Hello guys, for some reason, the internet went out in my city last night, so I couldn't publish the chapter at that time. I will make sure to catch up properly in the next couple days.
Enjoy!!
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The morning was still fresh when the gates of Konoha opened.
Golden sunlight slipped between the old wooden pillars and reflected on the dirt road outside the village. The shadow of the great wall stretched behind those leaving, like a silent arm saying farewell… or warning them about what awaited beyond.
At the main gate stood an old man, a bottle of sake tied to his back with a worn rope. He looked at the two teams with sharp eyes that hid more than they showed.
Tazuna.
A man who looked ordinary… yet a man destined to turn a simple escort mission into real hell.
At the Gates of Konoha
"Alright… is everyone here?"
Kakashi said as he finally closed his orange book and lazily raised his single eye toward Team Seven.
Naruto was jumping in place, full of energy.
"Yosh! My first mission outside the village at last! I'll become a famous hero, believe it, Grandpa Tazuna!"
Tazuna looked him up and down, then frowned.
"Hm? This kid is supposed to protect me?" he scoffed. "He looks more like a clown."
"Whaaat?!" Naruto shouted, his face turning red.
"What did you say, you drunk old man?!"
Before Naruto could step forward...
"Naruto."
Kakashi's voice was calm… but sharp enough to stop him instantly.
"Quiet."
Nearby, Sasuke stood in complete silence, staring at the road ahead with cold eyes, as if nothing around him mattered.
Next to him stood Aburame Shino. As usual, he was calm and quiet, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, his hands in his pockets, saying nothing at all.
"It seems we're not late."
A calm female voice came from behind.
Everyone turned around.
Kurenai Yuhi stepped forward with confident steps, her red eyes carefully scanning the area.
"As agreed, our team will join the escort mission."
At that moment...
Sakura felt something strange. Her eyes met Sasuke's for just a second… then she quickly looked away, as if afraid of her own thoughts, and tightened her grip on Louis's arm without realizing it.
Louis noticed. He felt her tension. But he said nothing.
Hinata stood half a step behind Louis, shyly looking at Naruto, then quickly lowering her head when their eyes met, her heart beating fast for no clear reason.
Kakashi nodded.
"This is a direct order from the Hokage. It seems this mission may become more than a simple escort."
Tazuna frowned nervously.
"Two teams?! Is my mission really that dangerous?"
Louis smiled faintly as he thought to himself:
So the message worked on the Hokage… now I wonder… will that person take the bait right away?
No one answered.
Tazuna avoided everyone's eyes, then turned around and began leading the way in heavy silence.
The group left the village.
At first, everything seemed normal. Birds flew above them. A light wind moved the leaves. Footsteps sounded steadily on the road. And the nearby river flowed quietly… too quietly.
Naruto walked beside Sakura, trying to break the silence.
"Heeey, Sakura! When I save you from evil ninja, will you finally admit you like me?"
She didn't look at him. Instead, she held Louis's arm tighter.
"Stop being annoying, Naruto."
"W-What?!"
Naruto stepped closer, then suddenly moved to the other side, near Hinata.
"H-Hinata! Isn't the weather nice today?"
Hinata gasped.
"N-N-Naruto-kun!"
Without realizing it… she grabbed Louis's other arm and hid half her body behind him.
Louis looked at both his arms. Then at the two girls. Then he sighed slowly, as if giving up.
From behind, Kurenai smiled.
"What a lovely sight… young love during a combat mission."
"It's not like that," Louis said coldly without turning around.
Kakashi suddenly stopped walking.
He raised his hand.
"Stop."
Silence fell.
Even the birds went quiet.
The nearby river looked unnaturally calm.
Naruto stared at the water.
"Huh? Is there something in the river?"
But Kakashi didn't answer.
Louis narrowed his eyes. Kurenai placed her hand near her weapon.
Suddenly!!
The surface of the water moved.
The river exploded.
Two metal chains shot out like beasts, carrying massive blades that cut through the air.
"Get down!!" Kakashi shouted.
The blades passed through the space where his head had been a moment ago and crashed into the tree behind him.
Two men wearing Mist Village headbands stood ahead. And behind them...
A tall man appeared, his body wrapped in bandages, a massive sword strapped to his back.
"Zabuza Momochi…" Kakashi said quietly.
"The Demon of the Mist."
Tazuna stepped back, shaking.
"T-This… I have nothing to do with this…"
Zabuza smiled coldly.
"How many children today?"
Then he added in a threatening tone:
"Kakashi of the Sharingan… if you want those children to stay alive, hand over the old man… and the Forbidden Techniques Scroll."
He waved his sword.
"Or else…"
This time, Zabuza had not sent ordinary chunin. Thanks to the information Louis had leaked earlier about the Forbidden Scroll, he came prepared… with his strongest subordinates.
"The Forbidden Techniques Scroll?" Kurenai said calmly.
"As expected… the information has spread outside the village, just as the Hokage predicted."
"W-What?!" Naruto froze.
"What scroll?! Didn't the Hokage already recover it?!"
Kurenai turned to him sharply.
"You… how do you know about the scroll being stolen?"
Now it was Naruto's turn to feel fear.
It became clear that the scroll… was far more important than he thought.
"What's going on here?!" Tazuna shouted angrily.
"Did you use me to lure your enemies?!"
"It's not like you aren't hiding something yourself, right?" Louis said in a calm but deadly tone.
Tazuna swallowed his words.
Kakashi glanced at the situation briefly, then focused back on Zabuza.
"I don't have time for this nonsense," Zabuza said finally.
"If you won't hand them over… I'll take them after killing you all."
Then!!
He vanished.
The mist began to spread slowly.
A voice whispered from all directions:
"One… two… three…"
Naruto trembled. Sasuke clenched his fist. And Sakura felt true fear for the first time.
Louis stepped forward.
Zabuza's two subordinates engaged Kakashi. Kurenai did not interfere; she stayed back to protect the others, waiting for Zabuza's real attack.
Suddenly!!
"Water Prison!"
Zabuza's hand burst from the pond and grabbed Kakashi, trapping him inside a sphere of water.
"Kakashi-sensei!!" everyone shouted.
Zabuza laughed.
"Now… who wants to die first?"
Complete silence filled the area as Louis thought to himself:
How interesting… now it's time for the show.
He grabbed his kunai and moved forward slowly...
one step, two steps, three steps…
Everyone stared at Louis in shock.
With every step he took, an afterimage remained behind him. It looked like a clone technique… yet it was clearly something different.