Chapter 23: The First C-Rank Mission
Although it was just an ordinary cat-catching mission, Sasuke carried it out with unusual seriousness....
He didn't want to leave Naruto with the impression that he couldn't even catch a cat.
By the time Naruto and Sakura arrived, Sasuke was holding Tora up by the scruff of its neck. The cat looked utterly lifeless and done with the world.
"Looks like the mission is complete."
Kakashi suddenly appeared behind the group with a smile.
"Kakashi-sensei? When did you get here?" Sakura asked in surprise.
"Ah~ I've been following you the whole time."
Kakashi walked over to Pakkun with his hands in his pockets. "Thanks for your help."
Pakkun shook his head. "No trouble at all. Your subordinates are quite smart. They would have found the target sooner or later even without me."
"It would have been too slow if we did it alone," Naruto said calmly, acknowledging Pakkun's ability.
Pakkun seemed pleased by Naruto's recognition. He extended his paw toward Naruto and said, "Naruto, as a reward, I'll let you touch my paw pads!"
"..."
I never should have said anything!
Naruto picked Pakkun up and tossed him to Kakashi, then turned to leave. "Time to turn in the mission!"
Even though he was thrown, Pakkun watched Naruto's back with clear admiration. "Still as cold as ever, huh, Naruto."
"Looks like you quite like him?" Kakashi smiled.
"Yeah, he's as reliable as you were, Kakashi. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to sign a contract with me." Pakkun shook his head, looking a little disappointed.
A summoning contract between a beast and a human was both mutual assistance and emotional recognition.
Pakkun had high hopes for Naruto's future and genuinely respected his ability.
But sadly… Naruto didn't seem very interested in him.
"Life always has some regrets," Kakashi said with a small smile. He sent Pakkun back, then led Team 7 to the Hokage Building to report the mission.
Because the target was a cat — and specifically the Daimyo's wife's cat — they couldn't wait until the next day to turn it in.
First, they couldn't keep the cat overnight. Second, considering Lady Shizumi's status, neither reason allowed them to delay.
When they arrived at the Hokage Building, Lady Shizumi was already waiting.
"Ah, my adorable little Tora~"
"I was so worried!"
Watching the chubby Lady Shizumi hug and smother the cat with affection, Sakura broke out in a cold sweat. "No wonder it ran away~"
"Next, Team 7's missions are: babysitting the Tanaka family's child again, running errands to the neighboring village, or helping harvest sweet potatoes."
"Hokage-sama, for the last D-rank mission, can we get something simpler?" Kakashi suddenly spoke up. "I believe Naruto and the others are ready to become excellent Genin. They should be able to handle C-rank missions soon."
Iruka looked at Naruto, wanting to speak but holding back.
The current Naruto was nothing like the mischievous prankster he used to be. He had even outperformed Sasuke during missions and earned recognition from the elite jonin Kakashi.
It was still hard for Iruka to adjust to this new version of Naruto.
"Hmm… In that case, I have a letter here. Deliver it to the Aburame clan head, and that will count as your final D-rank mission."
Hiruzen had originally planned to have an Anbu deliver the letter, but since Kakashi made such a judgment, he didn't mind helping him out.
Naruto stepped forward, took the letter from Hiruzen, and asked directly, "How much is the reward?"
"..."
Hiruzen held up one finger. "One thousand ryo."
"Looks like it's a letter with little value. Even if it gets lost, it wouldn't matter much, right?"
"..."
"Naruto, you little brat!"
Seeing Hiruzen's speechless expression, Kakashi quickly grabbed Naruto to shut him up.
What kind of ninja negotiated payment with the Hokage?
"Then two thousand ryo it is!"
"Deal!"
Naruto shook off Kakashi's grip and looked at Hiruzen. "Deliver it today?"
"The sooner the better," Hiruzen replied.
"No problem."
Naruto turned to the rest of Team 7. "Wait here for me. I'll be right back."
Yata Mirror!!
Naruto turned into a streak of light and vanished instantly, leaving Iruka stunned.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto he…"
The rest of Team 7 had long grown used to Naruto's abilities and weren't surprised. Hiruzen had been secretly observing Naruto for a while and knew his powers well, so he wasn't shocked either.
Only Iruka still had the image of Naruto from the night he fought Mizuki.
"This is a special ninjutsu Naruto has mastered. He calls it Light Release," Hiruzen said, lowering the brim of his hat slightly.
"Light Release?"
Iruka was stunned.
Does chakra even have that nature?
Is it a kekkei genkai? Or kekkei tota?
One minute later,
A golden beam of light shot in through the window of the Hokage's office. Naruto's figure gradually materialized within the light.
"Delivered?"
Even though they knew about Naruto's ability, everyone still looked incredulous.
"If you don't believe me, you can call the Aburame clan head over and ask," Naruto said calmly.
"..."
If I call him over, why did I even ask you to deliver it?
Hiruzen looked speechless but still believed Naruto.
He didn't think Naruto would lie about a mission.
There was no point.
"In that case, Team 7 has completed ten D-rank missions ahead of schedule. For C-rank missions…"
Hiruzen looked through the mission list and finally stopped on a newly submitted request.
"We'll assign you this one."
"Please come in, Mr. Tazuna!"
As soon as Hiruzen spoke, the door behind Team 7 opened. A drunken old man walked in.
"What? They're all just kids?"
Tazuna took a swig from his bottle, leaned against the door, and scrutinized them. "Especially that shortest one. He looks…"
Before he could finish, he met Naruto's ice-cold gaze.
Instantly, he felt a bone-chilling coldness. Even the alcohol sobered him up quite a bit.
"What were you going to say?" Naruto asked calmly.
"N-nothing…"
Tazuna quickly waved his hands and laughed awkwardly. "Your village's food must be pretty bad. Such an excellent ninja should have grown taller."
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen felt indirectly insulted and quickly coughed. "Kakashi, Naruto, this is your next mission's client, Mr. Tazuna."
Tazuna continued, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Tazuna, a master bridge builder from the Land of Waves. While I'm returning home to finish building the bridge, I hope you can protect my safety!"
[Ding! Master, you have a new task!]
[Beginner Task: Perfectly complete your first C-rank mission as a ninja!]
[Reward: Max-Level Transformation Technique + 50,000 ryo!]
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