The distance from Konoha to the Land of Waves wasn't particularly far.
If the members of Team 7 ran at full speed, they could reach the Land of Waves within a few days. However, their client, Tazuna, was not a ninja. Traveling at a deliberately reduced pace to accommodate him, the journey would take at least half a month.
During these days outside the village, Team 7 was filled with curiosity about the world beyond. For the first time, they were seeing the world outside Konoha, a world that didn't belong to shinobi but to ordinary people.
In the world of civilians, even a genin was considered a significant figure. A newly graduated genin could easily take down over a dozen strong men in combat. The sheer difference in battle capabilities made common people wary of offending shinobi.
For Naruto, this was his first time witnessing how normal people regarded ninja.
In Konoha, where jōnin were as common as stray dogs and chūnin filled the streets, even civilians treated shinobi casually. But outside the village, things were different. Perhaps this was the true essence of the Will of Fire.
However, the light of the Will of Fire seemed to shine only on the people of Konoha. It didn't extend to all the citizens of the Land of Fire. This realization made Naruto feel that the ideology of the village was somewhat… peculiar.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was growing impatient as he observed the passing travelers. This escort mission wasn't what he had expected. He had thought he would encounter rogue ninja, engage in fierce battles, and grow stronger through life-and-death struggles.
But after several days, not only had they not encountered a single ninja, they hadn't even run into bandits. If this peaceful pace continued, how was he supposed to become strong enough to avenge himself against Itachi Uchiha?
Kakashi, however, found this situation ideal. His priority was protecting Naruto and Sasuke, and the lack of trouble suited him just fine.
That said, he had yet to detect any sign of the Anbu that the Third Hokage had supposedly assigned to follow them. He was beginning to suspect that the Third had deceived him and never sent an Anbu team at all.
As he continued scanning his surroundings for potential threats, Kakashi's gaze suddenly froze upon a familiar figure dressed in a cloak adorned with red clouds. His expression turned serious.
The moment the red-cloud-cloaked figure noticed Kakashi's gaze, he stood up and waved.
"Well, if it isn't Jōnin Kakashi. Out on a mission? And now leading a squad, I see."
Before he finished speaking, his eyes drifted to Naruto and Sasuke, his expression thoughtful.
This man was none other than Byakuya, who had traveled from Amegakure. Upon learning that Naruto had left Konoha, he immediately set out, tracking down both Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto and Sasuke were the main protagonists of the original timeline, reincarnations of the sons of the Sage of Six Paths.
As Byakuya prepared to break through the Kage-level threshold and reach the heights of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, his focus wasn't just on subjugating the tailed beasts and consolidating power over the shinobi world. He also needed to keep a close eye on Naruto and Sasuke.
After all, in the latter part of the original storyline, even though they hadn't fully reached the level of the Ōtsutsuki, their combat strength was already on par with them. They had even managed to defeat several Ōtsutsuki who had arrived from beyond the stars.
Following Byakuya's gaze, Kakashi's heart clenched as he realized the man was watching Naruto and Sasuke.
Could Byakuya know about their true identities? Did he plan to target them?
If that were the case, there was no way Kakashi could stop him, not even with the full force of the Anbu.
Byakuya had battled the Raikage and defeated the Fourth Mizukage. His threat level was already on par with the Five Kage.
As Kakashi was trying to formulate a plan, Byakuya had already approached them, smiling as he greeted them.
"Well, Kakashi, you're just as gloomy as ever. Naruto, on the other hand, has grown a lot. You seem different from before."
Naruto frowned, searching his memory.
"You're… the guy who was eating ramen at Ichiraku a few years ago?"
Byakuya nodded. "That's me. I didn't think you'd still remember me after all these years. Guess I left quite the impression."
His tone was casual, but Kakashi broke into a cold sweat. Byakuya had indeed been to Konoha before, but that was over ten years ago, long before Naruto was even born.
For Naruto to have met Byakuya, there was only one explanation: Byakuya had secretly infiltrated Konoha at some point, and no one had even noticed. That alone was enough to terrify Kakashi.
After exchanging greetings with Naruto, Byakuya turned his attention to Sasuke.
"And that must be Sasuke Uchiha, the last surviving Uchiha in Konoha. Your strength seems decent, though it's still a far cry from Itachi and Shisui."
At the mention of the Uchiha, Sasuke took a step forward, glaring at Byakuya.
"You know me? And you knew Shisui and Itachi? Who are you, and what's your connection to my brother?"
Byakuya smirked.
"Who doesn't know the last Uchiha orphan? As for Shisui and Itachi, their names echo throughout the shinobi world. As for my relationship with the Uchiha… you might want to ask your sensei about that."
Unwilling to let the matter drop, Sasuke opened his mouth to demand more answers, but Kakashi quickly stepped in, forcing a smile as he introduced Byakuya properly.
"Sasuke, don't be rude. This is Byakuya-sama, a high-ranking figure in Amegakure. Though he lacks the official title of Kage, his strength and status are nearly equal to the Five Kage."
Team 7 exchanged glances, eyes wide with shock.
Byakuya waved his hand dismissively. "Nearly equal? That's an understatement. I'm stronger than the Five Kage."
Hearing this, Kakashi wiped the sweat from his brow, his expression turning odd.
He had expected Byakuya to be modest and downplay his abilities, but it seemed the man hadn't changed at all, still as audacious as ever.
Sensing the conversation had eased some tension, Kakashi cautiously asked,
"Byakuya-sama, what brings you to the Land of Fire? Are you here to meet the Third Hokage?"
Byakuya shook his head. "I'm here hunting the masked man. I'm looking for an opportunity to eliminate him once and for all. At first, I wasn't certain I'd find him. But now that I've met you all, my chances have just increased."
Kakashi blinked, then quickly understood what Byakuya meant. Byakuya was after the masked man, Obito. And Obito was actively targeting the tailed beasts across the shinobi world. That meant staying close to Naruto, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, would significantly increase Byakuya's chances of encountering him.
Realizing this, Kakashi let out a quiet breath of relief. At least Naruto would be safe, for now.
After chatting with Kakashi for a bit longer, Byakuya stepped up to Naruto and patted his shoulder.
"Train hard, Naruto. Right now, you're far from ready for the dangers ahead. If you die, a Uzumaki be heartbroken."
With that, Byakuya vanished in a flash of speed. Once he was gone, the immense pressure on Kakashi lifted. He collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
It took him several minutes to finally calm down.
Sasuke turned to Kakashi and asked, "Kakashi-sensei, who exactly was that Byakuya just now? Why does he know me, and why does he seem so familiar with the Uchiha?"
Kakashi thought for a moment before answering slowly, "I already told you Byakuya's identity. As for his connection to the Uchiha… he was a friend of Shisui. The two of them once fought together and defeated a jōnin from Kumogakure. But as far as I know, he never had any interactions with Itachi. Actually, Byakuya became famous in the ninja world when Itachi was still a student at the Academy."
Hearing this, Sasuke fell silent for a while before finally speaking. "Byakuya became famous before Itachi Uchiha… does that mean he's stronger than Itachi?"
Kakashi had already guessed Sasuke's train of thought, but he still responded, "Logically speaking, Byakuya should be stronger than Itachi Uchiha. However, since they've never fought, the outcome is still uncertain. And don't go getting any ideas about seeking him as a teacher, Byakuya isn't a Konoha ninja."
Sasuke's eyes flickered, and it was unclear whether he had truly listened to Kakashi's words. But one thing was certain, he had committed Byakuya's name and deeds to memory, recognizing him as a ninja stronger than Itachi Uchiha.
Naruto, on the other hand, was filled with his own doubts. Byakuya had deliberately emphasized the word "Uzumaki" when addressing him, piquing his curiosity about his own surname.
He knew his surname came from his mother, who was from the Uzumaki clan. However, he didn't know much about the clan's history, only that the Uzumaki once had their own independent nation, which was eventually destroyed under the combined attacks of several major ninja villages.
Still, he didn't bring up his questions with Kakashi. He didn't trust Kakashi.
The only ones completely clueless about the situation were Sakura and Tazuna. One of them could at least tell that Byakuya was incredibly strong, while the other had no idea what was going on at all. After urging the group to rest, he simply wanted them to continue their journey as soon as possible.
---
Under Tazuna's urging, Team 7 quickly left the town and resumed their journey toward Nami no Kuni.
Kakashi, weighed down by his thoughts, sent out a shadow clone ahead to gather intelligence while debating whether to report Byakuya's appearance to the Third Hokage.
Just as he was still hesitating, his shadow clone up ahead was suddenly struck by a powerful attack, tearing it in half. The clone's memories returned to him instantly.
After reviewing what had happened, Kakashi immediately rushed toward Naruto and the others. However, upon confirming that there were only two enemies, he slowed down, carefully scanning his surroundings in case there were more hidden threats.
Not far ahead, Team 7 remained surprisingly calm even after seeing Kakashi's "body" get torn apart.
They had already seen him use this trick multiple times to mislead enemies. And with only two opponents in sight, they actually had the numerical advantage.
The two masked rogue ninjas also noticed the group's reaction and frowned. By all logic, the death of their leader should have made these kids panic and flee. But why did they seem so composed?
Could it be that their earlier attack hadn't actually killed the enemy leader? That shouldn't be possible.
While they weren't widely known in the black market, both of them were well-trained chūnin. They had even taken down an elite jōnin before, there was no way they couldn't handle this simple escort mission.
After all, according to their intel, Tazuna didn't even have enough money to request a high-level commission.
As the rogue ninja hesitated, Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances, silently confirming their plan before charging forward, chakra bursting from their legs.
Seeing them approach, the rogue ninja smirked and swung their scythes.
Even if their earlier attack had failed to take out the squad leader, taking care of these brats would still be easy. Their age was their greatest weakness, no matter how strong they were, they couldn't possibly be chūnin-level.
In no time, the two rogue ninja disarmed Naruto and Sasuke, knocking the kunai from their hands.
All that was left was to take one step closer and finish them off. But what they didn't expect was that Sasuke activated his Sharingan in an instant, catching one of them in a genjutsu. Meanwhile, Naruto summoned multiple shadow clones, completely overwhelming the other ninja.
The battle ended in less than a minute.
Naruto and Sasuke had utterly crushed the rogue ninja. Tazuna, witnessing this, was stunned by their strength. He had assumed these two kids were weaklings, but they had turned out to be incredibly skilled.
On the other hand, the one who had looked the strongest, Kakashi, had been taken down immediately. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, Tazuna hurriedly spoke up.
"Quick, finish them off! If you don't, their allies will show up soon!"
Naruto and Sasuke, however, had no intention of following his orders. Instead, they looked past him, at Kakashi, who was casually walking out from the bushes.
"Kakashi-sensei, you just stood there and watched us fight without helping?"
Expressionless, Kakashi replied, "And you just stood there and watched me 'die.' I thought this time I'd finally scare you guys a little… but I guess you really are a bunch of cold-blooded brats."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged helpless looks. They had seen him pull this trick way too many times, they weren't that gullible. Then, as if remembering something, Naruto turned to Tazuna.
"Tazuna-ossan, there's something wrong with this mission, isn't there? A mission involving ninja should at least be B-rank. Why did you register this as a C-rank? According to Konoha's rules, we should cancel this mission immediately, confiscate your commission fee, and blacklist you as punishment."
Tazuna looked like he had been struck by lightning. He immediately showed a regretful expression.
Kakashi, watching this unfold, fell into thought. Technically, as the squad leader, it was his job to say that. Naruto had completely stolen his line, now what was he supposed to say?
After a brief pause, Kakashi finally spoke. "Naruto is right, Tazuna-san. You violated Konoha's rules. If you can't provide a proper explanation for why you deceived us, we will terminate this mission immediately."
Truth be told, Kakashi also wanted to cancel the mission. But the Third Hokage had already known about Tazuna's circumstances. This escort mission wasn't actually requested by Tazuna, it had been directly ordered by the Hokage. So, he had to hear Tazuna's justification.
Seeing that he still had a chance, Tazuna sat down on the ground and hurriedly said,
"It's all because of Gato…"