.
With his free hand, Sasuke hurled a shuriken at the chain's weak point.
Clang!
The chain loosened.
Sasuke twisted free and followed up with a sweeping kick.
Bang!
The Demon Brother crashed to the ground.
Without hesitation, Sasuke formed seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Multiple fireballs blasted out from different angles.
"What?!"
The Demon Brothers screamed as the flames struck.
"Sasuke-kun… your eyes…" Sakura stared in shock.
Naruto was dumbfounded. "That's… awesome!"
Sasuke turned his gaze on the remaining enemy.
The Sharingan locked on.
The Demon Brother stumbled backward in fear.
"Sharingan… two tomoe?! What kind of monster is this kid?!"
"Retreat!"
The Demon Brothers abandoned the mission and fled.
"No need," Saiki said calmly.
In the next instant, he vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already behind them.
"I said this was real combat training," Saiki said, gripping the backs of their necks.
"But I never said I'd let you escape."
Bang! Bang!
Two dull thuds echoed.
The Demon Brothers collapsed unconscious.
"So fast…" Naruto whispered.
"I didn't even see him move!"
Even Sasuke's Sharingan barely caught an afterimage.
Sakura stood frozen in shock.
Saiki returned, casually tossing the unconscious ninja to the ground.
"Naruto, tie them up."
"Yes!"
Naruto rushed forward with a rope.
Saiki then turned to Tazuna, his gaze sharp.
"Mr. Tazuna," he said coldly,
"Care to explain?"
Tazuna broke into a sweat.
"I—I don't know what you mean…"
"Ninja don't appear in C-rank missions," Saiki said evenly.
"Yet those were Hidden Mist chunin. That means you concealed the true difficulty."
"Old man! You lied to us?!" Naruto shouted.
"I… I had no choice…" Tazuna lowered his head.
"Talk," Saiki ordered.
"Who wants you dead? What is the mission's real rank?
If you lie again, we return to Konoha immediately."
Tazuna sighed heavily.
"It's Gatō… the biggest crime boss in the Land of Waves. He controls all shipping and trade.
Once my bridge is completed, his monopoly will collapse…"
"So he wants you dead," Saiki concluded.
"Yes…" Tazuna nodded.
"He hired rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist…"
"Zabuza Momochi," Saiki said quietly.
"The Demon of the Hidden Mist," Tazuna whispered.
"A jonin-level missing-nin…"
"J-jonin?!" Sakura's face went pale.
"As strong as Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked nervously.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
Saiki looked at his three students.
"By regulations, this mission has escalated to at least B-rank.
We are allowed to abandon it and return to Konoha."
He paused.
"So," Saiki asked calmly,
"what do you choose?"