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Hatake Kuroshi calmly extended his leg, tripping the robber forward. Seizing the opportunity, Hatake Kuroshi grabbed his arm, yanked him back forcefully, and simultaneously snatched the dagger from the thief's hand. Then he stepped on him, firmly pinning the person to the ground.
Immediately, three figures quickly darted up from behind Hatake Kuroshi. The female voice that screamed earlier sounded behind him.
"Ah—! Thank you..."
"Eh?"
Ino Yamanaka looked at Hatake Kuroshi who turned around, blinking somewhat blankly for a moment.
"Told you not to be careless... ah." Shikamaru Nara looked annoyed, about to say something when his gaze also landed on the tall, thin adult before him.
Choji Akimichi's cheeks were chubby; he seemed not to have had time to speak yet, just squinting as he looked up.
"That blindfold... isn't that Kuroshi-sensei...? Have you come back?" Ino asked hesitantly.
The three of them had been forced to attend cram school at a young age. Hatake Kuroshi, using his genius younger brother as a selling point, had managed to trick their parents into group tutoring. It hadn't actually lasted long; Hatake Kuroshi resigned, saying he was going traveling, and then vanished as if evaporated. Although Hatake Kuroshi tutored them for only a short time, that distinctive blindfold... besides him, likely no one else wore one.
"Oh~ It's you three. Yeah~ I came back from traveling, plan to stay here for a while."
"But street patrol duties are handed over to you guys now?" Sure enough, Genin are replacing the Uchiha Police Force during this manpower shortage. The more capable ones were either out on missions or teaching. Maintaining daily order could only rely on these recently graduated Genin who couldn't handle major incidents.
Hatake Kuroshi casually handed the dagger to Shikamaru standing aside while lifting the robber off the ground. Choji and Ino stepped forward and tied the culprit's hands with rope.
"We all have to do D-rank missions. Each team has days for street patrol; it just happened to be our turn today."
"Didn't expect such a troublesome guy..." Shikamaru looked disdainfully at the robber, now securely tied up.
Although they had played around with Hatake Kuroshi when they were younger, even getting beaten up by him back then... now, after so many years, they were still being helped by their former cultural studies teacher. It inexplicably felt like they hadn't grown at all. This felt incredibly strange.
"Can't be helped~ But you guys are lucky, running into me to help."
"Yosh—anyway, the person's caught. Hurry up and send him off. If you want to thank me, you can come feed me when you have time~" Hatake Kuroshi made a peace sign beside the robber with a punchable grin, then coolly departed.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio looked somewhat strangely at Hatake Kuroshi's retreating back. How come this person, besides growing taller, seemed unchanged in personality and appearance, as if frozen in time? What they remembered from before matched perfectly with now. Could someone really travel for years and remain completely unchanged except for height?
...
A few days later.
Inside the Hokage Tower, personnel requesting missions and paying fees constantly came and went.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind a long row of tables, puffing on his pipe. The tables were piled high with various scrolls detailing different mission types.
"No! Absolutely not! Lately, it's been all sorts of boring missions! So dull!"
"I've grown up! I'm not the prank-playing kid the old man thinks I am! Hmph!"
Upon hearing the next missions involved babysitting or running errands, Naruto immediately started throwing a tantrum. He crossed his arms firmly, plopped down on the floor, acting like a petulant child.
Ah, definitely going to get lectured later. Being a Jonin leader means enduring this kind of thing. Kakashi sighed somewhat helplessly, scratching his head beneath his mask.
Although Sasuke also felt tired of these boring missions, he wouldn't sit on the floor and throw a tantrum directly at the Hokage. Only Naruto could pull something like that off.
Since Naruto has already spoken up to this extent, giving them a trial opportunity isn't bad. After all, this kid usually didn't do ordinary things; making him obediently do D-rank missions wasn't easy either.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell on the scrolls categorized as C-rank missions. These missions weren't highly priced, and their content was relatively simple. They basically guaranteed no encounters with enemy ninjas during the trip.
"Yosh! Wakatta! Since you put it that way, I'll give you a C-rank mission."
"You are responsible for protecting the safety of Tazuna, the bridge builder returning to his country."
Swish. The wooden sliding door was pulled open.
Several pairs of eyes followed the sound. An old man holding a cheap liquor bottle leaned drunkenly against the doorway. His eyes were hazy, and he occasionally hiccuped. Upon clearly seeing the four people standing in the room, he frowned.
"What's this? Just a bunch of brats~"
"Especially the shortest one in the middle, looks super dumb."
"You, are you really a ninja?"
Naruto, considering himself quite active, was sure the old man wasn't talking about him. Standing between Sakura and Sasuke, he turned his head smugly, squinting his eyes and grinning.
"Hahahaha! Who are you talking about? The shortest, looks the dumbest?"
It's you.
Sakura and Sasuke, standing on either side, silently exchanged glances, then stepped forward slightly, closing the distance to Naruto.
Naruto's smile instantly froze on his face. He then opened his eyes and looked left and right. Even excluding the spiky parts, Sasuke's hair made him taller than both him and Sakura. Although the difference wasn't huge, he clearly formed a depression between the two.
"Ah."
"I'm gonna kill you!!"
Naruto, reacting belatedly, jumped up, looking ready to pounce on the client.
Such an easily provoked child. Kakashi covered his face with one hand, then grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar, letting him flail wildly in mid-air.
"What are you doing trying to kill the old man we're supposed to protect, idiot?"
Naruto, fuming, was lifted up by Kakashi. But even being held up didn't make him behave. He clamored noisily, insisting on showing Tazuna how strong he was, resembling an enraged cat unable to scratch its target.
"Are these kids really okay?" Tazuna couldn't help sighing inwardly. Seeing these four assigned to escort him back, half his drunkenness instantly vanished. Although hesitant, currently he didn't have more money to hire higher-level ninjas. At least there's one adult, right? Guess I'll just make do.
...
Land of Waves, inside Gato's shipping company.
Zabuza and Haku, wearing restrictive suits, were inspecting new contraband in the warehouse. Ninjas prioritized light, well-fitting clothes; even ANBU and Jonin uniforms were mostly designed for ease of movement. But due to their undercover status, wearing these work clothes was unavoidable.
"So annoying! Let's finish checking here quickly and go back. No matter how many times I wear this kind of clothes, it feels uncomfortable." Zabuza leaned against a shelf, holding a record form. If it weren't for Gato's vast assets, would they still be undercover here? He could slice that shorty up in minutes.
"We should be able to make a move in a few days. Please endure a little longer..." Haku looked up from a crate, stopping mid-sentence upon realizing something was wrong.
Immediately, both turned sharply towards the dark corner of the warehouse, shouting sternly.
"Who's there!"
Silence lingered in the darkness for a moment. Then, a figure dressed in ANBU attire, one hand adjusting a Kirigakure ANBU mask, walked out.
"Oh~ Dressed like this? Almost didn't recognize you two."
"Don't be so tense! Lord Mizukage has a new mission for you."
The Kirigakure ANBU spoke lightly, spreading his hands somewhat innocently towards the two.
Zabuza looked the ANBU up and down. Unfamiliar voice, unfamiliar mask. And this overly familiar tone right from the start, sounding as if they knew each other. What a peculiar fellow.
Lord Mizukage usually notified them using crows. Sending someone personally like this was uncommon; it was likely a rather important mission. They had basically dealt with the bulk of Gato's assets; probably could finish that guy off in a few days. Now, immediately sending someone with a new mission... gave them no breathing room at all.
Zabuza scratched his head somewhat irritably and replied.
"That guy really knows how to exploit people. What's the new mission?"
"Tazuna went to Konoha to find people. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Uchiha clan survivor will be coming to the Land of Waves together."
"Capture them alive."
"Sharingan Kakashi is the Jonin leader and will be with them. You two better prepare yourselves well~"
Despite the person's light tone, a hint of danger emanated from the narrow slits above the eyes of the ANBU mask.
"Oh? This sounds somewhat interesting."
"Understood. We'll bring them back incidentally." A bold smile appeared on the lower half of Zabuza's face, hidden by bandages. He could finally leave this stifling, frustrating mission. Whether Sharingan Kakashi or the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, they sounded like decent opponents, just right for him to stretch his limbs.
Haku watched the Kirigakure ANBU thoughtfully from the side, asking strangely.
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