"Wait a moment, I have some questions to ask Mr. Tazuna." Kakashi turned to look at Tazuna. It was supposed to be a C-rank mission, just protecting him from robbers and mafia groups, but now there were ninjas involved.
Judging from the headbands, they were mist ninjas from the Hidden Mist Village specializing in assassination. This matter needed to be clarified.
So, the group of nine decided to take a short rest. Kakashi went to Tazuna and asked about what was going on, and Tazuna had no choice but to slowly reveal the truth.
However, at this time, several pairs of cold eyes were staring at Kaoru's group from the shadows.
"What's this? It seems like we're not the only ones targeting these guys..."
"Those are assassination ninjas from the Hidden Mist Village. Their purpose here is different from ours. It seems they're here to kill the client."
"Doesn't matter, we'll have to kill the others anyway to catch that kid!"
"If that's the case, then let's investigate a little. After all, Kakashi Hatake is in there, and he's a bit tricky. Maybe there's an easier way to get rid of these brats."
Inside a dense forest, within a cone-shaped, dark base.
"You're saying they failed?" A short man in a suit pointed at Zabuza and shouted, "I heard you were skilled ninjas, that's why I paid so much to hire you!"
He was the mastermind behind the assassination of Tazuna: Gatō.
"Shut your mouth." A contemptuous voice slowly rang out. A man with his face covered in white cloth, wearing a Hidden Mist Village headband askew, was sitting leisurely on the sofa.
Then, he waved the huge sword in his hand, aiming it at Gatō.
"You..." Seeing himself being aimed at by a sword taller than him, Gatō immediately became nervous and speechless.
The sword-wielder was one of the Hidden Mist Village's "Seven Ninja Swordsmen," the second user of the "Kubikiribōchō": Zabuza Momochi!
"Next time, I'll use this Kubikiribōchō to take care of those guys!" Zabuza said coldly.
"Is it really okay? The enemy seems to have hired powerful ninjas too. The Demon Brothers before..."Gatō stammered.
"Who do you think I am, comparing me to those small fries?" Zabuza snorted and said, "In short, I won't take your money for nothing, so rest assured."
"O-Okay!"Gatō wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and left the room with his subordinates.
"Hmph, just a piece of trash who only knows how to order people around..." Zabuza put the greatsword aside and said coldly.
"Pat pat pat!" At this time, footsteps were heard again.
"Troublesome!" Zabuza spat and looked towards the door, "Didn't I say that I'll take care of this matter..."
"Hmm?" His words stopped abruptly because the person who came was not Gatō.
"Mr. Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, nice to meet you!" The person walking in the front slowly spoke. He had white hair, two small red dots on his forehead, and eyes full of indifference.
Behind this person stood four others, all wearing the same clothes, with expressions of arrogance and impatience.
"Who are you guys..." Zabuza said in a cold voice.
"People with the same goal as you." The white-haired boy replied.
"Same goal?" Zabuza frowned.
"That's right." The white-haired boy nodded, "I know you were hired to deal with a man named Tazuna, and we have the same intention."
"Sorry!" Hearing the white-haired boy say this, Zabuza shook the Kubikiribōchō in his hand, "That Tazuna's head can only be mine, I will never let anyone steal the money I'm about to get."
"Don't worry, we're not here for the money." The white-haired boy remained calm, "What we want is to protect one of the ninjas in that Tazuna group, so maybe if we cooperate, we can complete this matter faster."
"Tch! I never cooperate with strangers." Zabuza's eyes also turned cold, "Since our goals are different, then let's go our separate ways. However, if I accidentally kill the ninja you want, don't blame me."
"I hope you can reconsider, the enemy has the Leaf Village's copy ninja Kakashi Hatake." The white-haired boy continued to persuade.
"Enough!" Zabuza suddenly violently swung the Kubikiribōchō, slashing towards the white-haired boy in front.
"Hmm?!" The four ninjas behind the white-haired boy immediately made a move, but the white-haired boy stretched out a hand to signal them to stay put.
And he himself did not make any movements against the incoming sword.
"Whoosh!" The Kubikiribōchō stopped a few inches in front of him, only cutting off a few strands of his hair.
"You're a pretty brave guy." Zabuza laughed, then retracted the Kubikiribōchō.
"I still hope you can consider it carefully." The white-haired boy still said in that calm and collected manner.
"No need, I never thought about cooperating with you weirdos, even if the opponent is Kakashi Hatake, I will make him become a ghost under this Kubikiribōchō!"
"If that's the case, then we'll take our leave, let's go." After a moment of silence, seeing that Zabuza still insisted, the white-haired boy nodded, then turned and left the room, and the other four ninjas also glared at Zabuza angrily and followed behind him.
"Where did these guys come from, they give me a dangerous feeling..." Zabuza looked at the five people who disappeared and thought to himself, "But the opponent is actually Kakashi Hatake, it seems this assassination has become interesting."
.....
At this time, Kaoru's group of nine were crowded on a small boat.
"We've finally reached the territory of the Land of Waves, but I still hope everyone doesn't let their guard down." Tazuna said with a smile. He had already told Kaoru's group about being targeted by Gatō.
After discussing with Kakashi, Kaoru decided to continue with the mission, considering the situation in the Land of Waves at this time.
After visiting the unfinished bridge, the group officially arrived on the land of the Land of Waves, continuing to protect Tazuna as they moved forward.
Another forest.
"They're here..." Zabuza, hiding in the shadows of the trees, saw Kaoru's group of nine.
"As expected, there's Kakashi Hatake, but other than him, they're all just laughable kids. To think they brought a bunch of burdens to carry out the mission, it seems like the assassination should be quite easy." Zabuza laughed. He naturally included Kaoru, who was also a Jōnin, on the side of the laughable kids.
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"