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**The next day, at 7:45 in the morning,**
**At the main gate of Konohagakure:**
A swift figure leaped from a distant rooftop and landed gracefully at the gate. It was Menma, carrying a backpack. Waiting for him were four figures: their client, Tazuna, along with Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Each was equipped with a backpack filled with essential ninja tools and supplies, standard for shinobi embarking on missions beyond the village.
As Menma arrived, a familiar voice called out.
"Wait up! I'm coming!"
Naruto Namikaze, his golden hair shining in the morning sun, sprinted toward them, his voice carrying its usual energy.
"Well, everyone's here. Let's move out," Kakashi said calmly, nodding as Naruto skidded to a halt. He handed the necessary departure documents to the gate guards before leading the team out of Konohagakure, beginning their journey to the Land of Waves.
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**Meanwhile, in a hidden underground chamber within the Root headquarters,**
Shimura Danzo received word of the team's departure. His lone visible eye narrowed, gleaming with a sinister light.
"Hai," he muttered softly.
A shadowed figure materialized from the darkness, bowing slightly.
"Go. Deliver the package to Orochimaru as agreed, and inform him that I accept his plan. But I demand a show of good faith—he must prove his sincerity first," Danzo ordered coldly.
"Yes, Danzo-sama," the figure responded before vanishing as swiftly as he had appeared.
"Hmph," Danzo muttered, his thoughts turning to Sarutobi Hiruzen. "You've grown old and complacent, letting the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki leave the village so easily. Don't blame me for being ruthless when the time comes."
Danzo's gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of the Root base, as if he could see Hiruzen far away in the Hokage's office. His words were laced with cold malice.
Konohagakure was no longer the powerhouse it had been before the Third Great Ninja War. The village was in a period of transition. The old pillars had either aged or fallen in battle, and the younger generation lacked the strength of their predecessors.
This made Menma, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, crucial. Should another Ninja World War break out, Konoha would heavily rely on his power. The village, a giant on the outside, was weakened from within, supported by only a few key individuals. Menma's first mission outside the village was of paramount importance.
Menma was aware of this to some extent. However, as long as the attention didn't interfere with his goals, it didn't concern him. His focus was on survival and growth, biding his time until the right opportunity arose. And that opportunity was drawing near.
As Menma stepped through the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, he glanced back at the towering walls, determination gleaming in his eyes.
The team set off, but with Tazuna being an ordinary person, their pace had to accommodate him. At this speed, it would take over a day to reach the Land of Waves, provided they were lucky enough to find a boat right away. Otherwise, the journey could stretch into more than two days.
During the journey, Kakashi took the opportunity to explain the situation to his young team. After all, this was the first time Menma, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had left the village on a mission.
"Only one day? That doesn't seem too far!" Sakura remarked. "But, Tazuna-san, why didn't you hire ninjas from your own country? If this is just a C-rank mission, local ninjas should have been able to handle it."
Naruto and Sasuke also turned their attention to Tazuna, curious about the answer. Menma, however, remained calm and silent.
Tazuna sighed. "Young lady—"
"Please, just call me Sakura."
"Alright, Sakura," Tazuna continued. "The Land of Waves is a small country, about the size of the capital city of the Land of Fire. We don't have our own ninja village. There are a few wandering ninjas here and there, but hiring them is risky. It's safer to hire from a recognized village. Konoha is one of the Five Great Nations, and it's the closest to us, so I came here for help."
"Oh, I see," Sakura said, nodding in understanding. Although she had a strong grasp of theoretical knowledge, the academy didn't teach everything—especially about smaller nations. The focus was primarily on Konoha's history, the Will of Fire, and a brief overview of the Five Great Nations.
"In other words, outside of the Five Great Nations, there are no official ninja villages?" Naruto chimed in. "And... wait, aren't there other places with ninjas besides Konoha?"
Sakura gave Naruto an exasperated look. "Naruto, didn't they teach you this in the academy? The Five Great Nations each have their own hidden villages: the Hidden Cloud in the Land of Lightning, the Hidden Stone in the Land of Earth, the Hidden Sand in the Land of Wind, the Hidden Mist in the Land of Water, and of course, our Konoha in the Land of Fire."
"Haha, is that so? I totally forgot about that!" Naruto laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto with a look of mild disgust, while Menma remained unfazed. To him, this was completely normal. If Naruto didn't act like this, he wouldn't be Naruto. Despite his different identity and circumstances in this life, Naruto's essence remained unchanged.
He was still the same optimistic, somewhat foolish person as always.
"Naruto, you really need to remember these things more carefully," Kakashi said, gently patting Naruto on the head. "Just like Sakura mentioned, the five great ninja villages we talked about are the major powers recognized in the ninja world. But that doesn't mean they're the only ones. There are still many smaller countries with ninja villages like Kusagakure, Takigakure, Amegakure, and Yugakure. Their ninjas are also considered regular shinobi, but there's a big gap between them and the five great nations. Only the leaders of the five great nations can be called 'Kage.' For us in Konoha, it's the Hokage. For the others, it's Mizukage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage."
"Oh! So that's how it is!" Naruto said, as if he had just realized something important.
"Exactly. Hokage is a very prestigious title. Naruto, if you want to surpass all the previous Hokage, including your father, the Fourth Hokage, you can't just talk about it. You have to put in a lot of effort," Kakashi continued, his tone growing more serious.
"Of course, I know that, Kakashi-sensei! Believe me, I'll work harder than anyone else!" Naruto said loudly, determination in his eyes.
As he spoke, Naruto glanced at Menma and Sasuke, who stood beside him. The three of them had always been at the top of their class in terms of actual skills, so competition between them was natural. However, while Naruto and Sasuke could sometimes outdo each other, Menma always remained at the top, consistently outperforming them.
Sasuke and Menma noticed Naruto's gaze. Menma maintained his usual calm demeanor, while Sasuke scoffed, subconsciously glancing at Menma.
Tazuna, who had been following silently behind them, couldn't help but give Naruto a second look. The old man hadn't expected that the blond kid in front of him, who didn't seem particularly bright, was actually the son of the Fourth Hokage, the hero of Konoha.
Such an identity was incredibly prestigious in the ninja world.
Because of this, Tazuna's confidence in this mission increased. After accepting the mission, he had learned that Kakashi was a jonin, and now, he knew that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage. Kakashi must be one of the best jonin in Konoha to be leading a team that included the Fourth's son.
'This time, my bridge will definitely be completed successfully!' Tazuna thought silently.
The group from Team 7 continued their journey. After traveling for two or three hours, they had completely left the vicinity of Hidden Leaf Village and were steadily heading towards the southeast coast of the Land of Fire.
As they entered a straight road lined with towering trees on both sides, Kakashi, walking on the far right, suddenly tensed.
The next second—
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, two burly figures sprang from behind the trees on either side of the road, moving at incredible speed. Most of the group didn't have time to react.
In an instant, they were close to Kakashi, positioning themselves on either side of him.
"Clang!"
A thick, dark iron chain appeared, and with a swift movement, the attackers pulled it taut between them.
"Pfft!"
"Zzzt!"
The chain sliced through Kakashi's body with a sickening sound, as though tearing through flesh and bone.
"Kakashi-sensei!?" Sakura screamed, her eyes wide with shock as blood sprayed into the air.
As young Konoha ninjas, none of them had ever witnessed such brutal violence firsthand. Watching their instructor get killed in such a horrifying manner, Sakura's composure crumbled instantly.
"First one down," one of the attackers grunted, their gaze shifting toward Naruto, Menma, and the others with newfound seriousness.
"Boom!"
Before they could make another move, Menma and Sasuke sprang into action, their bodies reacting instinctively.
Unlike Naruto, who was still in shock, Menma and Sasuke had experienced true loss—the death of their parents. This momentary violence did nothing to shake their resolve. They had already moved before the attackers could react.
"Bang!"
"Clang!"
The attacks of the two assailants were easily intercepted.
"!?!" The attackers' eyes widened in surprise. They hadn't expected such swift and skillful responses from a group of rookie genin.
Menma and Sasuke, their faces calm and focused, stood their ground, ready for what came next.
Menma's chakra surged, more powerful than anything the attackers anticipated.
"Not good!" one of the attackers thought as he felt the immense pressure from Menma's chakra.
But it was too late. Menma, with a swift and powerful motion, shattered the attacker's guard and broke through his defenses.
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