“W-wait… please, let me explain!”

Seeing the eyes of Gen, Kakashi, and the others on him, Tazuna frantically waved his hands, his expression flustered.

“Relax. If we didn’t want to hear your explanation, Kakashi-sensei would’ve taken you out already.”

Gen nodded casually. His words made Kakashi roll his eye in exasperation.

“There’s a merchant named Gato in the Land of Waves. He controls the country and cuts off all communication with the outside world.”

Tazuna shot Kakashi a fearful glance before rushing to explain.

“He exploits us mercilessly—everyone lives in poverty. We tried to resist, but everyone who resisted… died.”

“So I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. With Konoha shinobi protecting me, I can build a bridge.”

“That bridge will free the Land of Waves from poverty and suffering.”

At this point, his voice faltered. Then, dropping to his knees, he offered a very ‘sincere’ apology.

“But it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s not your fault. If I die, the Land of Waves will just remain in poverty. At most, my little grandson will weep day and night. But I believe… he won’t hate you for it.”

“...”

At those words, Kitagawa Gen rolled his eyes, Kakashi’s dead-fish gaze grew heavier, and Naruto and the others were struck speechless.

“Kakashi-sensei, why don’t we help him out?”

Gen suddenly spoke, and Tazuna’s face lit up with joy—only for him to freeze stiff the very next moment.

“Since he’s suffering so much, how about I don’t take any payment and just wipe out his whole family? That way, no one will suffer anymore.”

“...”

Kakashi and the others all sucked in a sharp breath, while Tazuna nearly leapt out of his skin!

He had only tried to use a bit of moral blackmail, but this brat—why did he sound like he had no morals at all?

All at once, he remembered: when they left the village, hadn’t this kid casually mentioned he had ‘some issues with education’?

This… seemed like more than just an issue with education!

“Gen, stop talking nonsense. We—hm?”

Kakashi rubbed his temples in frustration, but before he could finish, he suddenly sensed something.

“Careful!”

Without a second thought, he pressed Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura down to the ground, and at the same time shoved Tazuna aside.

The old man hit the dirt face-first, and right then a massive spinning blade flew past!

Gen tilted his body just slightly, narrowly avoiding it, as the great blade slammed deep into a nearby tree trunk.

In that instant, a figure landed atop it—Zabuza, his back turned to them, his demeanor cold and distant.

“Looks like Gōzu and Meizu lost.”

His voice was calm as he slowly turned his head.

“But I’m sorry. This old man is mine to—hm?!”

The moment his eyes caught sight of the two white-haired figures, unpleasant memories surged violently back.

“No way…”

“So it’s you, Zabuza.”

All of a sudden, one of the white-haired youths spoke with a smile. That all-too-familiar voice instantly told him exactly who he had run into.

“It’s been a long time!” This content belongs to novᴇlfire.net

The words had barely fallen when several kunai, crackling with purple lightning, shot straight toward him.

They came so fast that Zabuza barely had time to react. Instinctively twisting his body, he was just lucky enough to narrowly dodge one.

But the others still had him flailing—and the sight of both Kitagawa Gen and Kakashi before him threw his mind into chaos. In that instant, he lost his balance!

[Boom!]

In the blink of an eye, his whole body crashed heavily into the ground, the impact echoing like thunder and sending birds scattering into the sky.

His eyes bulged wide, bloodshot from the pain.

“Th-this—”

Kakashi and the others were left dumbstruck. What was that supposed to be?

“This guy…”

Meanwhile, not far away, Uchiha Obito and his two companions had just arrived. Watching the scene, they too fell into thought.

Was this guy really reliable?

Whether Zabuza could really be trusted was indeed something worth thinking about.

At the very least, for the moment, this guy seemed a little too absurd.

And now it really felt like they were carrying some kind of bad luck.

'Why is it these guys again?'

Looking at the two white-haired figures, Uchiha Obito felt his fists clench. Were these people really so persistent, like ghosts that refused to disperse? Did they have to run into them everywhere?

“What do we do now?”

Hoshigaki Kisame, too, felt a little embarrassed. He asked in a low voice, not noticing that Uchiha Itachi had already tightened his fists.

'…Sasuke. Has he already graduated?'

The instant his eyes fell on Sasuke, even he was taken aback. He had never expected to see Sasuke in this place!

But what really unsettled him was Sasuke’s current state—looking relaxed, his gaze drifting with Kakashi and the others as they watched Zabuza make a fool of himself. Itachi drew a deep breath.

'Too relaxed. That’s not the mindset of an avenger.'

In his eyes, Sasuke could not afford any slack.

He had to hold on to his hatred at every moment. Only then could he continue to grow—especially the growth of his eyes.

Sasuke’s path… Itachi had already laid it out.

“Let’s move.”

With that thought, he suddenly spoke.

“I didn’t expect to run into Uchiha Sasuke here. No matter what, I need to test him. He is my spare set of eyes.”

“Oh?”

Obito raised an eyebrow. He gave Itachi a sidelong glance, his heart full of disdain.

But Itachi’s expression remained calm. His eyes drifted toward the bedraggled Zabuza, who was struggling back to his feet.

“Besides, isn’t Zabuza the one you wanted to recruit? If we don’t do something now, things will get troublesome.”

“What do you suggest, Itachi-kun?”

Kisame spoke in a low voice. Truth be told, he didn’t want to make a move at all—because against these people, they truly didn’t stand much of a chance.

“I’ll check on Sasuke. Just hold them off for a minute.”

Itachi said quickly, his gaze flicking toward Obito.

“And if I deal with those brats, it’ll draw their attention. That way it’ll be easier for us to retreat, right?”

“…Fine.”

Obito didn’t object, simply giving a curt nod.

“Then, let’s begin.”

“What a pain…”

Kisame cursed under his breath, but his hands were already flashing through seals.

With a surge of violent chakra, an immense flood burst forth like a lake suddenly unleashed, torrents crashing toward Kitagawa Gen and the others!

“What the—?!”

The overwhelming surge of water made Naruto, Sasuke, and the others jump in fright. The torrent was so fierce it genuinely startled them.

But Kakashi remained calm. He flew through hand seals, then slammed both palms against the ground.

“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!”

[Boom—]

A massive wall of earth erupted from the ground, blocking the flood in front of them, giving everyone a buffer to prepare.

“Stay sharp. This won’t be easy.”

Kitagawa Gen called out a warning, his gaze falling on Sasuke.

“Especially you, Sasuke.”

“Me?”

Sasuke looked puzzled, but Kitagawa Gen had already turned his gaze away—his system had triggered at that very moment!

[Acquired Sasuke’s Exclusive Side Quest]

[This Is the Bond Between the Uchiha Brothers]

[Help Sasuke Face Uchiha Itachi]

[Accept Quest?]

“...”

Seeing this mission, Kitagawa Gen could only sigh. Sure enough, once these brats became shinobi, the quests finally started to look normal.

“That’s right. Looks like someone came here for you.”

The words had barely left his lips when Sasuke’s eyes shot toward the figure. Almost instantly, his fists clenched tight.

“Uchiha Itachi!”

With a furious roar, Sasuke all but lost control and charged straight ahead.

“Sasuke!”

Seeing Sasuke’s reckless action, Naruto hesitated only for a heartbeat before rushing after him. Itachi, noticing this, didn’t hesitate either—he lunged directly toward Sasuke.

“Hey—be careful!”

Kakashi panicked at Sasuke’s rashness, but before he could react, Uchiha Obito had already blocked his path.

“Kakashi, your opponent is me!”

“Damn it…”

Kakashi’s frustration mounted. At this point, he couldn’t help but feel that Kitagawa Gen’s words might actually be true.

There really was something wrong with his mission selection. Last time, a C-rank mission had run them straight into the Akatsuki. This time, another C-rank mission, another trip to the Land of Waves—

'And we ran into them again!'

But dwelling on it was useless. Kakashi had no choice but to fight, though he felt somewhat reassured.

After all, Kitagawa Gen was here.

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. /TitoVillar

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