On the journey ahead, Naruto Uzumaki took the lead, rushing to the front.
His vigilant gaze scanned left and right, occasionally shielding his eyes with his hand to gaze into the distance.
He was determined to play a bigger role than anyone else.
Behind him, Sakura Haruno couldn't stand Naruto's silliness. Seeing Sasuke walking coolly, her eyes darted around, and she sidled up to him.
"Sasuke, Naruto is so silly. Compared to you, he's just like a little kid."
"Go away." Sasuke Uchiha didn't even lift his eyelids.
Sakura: "..."
"Sasuke, I..."
"Naruto is scouting ahead. We should pay attention to both sides. Have you forgotten the basic rules of a ninja?" Sasuke interrupted Sakura.
A flash of disdain passed through his eyes.
Compared to the arrogant and careless Naruto, he was even more dissatisfied with Sakura as a teammate.
Being superficial and boy-crazy was one thing, but she also loved to chatter behind people's backs.
In the battle just now, she clearly hadn't played any role whatsoever. How did she have the nerve to talk about Naruto?
At least that guy reacted in time and struck a standard pose.
Sakura walked back to her position dejectedly.
She looked at Naruto, who was jumping up and down in front, with resentful eyes.
Damn Naruto, it's your fault I got scolded by Sasuke.
---
Hard work pays off.
With Naruto diligently scouting for danger.
An unexpected situation finally occurred.
With a whistling sound getting closer and closer.
A huge black shadow spun straight toward everyone.
Facing danger, no reminder was needed; everyone dropped to the ground immediately to dodge.
In an instant, the black shadow rushed past and embedded itself into a tree trunk not far away with a thud.
It was a broadsword as big as a door panel.
The next second, an arrogant figure with a tapered back and a narrow waist flashed and stood on the blade.
Back facing everyone, looking at them sideways.
Everyone became alert.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes even more.
Confirmed by the look in his eyes, he's a poser.
Only Naruto trembled with excitement.
"Here it comes, here it comes!"
"It's my time to shine!"
"Watch me..." Before he could rush over, Kakashi grabbed him by the collar.
"What are you doing~ Kakashi Sensei?"
Naruto asked in confusion, "I was about to show off my skills!"
Kakashi's face was solemn, with no intention of joking with Naruto.
"Naruto, stand back."
"This guy is on a completely different level from the previous enemies!"
He looked up at the slender figure not far away. Two men, both wearing masks, looked at each other.
"Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Momochi."
"Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, huh~"
"Sorry, hand over the old man."
...
On a small hill a kilometer away, Musashi sat on a horizontal branch of a big tree, holding a telescope in one hand.
Holding half a watermelon in the other.
Slurp~ Slurp~
"This melon is so sweet."
"Naruto, that idiot, why is his vigilance so poor? He dares to rush up anytime!"
"Hey hey hey, what's going on, Sasuke got scared?"
"Hit him! Attack his middle! Aiya~ What's wrong with Senior Kakashi?"
While watching the situation change in the distance.
Mist rose, covering a radius of tens of meters, and the figures began to blur.
Musashi threw away the watermelon rind in his hand and approached quickly.
Better safe than sorry. Although the probability was low, he still had to ensure the safety of Naruto and the others.
---
When Kakashi woke up, his whole body was sore and weak. Before his eyes were an unfamiliar room and decorations.
Musashi put down the ninja tool he was wiping and said, "Senior Kakashi, you're awake."
Kakashi looked blankly at Musashi in front of him.
"Musashi?"
"Why are you here?"
"Am I dreaming?"
Musashi smiled: "No, it's me."
"After the battle ended, you fainted. I was the one who carried you back."
Kakashi was still puzzled: "How come you are here?"
"Oh, Lord Hokage sent me to follow you."
"Lord Hokage?" Kakashi looked confused: "Anbu mission?"
"Yep."
"Since it's an Anbu mission, why did you reveal yourself?"
Musashi said: "Because I felt it was time to come out."
"What time?"
Musashi said seriously: "Miss Tsunami is preparing food. Her cooking skills are very good."
"I thought about it. We are both out working."
"Why can you guys eat cooked meals while I can only hide aside and eat food pills?"
"That's not good. Not the Will of Fire at all!"
Kakashi rubbed his still dizzy head and finally understood the other party's thinking.
"And who is Miss Tsunami?"
"She's Inari's mother, Tazuna's daughter."
While talking, the door opened.
Tazuna, Naruto, and the others walked in.
"Kakashi Sensei, you finally woke up," Naruto said pleasantly surprised.
Sakura looked fearful: "Really, Kakashi Sensei, you scared me to death. The Sharingan is indeed powerful, but the burden on the body is too severe."
Tazuna was quite happy on the side: "But, finally the enemy is solved. In this way, the bridge can be successfully completed."
Kakashi propped himself up with difficulty and sat up.
"Speaking of which, Musashi, have you been behind us since the beginning?"
"Mn, Lord Hokage instructed me to protect in secret."
"But later the heavy fog blocked the view, so I could only get closer."
Aside, Sakura muttered dissatisfiedly in a low voice: "What? He was clearly there all along. Why didn't he appear when we were in danger?"
Musashi said: "Because this is the mission you chose to execute yourselves. As a ninja, when choosing a mission, you must understand the dangers involved. The consequences can only be borne by yourselves."
"Speaking of this, Senior Kakashi, the village never said that ninjas could privately accept missions at a low price."
"If the news spreads, what will those who pay high prices to hire Konoha ninjas think?"
"Sorry." Kakashi whispered: "But Musashi, there is another thing more important than the mission fee. I just realized..."
Musashi said: "You want to talk about the Mist tracker ninja, right?"
"That's right. I suspect it is very likely..."
"Doesn't matter, Senior Kakashi." Musashi said: "It's just an obstacle in the mission. For Konoha, whether Zabuza lives or dies doesn't matter."
He turned to look at Tazuna.
"What matters is the mission being executed."
Tazuna couldn't help but panic a little: "What... what do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" Musashi said indifferently: "Concealing mission intelligence, putting the hired ninjas in danger."
"Mr. Tazuna, this is very bad behavior."
"Konoha has the right to recall the mission ninjas and refuse a client like you."
Tazuna: "I... I really had no choice..."
"These are not reasons." Musashi's voice turned slightly cold: "If Senior Kakashi wasn't here for this mission, and it was other ninjas executing a C-rank mission, they would very likely have died."
"Can you bear such consequences?"