"Uncle Tazuna, then why..." Sakura asked with displeasure.
It was their first mission outside, and they were deceived by their client, which made all of them very depressed. What a situation!
Tazuna knew that it was impossible to keep the deception going at this point. Only by telling the truth was there a possibility of convincing these Leaf ninjas to stand by his side.
He explained the past Naoki Association, the current Naoki Association, and the events in the Land of Waves over the years, ending with the construction of the Great Naruto Bridge.
The mission content he had submitted earlier wasn't deceiving, but it was somewhat vague, along with some of his speculative additions.
After hearing Tazuna's truth, Naruto and the others were slightly stunned.
So, was the Naoki Association good or bad?
If they were good, according to Tazuna, the Naoki Association was indeed ambitious and had secretly eliminated many people, definitely having their hands stained with blood.
But if they were bad, the once impoverished and desolate island nation had now developed into a prosperous and strong state, all thanks to the Naoki Association.
The efforts of the Naoki Association made today's Land of Waves, allowing countless people to live a happy and stable life.
From this point of view, the Naoki Association was indeed very good!
Looking at people's reactions earlier, one could see how much they admired the Naoki Association.
It was the first time dealing with such a 'difficult' mission for the three youngsters, so they had to ask their leader, Kakashi, for help, hoping Kakashi would experience this situation.
However, Kakashi was also somewhat troubled at this time. Assuming someone killed a hundred people and then saved a thousand, then someone paid to have this person assassinated, how should this be judged?
It gave him a bit of a headache, but he soon relaxed.
Because this judgment wasn't his concern, he was just here to investigate the information.
As for whether to accept the mission or whether the president of the Naoki Association should die, he didn't need to worry about that.
After thinking this through, Kakashi again 'warned' Tazuna, "We'll continue the investigation mission, but whether we'll take it in the end depends on the village. So, during this time, you need to provide us with lodging, and you can't influence us with false information anymore."
"If there's any problem with the information you provide us again, then I have the right to terminate this employment relationship unilaterally, and the fee you paid won't be returned to you."
Tazuna helplessly nodded, but he didn't hold much hope.
Afterward, Kakashi and his team stayed at Tazuna's house, meeting Kesha and Inari.
During the following days, Naruto and the others gathered information daily, while Kakashiuts began infiltrating the Naoki Association in search of possible criminal evidence with his artfulness and guidance.
...
Kakashi was gathering information that night, but I needed help finding something.
Then, he discovered the target. This was the first time he had encountered the target in a few days. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to follow them, wanting to see what the other party was up to showing up and leaving in the middle of the night.
Intuition told him that he might have caught a big fish.
However, as the target moved toward more secluded paths into the forest, Kakashi suddenly heard the sound of something cutting through the air behind him.
Trouble, he's been discovered!
With a heavy heart, Kakashi immediately drew his kunai and turned around to slash, knocking down all the long needles flying toward him. Then he immediately charged toward the attack's direction, performing the whole set of actions in one breath!
Now he was exposed, and the enemy was hidden; running away wasn't a good option, and it could bring danger to Naruto and the others.
So, Kakashi chose to try to subdue the enemy and escape.
Unfortunately, he still alerted the enemy.
Kakashi was a bit puzzled. How was he discovered?
Just as he rushed out, a thick fog spread out instantly.
"Is this...the Hidden Mist Technique?"
With his extensive knowledge, Kakashi immediately realized this wasn't ordinary fog.
The already dark surroundings were engulfed by thick fog, making it impossible for him to see anything.
But Kakashi reacted quickly, immediately forming hand signs and slapping the ground to use the Summoning Technique, summoning the Eight Ninja Hounds!
Though his vision was obstructed, he could still rely on his sense of smell.
"Kakashi..."
"There are enemies nearby. Find their location quickly; we are at a disadvantage now."
Before his words fell, Pakkun, who moved his nose, suddenly shouted, "Be careful, behind...!"
He smelled an unfamiliar scent speeding towards Kakashi's back.
Pakkun's warning was already at its limit, but from hearing the sound to reacting, there inevitably would be a delay.
And it was this brief delay that caused Kakashi, who was leaning forward, to have a cloud of blood burst from his back.
Kakashi immediately grunted, then performed several forward rolls to increase the distance, avoiding subsequent attacks.
At this moment, Zabuza, holding a kunai in each hand, couldn't help but show a hint of regret on his face.
It was just a bit...
If it weren't for that damn dog suddenly speaking up, he could have slowly slit the opponent's throat instead of just leaving a cut on the opponent's back like now.
Then Zabuza frowned because he realized those damn dogs seemed to have locked onto his position based on the scent and were closing in on him.
"Troublesome..."
"But it seems I can have some fun for a while."
Zabuza suddenly smiled cruelly and then used the Silent Killing technique to escape quietly.
"Kakashi, are you okay?"
Pakkun stayed by Kakashi's side, ready to warn at any moment, while the other ninja hounds spread out, searching for the enemy's whereabouts in the thick fog.
Drops of blood fell on the ground. Kakashi stayed silent; he might have been decapitated if Pakkun hadn't warned him in time.
Who was the attacker?
Why did they suddenly attack him?
Kakashi felt that the situation in the Land of Waves was more complicated than he thought!
At least he didn't think that a jonin of Hidden Mist would be a year-round bodyguard for a businessman, which was incredibly unbelievable.
But if following this line of thought, could it be that Hidden Mist was behind the Naoki Association?
It was all hard to say.
But for now, the priority was to find a way to leave here.
Pakkun suddenly gave Kakashi a look, and Kakashi nodded slightly, his hand beginning to spark with lightning...