In the original timeline, Kakashi had been rather lazy.
But Makoto was different. He wasn't the type to wait until the last minute before teaching his students, like cramming for exams in the final month of senior year.
He had already told Team 7 many of the practical details and field experience related to mission execution in advance. As for training knowledge, they had learned that long ago at the dōjō.
But knowledge gained from books always remained shallow. To truly understand something, you had to experience it yourself.
Because of that, not long after the five of them left Konohagakure, Makoto disappeared, leaving everything for the three members of Team 7 to decide on their own.
After dealing with the Demon Brothers, Sasuke began cleaning up the scene, removing the bloodstains from the ground and concealing traces of the battle.
Naruto sealed the enemy corpses into a storage scroll. Once they returned to Konohagakure, they could hand them over to the Intelligence Division for processing.
Their entire sequence of actions flowed smoothly, perfectly following the standards Makoto had taught them.
This was the first time Sakura had ever seen someone killed, and the ones doing the killing were her own teammates.
A kunai slicing open a throat, blood spraying out in torrents.
Two lives had ended just like that, no different from slaughtering a chicken or gutting a fish.
Her hands trembled slightly, but after seeing the calm actions of her two teammates, she took several deep breaths of the faintly blood-scented air and forced herself to calm down. Staying beside Tazuna protectively, she vigilantly observed the surroundings in case the enemy had any backup plans.
Sakura understood that in terms of strength, she couldn't compare to Sasuke or Naruto. They would handle the fighting. Her job was to stay by the client's side at all times and ensure his safety.
After everything had been taken care of, the four gathered together and moved to another location for a brief rest.
Intimidated by the battle and the killing he had just witnessed, Tazuna no longer dared to casually provoke the Konohagakure shinobi.
No matter how young they were, they were still ninja. They would kill without hesitation.
Sakura asked, "Sasuke, what should we do next? Maybe we should ask sensei."
Sasuke replied, "We were the ones who decided to continue the mission. Sensei already said the rest would be up to us."
"But isn't that a bad idea? I mean… we only just became genin not long ago. I think…"
"Sakura." Sasuke looked at her. "Don't do things that make me dislike you."
"I… I understand."
Naruto spoke up. "Tazuna-san, how much do you know about the ninja working under the businessman Gatō?"
Tazuna apologized, "Sorry, everyone. Gatō is an extremely wealthy businessman. I know most of his ordinary thugs, but when it comes to ninja, I really don't know much."
"Still, because the Land of Waves is in a special location, and from what I've heard from sailors passing through, Kirigakure was very chaotic a few years ago. Quite a few missing-nin appeared, and many of them were active in my country. I think the ones Gatō hired are probably some of them."
Sasuke nodded. "That should be right. Those two earlier were wearing Kirigakure forehead protectors."
Naruto recalled what he knew about Kirigakure. "Which means there are still accomplices behind them, and there's a very high chance one of them is at jōnin level."
Sasuke's face filled with arrogance. "A jōnin, huh? Things are finally getting interesting."
"Sasuke, the priority of our mission is protecting Tazuna, not just fighting."
"Hmph. I know that already. I don't need you to tell me."
"Then from now on, we need to move faster. You and I will take turns carrying Tazuna-san while we travel."
...
For the remainder of the journey, the three members of Team 7 maintained constant vigilance, but they encountered no further obstacles.
After arriving at a seaside town in the Land of Fire, Tazuna found a friend who regularly traveled between the two countries doing small-scale trade. The man ferried the four of them by boat to the shores of the Land of Waves.
It was the first time the three members of Team 7 had ever left their country, but none of them had the mood to admire the foreign scenery. Once they reached this place, the enemy no longer had to worry about attracting Konohagakure ninja during battle.
An ambush could happen at any moment.
Sure enough, while passing through an open riverside area, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out from the silent forest behind them.
"Watch out!" x2
Sasuke lunged forward and pushed Sakura down while Naruto grabbed Tazuna. The four instantly ducked low, narrowly avoiding the sudden sneak attack from behind.
It was a massive executioner's blade that flew over their heads before burying itself deeply into a large tree ahead of them.
When they looked up, they saw a tall ninja standing atop the blade's handle with his back facing them. He turned his head slightly, looking down on them with contempt as killing intent poured from his body.
The newcomer had short, capable-looking hair and wore his Kirigakure forehead protector crookedly. Everything from below his eyes down to his collarbone was wrapped in bandages, making his appearance impossible to discern.
It was none other than the Kirigakure missing-nin known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza.
Zabuza sized up the composition of the group and probed them aloud, "Oh? So it's three little brats from Konohagakure? Judging by your age, you must've just graduated, right? Where's your jōnin team leader?"
Naruto replied, "Sorry to disappoint you, but the client could only afford the payment for a C-rank mission. That kind of money isn't enough to hire one of the village's jōnin seniors. A mission like this would probably only be accepted by an unimportant genin squad like ours."
"Brat, are you screwing with me? My two subordinates were killed by you, weren't they? Strength like that doesn't look like some neglected genin."
Naruto shrugged. "And yet that's the truth. Mainly because those two were just too weak."
"Is that so? Then it seems your lives end here. Still, if you hand that old man over to me, I can overlook the matter of you killing my men. I'll even let you leave alive."
Was Zabuza showing mercy?
Of course not. He didn't believe Naruto's words in the first place.
Even if there really wasn't a jōnin leading them, unless absolutely necessary, he had no desire to kill Konohagakure ninja. Doing so would bring a chain of troublesome consequences and interfere with his plans.
"Sorry, but Konohagakure ninja have never had the habit of handing over their clients just because we're afraid."
"Brat, since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish."
Naruto carefully examined the man's weapon. "Then you must be the legendary Demon of the Hidden Mist, the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, Momochi Zabuza."
"Oh? Didn't expect even Konohagakure genin to have heard of my name. Since you're at least perceptive enough to recognize me, I'll make your deaths quick. You won't suffer for long."
The lists of jōnin from the various ninja villages were top-secret intelligence, but for certain famous figures, identifying traits and information could still be gathered.
Zabuza was one of those people.
A ruthless figure who had slaughtered every classmate in his graduating year, then failed in his assassination attempt on the Mizukage yet still managed to escape alive. Back then, he had shaken the entire ninja world.
Sasuke's blood began to boil with excitement. "The legendary Demon of the Hidden Mist, huh? Heh… he should be pretty strong."
Naruto answered, "Very strong."
Seeing the two brats suddenly getting excited instead of frightened, Zabuza inexplicably developed a bad feeling.
But for a ninja, a mission was a mission. No matter what, it had to be completed.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique."
Zabuza immediately cast his opening jutsu.
Very quickly, the entire riverside area became engulfed in dense white mist, visibility dropping to nearly nothing.
"Eight vital points… the throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart… now then, which one should I choose?"
The oppressive voice echoed from all directions, creating an atmosphere of terror. The source drifted unpredictably, making it impossible to determine where the speaker actually was.
This was the assassination technique Zabuza prided himself on: the Silent Killing Technique.
Using the mist to conceal his position.
Using killing intent to intimidate the enemy.
Using words to create panic.
Then, the moment his opponent revealed an opening, silently approaching and harvesting their life in an instant.
The three members of Team 7 quickly gathered around Tazuna, forming a protective formation.
Naruto said, "Sakura, stay beside Tazuna and don't move a single step away from him."
"I got it."
Sasuke asked, "Naruto, can't you use Wind Release to blow away this annoying mist?"
"I can try, but don't get your hopes up. There's plenty of moisture here. Zabuza won't need much chakra to maintain the Hiding in Mist Technique."
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
It was only a simple C-rank jutsu, but with Naruto's monstrous chakra reserves backing it, the effect became absurdly powerful. It was practically like a hurricane sweeping through the area, instantly blowing away more than half the surrounding mist.
Their field of vision suddenly cleared.
That relaxed Sakura and Tazuna a little. People naturally preferred relying on their eyes.
But soon enough, the mist began surging back once more.
Just as Naruto had said, they were close to the sea, with a river nearby as well. The battlefield conditions overwhelmingly favored Kirigakure ninja who specialized in water-based combat.
Just as the four relaxed slightly before tensing up again, a thin stream of water silently flowed across the ground. Right in the middle of their formation, it instantly transformed into a humanoid figure wielding a massive blade and swung horizontally at them.
"Die!"
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