The country of fire is not that far away from the country of waves. With the pace of a ninja and running at full speed, it only takes more than half a day to reach the port of the country of waves.
But if there is one more person in the team, Tatsuna, who is just an ordinary person, it will definitely be impossible to use the ninja method to go to the Kingdom of Waves, and he can only advance slowly step by step.
This process may take several days.
From the time the sun came up until the sun set, Kakashi and others were on their way.
Rest will only take place when it gets dark.
"It's so boring. Why are there no enemies attacking along the way? Is this really a C-level mission?"
Starting from Konoha Village until almost noon the next day, Naruto was walking on the forest road and finally started to complain.
Along the way, it can be said that the road was calm. Not only enemies, but also few wild beasts that could pose a threat to ordinary people were seen.
"Fool."
Kakashi punched Naruto in the head without hesitation.
Naruto screamed in pain, held his head, started jumping on the spot, and stared at Kakashi with dissatisfied eyes.
Kakashi seemed unaware and just said in a calm tone: "Didn't I tell you before? Don't have too strong expectations for C-level missions. And even if enemies appear, they exclude enemies other than ninjas. Old Just hurry up and be on your way."
"But in this case, isn't it just camping outside?"
Naruto asked rhetorically.
"This is a common thing in C-level missions. Even if someone wants to harm Mr. Dazuna, they will have the self-knowledge to back down after discovering that we are ninjas."
Kakashi explained.
Then, he looked up at the sky. The sun's light was partially blocked by the shade of the trees in the forest, but there was still strong light shining down, making the environment in the forest brighter and less eerie.
"Okay, it's almost noon. Let's solve the problem of eating right there. Mr. Dazna also needs a rest."
Kakashi glanced at Tazuna, who was already panting. His energy was almost exhausted.
"Grandpa, are you so weak?"
Naruto looked at Tatsuna with a proud look.
After hearing Kakashi say that he could rest, Dazuna sat down on the ground, and then said to Naruto: "How rude, kid, I'm not your ninja, my durability is like a monster. I think My physical ability is relatively strong among ordinary people. You ninjas are too unreasonable in this regard."
What Dazna said was correct. Compared with ninjas, his physical fitness is indeed much worse. But among ordinary people, his physical fitness is at a very good level.
Even with his age, his strong muscles still make him look strong.
"Okay, Naruto, don't argue with the elders. You and Sakura will protect Mr. Tazuna here, while Sasuke and I go to find some firewood from around."
Kakashi stopped Naruto from playing and ordered him and Sakura to stand by to protect Tazuna.
Neither Sasuke nor Sakura had any objections and followed Kakashi's orders.
…
In the empty forest, they occasionally felt the scent of wild beasts. However, Kakashi and Sasuke paid no attention to the wild beasts in the forest and began to look for firewood for cooking.
"Hey, I'm talking about Kakashi."
While picking up firewood, Sasuke raised his head and looked at Kakashi's back in front of him, and suddenly spoke.
"Ah, what's the matter, Sasuke?"
Kakashi turned his head slightly to look at Sasuke.
"Who is that Dazuna?"
Sasuke asked.
"What's the meaning?"
Kakashi's expression didn't change.
"I don't believe that as a Jonin, you haven't noticed that there is something wrong with this Dazuna. He said that he is a bridge-building expert and is about to build a cross-sea bridge between the Kingdom of Waves and the Kingdom of Fire to provide navigation between the two countries. This project must be very huge and important. This is not a job that ordinary bridge builders can do.”
In other words, there must be officials from both countries involved in this project.
Moreover, the task level cannot be a C-level task.
When it comes to the national level, even if it is just a small country, it should issue A-level tasks.
"Our mission is just to eliminate the gangsters and samurai who may come to cause trouble. This is what the Hokage personally told us. As for Dazuna, his identity is indeed different from that of ordinary bridge builders. He is a member of the Agricultural and Industrial Corps of Wave Country. I came here on behalf of the cooperation between the Kingdom of Waves and the Kingdom of Fire."
Kakashi revealed a little bit of information to prevent Sasuke from thinking too much here.
"Agricultural and industrial group?"
"An organization that has flourished in the Country of Waves in recent years, but it has little to do with our mission. When we arrive in the Country of Waves, we can just complete our mission. As for building the bridge, that is something the daimyo should consider. thing."
In other words, they were just to protect the smooth progress of the bridge construction project and to deal with the enemies other than ninjas who came to cause trouble.
Even if an unexpected situation occurs, there will still be a jounin like him, so there won't be any big problems.
This is what Kakashi subconsciously wanted to tell Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded slightly, originally thinking that Tazuna deliberately hid some information and did not explain everything, but now it seems that is not the case.
Konoha knew Tazuna's plan very well, so they let Team 7 join this mission.
He, Naruto and Sakura could easily deal with ordinary enemies.
If you encounter an invincible being, Kakashi, the ANBU chief, will personally take care of it.
Thinking of this, Sasuke finally let go of some of his worries.
He still has great trust in Kakashi's strength.
Even if there were Jonin-level enemies coming to attack, Team 7 would still be able to handle it.
"Okay, we've almost collected the firewood, now it's time..."
Before Kakashi finished speaking, the expression on his face suddenly changed and he looked into the distance.
Naruto and Sakura were in that direction.
From that direction, the unique battle sound of weapons clashing came.
Without thinking, Sasuke immediately put down the firewood in his hand and quickly returned to the stronghold.
When he returned to the base, he saw seven or eight people surrounding Naruto and Sakura starting to attack.
Each of these people wore straw sandals and exotic travel clothes, held knives in their hands, and exuded a sinister aura.
warrior!
Although this was the first time I saw real warriors, the images of these people fit very well with the images of warriors drawn in textbooks.
Unlike ninjas who can use ninjutsu, samurai are also humans who can use chakra, but the chakra they use is used to strengthen their physical fitness and sword skills.
As early as the end of the Warring States Period, the samurai had completely declined, and their glory no longer existed.
Therefore, samurai can also be called relics of the old times.
Having said that, Sasuke did not dare to be careless in the face of samurai.
These warriors all carry a fierce aura, and unlike the warriors who can only perform sword skills, these warriors are wandering warriors who have not only seen blood, but also experienced real combat. They are not showy warriors in behavior.
For genin, he is an opponent worth fighting.
"Sasuke! Come here and help, these guys want to do harm to Grandpa Dazuna!"
Naruto, who picked up a kunai to block the blade swung by the samurai, discovered Sasuke's presence and immediately showed a look of surprise on his face.
Because the attack of these samurai was too sudden, Naruto did not use the Shadow Clone Technique at the first time. Later, he was forced into a desperate situation by the samurai's sword skills. He had no time to form seals, so he could only use his poor physical skills now. Technological response.
Sakura also picked up a kunai and fought with the two samurai, protecting Tazuna closely.
Although she is not very good at physical skills, thanks to the ninja's combat ability far surpassing that of the samurai, she has a slight upper hand in a one-on-one situation.
But if this continues, Naruto's side will definitely be unable to sustain it.
Judging that the situation was not good for his side, Sasuke did not hesitate and quickly entered the battle, forming seals with his hands quickly.
"Art fire escape ho fireball!"
The flying fireball caused the warriors fighting Naruto to panic and duck to the side.
Naruto also got the opportunity to release his ninjutsu and began to mobilize the chakra in his body.
"The art of multiple shadow clones!"
In an instant, a dozen Narutos rushed out of the smoke, picked up kunai for combat, and with their numerical advantage, surrounded five or six samurai groups in the middle.
"Now let me show you how powerful Mr. Uzumaki Naruto is!"
After saying that, Naruto's shadow clones swarmed forward, menacingly.
The kunai and the katana kept colliding, making a constant sound of metal clashing, and sparks flying everywhere.
Seeing that Naruto, who had used the Shadow Clone Technique, had in turn suppressed the wandering warrior, Sasuke nodded slightly and then looked towards Sakura.
"Thunder Escape·Earth Walk!"
The ground was instantly covered with a layer of lightning net, and the two wandering samurai who were fighting Sakura screamed, their katana fell from their hands, and then fell to the ground weakly, their bodies twitching non-stop, losing their ability to fight.
Seeing this, Sakura let out a sigh of relief and looked at Sasuke with gratitude and admiration.
"Are you okay?"
Unlike Naruto, Sakura's combat ability is very weak.
Although the foundation of Taijutsu is more solid than Naruto's, when it comes to actual fighting, Sasuke believes that in a pure Taijutsu competition, Naruto must win in the end.
Not to mention that Naruto also mastered the shadow clone technique which allows him to strike more with less.
Even if he fell into Naruto's human sea tactics, it would be difficult to subdue Naruto.
"It doesn't matter, Mr. Dazna is fine too."
Sakura shook her head, and then glanced at Tazuna, who was protected by her. He was only slightly frightened and not hurt at all.
Sasuke nodded slightly and turned his head to scan the battlefield on Naruto's side.
The samurai were completely defeated.
All the samurai were beaten with bruises and bruises by Naruto's shadow clones and tied up with ropes. Their end was very miserable.
"You're too late, Kakashi, the battle is over."
Sasuke looked at the direction he came from just now, and Kakashi arrived late.
"Oh, you can't say that. A group of warriors with little fighting ability can be used as training objects for you. After all, they are free training personnel. It is not good to waste them."
Kakashi walked over without any guilt and said to Sasuke.
"Really? But this level is far from being called training. Even warm-up exercises for me are not qualified."
Sasuke put his hands in his trouser pockets and glanced at the samurai who was still twitching on the ground with his dark pupils. The paralysis caused by the thunder and lightning had not yet disappeared from their bodies.
"Doesn't this also prove that you are very good? Ordinary genin cannot deal with this group of desperadoes."
Kakashi said.
At this time, Naruto also ran over and smiled playfully at Kakashi:
"How about it, Kakashi-sensei, I'm very powerful, I defeated these guys in one go!"
Kakashi looked down at him and said: "Starting from today, strengthen the basic training of Taijutsu. If it weren't for Sasuke, you would have no chance to use the Shadow Clone Technique."
Naruto is a ninja with obvious advantages and disadvantages.
Anyone who has fought with Naruto will quickly notice the weakness of the opponent's weak foundation.
On the contrary, in terms of sustaining power, Naruto is quite terrifying.
Especially the huge chakra in his body, like a light bulb lighting up in the dark, it is difficult not to be noticed.
In the previous battle, if Sasuke hadn't used the fire escape technique to push the samurai back and give Naruto a chance to breathe, the outcome would have been unpredictable in Kakashi's opinion.
"What? I've tried my best."
Naruto muttered slightly dissatisfied with Kakashi's behavior of belittling him instead of praising him.
"Kakashi-sensei, what should we do with these samurai who attack us?"
Sakura asked at this time.
"Of course they are all solved. Do you want them to carry out a second attack? I don't care, but next time they are better prepared... you may not be able to stop them."
Kakashi glanced at Sakura and said lightly.
As soon as these words came out, Naruto and Sakura suddenly trembled, and there seemed to be a trace of unbearable color in their eyes. From Kakashi's words, the two of them felt real murderous intent, and he was not joking.
As if he felt that his goal had been achieved, Kakashi took out a kunai and walked toward the samurai who had lost their fighting ability with cold eyes.
Sasuke watched all of this silently, feeling just a little uncomfortable. Then he let out a breath, looked at the sky, and his eyes became firmer.
…
The atmosphere on the road suddenly became dull for some reason.
Perhaps it was because they had seen the cruel side of the ninja world that Naruto and Sakura could no longer have a carefree conversation like before.
Especially Naruto, his depressed mood was obvious.
"Okay, don't dwell on this kind of thing, Naruto, Sakura."
Kakashi came over and touched Naruto and Sakura's heads, comforting them.
"Kakashi-sensei..."
"The samurai who attacked us are wandering samurai. Unlike the samurai who belong to the formal system of the country, they make a living by robbing homes and homes. Each of them has many murder cases on their backs. Even if they are handed over to official agencies, their fate will be the same. .”
Kakashi explained.
"is that so?"
Naruto looked up at Kakashi.
"Ah, you are now real ninjas. There is no other way to do this except adapt. However, I believe that you two will not give up easily here."
Kakashi has confidence in these two.
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei."
Sakura took a deep breath and responded solemnly to Kakashi.
"That's good. Let's find a town to rest tonight. I'll treat you to a big meal tonight to change your mood."
When you feel depressed, eating can effectively relieve stress.
Kakashi planned to use food to reduce the discomfort in Naruto and Sakura's hearts.
Sure enough, upon hearing Kakashi's words, the expression on Naruto's face suddenly seemed to come alive, full of vitality.
"Kakashi-sensei."
"What?"
"I love you to death!"
"..."
Kakashi smiled bitterly at Naruto's nonsense.
This kid really doesn't seem to need any comfort.
Also, thinking of Naruto's mother's nervous personality, Naruto, who also inherited this trait, probably only needs to calm down for a while before he can change it on his own.
However, since he decided to treat them to a big meal, Kakashi naturally would not miss the date.
"You really care about these brats, Mr. Kakashi."
Dazuna smelled of alcohol and approached Kakashi. The two of them were at the back of the team. Looking at the three Narutos in front, they started to move forward slowly, not at all speeding up to the Land of Waves because of the previous attack. pace of.
"After all, this is not the era of frequent wars in the past. It is understandable that young people are a little squeamish. However, I can guarantee that these children are excellent."
Kakashi replied with a smile.
"Then I'll wait and see. After all, after arriving in the Country of Waves, the road may not be so easy. You must also know that with the current situation in the Country of Waves, war may be coming soon."
Dazna was drinking, and her drunken appearance meant something.
"Mr. Dazuna, we are only responsible for C-level missions. As for the rest, that is the job of the Lightning Regiment."
Kakashi said from the standpoint of a Konoha ninja.
Dazuna nodded understandingly.
It's not that easy to get words out of Kakashi.
In front, Sasuke was walking side by side with Naruto and Sakura, but his mind was always on Kakashi and Tatsuna.
Lightning group? Kakashi's voice reached his ears very faintly through the air, and Sasuke's mind became active.
Although I don't know who the Thunder Light Group is, Kakashi seems to be hiding something about this C-level mission and has not revealed it to him.
interesting! The corners of Sasuke's mouth curled up slightly.
Rather than being told the answer directly, he felt that it would be more interesting to solve the puzzle himself.
I am even more looking forward to my next trip to the Country of Waves. Even a C-level mission will not make me feel bored.
◎
On the coast extending from the Kingdom of Waves to the Kingdom of Fire is the large-scale construction site of the cross-sea bridge.
You can see a large number of workers working there, and the roar of machinery can be heard from there from time to time.
On the railing on the coast, a small girl with a cute baby face sat there, staring blankly at the boundless sea.
He ignored the commotion at the construction site. When the workers saw the girl dazed around the construction site, they did not dissuade them from leaving. Instead, they stayed away from the girl's presence.
While the girl was in a daze, footsteps came from behind.
"Is it Feng Xin?"
The girl came to her senses, but without turning her head, she accurately called out the identity of the person approaching her behind her.
"It's me, what are you doing here?"
A young man named Feng Xin with aqua-blue hair stood behind the girl and asked her about her intention of sitting on the railing.
"Ah, it's nothing, I just want to quiet down and look at the sea occasionally."
The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes and answered Feng Xin like this. Her face was still dull and lacked energy.
"After the daze, it's time to do something serious. The prey has been caught from abroad, and it has been circulated in many circles this time."
Feng Xin said.
"That's it, let's go and have a look. The work will be finished early, and I can go back and rest early."
The girl jumped down from the railing near the sea. She was not tall, but now she looked even more petite and cute.
Feng Xin didn't respond. He just took the lead and led the girl to a B&B along the coast.
There are five other people in this B&B.
Four of them stood aside, waiting for the girl and Feng Xin to arrive.
As for the fifth man, his whole body was tied with ropes, and his clothes were embroidered with a purple waning moon.
He glanced at the girl and Feng Xin who had just walked into the room with a panic look on his face.
"You...who are you? Why did you arrest me? Have I offended you in any way?"
the captured man asked in panic.
"Don't worry, we are ninjas from the Lightning Regiment. We invite you here this time because we want to ask you some questions. As long as you are honest, we will not harm your life."
One of the four people standing nearby answered.
"Thunderbolt Group!?"
The captured man's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at everyone in shock.
"Yes, we are the famous Thunder Group, and I am the leader Qianno!"
The girl put her hands on her hips and introduced her identity to the man with a proud look on her face.
The captured man looked intently at the girl, as if to determine something.
"I have indeed heard that the leader of the Thunder Light Group is a short man less than 1.5 meters tall..."
Before he finished speaking, the temperature in the air suddenly dropped wildly, and a frightening breath burst out from the girl's body, biting to the bone, interrupting his next words.
The man grunted and swallowed, and looked at the girl Qianno in horror. He seemed to have accidentally stepped on her sore spot.
"What did you say just now? Did you say that I am less than 1.5 meters tall? I heard you clearly."
Qianno's lavender pupils were instantly dyed black, with a '-' shape in the middle, and the whites of her eyes turned blood red.
The tone of voice also became eerie and strange, and he stared at the man's face with dark eyes.
"No, no...I was just talking nonsense!"
The man quickly denied it, sweat dripping from his face.
If he nodded and admitted, he was sure that his head would move directly in the next moment.
The Thunder Light Group is one of the best bounty hunter teams in the underground black market. To be able to lead such a powerful team, even a seemingly harmless girl is definitely not a good person.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Thunder Light Group to gain such a famous name in the underground black market.
Even if the opponent is less than 1.5 meters tall.
"Okay, stop teasing him, Qianno." Feng Xin held down Qianno who was about to get angry, walked up to the man, and asked: "We came to you because we want to ask you a question. You are Ziyue Everyone, I want to ask clearly, have you, the Purple Moon People, received a bounty mission, and are you plotting anything in the Kingdom of Waves?"
"Bounty mission? The Country of Waves?"
The man looked at Feng Xin in shock.
Feng Xin and others did not respond, just silently watching each other's reactions.
The man quickly shook his head and said: "I don't know how you could have such a misunderstanding. The fact that the Thunder Light Group took over the Country of Waves is already known to everyone in the underground black market. We, who have fallen to the level of third-rate mercenaries, can no longer Accept any bounty missions related to the Kingdom of Waves."
Qianno took over what the other party said and said: "However, recently we discovered that ninjas and samurai belonging to the Purple Moon Clan have begun to operate in the Kingdom of Waves."
"It's probably someone pretending to be someone. You don't know. In fact, we Ziyue Zhong have recently begun to plan to wash our hands in a golden basin. We are preparing to find a place to live the rest of our lives peacefully. We no longer want to live a life of licking blood from the knife edge. .”
Being a bounty hunter sounds very glamorous, but only those who have done this job will understand that bounty hunting is a more risky profession than ordinary ninjas.
You are not free to decide when to die or when to live.
Coupled with the military suppression by the Ghost Kingdom's military a few years ago, the Purple Moon Clan was even more devastated. All the core members were killed in the battle, and only three or two big cats and kittens were left. They had long given up the idea of revenge. I want to live the rest of my life well.
Qianano and Feng Xin looked at each other and exchanged glances with each other.
"If you don't believe it, I can't do anything about it. What I say is true. There are not only your Thunder Group here in the Kingdom of Waves, but also people from the Kingdom of Ghosts. We Ziyue people can't hide in time, so it's impossible to do bounty missions here. As for the Purple Moon Sect active in the Country of Waves... Speaking of which, a month ago, someone paid a large sum of money to invite us, the Purple Moon Sect, to come to the Country of Waves to do something. It seemed that they wanted us to come here to steal the manufacturing blueprints of some factory. .”
The man seemed to have remembered something.
"Who is the client?"
Qianno asked.
The man smiled helplessly and said: "I don't know, because we rejected the commission, the client did not talk to us further. However, if you want to know the identity of the client, there should be some clues on the underground black market trading platform. As for I don’t know what the platform said. With the reputation of your Thunder Light Group, it shouldn’t be difficult to get some useful information from the platform.”
"We will consider your words. In short, until the matter is unresolved, we will ask you to live here for a while. After we are sure that you are not one of the Purple Moon Clan, we will let you go."
Chino looked directly into the man's eyes and said.
"That's all."
There was a sigh on the man's face, and he knew that the people in the Thunder Light Group would not let him go until the matter came to light.
"Leave two people to watch him while the others continue to search. Remember, don't let even a mouse in on the other side of the bridge."
Qianno's baby face was covered with frost as she spoke word by word.
