As Naruto and his team continued their journey, they noticed the gradual transition between countries.
The Land of Fire was full of lush forests and flowing rivers—a land rich in greenery and prosperity.
But as they approached the Land of Waves, the atmosphere shifted noticeably.
A thick fog settled in the air—not enough to block vision, but just enough to mark a clear change in surroundings.
It took them three days to finally reach the edge of the Land of Waves.
Fortunately, the journey had been smooth. There were no bandits or any unexpected encounters along the way.
"Kakashi-sensei, how much longer until we get there?" Sakura asked, stretching her arms as they walked along the misty road.
"Probably an hour or so," Kakashi replied calmly.
Sakura nodded, satisfied. Meanwhile, both Naruto and Sasuke perked up.
"Hey, Sasuke! Let's race to the village! First one there wins!" Naruto said with a grin.
Sasuke smirked. "You? Win against me? What gave you the courage to think you could actually beat me today?"
"YOU—!" Naruto snapped.
"Hmph. It's obviously going to be me."
"Bastard! This time, I'll win for sure!"
Before Kakashi could stop them, both boys took off at full speed, racing toward the destination Tazuna had described earlier.
They didn't know, however, that an ambush lay ahead.
As they sprinted down the road, Sasuke suddenly spotted a puddle of water in the middle of the path.
He immediately slowed down, eyes narrowing.
That puddle didn't belong. It hadn't rained recently.
Naruto, noticing Sasuke slow, did the same and fell back to rejoin the group—just as they passed over it.
Suddenly, two masked shinobi burst out of the puddle—one leaping toward Kakashi and the other emerging from the bushes.
The Demon Brothers.
They attacked in unison, flinging a massive chain that wrapped around Kakashi.
With a brutal motion—they split Kakashi in two.
"Kakashi-sensei!!" Sakura shouted in horror.
But the attack didn't stop there. The Demon Brothers flickered forward again, this time targeting Naruto with their chains.
Naruto stood frozen, eyes wide with shock.
Move. Move. Why can't I move?!
His body refused to listen. He was paralyzed by fear.
Before the chains reached him, Sasuke jumped in, launching shuriken to knock them off course.
He stomped down on the chain and immediately followed up with another barrage of shuriken, aiming directly for the attackers' chests.
The brothers deflected, quickly switching tactics—now lunging toward Tazuna.
Sakura stood in front of him, arms up defensively.
Sasuke stepped in front of her, ready to intercept.
As the Demon Brothers raised their chains again—
Kakashi appeared in a blur, knocking them both out cold in an instant.
He held them suspended, the chains now tangled around their own necks as they choked and struggled.
"Is everyone okay?" Kakashi asked casually.
Sakura's eyes went wide. "He's alive?! But… he got sliced in half!"
She looked back toward where Kakashi had fallen and realized—
"Replacement Jutsu…!"
"Tch. Show-off," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
Naruto finally snapped out of his daze, processing everything that had just happened.
Kakashi looked toward him. "Naruto. Sorry I didn't step in sooner—I didn't expect you to freeze up like that."
He tied the Demon Brothers to a nearby tree.
Naruto lowered his head, flustered and frustrated. I couldn't do anything…
Watching Sasuke handle the situation like he had done it a hundred times only made Naruto feel worse. Damn it. I have to catch up.
Kakashi turned his attention to Tazuna, eyes narrowing.
"Mr. Tazuna... I don't recall anything in the mission description mentioning enemy ninja. C-rank missions are meant to protect against bandits or thieves—not trained assassins."
He crossed his arms.
"If ninja are involved, that pushes this into B-rank or higher."
He looked back at his team. "Come on. We're ending this mission here."
Tazuna immediately broke into a sweat. "W-Wait! Please don't! I didn't think they'd send ninja this soon—I mean, I was hoping you'd at least escort me far enough—!"
Kakashi's expression didn't change. He was calm, but clearly serious.
Tazuna hadn't been honest.
And that was going to be a problem.
Seeing that Kakashi and his team might abandon the mission, Tazuna broke into a cold sweat, panic settling in.
He quickly dropped to his knees, pleading.
"Please! I'll tell you the whole truth—just listen! It's all because of that villain Gato! You have to help me!"
Kakashi raised a brow, and the rest of the team paused.
Tazuna took this as his chance—and immediately activated a knock-off version of Talk no Jutsu, launching into a dramatic explanation of his situation.
He told them about Gato, a powerful and corrupt businessman who ruled the Land of Waves from the shadows.
Gato had built a fortune through illegal trade and smuggling, using thugs and even hired shinobi to maintain control and silence opposition.
Tazuna's goal was to build a bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the mainland—something that would revive trade and break Gato's monopoly.
But Gato wasn't about to let that happen, and had begun targeting anyone involved with the bridge project.
Tazuna's voice cracked slightly as he continued.
"My son… he tried to stand up to Gato. He was killed. I— I just want to finish this bridge for him… and for the people of my country.
I know I was wrong to lie about the mission, but… please."
Naruto looked away, guilt biting at him. He wanted to speak up—but after freezing during the attack, he stayed silent.
Sakura glanced at Tazuna, then turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei… can we help him? I think this uncle's really pitiful."
Naruto immediately perked up. "Yeah, Sensei! We can take care of Gato's guys, no problem!"
Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
They both forget they could've died today because of Tazuna's lie… still too naive.
But when he looked at Naruto—so eager, so familiar—he couldn't help but think of Obito.
Forget it. They'll learn in time. I'll help them this once.
"…Alright, alright. We'll continue the mission."
"Yes! Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!" Naruto beamed.
"But first," Kakashi said, turning to Naruto, "you've got a wound on your hand. Mist-nin like the Demon Brothers often coat their weapons in poison. I need to check it."
Naruto held out his hand. After Kakashi did a thorough inspection, he sighed in relief.
"Good news—no poison. I'll patch it up, but be careful next time."
"Yes, Sensei! I'll be more careful from now on!" Naruto replied, his expression serious.
He clenched his fist, mentally promising himself not to freeze again—not when it mattered.