Chapter 16 The Attack of the Oni Brothers
As they moved further and further away from Konoha, although their excitement hadn't subsided, the unchanging scenery around them gradually quieted them down.
'Hmm? There's an ambush!'
The demons have incredibly sharp senses. Rin Itsuka looked at the puddle ahead, which emanated a faint killing intent.
Looks like Zabuza's two henchmen from the original work. I remember they were called something like "Oni Brothers"? With names like that, they really want to become demons!
Rin glanced at Kakashi and, seeing that he didn't react, didn't say anything more and pretended not to know anything as she walked over to Tazuna.
Just as the group stepped through the puddle, two people suddenly jumped out and threw chains with blades at Kakashi.
"What!"
Kakashi stared at the two in shock, then was bound by chains without resistance.
"The first one!"
The two attackers sneered as they pulled the chains, blood splattered, and Kakashi's body instantly turned into pieces scattered on the ground.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto was stunned by what he saw and stood there dumbfounded, while Sasuke reacted quickly and drew his kunai in preparation.
"The second one!"
The Oni Brothers obviously noticed Naruto's condition and rushed towards him.
The chains flew towards him, but Naruto was too tense to move and was about to get injured.
Ding! Ding!
Two kunai flew in and struck the iron chain.
Then, two more shuriken were used to pin the knocked-away chains to the tree.
Pulling out the chains would take too much time, so the Oni Brothers, prioritizing their mission, decided to give up, each taking out a kunai and bypassing Naruto to charge straight at Tazuna.
Just as Sasuke was about to give chase, Kakashi, having identified the target, instantly appeared behind the Oni Brothers, grabbed their heads, and slammed them together, knocking the Oni Brothers unconscious.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're still alive?"
Naruto shouted in surprise.
"Ah~ I didn't expect you to be so scared that you couldn't move. I'm so sorry I couldn't come to your rescue in time."
Kakashi's words dealt a huge blow to Naruto, who immediately fell silent.
"Rin Itsuka and Sasuke, well done."
"Thank you for the compliment, Kakashi-sensei."
Rin Itsuka answered with a smile, and walked over to pick up the kunai that had fallen to the ground.
This is her only kunai. She and Sasuke threw it at the same time to save Naruto. If she doesn't pick it up, she won't be able to use it again.
"Hey, Sasuke, this is for you!"
She picked up Sasuke's kunai as well and threw it at him.
Sasuke didn't say anything, but simply reached out and took it, then put it into the ninja tool pouch on his thigh.
"Why are you pretending to be dead?"
Tazuna asked Kakashi, somewhat puzzled.
"If I wanted to, I could take them out in an instant, but I needed to know who their target was."
Kakashi looked at Tazuna.
In fact, once he discovered the Oni Brothers lying in ambush, he was basically able to determine their purpose.
Given Kakashi's strength, the person who ambushed him certainly wouldn't be such a useless Chunin. The other three were all on their first mission outside the village; there was no reason for them to be attacked without warning.
However, to rule out the possibility that the other party had mistaken him for someone else, he chose to play dead, just to see who the Oni Brothers' target really was.
"What... what do you mean?"
Tazuna took a step back and asked somewhat guiltily.
"These two are Chunin from Kirigakure. They are known for their relentless pursuit of missions, even to the death. Now, could you explain why they've set their sights on you?"
"How would I know! Maybe they've mistaken you for someone else!"
Tazuna was still being stubborn.
Kakashi sneered: "Is that so? Mr. Tazuna, you issued a C-rank mission, which was to protect you from attacks by bandits and gangsters. Now that ninjas have appeared, it has clearly exceeded the scope of the mission. We have the right to terminate the mission!"
"This..."
Tazuna was struggling with his decision when Naruto suddenly roared.
"No! Kakashi-sensei, don't end the mission! I swear, I promise I won't be a burden to you next time!"
The purpose of taking genin on missions was to train them, so Kakashi didn't care much about the mission rewards. Moreover, he had his own safety net, so he didn't object to Naruto's request to continue the mission.
"So, what do the others think?"
Ninjas operate in small teams, so having a unified vision is essential to prevent rifts from forming.
"I don't care, as long as I can fight stronger people."
Sasuke said he didn't care, but he had clearly agreed with Naruto.
"And what about Rin?"
Kakashi then looked at Rin Itsuka.
"The mission can continue, but the rank must be increased."
The system rewards me based entirely on the mission rank. That is, even if the mission I complete is of A-rank difficulty, but the mission itself is D-rank, I will only receive D-rank rewards. Therefore, Rin Itsuka values mission rank very much.
"But I don't have that much money!"
Tazuna said with difficulty.
"Rin, Uncle Tazuna is already in such a tough spot, please help him!"
Naruto, being soft-hearted, couldn't help but speak up to persuade when he saw Tazuna in trouble.
"I can overlook the money, but the mission rank absolutely cannot stay the same!"
Rin Itsuka shook her head; she would never compromise on matters of principle.
Seeing Tazuna's face turn red, Naruto looking troubled, and Sasuke's expression darkening, Rin Itsuka spoke again.
"How about this, let's upgrade the mission rank first, use the payment from the original C-rank mission as a down payment, and pay the rest in installments later, okay?"
"Is it...okay?"
Tazuna's eyes lit up with hope as he looked up at Kakashi.
"Well, it's not impossible."
Jonin have the right to adjust missions independently when they are out in the field, so Kakashi considered it for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"I promise to cover the upgraded mission cost, please help me!"
Tazuna knelt on the ground and bowed deeply.
"Uncle, get up quickly!"
Naruto had never seen anything like this before, and he rushed over to help him up in a flustered manner. If it weren't for Rin Itsuka's insistence, he probably would have been willing to work for free.
With the mission details settled, the five continued their journey.
Soon they arrived at the seaside, but there was no boat to cross the water.
"Uncle, how do we get across?"
"Don't worry, I made an appointment with a friend. He comes here to wait for me every foggy early morning. Let's just wait."
Tazuna was confident.
Since that's the case, then they could only wait.
Naruto and Sasuke went on patrol and caught a rabbit on their way back. Rin Itsuka cleaned it up, roasted it over a fire, and they ate it along with the dry rations they had brought.
The three of them took turns keeping watch at night, with Rin Itsuka keeping the last shift.
In the early hours of the morning, a small boat appeared silently.
The morning mist concealed its form, and the waves drowned out its sound. Under this cover, the small boat gently approached the shore.
End of this chapter...