When they saw Sasuke approaching, the two waved and greeted him.
"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"
"Sasuke, you're the last one today!"
Huh?
The last one? Sasuke paused for a moment. That slacker Kakashi was late every single day.
What's this? Did he suddenly change his habits?
He's not late today?
Thinking this, Sasuke glanced toward a nearby tree.
Sure enough, there he was, still perched on a branch reading Make-Out Paradise!
"Alright!"
"Everyone's here!"
With that, Kakashi jumped down from the tree.
"Let's get down to business!"
"Head home and pack up. We're leaving the village to carry out a mission!"
Seeing Naruto and Sakura's confused expressions, Kakashi chuckled. "Didn't you both always complain about the D-rank missions? Well, today we've taken on a C-rank mission to escort someone to the Land of Waves. So, we'll be leaving the village for a while!"
Sasuke was momentarily stunned. The Land of Waves mission was happening already?
Hmm, not bad.
Sasuke had been eager to face a real opponent, someone skilled, to test his true strength.
And Zabuza Momochi seemed like a worthy target.
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, noting his unusually good mood.
As expected of a kid, just the thought of leaving the village even had someone like Sasuke dropping his usual aloofness.
Sooner or later, I'll fix that smug attitude of his, Kakashi thought to himself.
"Alright, head back and pack up! Once you're ready, meet at the Hokage's office. Before we leave, we'll report to the Hokage and meet the person we're escorting!"
With Kakashi's command, the trio quickly dispersed.
As they left, Kakashi gave Sasuke a puzzled look.
"Am I imagining things?"
"This kid's footsteps are quieter now!"
While lighter footsteps alone weren't definitive proof of anything, maintaining the same speed with quieter steps often indicated progress in speed and precise control of one's strength.
"He's improved again?"
"Could it really be that just sparring with Guy yesterday brought him to this level?"
"This kid…"
After quickly gathering their things, the group reunited at the Hokage's office.
Before their departure, the Third Hokage offered words of encouragement and support. As always, his demeanor exuded the care of a leader who looked out for his people.
It was a classic move by the Third Hokage winning hearts with ease.
Even Sasuke, for a brief moment, almost felt touched by the old man's sincerity.
But then he remembered the man before him had allowed the destruction of the Uchiha clan, even if he hadn't acted directly.
While Sasuke wasn't the same as the original Sasuke, it was still difficult for him to feel any goodwill toward this Hokage.
After the Hokage's performance, they met the client they would be escorting Tazuna, the bridge builder from the Land of Waves.
"What? You're sending a bunch of kids to escort me? Can they handle it?"
Kakashi chuckled. "Don't worry. They may look like kids, but they're all qualified Konoha ninja!"
"Besides, this is just a simple C-rank mission. Even if they couldn't handle it, I'm here Kakashi Hatake, a Jonin of Konoha."
"For a mission like this, I'm more than enough on my own."
Hearing this, Tazuna fell silent.
Naruto, however, was fuming. Being doubted like this irritated him to no end.
Sasuke, on the other hand, remained silent, seemingly unaffected by the exchange.
This surprised Kakashi.
Given Sasuke's prideful personality, being looked down upon by an ordinary person should have irritated him.
Even if he didn't lash out, he should've shown at least a flicker of anger.
Yet Sasuke appeared completely calm.
This suggested that Sasuke's arrogance might only extend to others who were also ninja.
When it came to ordinary people, he likely didn't care about their opinions at all.
Leaving the village of Konoha, the group didn't travel too quickly. Considering that Tazuna was an ordinary person, they had to move at a slow, leisurely pace.
This suited Sasuke just fine. After all, this mission was fairly mundane, with the only exciting prospect being the potential chance to fight Zabuza Momochi.
Sasuke didn't feel like talking much during the journey. He quietly took up the rear of the group, practicing hand seals as they walked.
Of course, Sasuke's little actions didn't escape anyone's notice.
Naruto looked over, exasperated. "Even while traveling, you're still practicing?"
Naruto's comment drew Sasuke's attention, and he responded, "If you don't improve, you'll get overtaken by others."
"Besides, I must become stronger."
Hearing this, Naruto thought Sasuke's ambition might also be to become Hokage, which left him speechless.
"You've already got better talent than me, and now you're working this hard? You're not leaving the rest of us a chance to live, are you?" Naruto complained, clearly frustrated.
Kakashi, observing quietly, sighed to himself. "For revenge, huh? Looks like changing Sasuke's mindset won't be an easy task."
"Naruto! If even people more talented than you are working harder, then if you really want to become Hokage, you'll have to put in even more effort," Kakashi advised.
Naruto pouted in frustration. He wanted to train, but he didn't know what to focus on.
Practicing hand seals like Sasuke felt like copying, and he wasn't too keen on that.
But he also couldn't think of anything else to practice.
Kakashi, noticing Naruto's inner struggle, gave a wry smile. Sasuke had his family's inherited ninjutsu to train in, and his natural talent was exceptional.
Naruto and Sakura, on the other hand, didn't have any inherited techniques to study. It was up to Kakashi as their teacher to find ways to help them grow stronger.
"Alright, don't lose heart. Once we reach the Land of Waves, I'll put you through some special training!"
Hearing this, Naruto's spirits lifted immediately.
"Really, Kakashi-sensei?"
As they talked, the group was about to exit Konoha's territory.
Meanwhile, in Konoha's underground Root headquarters, Danzo was raging.
"Damn Sarutobi! He actually allowed that brat… to leave the village!"
"Is this to guard against me?"
"Fine! If you dare to let him leave Konoha, then I'll make sure he never returns!"
"Hmph! If you won't let me cultivate such a genius, then I'll destroy him instead!"
"After all, anyone from the Uchiha clan is nothing but a threat to Konoha!"
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