"Gatō? I think I've heard of him before. He's infamous—controls a lot of maritime transport and is a well-known tycoon," Kakashi said, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the name on the scroll.
"That's right, it's him," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded solemnly.
"All of the Land of Waves' maritime transport is under his control. He's got a group of thugs at his command and basically acts like the country's tyrant. Because Gatō monopolizes their maritime routes, the Land of Waves has remained isolated for a long time."
"Years of exploitation have left the economy in shambles."
"So what does the Hokage mean by this mission?" Kakashi asked with a frown.
Sarutobi took a slow puff from his pipe, then continued.
"This time, Tazuna is going back to complete construction on a bridge. Once it's finished, the Land of Waves will finally reconnect with the outside world. Gatō's monopoly will collapse."
"Knowing Gatō's nature, there's no way he'll let Tazuna live to finish that bridge. You're likely to face hostile shinobi during this escort."
"This mission isn't a simple C-rank. It could very well escalate to B or even A-rank. That's what gave me a headache earlier."
"If it weren't for the strength of Kaito in your team, I wouldn't have approved it."
"Your mission," Sarutobi said with finality, "is to protect Tazuna and ensure that bridge is completed. And, if possible, establish friendly relations with the Land of Waves."
"Understood," Kakashi said with a nod.
"Good. Dismissed," Sarutobi waved them off.
---
The next morning, Kaito woke up early.
After gathering his things, he headed straight for Konoha's front gate. The moment he stepped outside, he was surprised to see Ino and Hinata waiting quietly.
"I told you I was heading out for a mission and would be back soon. You didn't have to see me off," Kaito said gently, reaching out to ruffle one of their heads.
"We just wanted to walk you to the gate," Ino said softly. Hinata nodded in agreement, looking down.
"Alright, alright. Let's get going, then. No need to look so down."
It was rare for Kaito to see the two girls this dejected. He didn't say anything more, simply held one of them by each hand and walked slowly toward the village gate.
He did his best to cheer them up along the way, but nothing seemed to work.
When they arrived at the gate, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and even Kakashi—who was usually late—were already there.
"Sorry I'm late," Kaito said with a sheepish grin.
He turned back to the girls. "Alright, I'm off. Take care of yourselves while I'm gone."
"Yeah," they said in unison.
Kaito gave them a final wave, then walked up to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, we can go now."
Kakashi closed his comic, giving a lazy but sharp-eyed glance at the group. "Everyone's here. Let's move out. Mr. Tazuna?"
"Ready when you are," Tazuna nodded.
With a final wave to the girls, Kaito officially left the Hidden Leaf Village for the first time.
Hinata and Ino stood watching until the group became mere dots on the horizon, then slowly turned and walked back into Konoha.
---
The Land of Waves wasn't far. For a trained ninja, the journey would only take two or three days. But with someone like Tazuna, a civilian, it would take twice as long.
A day later, in a quiet forest, Naruto ran ahead, laughing and hopping around like a child. Sasuke and Sakura remained beside Tazuna, maintaining a protective formation, while Kakashi read his book leisurely from the back.
To any outsider, it would look like a picnic, not a mission.
But Kaito frowned, thinking. He remembered that in the original story, the Demon Brothers appeared somewhere in a forest like this.
Suddenly, his electromagnetic sensing picked up two human magnetic fields ahead.
Looking up, he spotted a large puddle lying suspiciously in the middle of the trail.
"Seriously?" Kaito thought. "Even a basic trap should at least look believable."
It was nearly noon—blazing hot. And it hadn't rained in days. There shouldn't be any water on the ground. If there had been, it would've dried up hours ago.
He glanced at Kakashi, who simply shook his head slightly, a silent confirmation.
Kaito stepped in front of Naruto without a word.
As he neared the puddle, chakra surged subtly to his feet.
Then, in a flash—he stomped down.
Boom!
The ground trembled violently as a wave of chakra exploded downward, shattering the dirt and tearing cracks through the earth.
Dust and gravel flew, and within moments, a crater opened up where the puddle had been.
"What the hell, Kaito!?" Naruto yelled, running toward him in shock.
Sasuke and Sakura immediately pulled out their kunai, standing protectively in front of Tazuna.
Kakashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Another one who doesn't follow the script…"
And Naruto—why the hell would you just charge forward like that? This isn't a field trip!
Sometimes, Kakashi really wondered how his brilliant teacher managed to raise a blockhead.
---
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