Chapter 552: Land of Waves
"So, we now have a C-rank mission."
Kakashi looked at the three students before him with a complicated expression.
After being a ninja for so many years, this was the first time he had seen the Third Hokage personally take the initiative to raise a squad's mission rank.
Usually, ninja teams were the ones who applied to take higher ranked missions.
However, there was no helping it.
Kenichi had been far too aggressive.
Naruto and Sasuke actually listened to everything he said, while Hinata naturally followed Naruto's lead. As a result, the three young genin had completed more than a hundred D-rank missions in just two short weeks.
If Kenichi was allowed to continue acting so crazily, the other ninja teams in Konoha might soon have no D-rank missions left to accept.
"Finally! No more searching for pets or babysitting!"
Naruto was visibly overjoyed.
During this period, he had spent every day searching for missing animals, babysitting children, running errands, and helping farmers harvest crops.
His life had been miserable.
The tasks themselves were already painfully boring.
Even worse, his big brother kept increasing the difficulty of every mission, turning them into terrifying training sessions.
Although Sasuke said nothing, his expression showed that he was equally relieved.
Whenever he returned home at night, he felt as though his body no longer belonged to him.
Muscle fatigue and soreness flooded every part of him.
Then, the following morning, he had to strap on heavy weights and run all over Konoha again.
The number of missions they completed every day was absurd.
More than a dozen different tasks would rotate one after another, leaving them almost no time to rest.
Wearing weights for a single mission was manageable.
Wearing them through that many missions was nothing short of torture.
Whenever Sasuke thought about taking a break, he would see Kenichi's playful smile and hear him vividly imitate Sasuke's own words.
"I'm willing to do anything to become stronger."
Every time that happened, Sasuke felt as though he might die from embarrassment.
And the suffering did not end after the missions were completed.
At the end of each day, Sasuke still had to spar with Kenichi.
Every time, Kenichi forced him to use Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu, claiming that it would help improve the speed at which he released ninjutsu.
Sometimes, Sasuke suddenly felt that pursuing revenge was truly painful.
"A C-rank mission..."
Hinata was somewhat nervous.
She had thought they would continue accepting D-rank missions for a while longer.
She had not expected them to be pushed into a C-rank assignment so soon.
"Kakashi-sensei, what kind of C-rank mission did we get?"
Naruto asked curiously.
Kenichi squatted nearby and watched.
He was also curious whether Team 7 would still receive the escort mission despite his interference with this timeline.
Although that mission was officially labeled C-rank, its actual danger far exceeded the normal requirements for that classification.
However, Naruto and Sasuke had improved greatly.
Kenichi had even provided Hinata with some targeted training, so she had also made a small amount of progress.
Hinata's greatest problem was still her personality.
Changing that would be extremely difficult.
Although Kenichi had already conducted some research into the human brain, altering someone's personality was not a simple matter.
It could even be described as extraordinarily difficult.
One careless mistake might cause Hinata to become a completely different person.
Because of that, Kenichi remained cautious.
"Our mission is relatively simple."
Kakashi looked down at the mission sheet in his hand.
"A group of bandits has appeared near a small town on the border of the Land of Fire. We've been assigned to suppress them."
The mission had been issued personally by the Third Hokage.
It was straightforward, but still contained a small degree of danger.
Kenichi froze for a moment.
So it was not the escort mission to the Land of Waves?
Had the old man from the Land of Waves not reached Konoha yet?
However, since Team 7 had already accepted this mission, Kenichi naturally would not insist on replacing it with the Land of Waves assignment.
That escort mission should have been classified as B-rank.
After all, it involved Zabuza Momochi, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure.
Any mission involving hostile ninja should be classified as at least B-rank.
Of course, with Kenichi present, even an S-rank mission would not matter.
However, he currently preferred to treat this world like a development game and slowly cultivate the younger generation.
"Bandits?"
Naruto immediately became excited.
This was the kind of ninja life he had been looking forward to.
This was what being a ninja was supposed to be!
"Yes. We leave this afternoon."
Kakashi nodded.
"Remember to purchase the necessary supplies. We'll be traveling quite far this time."
Assignments like this were common and typical for ninja.
Bandits posed a genuine threat to ordinary people, but even genin could usually deal with them.
With Kakashi, a jonin, providing a safety net, there was virtually no possibility of a serious problem occurring.
"Big brother, what do you think we should buy?"
After leaving the mission hall, Naruto asked excitedly.
"Based on what our teachers taught us, we should prepare ninja tools, soldier pills, and similar supplies," Sasuke answered.
Kenichi nodded.
That was indeed what they needed.
"You haven't wasted all the money you earned, have you?"
Kenichi glanced at Naruto and Sasuke.
During this period, they had accepted D-rank missions almost without rest.
Although the work had been exhausting, they had earned a considerable amount of money.
The payment for each individual D-rank mission was not high, but the total had accumulated into a respectable sum.
Sasuke and Naruto both shook their heads.
Kenichi prepared their meals every day, so Naruto had very few reasons to spend money.
Sasuke had to pay for food whenever he lost a spar against Kenichi, but he was not short of money either.
As for Hinata, there was even less reason to worry.
Although the young lady of the Hyuga Clan appeared to have been somewhat abandoned by her family, she was certainly not lacking money.
Seeing this, Kenichi took Naruto and Sasuke to the ninja tool shop to purchase the supplies they needed for the journey.
"Oh, it's Sasuke and Naruto."
The moment they entered, a middle-aged man greeted them with a sincere smile.
"Uncle Genno, good afternoon."
Naruto politely greeted him.
The middle-aged man was named Genno, and he operated the ninja tool shop.
However, Uncle Genno was different from most other adults in Konoha.
He showed no hostility toward Naruto.
On the contrary, he was extremely friendly and had even given Naruto discounts in the past.
"Are you here to buy something today?"
Genno asked cheerfully.
"Uncle Genno, do you have any explosive tags?"
Naruto asked.
This was their first C-rank mission, so preparing a few explosive tags as a precaution could not hurt.
"I do, but explosive tags are rather expensive. Are you sure you want to buy some, Naruto?"
Genno paused briefly before asking with a smile.
Naruto nodded.
It was always wise to prepare backup measures beforehand.
Besides, he could not rely on his big brother forever.
"How many do you want? They cost three hundred ryo each."
Genno smiled.
Naruto took out nine hundred ryo.
Three explosive tags should be enough.
Still, they were extremely expensive at three hundred ryo apiece.
When calculated that way, Konan possessing six hundred billion explosive tags was truly terrifying.
"Make sure you store them properly. Their explosive power is considerable," Genno reminded him.
"Okay, Uncle Genno."
Naruto solemnly put the explosive tags away.
They were genuinely dangerous once detonated.
Explosive tags were also expensive enough that using one was practically the same as throwing money at the enemy.
Even the price of three hundred ryo might have been a special discount from Uncle Genno.
Kenichi did not know why, but Genno had always been especially friendly toward Naruto.
He was a good man.
"Why do I always feel like Shopkeeper Genno treats you two unusually well?"
Sasuke could not help asking.
"Hehe, maybe it's because your face isn't memorable enough, Sasuke."
Naruto laughed smugly.
Sasuke's expression darkened.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto sarcastically.
"Then why did I receive so many love letters at the academy? Even now, girls still give me gifts."
Kenichi's mouth twitched.
Sasuke had actually learned how to be sarcastic.
Had he spent so much time around Kenichi that the habit had rubbed off on him?
Naruto ground his teeth in anger.
However, he could not think of a response.
Back at the academy, he had never received a single gift.
"All right. Remove your weights."
Kenichi interrupted Naruto and Sasuke before they could start butting heads.
"This is a mission outside the village, so we should remain cautious."
Although training with weights was useful, they were leaving Konoha.
It was always better to prioritize safety.
"Have you finished shopping?"
Kakashi arrived.
He looked the same as always, carrying only a single backpack.
In his hand was still a copy of Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise.
Hinata was already waiting obediently nearby.
Kenichi glanced at her.
He suspected that the Third Hokage only felt comfortable sending Team 7 because Kenichi would be traveling with them.
"We're finished!"
Naruto immediately raised his hand and answered before anyone else.
Then he gave Sasuke a triumphant glance.
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
After following Kakashi out of Konoha, Kenichi still did not see the man from the Land of Waves.
He did not know whether Tazuna had yet to arrive or whether another ninja squad had already accepted his mission.
The beginning of the journey was rather enjoyable.
Although Kenichi had watched Naruto before, it was only after truly entering this world that he realized how beautiful its scenery was.
The air was especially fresh.
There were no exhaust fumes from vehicles or pollutants from chemical factories.
Kenichi took a deep breath and stretched comfortably.
"...Naruto, isn't that heavy?"
Kakashi glanced at him.
Naruto carried an enormous backpack that had been packed until it was nearly bursting.
Kakashi felt that the combined size of his own, Hinata's, and Sasuke's bags still would not equal Naruto's.
"It's a little heavy, but I'm fine."
Naruto remained calm.
This amount of weight was nothing to him.
He adjusted the backpack on his shoulders.
Most of what it contained was food and cooking ingredients.
Although they could rely on soldier pills during the journey, Kenichi felt that there was no reason to mistreat their stomachs.
Moreover, soldier pills had a terrible texture and could hardly be called delicious.
Perhaps if someone developed soldier pills in various new flavors, Kenichi might consider eating them.
That was why he had made Naruto carry so many ingredients.
Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose.
However, after glancing at the copy of Icha Icha Paradise in his hand, he said nothing.
He was hardly in a position to criticize Naruto for carrying unnecessary things.
"Sensei, is there anything fun where we're going?"
Naruto casually asked.
Hinata instantly turned her head toward Kakashi.
Sasuke also quietly began listening.
Traveling on foot was genuinely boring.
At first, the scenery had seemed fascinating.
After staring at it for too long, however, it became rather dull.
"Hmm, not really."
Kakashi scratched his head.
"That area is near the border of the Land of Fire. The only noteworthy place nearby is a small nation called the Land of Waves. But if you want to enter that country, you'll need to take a boat."
Kakashi knew there was also a hot spring district in the region.
However, he could hardly bring these three children there.
"The Land of Waves?"
Naruto quietly repeated the name, his heart filled with curiosity.
"Does that country have its own ninja village, Kakashi-sensei?"
Naruto asked another question.
He was interested in everything at the moment, and Kakashi was willing to explain.
There was nothing else to do during the journey, so helping the three young genin develop a better understanding of the world was worthwhile.
On the surface, Kenichi listened carefully as Kakashi explained the general state of the Shinobi World.
In reality, Kenichi was already thinking about the Land of Waves arc.
He had not expected Team 7 to miss the escort mission, only for the bandit suppression assignment to take them close to the Land of Waves anyway.
He wondered whether they might still encounter Zabuza and Haku.
The last time Kenichi had met Zabuza, the other party had still been a brat.
Time had passed, and many things had changed.
Zabuza himself was rather peculiar.
Although he was a rogue jonin and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the strength he displayed in the original story had honestly seemed somewhat underwhelming.
Compared with the jonin who appeared later, the difference was obvious.
Of course, that might have been because the power scaling accelerated far too quickly during the later stages of the story.
"I might as well practice since there's nothing else to do."
Naruto looked at his hand.
Chakra began gathering in his palm.
The Scroll of Seals had contained information about the Rasengan.
The technique involved forcing chakra to rotate chaotically and continuously before compressing it.
Once compressed to the limit, it would form the Rasengan.
The principle sounded simple.
In reality, the technique was extremely difficult to learn.
The hardest part was compressing the chakra while maintaining stability, even as it continued rotating chaotically.
This demanded exceptionally precise chakra control.
Kenichi had instructed Naruto to practice the technique because he intended to help him master the Rasengan earlier than he had in the original timeline.
"You compressed it a little more this time."
Kenichi watched the incomplete Rasengan disperse from Naruto's palm and shook his head.
Still, Naruto was working extremely hard.
His understanding of the Rasengan had continued to deepen.
If he kept practicing, he was probably only a few attempts away from successfully forming it.
"..."
Kakashi glanced toward Kenichi.
The ninjutsu Naruto had just attempted looked like...
Kakashi's eye became unfocused.
He stared at Naruto's blond hair.
Then he looked at the incomplete Rasengan and remembered his teacher.
Minato Namikaze.
Kakashi's gaze grew complicated.
He turned toward Kenichi.
What exactly was this man trying to do?
....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].