Konoha Village Gate, 7:00 AM
Naruto was the first to arrive at the village gate. Neither Kushina, Mikoto, nor Orochimaru were anywhere in sight.
A cold breeze swept through, and Naruto instinctively tightened the scarf around his neck.
In the corner of the scarf, fine red stitching spelled out: "To my dearest Uzumaki Naruto."
The morning mist still lingered, shrouding the surroundings in a hazy veil. Naruto exhaled a breath of warm air, which briefly swirled before vanishing.
Leaning against the gate frame, his brows furrowed slightly. The morning dew on the frame felt damp against his back.
He ignored it, focusing his thoughts instead. In his mind, the Dark interface emerged—a system panel that had activated a few years back during a completed mission.
Items in the mall could only be redeemed with dark points, which were earned exclusively by killing other ninjas.
Fortunately, Naruto had accumulated a significant amount of points during a massacre at the Root base. Danzo, in particular, had been a veritable treasure trove of points.
After scanning through the mall, Naruto selected a few jutsus that caught his eye.
"System, redeem A-rank Ninjutsu: Lightning Release - Chidori."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have redeemed Lightning Release: Chidori. 5,000 dark points deducted.]
"Now redeem B-rank Ninjutsu: Fire Release - Great Fire Annihilation."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have redeemed Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation. 2,500 dark points deducted.]
"And finally, redeem A-rank Ninjutsu: Water Release - Water Severing Wave."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have redeemed Water Release: Water Severing Wave. 5,000 dark points deducted.]
Naruto lacked techniques that could alter the battlefield and cause widespread destruction. The Water Severing Wave and Great Fire Annihilation perfectly filled that gap, while Chidori offered formidable single-target capabilities.
One of Konoha's traditions for rookies was that their first C-rank mission often escalated unpredictably, raising the difficulty to A-rank or even S-rank.
Besides, any unused dark points would reset to zero at the end of the month. Better to spend them on jutsus than waste them.
---
"Good morning, Naruto."
A moment later, through the thinning mist, Kushina appeared, rubbing her eyes as she approached.
"Morning, Kushina."
Her crimson hair was a mess, and her drowsy eyes carried an irresistible charm that caught Naruto off guard. Unable to hold back, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her.
"Ah!"
Kushina fell into his embrace, struggling gently. "Let go, stop fooling around."
A faint blush crept up her ears, adding a touch of adorable allure.
"No, I'm not letting go."
"You... troublemaker."
Biting her lip softly, Kushina murmured in a gentle, sweet voice, "Troublemakers shouldn't bully me."
Hearing this, a surge of male hormones spiked within Naruto, and a fiery sensation coursed through him. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down.
"It's so cold this morning. Just a quick hug, and I'll stop."
"Hmph. You're turning into a shameless pervert, getting bolder every day."
Shaking off the remnants of her sleepiness, Kushina wriggled free and stood by Naruto's side.
---
Over time, the relationship between Mikoto and Kushina had evolved from hostile rivalry to deep camaraderie—similar to the dynamic between Ino and Sakura in the original story.
Outwardly, they quarreled and competed, but deep down, they cared for each other's feelings.
Thirty minutes later—
As the mist dissipated, Mikoto could be seen hurrying toward them from a distance, followed shortly by Orochimaru, who walked at a leisurely pace.
After glancing over the group, Orochimaru gave a slight nod.
**"The mission is classified as C-rank. The objective: eliminate a group of bandits terrorizing a village in the Land of Fire.
Details will be provided on the way. The client will meet us at the destination."
"Let's go."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sensei," replied the two women in unison, following behind him.
Naruto muttered under his breath, "Exterminating bandits... let's hope it's that straightforward."
"Hurry up in the back! We're leaving."
"Got it."
With mixed emotions, Naruto trailed behind the two women.
For Mikoto, this was her first time leaving Konoha, and a sense of excitement filled her heart.
For Kushina and Naruto, however, there wasn't much exciting to the experience.
---
On the road, Orochimaru explained the mission details:
The client was a village elder from the Land of Fire. During the war, many refugees and wandering samurai had formed groups to survive.
With peace restored, these groups began raiding nearby villages, leaving the villagers in constant distress.
This mission had been handpicked by Orochimaru as an introductory experience for Team Seven.
After all, ninjas were destined to shed blood—this mission was an ideal starting point.
The mission site was located within the Land of Fire. By noon, Team Seven had arrived.
Taking the women's stamina into account, Orochimaru gave a considerate order: "Rest here, eat, and recover your energy."
Mikoto curiously asked, "Orochimaru-sensei, don't we have soldier pills for situations like this?"
Orochimaru glanced at Mikoto before responding calmly:
"Unless it's absolutely necessary, avoid relying on soldier pills. Overuse can lead to resistance, diminishing their effectiveness over time."
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