The next morning, Naruto packed all his belongings and headed to the Konoha gate for the gathering.
All of his combat gear—kunai, shuriken, and ration pills—had been prepared by Iruka, as Naruto himself didn't know exactly what he would need, so Iruka had taken care of it for him.
For once, Kakashi wasn't late. When he arrived at Konoha's gate, Kakashi, along with Sasuke, Sakura, and the old drunk man, had just gathered.
Naruto felt a spark of excitement because the plans he'd been preparing for two months were finally about to unfold.
This mission was his chance to escape his constraints. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he'd leave plenty of teleportation marks along the way.
In this way, he would no longer be confined to Konoha Village. He could escape whenever he wanted, roam the ninja world, gain power quickly, and fully control his own destiny without constantly bending to others' wills.
He'd had enough of the routine, scripted life he'd been forced to live.
This would be a crucial step in his journey to grow stronger, and he would need to find allies or subordinates to support him along the way.
This mission made him think of Haku, whom he would meet soon in the Land of Waves. As one of the few ninjas with ice-release techniques, Haku's abilities were extremely valuable.
But considering Haku's gentle personality, he was hardly suited to be a ninja.
Naruto was torn about whether he should try to save Haku and bring him into his ranks.
"Ding Dong! New mission released: Decide Haku's fate."
"Choice one, Path of Compassion: Haku is too pitiful; let him live. Reward: A chance to recruit Haku as a follower."
"Choice two, Path of Ruthlessness: Haku is too kind-hearted, unfit to be a ninja or to serve under you. Let him meet his fate. Reward: Special Title [Heart of the Killer]."
"[Heart of the Killer]: Gain system points by eliminating opponents, which can be exchanged for various bloodlines, skills, and items in the system store, including those that exist in the world and those provided by the system."
Naruto considered the options given by the system and the rewards of each choice. After only a few moments, he made his decision.
For Naruto's current goals, [Heart of the Killer] and the system store would accelerate his growth and help him break free from his current restrictions much sooner.
As for Haku's life or death, he would leave it to fate.
"Ding Dong! Congratulations on your choice; you've earned the special title [Heart of the Killer], and the system store has been unlocked."
"Eliminate a Genin-level opponent, earn 1 point; eliminate a Chūnin-level opponent, earn 10 points; eliminate a Jōnin-level opponent, earn 100 points; eliminate a Kage-level opponent, earn 1,000 points."
Naruto's excitement grew, and he eagerly opened the system store.
There he saw abilities like Yin and Yang release, the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, the Rinnegan…
Techniques such as the Reanimation Jutsu, Living Corpse Reincarnation, and puppetry…
Items like bloodline enhancement scrolls and skill upgrade scrolls…
The options were endless, and Naruto's imagination ran wild with all the possibilities.
"Is it really wise to bring this kid along?" the old drunkard pointed at Naruto and asked with a scoff.
Hearing this, Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and glanced coldly at the man before looking over to Kakashi. If Kakashi hadn't been present, he'd have given this guy a lesson in respect.
"Here you are, coming to us for protection, yet you think you can judge us?" Naruto thought.
He glared sharply at the drunkard, then turned away, choosing to ignore him. But he promised himself if it happened again, he'd make sure to teach the man a lesson.
The Land of Waves was east of the Land of Fire, a small, impoverished island nation.
It was characterized by its isolation, poverty, and sparse population, so it was surprising that a single merchant could control the lifeline of an entire country.
Team 7 made their way slowly to the Land of Waves; they couldn't move quickly since they had three Genin-level ninja, including Naruto.
Sakura was nervous throughout the journey, asking Kakashi questions about the mission and trying to understand the world around them.
"Don't worry, Sakura, this is just a simple C-rank escort mission. There won't be any foreign ninja or fighting involved," Kakashi reassured her.
Naruto couldn't help but smirk to himself. He could already sense two rogue ninja waiting up ahead.
The old drunkard's expression shifted, showing a hint of guilt and deceit.
Before long, as they walked along a forest path, Kakashi noticed a puddle of water that seemed out of place.
The two ambushing ninja had left a very obvious water puddle on a dry path, with no rain recently. It was obvious to anyone with experience that something was amiss.
Sure enough, as Team 7 passed the puddle, two figures suddenly sprang from it, wrapping chains around Kakashi and swiftly slicing him into pieces.
"The first one!" the two ambushers said smugly.
The sudden attack shocked Sasuke, Sakura, and the old drunkard, leaving them paralyzed with fear.
When they turned, they saw Kakashi seemingly ripped apart, with gory images flashing in their minds.
"Aah!" Sakura screamed.
"The second one!" the two rogue ninja shouted as they turned their sights to Naruto.
Naruto simply scoffed, and as the chain approached him, he used the Body Replacement Technique to avoid it.
Sakura thought Naruto had been killed too and screamed again, standing protectively in front of the drunkard.
Meanwhile, Sasuke prepared to fight.
But in the next second, Naruto appeared nearby, while his original spot was replaced by three logs, leaving the attackers stunned.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
Naruto quickly formed hand signs, then struck out his hands, sending a gust of wind that knocked the two rogue ninja into a nearby tree.
The two thudded against the trunk, slumping to the ground as they stared at Naruto in horror.
To them, Naruto was nothing more than a reckless kid, but he was proving to be anything but simple.
Without hesitation, Naruto pulled out two kunai, throwing them directly at the throats of the attackers, swiftly ending their lives.
"Ding Dong! Congratulations, Host, on defeating two Genin and earning 2 points."
Sakura stared at Naruto in shock, surprised at his strength and the ruthless ease with which he took lives.
Meanwhile, Kakashi emerged from his hiding place, observing Naruto with a thoughtful expression.
The old drunkard looked on with a newfound fear, realizing that the kid he'd mocked was far from weak-hearted.
Team 7 continued their journey toward the Land of Waves. Along the way, Naruto discreetly left a hidden Flying Thunder God mark beneath a large tree and scrawled a note in small writing:
"Naruto was here."
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