Arriving at the mission room, my cute little brother was the first to act.
"Old man!! I don't want to do these missions anymore! Give me a real mission!!"
Sasuke and Sakura followed, saying the same thing. Meanwhile, the Third, like a well-trained fox, played along with them for a while. But in the end, he seemed to "give up" and turned his gaze toward me, as I had remained silent until then.
"Akane, do you also wish to undertake these missions?"
I smiled gently at him, already expecting this question, and replied, "Yes. I believe we are at least prepared for field missions, especially since we have a very strong sensei." I spoke while looking at our sensei. Of course, knowing the storyline, I remember that it will be quite dangerous, but we must still handle things as they come.
He looked at me for a moment longer before turning to Kakashi. "And you, Kakashi?"
"I believe the same, Lord Hokage. A C-rank mission should be enough to test them. Besides, I will be there in case of danger."
The sensei agreed and handed us a different mission, labeled as C-rank.
"This mission will take place in the Land of Waves. Your objective is to protect the builder Tazuna until he completes his work."
We nodded in agreement. The Third didn't stop there, though, and gave us some general safety tips and information about the country itself. Even though it was our sensei's responsibility to do so, he seemed to want to assist with this guidance.
His speech was soon interrupted by the entrance of a man. He wore a straw hat and traditional blue-toned Japanese village clothing. His face showed impatience, and upon seeing the supposed ninjas assigned to help him, his expression worsened, turning to visible anger.
"Are these brats supposed to protect me??"
"Brats? Hahaha, who are you calling—" Naruto started speaking but quickly realized the old man was referring to our group. He then began a verbal argument with him, which was soon interrupted by Kakashi.
"There's no point in arguing. Mr. Tazuna, the village assigned us to you, and this is the result. Please meet at the village gate in 30 minutes."
Sensei ended the discussion and sent the old man away while holding Naruto back.
Once he left, Kakashi turned to our group.
"This mission takes place outside the village and involves protecting an individual. We must prepare well, bringing all kinds of weapons and supplies. Check your needs and pack them in pouches and scrolls. Also, bring some money."
He paused but then continued with a serious expression and an intense pressure over us.
"You are now official ninjas, representing your village and family. On this mission, your priority is to survive at all costs. You may even have to kill your enemies. Prepare yourselves, for this will determine whether you can truly be ninjas."
An unexpected speech—one I don't recall from the anime—came upon us. Yet, we all grew serious as we listened to his words. We already knew he was telling the truth, and we could feel how serious he was.
...
When the time limit passed, we all met at the gate. Sensei, as always, was late, leaving me to watch Naruto and the old man argue for a few minutes. I can't tell if they dislike each other or if this is some strange form of affection.
"I'm here. Shall we start the mission?" Kakashi spoke calmly.
Already used to this, we simply agreed and started walking.
Along the way, we conversed while trying to stay aware of our surroundings and any changes in them. When I was talking with Sasuke about the Uchiha's Shadow Shuriken Jutsu and its possible uses—especially in combination with clone and transformation techniques—I suddenly stopped and frowned before resuming as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, my eyes met sensei's. When he realized what I had sensed, he smiled and nodded slightly. I also lightly touched Sasuke and communicated with him. Despite being immature and impulsive, he was different from Naruto and Sakura; he had a certain level of self-control.
We continued walking until we finally felt something approaching. A large chain and claw lunged from the right side, aiming to attack Tazuna. Sasuke reacted swiftly, stepping in to protect the target. Meanwhile, a second enemy appeared and attacked Naruto.
My brother still seemed surprised and unable to react, but I had already moved. Appearing in front of him, my body carried a light amount of chakra. I moved my hands in a unique way while thinking:
"Nine Phantom Lotus Martial Style: Two Reverse Lotuses."
My arms seemed to transform into two beautiful lotus petals that immediately pushed the chain away. I didn't stop there and quickly moved my fingers.
"Wind Blade."
Two wind blades materialized near me and attacked the enemy. He managed to block the first, but the second cut deeply into his chest.
"Brother!! How dare you attack the Demon Brothers, Gōzu and Meizu!! Taste our wrath!"
With an exaggerated declaration, both moved even faster, their chains and weapons striking from different directions. I maintained a cold expression as two wind clones appeared to ensure our group's safety.
My brother seemed more alert now, but I saw seriousness, fear, and embarrassment on his face.
"Naruto! Remember, to be a ninja and a Hokage, you need strength and capability."
Even though we were in battle, I spoke in an attempt to remind my brother of his strong desire and goal. Just as the chains came dangerously close, with my clones and I ready to intervene, we didn't have to.
The chains were all caught by a ninja. Using well-trained, incredibly fast taijutsu, he pulled the two attackers in and quickly knocked them out with punches and kicks. The scene demonstrated a glimpse of what a Jounin-level ninja was capable of.
Afterward, he restrained them with their own chains and placed some simple seals on their bodies.
"Good. Two Mist ninjas, hired assassins with at least early Chunin-level skills," sensei stated, then turned his gaze toward the man we were supposed to protect. Tazuna visibly tensed.
However, a sudden loud cry and the sight of blood shocked me and caught everyone's attention.
I saw my brother cutting his hand with a kunai, declaring,
"I'm sorry!! Team, I—I..."
He hesitated for a few moments, and I felt immense distress, wanting to stop his bleeding and help him. Finally, he seemed to recall his past experiences and my words.
"I... am a ninja! I won't run away! I won't hesitate anymore!
I said I'd never let anyone call me a coward again!
And I won't let others do everything for me!
If I retreat now, if I run away again...
I'll always be the same weak kid!
I WILL PROVE MYSELF!!
I will keep moving forward, even if I get hurt in the process!!"
As soon as he finished his speech, I appeared in front of him, flicked his forehead, and immediately began treating his wound with medicine and bandages while scolding him for his recklessness.
Sensei, who had intended to interrogate the assassins, remained silent at the scene, seemingly afraid to irritate me while also appearing to relive distant memories.
Of course, he eventually snapped out of it and sent a small, cute dog to inform the village of the captured enemies, likely requesting their retrieval and interrogation.
...
After treating my brother's wound and scolding him until he had a headache, we continued on and began questioning the builder. He initially resisted answering, but in the end, he revealed that a wealthy man named Gato wanted to kill him to prevent the bridge's construction. The information made it clear that this mission was above C-rank, possibly even A-rank.
Such a discovery made Sensei want to turn back, but after much pleading and emotional blackmail from the merchant, we convinced him to let us continue the mission.