"Alright! Let's go!"
Naruto shouted excitedly, forgetting his annoyance at waiting for Sakura.
He ran ahead of the others, impatient to start their first adventure.
Team 7 and Tazuna had just exited the entrance of Konoha Village.
Tazuna, still seeming to doubt the abilities of his escort team, asked with an expression of disbelief,
"Is it really okay to send mischievous kids like these to protect me? Especially that noisy blond kid!"
Kakashi smiled casually, though inwardly he sighed.
"Haha, with an elite Jonin like me escorting you, Mr. Tazuna, you don't need to worry too much. They are indeed young, but they have extraordinary potential."
At a ninja's pace, the journey from Konoha to the Land of Waves should only take two or three days if one traveled at full speed.
However, because there was an ordinary person named Tazuna on the team, and Kakashi didn't want to push his Genin too hard, the entire journey was extended to about two weeks.
The team walked along the footpath, traveling during the day and camping in the forest at night, or resting overnight in small towns they passed through.
The journey was quite new and exciting for the three members of Team 7 at first.
They usually only went to neighboring villages for boring D-rank missions.
This was the first time they had traveled far from Konoha.
Throughout the journey, Sakura observed her surroundings carefully, enjoying the unique styles and scenery different from Konoha.
She noted various things in her mind, imagining how she would use her knowledge of Magnet Release in this place.
However, behind her admiration, she was also secretly wary of attacking ninja who might appear at any moment.
She didn't want to let her guard down.
One day, as they were walking through a dense forest, a strange rustling sound of wind was suddenly heard.
Sakura deftly threw a kunai towards the source of the sound but found nothing.
"Maybe just a wild animal," she muttered, though she felt a little unsure.
A few days later, they encountered two Chunin disguised as a puddle of water.
They were known as the "Demon Brothers," a duo of assassins quite famous in the underworld.
However, thanks to good teamwork, Team 7 defeated them easily.
More precisely, Sakura and Sasuke dominated the fight, while Naruto was mostly quiet and even got scratched by the enemy.
Naruto, however, was still Naruto.
He quickly regained his spirits after Sakura treated his wound.
In his typically dramatic style, he stabbed the small wound on his own hand with a kunai and swore that he was ready to continue the mission.
That scene made Sakura and Sasuke roll their eyes.
After that incident, Tazuna finally explained the real situation to them.
The mission, initially only C-rank, had turned into a much more dangerous B-rank mission.
However, despite the higher risk, and a bit of debate, Team 7 decided to continue their mission, showing their determination as Konoha ninja.
Two weeks had passed since they left Konoha.
Quite a long time for an overland journey.
As they were about to cross the Konoha border and enter the territory of the Land of Waves, there were still no further signs of hostility.
"We're almost there," Tazuna said, pointing ahead.
The closer they got to the Land of Waves, the greater the likelihood of being attacked.
They followed a winding footpath, passing through lush forests and vast fields.
The atmosphere felt quiet and tense.
"After crossing this river,"
Tazuna said, pointing to the rapidly flowing river before them,
"we will soon reach the crossing point. From there, my house is not far."
Kakashi was about to reply, but suddenly his face tensed.
He sensed something strange, a strong presence of chakra filled with killing intent.
"No... wait," he hissed, his eyes narrowing warily.
"Something's wrong! Everyone, get ready!"
The attack came suddenly, even before Kakashi finished his warning.
SWOOOSH!
Before anyone could react further, a giant Kubikiribōchō sword whistled through the air, spinning at a terrifying speed towards Sakura and the others! Its large, gleaming blade reflected the sunlight, creating a frightening glint.
"GET DOWN!"
Kakashi reacted with incredible speed.
He grabbed Tazuna's collar and forcibly pushed him to the ground, while he himself also ducked.
"Danger!" Sakura shouted, her trained reflexes making her instantly lower her head, pulling a slightly startled Naruto down with her.
Sasuke, though a bit slower, also managed to duck just in time.
Whoosh, whss, whss!
The Kubikiribōchō sword flew past where they had been standing moments before, just a few centimeters above their heads.
The wind from its rotation was so strong it sent leaves fluttering around. Fortunately, they all got down quickly; otherwise, a few heads would surely have been rolling on the ground.
The giant sword finally embedded itself hard into a large tree near them, shaking the ground around it.
Then, with an agile movement, a shadowy figure leaped from another tree branch and landed hard on the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō, standing with his back to them.
The figure wore bandages covering most of his face, leaving only sharp, cold eyes visible.
'That person...', Kakashi frowned slightly, recognizing the silhouette and the distinctive sword.
The pressure emitted by this person was far different from the Demon Brothers.
Although Naruto felt nervous and his heart was pounding, he thought,
'This is it! A strong enemy! My chance to show my skills! I definitely won't lose to Sasuke this time and impress Sakura-chan!'
"Hey, if I'm not mistaken,"
Kakashi said in a calm yet wary tone, taking a few steps forward, positioning himself between his students and the new enemy.
"Isn't this the famous missing-nin from Kirigakure, Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist?"
'Missing-nin? A heavy-hitter, huh? No problem, I'll face him! Attack!'
Naruto thought with burning enthusiasm, without a second thought rushing out, ready to charge.
He had only taken two steps when Kakashi swiftly extended his hand, stopping him.
"Wait, Naruto!"
"All of you, fall back,"
Kakashi ordered, his voice serious.
"Protect Mr. Tazuna. Don't interfere in this fight."
"Why, Kakashi-sensei?!"
Naruto asked in confusion and slight annoyance at his actions being halted.
"I can help you!"
Kakashi glanced at Zabuza, who was still standing silently on his sword, then looked back at his students.
"This person," he said in a nervous tone he rarely showed,
"is on a completely different level from the opponents you faced last time."
"If the opponent is him..."
Kakashi paused for a moment,
"It might be a little tough now,"
he said as he slowly placed his hand on his left eye patch, ready to reveal his secret weapon, the Sharingan, at any moment.
Zabuza's voice was finally heard, hoarse and cold, breaking the tension.
"It seems you are indeed Kakashi the Copy Ninja of Konoha… wielder of the Sharingan. Sorry, but my business isn't with you. Please hand over that old man to me, and I'll let you brats go unharmed."
After these words were spoken, Sasuke's face tensed.
He looked at Kakashi, then at Zabuza.
The pressure Zabuza emitted indeed felt very heavy.
'Sharingan? What's that? Is it something so amazing that Kakashi-sensei looks so serious?'
Naruto stared at Kakashi in wonder, his curiosity piqued.
Kakashi ignored Zabuza.
He said with a very serious expression to his students,
"Do you hear me? Never join this battle. Your duty is to protect Tazuna-san with your lives!"
As he said that, he slowly pulled up his eye patch, revealing a red eye with three tomoe spinning slowly.
Naruto was shocked to see it.
'What kind of eye is that? Red... and it has a weird pattern inside!'
"What the heck is a Sharingan, Kakashi-sensei?!"
Naruto yelled, unable to contain his curiosity.
Sasuke, with a slight tone of pride from knowing something Naruto didn't, explained to him what the Sharingan was – a rare eye Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan capable of copying jutsu, seeing chakra flow, and granting powerful genjutsu abilities.
Zabuza Momochi, who was apparently quite patient, was also very cooperative and even praised Kakashi.
"So, the rumors are true. Kakashi the Copy Ninja, who has copied over a thousand jutsu with that eye. It's an honor to face you directly."
Sakura, who had been watching the verbal sparring and power display with a pounding heart, tried to analyze the situation.
Zabuza was clearly no ordinary opponent.
Even Kakashi-sensei looked very serious.
At this moment, a mission notification suddenly appeared in her mind, diverting her attention.
Ding!
"New Emergency Mission Activated!"
"Mission Description: While Kakashi Hatake and Zabuza Momochi are engaged in a fierce battle, seize the opportunity to launch a stealthy and surprising attack on Zabuza Momochi. Success will be measured by the impact of the attack and Zabuza's surprise."
"Success Reward: Significant enhancement to Magnet Release (Jiton) Kekkei Genkai – possibility of unlocking basic iron sand manipulation ability."
"Failure Penalty: Host will 'accidentally' and 'unavoidably' kiss Uzumaki Naruto for a full month at every most unexpected and most embarrassing opportunity."
Sakura: "..."
Sakura's face instantly turned deathly pale reading that failure penalty.
Her heart, which was already pounding due to Zabuza's appearance, now felt like it was about to leap out of her chest because of the System's threat.
'KISS NARUTO?! FOR A WHOLE MONTH?! AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! NO! NEVER! I'D RATHER DIE THAN ENDURE THAT PUNISHMENT!'
She swallowed hard, her eyes glancing in horror at Naruto who was still staring at Kakashi's Sharingan in amazement.
The reward was indeed very tempting – an enhancement to her Magnet Release and the possibility of controlling iron sand! That was her dream! But the penalty... was truly her worst nightmare.
'I must succeed! Whatever happens, I must succeed in this mission! I don't care how strong Zabuza is, I will not let myself kiss Naruto every day!'
Sakura's determination blazed, not just because of the reward, but more because of the overwhelming fear of the failure penalty.
The fight between Kakashi and Zabuza was about to begin, and she had to find even the smallest opening.