On a wide, solid dirt path, Team 7 was walking alongside their client, Tazuna, heading towards the Land of Waves. To break the monotony, Sakura, who was feeling bored, asked, "Mr. Tazuna, do any ninjas live in the Land of Waves?"
Kakashi took over the conversation, noticing the opportunity to teach his students about the world. "No, Sakura, smaller countries like the Land of Waves usually don't have ninja villages," he explained. "Only the five major countries have large ninja villages: the Land of Wind with the Hidden Sand Village, the Land of Lightning with the Hidden Cloud Village, the Land of Earth with the Hidden Stone Village, the Land of Water with the Hidden Mist Village, and our own Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Fire."
He continued, "In addition to these larger villages, there are smaller villages with fewer resources and influence, known as the minor ninja villages."
Naruto and Sakura were fascinated, realizing for the first time just how vast the world of ninjas was. Sasuke, already familiar with much of this information, remained unphased. Time passed quickly as Kakashi's lesson eased the journey's boredom.
Around noon, Sasuke suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes glancing at two puddles by the roadside. Though the skies were clear and the air was dry, these puddles remained. Sasuke's senses sharpened. [Incoming!] he thought, knowing what was about to happen. Calmly, he readied himself, forming hand seals in preparation. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he noticed Sasuke's movements. Did he detect it too?
As Kakashi walked past the suspicious puddles, two shinobi suddenly lunged from the water, moving towards him with deadly intent. Naruto and Sakura turned at the sound of rushing water just in time to see the assailants shred Kakashi into pieces.
"Kakashi-sensei!" they screamed, horrified.
Without missing a beat, Sakura darted toward Tazuna to guard him from harm, her expression filled with urgency.
The attackers, two ninjas known as the Demon Brothers, sneered. "One down," one said coldly before rushing toward Naruto, who stood frozen with fear. His body shook as he faced a real threat for the first time, unable to move as the assassin bore down on him.
In that instant, Sasuke's voice rang out. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" A searing fireball, five meters wide, roared past Naruto and slammed into the oncoming shinobi, forcing them to leap back.
Trapped by Sasuke's fire jutsu, the Demon Brothers tried to retreat, but Sasuke hurled shuriken into the fire, taking advantage of their momentary distraction. Seeing no other option, one brother grabbed the other and kicked him into the flames, using him as a shield to escape the attack's full force. The flames consumed the unfortunate brother, leaving him charred.
"Nani!" Sakura and Naruto gasped in shock. It was the first time they truly realized the brutal nature of ninja battles. The idea of a comrade being discarded in a life-or-death situation hit them hard, forcing them to confront the harsh reality of their world. Kakashi's intense training suddenly made sense.
The surviving brother, now panicked, turned to flee. But just as he began to retreat, Kakashi appeared from nowhere and struck him down with a single blow to the neck, rendering him unconscious.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're alive!" Naruto shouted with relief.
Kakashi gave a casual shrug, "That was just a substitution jutsu." Sakura noticed the logs he'd used in his place, finally understanding.
"Sasuke, you did exceptionally well!" Kakashi praised. "And Sakura, you successfully protected the client." He then turned to Naruto, his voice adopting a teasing tone. "The boy who wants to be Hokage froze up. Maybe Sasuke is a step closer to that goal!"
Naruto flushed with embarrassment, angered by the comparison. Why was Sasuke so calm and capable while he froze? he wondered, frustration bubbling up inside him.
Sasuke sighed, clearly unimpressed. "You were pretty useless back there," he muttered as he walked past Naruto. Annoyed, Naruto shot back, "I'm not going to lose to you next time, Sasuke!"
Turning his attention to Tazuna, Kakashi's expression became serious. "Mr. Tazuna, I suspect you haven't told us everything. This level of threat exceeds what's expected for a C-rank mission."
Tazuna's face fell, guilt etched into his expression. He had indeed hidden something.
The group continued their mission with Kakashi and Sasuke keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Finally, they arrived at the Land of Waves the following morning, where they learned about Gato, the ruthless businessman who held the country in his grip. Gato had seized control of the Land of Waves through extortion, isolating the nation and impoverishing its people.
As the team walked, Naruto suddenly halted, his eyes narrowing. "Enemies ahead!" he declared, tossing a kunai. The group tensed, ready to engage. However, when they saw a small, white rabbit trembling with fear, Sakura scolded him, "Naruto, stop jumping at shadows!"
Naruto immediately apologized to the frightened animal, but Sasuke's instincts told him something was wrong. At the same moment, Kakashi noticed the rabbit's white coat—a clear sign it had been raised indoors and used in substitution jutsu.
"Everyone, get down!" Kakashi yelled. Sasuke acted immediately, tackling Tazuna to the ground as the others ducked.
A massive sword spun through the air above them, embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk with a deep thunk. As the group looked up, a figure appeared on the sword's hilt—a tall, imposing man with bandages covering his face and a mist-nin headband bearing a crossed-out insignia.
"So, it's you, Zabuza , the rogue ninja of the Hidden Mist Village," Kakashi stated calmly, recognizing the man immediately.
Zabuza smirked at the sight of Kakashi's Sharingan, a glint of challenge in his eyes. "The Copy Ninja himself," he sneered. "No wonder the Demon Brothers failed. I didn't expect to face someone like you on a simple C-rank mission."
Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing his own Sharingan. "Your reign of terror ends here, Zabuza," he warned. The team braced themselves, understanding they were about to face a formidable opponent.
As Zabuza's icy gaze locked onto Team 7, the air grew thick with tension, foreshadowing the intense battle to come.
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