As dusk fell and the sun set in the west, the forest gradually darkened.
Tazuna walked ahead while drinking sake and glanced at Naruto beside him, who looked depressed, then said drunkenly.
"Little brat, are you alright? If you're scared, go home and drink milk."
After revealing the true mission details earlier, he felt much more relaxed.
The only thing still weighing heavily on his mind was the thirty percent profit promised to Renji.
Sasuke walked ahead with his hands in his pockets and looked back at Naruto with a cold expression as he mocked him.
"If you're scared, don't stay too far from me, coward."
"What did you say, Sasuke!" Naruto's face darkened as he clenched his fists angrily.
"No one is perfect and nothing is flawless. Since we are human, we naturally have flaws. For example, you are a coward."
Renji said as he casually took a box of three-colored dango from Naruto's backpack and ate one with a faint mocking smile.
"Bastard!" Naruto's expression became even uglier.
Renji glanced at the scratch on Naruto's right hand and said calmly.
"Those guys had poison under their fingernails. You should treat the wound. Little brats are troublesome. Anyway, try your best not to hold us back."
"Coward, coward, all of you are looking down on me!" Naruto suddenly stopped walking, pulled out a kunai, and stabbed it into his right hand as blood flowed down his palm.
Everyone froze in place and stared at him.
"Naruto, what are you doing!" Sakura Haruno's pupils shrank as she hurried forward with bandages.
"Wait, Naruto seems to have something to say," Renji said as he placed a hand on Sakura Haruno's shoulder and casually patted her rounded butt.
"Hooligan teacher, where are you touching!" Sakura Haruno's face flushed slightly as she pinched Renji's hand hard.
Renji withdrew his hand and looked calmly at Naruto.
The Nine-Tails brat had finally matured.
"Why is it so different? Why am I always the one holding everyone back!" Naruto shouted hoarsely with tears in his eyes.
"I should already be stronger than before. I've been completing missions and training every day according to Teacher Renji's advice.
I don't want to wait for others to save me anymore. I won't be discouraged and I won't run away. I don't want to lose to Sasuke.
I want to prove myself to Teacher Renji!" Naruto's voice trembled with determination as tears filled his eyes.
"Hmph," Sasuke watched him quietly with his hands in his pockets.
"I swear by this pain that I will become strong enough to protect everyone and earn Teacher Renji's approval!"
Naruto raised his bleeding right hand and stabbed the kunai straight through his palm again.
He looked firmly at everyone present and declared, "I never go back on my word. That is my ninja way!"
From this moment onward, he would become strong enough to stand beside Team 7 and face any enemy.
And he would earn Renji's approval.
Sasuke's lips curved slightly as he raised his chin and snorted, "Idiot, you're still far from it."
"Naruto..." Sakura Haruno looked at him in surprise.
Ninja way? What is my ninja way?
I also have someone I don't want to lose to. I want to prove myself to Ino.
Renji clapped his hands and chuckled with satisfaction as he said.
"Well said. Seeing you grow like this really moves me. I should find a chance to give you an award."
It was a good thing that the Nine-Tails brat's mindset had improved.
Only with strong willpower could he grow stronger and help accelerate completion of the Master-Disciple Mission.
Perfect.
Renji pointed at Naruto's bleeding hand and said, "It's good for a ninja to look cool and show off, but you'll bleed too much."
"Eh? Eh?" Naruto's eyes widened in panic as he clutched his head and shouted, "Will I die? What should I do, Teacher Renji!"
"It's fine. After you die, I'll buy you a coffin. They're on special discount recently."
Renji said as he grabbed Naruto's hand and examined the wound that was already healing.
The Nine-Tails' power.
Automatic recovery supported by massive Chakra really was convenient.
His own Chakra reserves were even greater than the Nine-Tails', making healing even easier for him.
"Hey, is that something a teacher should say!" Naruto complained angrily.
Sakura Haruno held her forehead and sighed as she said, "Even when he says something nice, he's still an idiot."
While everyone continued talking, a white mist gradually spread through the area.
Snow-like droplets slowly drifted through the air as the temperature dropped.
"Mist?"
Team 7's expressions changed immediately.
The thick white mist quickly covered the entire surroundings until visibility became extremely poor.
"Why is it suddenly foggy? Did the weather change?" Sakura Haruno asked in confusion.
"What kind of weird weather is this? One moment it's hot, the next it's cold!" Naruto complained.
Sasuke frowned slightly as he carefully observed the surroundings.
This mist felt strange.
"Everyone, get down," Renji said calmly.
As he continued eating his dango while activating the Tenseigan's Byakugan ability and watching a large sword spinning rapidly toward them from a distance.
"Get down?"
Team 7 looked confused for a moment before immediately crouching down and covering their heads.
Why suddenly crouch down? Was Teacher Renji joking again?
"What the heck? He suddenly tells us to get down for no reason," Naruto complained while crouching.
"Teacher Renji, stop messing around. We're still on a mission."
Just as he finished speaking, a violent gust of wind rushed past them.
The Executioner's Blade sliced through two tree trunks as it spun through the air like a giant shuriken and flew directly above Team 7's heads toward Renji's neck.
Renji calmly continued eating his dango as he watched the approaching sword without moving.
He casually raised the thin wooden skewer from his dango and blocked the massive blade effortlessly.
With a loud impact, a powerful gust of wind exploded outward as dust rose into the air.
The Executioner's Blade dropped heavily to the ground.
The wooden skewer remained completely intact.
"Is this a welcome gift for me? There's no need to be so polite," Renji said calmly as he picked up the Executioner's Blade and slung it across his back.
Through the Tenseigan's Byakugan ability, he could clearly see Zabuza Momochi hiding nearby.
Zabuza probably planned to throw the sword into a tree trunk and make a dramatic entrance by standing on it and looking down at everyone.
Trying to show off? Not happening.
Your dramatic entrance failed.
Now the Executioner's Blade belongs to me.
...
Author's Note:
Naruto: Awakening the Tenseigan, Becoming Team 7's Mentor — Part 1 is now fully completed with 130+ chapters, all available on my Patreon!
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1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
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5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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