"You… you." Tazuna was furious when he saw Genya contradict him and even dare to speak to his employer like that.
A surge of anger rose in his chest as he shouted, "You haven't even left Konoha and you're already showing me this attitude? I cannot hire you!"
Tazuna's temper flared completely, and at this moment, his mind was full of dissatisfaction toward Genya.
In his past experience, he had never seen a ninja so boldly speak to their employer. Yet this young man named Genya was breaking that expectation, and how could he not be angry?
"Heh… then you can reapply to the mission department!" Genya said, looking at Tazuna with a hint of laziness in his tone.
He lifted his eyelids slightly and continued, "However… next time, the mission rating might need to be reassessed!"
After speaking, Genya glanced back at Hinata and Shino, his expression calm as he said, "Let's go, we're heading back!"
At his words, Hinata and Shino didn't hesitate in the slightest. They silently obeyed Genya, turning toward Konoha.
The two of them had determined eyes, agreeing to Genya's command without asking any questions.
"Hey~~ You're just abandoning your employer like that? I'm going to complain about you, about your whole team!" Tazuna shouted, watching them walk away. His frustration burned like a raging fire inside.
He never imagined encountering ninjas so indifferent to a mission. To him, a ninja's foremost duty was to complete their mission. Yet these people gave up so easily, which he saw as a desecration of a ninja's responsibility.
"If you want to complain, go ahead. I'm not serving you!" Genya waved carelessly, his tone full of nonchalance, as if a complaint was nothing to him.
He paused for a moment, then added, "But you'd better inform Konoha about your mission again… Mr. Tazuna!"
Genya knew Tazuna was actually kind-hearted, truly wanting to help the people of the Land of Waves by building a bridge to improve their lives.
But Genya wasn't willing to take this old man's nagging without reason.
If Tazuna continued here endlessly complaining, Genya would rather have the Uchiha Merchant Association handle it than follow Tazuna to the Land of Waves.
"Aren't you afraid of punishment?" Tazuna shouted after Genya's back, his voice strained.
He thought to himself, even without saying anything else, with their sloppy approach to the mission, once the Konoha higher-ups knew, anger would surely be unleashed. Punishment would be inevitable.
"Punish us? You can try!" Genya laughed when he heard that, a hint of defiance in his smile. He turned and looked directly at Tazuna.
"Do you know who we are? Do you think we care about punishment?"
Huh? Tazuna was momentarily stunned by those words. He wondered to himself—who exactly were these kids, and why were they so fearless?
He took a closer look at Genya, and only then did he notice Genya's distinctive eyes.
"Those… Dual Pupil? Are you the heir of the Uchiha clan? Uchiha Genya!" Tazuna, who had some standing in Konoha, had naturally heard of the Uchiha clan's heir.
Especially those iconic eyes—they were impossible to forget. Now it made sense why this kid was so arrogant.
With the Uchiha clan's influence in Konoha, he wasn't afraid of a mere employer's complaint.
"Seems you're smart enough!" Genya said, his lips curling into a faint smile as he looked at Tazuna.
Then he raised his hand toward Hinata, who was quietly standing nearby. "This young lady is the heir of the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hyuga!"
After that, he pointed toward Shino Aburame. "And this is the child of the Aburame clan leader!"
Tazuna was left completely speechless.
He had expected that for this trip to the Land of Waves, Konoha would send experienced, powerful ninja to escort him.
After all, the mission was dangerous, and he could easily be targeted by assassins sent by the Land of Waves.
But instead, they had sent these second-generation heirs of famous ninja clans.
He didn't know much about the others, but the reputation of Uchiha Genya as a "waste" had spread throughout Konoha.
Tazuna's heart sank—this was bad. He might not even make it to the Land of Waves. How could he possibly build the bridge for them now?
And changing the team now?
Tazuna knew Konoha would need to reassess the mission. If the mission escalated, the costs would rise sharply—and he didn't have extra money to cover it.
"Don't be discouraged, Grandpa. We're actually very capable!" Hinata said, noticing Tazuna's despondent expression.
She stepped lightly to his side and spoke softly, "And our sensei is one of Konoha's Jonin. She's very strong and will definitely escort you safely to the Land of Waves!"
As Hinata spoke, her eyes were sincere, and her tone was innocent and earnest.
"Don't worry, Mr. Tazuna… we'll escort you safely!" Kurenai stepped forward, smiling gently, then continued patiently, "If you want stronger ninja to accompany you, that would require raising the mission rank, along with the corresponding payment."
Mission rank… payment!
Hearing these two words, Tazuna felt like the air had been sucked out of him. His arrogance vanished instantly.
As Kurenai had said, raising the mission rank meant paying more, and he simply didn't have the extra funds.
Yet the civilians of the Land of Waves were still waiting eagerly for him to build the bridge, to improve their lives and help them escape poverty and suffering.
Finally, after what seemed like a fierce inner struggle, Tazuna seemed to come to a decision.
He gritted his teeth and hurried to face Genya and the others, who were about to leave, his expression earnest.
"I underestimated you earlier. I'm sorry. I hope you can escort me to the Land of Waves."
This apology was sincere. He knew he had no other choice but to place his hope in Genya and the others, hoping they would get him safely to the Land of Waves.
The group all turned their eyes to Genya, waiting for his reply. After all, he was the backbone of this team, and everyone was used to following his decisions.
Genya, who had been about to leave, paused. He turned slightly, scanning the group with his gaze, then said calmly, "If that's the case, then let's go."
In truth, Genya had never intended to refuse Tazuna's request.
He understood that if he didn't take this mission—and if Kakashi and Naruto's team didn't either—other ninjas might not be strong enough to handle the job.
While Genya didn't have much fondness for the Konoha ninja who favored the Sarutobi clan, he didn't want to see the people of the Land of Waves continue to live in hardship.
The most direct and effective way to change the situation in the Land of Waves was to build the bridge.
Tazuna, being a master builder, was essential to that goal. Genya couldn't let someone so dedicated to the welfare of the people fall into danger.
With that said, Genya turned and walked forward with steady steps.
Kurenai, Hinata, and the others quickly followed close behind.
Tazuna was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Genya to agree so easily to continue escorting him. He had thought it would take more persuasion.
But he quickly recovered, nodding vigorously as he hurried to catch up.
The group pressed on, heading toward the Land of Waves.
****
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