Kakashi led the three kids straight to the Hokage's office.
On the way, every ninja who saw the easily recognizable blond-haired member of Team 7 glared at them with undisguised hatred, practically gnashing their teeth. It was as if they were ready to jump on him and tear him apart at any moment.
Neither Naruto nor Sasuke paid any attention to the angry looks, and Kakashi certainly wasn't bothered by them either.
Kakashi had been through the village's hostile stares since his childhood, and Sasuke, driven solely by his desire for revenge, couldn't care less what people thought of him.
As for Naruto, he'd been getting dirty looks from his so-called "clan" his whole life. He'd even had the guts to whistle provocatively right at their doorstep.
The line of people angry at him stretched all the way out of the village gates at this point. If they wanted to glare at him, they could take a number.
The only one who seemed truly rattled was Sakura, who kept inching closer to Sasuke. It was hard to tell if she was genuinely scared or just using it as an excuse.
Kakashi, with his hands casually stuffed in his pockets, strolled lazily into the Hokage's office.
Inside, the Third Hokage was puffing away on his pipe, the room thick with smoke, making it look like some sort of mystical retreat.
It was clear that Konoha's old village chief had a lot on his mind.
"You're all here?"
The Third glanced at the four of them, then picked up a mission scroll from his desk and tossed it over to Kakashi.
Thwack—
Kakashi caught the scroll and began reading the mission details.
Naruto, who could barely contain his excitement, kept bouncing around, trying to sneak a peek, but Kakashi calmly pressed him back down.
As Naruto tried to peek again, he noticed that Kakashi's expression seemed... off.
Escort an old man? Did that really warrant a face like someone's father had just died?
Naruto couldn't understand why Kakashi, the ultimate slacker, looked like he wanted nothing more than to avoid this mission.
But finally!
The first arc—the Land of Waves!
Naruto's heart pounded with excitement, as if he'd be facing off against Zabuza in the very next second.
Excitement.jpg
Kakashi spent an unusually long time staring at the mission scroll, even rotating it at different angles as if trying to make sense of it. Finally, with a tone of uncertainty, he turned to the Third Hokage.
"Lord Third…"
"Are you sure this mission is within regulations?"
All three of the kids stared at Kakashi.
Even though they didn't know the mission details, just hearing their teacher question it made one thing clear…
This mission was dangerous!
Sasuke smirked coldly, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly.
"Although it's a first... strictly speaking, there's no issue."
The Third took a long drag from his pipe, his expression just as strange as Kakashi's.
Naruto felt completely clueless. If he hadn't already seen Naruto before, he'd probably be dying from frustration right now.
It's just an escort mission for some old guy from the Land of Waves, right?
What's the big deal?
Naruto tugged at Kakashi's pant leg, signaling him to let him see the scroll.
He had to see what was written in there that could make even the "legendary technician of Konoha" look like this.
Kakashi glanced at Naruto, sighed deeply, and after hesitating for a few seconds, reluctantly handed him the scroll.
Let me see!
Naruto eagerly unrolled the mission scroll, only to find…
C-Rank Mission: Team 7 from Konoha is tasked with going on a one-month vacation outside the village.
Reward: 20 million ryo.
Mission Issuer: Konoha villagers, signed as a group.
Naruto's hands shook uncontrollably as he held the scroll, his expression changing several times in the span of a second.
His emotional journey went from excitement to disappointment, then confusion, and finally, rage.
What the hell?!
Isn't this just bullying an honest guy like me?!
I, Uzumaki Naruto, have shed blood for the village of Konoha!
How could they treat me like this?!
When will us Jinchuriki finally stand up for ourselves?!
Forgot the beginning… forgot the middle… forgot the end… whatever, I'm just furious!
A group mission, issued by the entire village?!
And what's worse, look at the reward!
20 million ryo!
That's more than half of what Asuma's bounty was worth!
At that moment, Naruto felt the full weight of the village's malice aimed squarely at him.
If this mission hadn't been issued by Konoha's own ninja...
Naruto would've jumped out of the Hokage's office window right then and there!
He slammed the scroll onto the ground and shouted in anger, "Old man Third!"
"This is bullying me because I'm honest, isn't it?!"
"What's wrong with me using Shadow Clones to do missions?!"
"They were just low-level missions!"
"Why go this far?!"
Sasuke, realizing this wasn't a combat mission, felt a little disappointed but wasn't nearly as upset as Naruto.
Sakura, on the other hand, seemed pretty happy—who wouldn't be when you get paid to go on a vacation?
The Third Hokage gave an awkward smile and took another puff of his pipe.
He didn't have much choice either.
Naruto had cleared out all the low-level missions in the village over the past two months, leaving nothing for the newly graduated Genin.
You can't expect their very first mission to be a battle outside the village, right?
That would go against Konoha's long-standing traditions.
Plus, the other ninjas had developed a strong grudge against Team 7, so they pooled their funds and came up with a huge sum of money, just to ban Team 7 from taking any more missions.
The Third thought this plan was pretty smart, so he didn't intervene.
Besides, it would be good for Naruto to get out and clear his head for a while, right?
The Third, having collected his thoughts, put on a kindly face and said to Naruto, "Naruto…"
"You've grown up now. Don't you want to see the world outside the village?"
"And this mission is so light and easy…"
Though his words sounded encouraging, the Third was secretly feeling guilty.
After all, this was the first time in Konoha's history that the village had effectively sent Naruto away by assigning him a mission.
The Third Hokage couldn't help but admire the creativity of whoever came up with this idea.
"I…"
Naruto was at a loss for words.
Damn it!
He was so angry!
He'd already psyched himself up to solo Zabuza…
Only to be told now that he was being sent on a month-long vacation by request of the entire village?!
Sure, the reward was high and the mission itself was easy, but Naruto still felt incredibly frustrated.
"Come on, Naruto, take it easy."
"I think this mission is pretty great."
Kakashi was all smiles, patting Naruto on the shoulder in what was meant to be a comforting gesture.
The lazy, carefree aura radiating from him was so strong that even Sasuke and Sakura could smell it.
Naruto: …
Of course you think it's great!
You're always eating my food, drinking my drinks, then lounging around reading Icha Icha Paradise all day like it's your full-time job!
Naruto was beginning to suspect that Kakashi might be a fellow transmigrator from his previous world.
When he used to watch the original series, he hadn't realized Kakashi was such a slacker!
After mulling it over, Naruto finally gave in.
It wasn't like he had a choice anyway—Kakashi had the final say.
And so, Team 7 accepted the mission to leave the village for a month-long trip. Naruto, feeling thoroughly defeated, glanced at Kakashi, who was looking far too pleased with himself, which only worsened his mood.
Kakashi's laziness was practically oozing out of him!
Naruto sniffed the air and couldn't help but feel like something was off…
Wait—no!
That's not just a lazy smell!
It's actual fish!
Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up.
There was no way Konoha normally smelled this strongly of fish. The stench was so overwhelming it practically stung his nose!
That had to be the old geezer Tazuna from the Land of Waves!
Naruto scanned the area around the Hokage's office and soon spotted a short, elderly man standing about a meter and a half tall.
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