Gato is the most powerful tycoon in the ninja world and the secret ruler of the Land of Waves.
By monopolizing transportation, he controlled all the wealth of the Land of Waves, forcing its people into extreme hardship, effectively turning them into his slaves.
In an effort to change this, the people of the Land of Waves raised money to build a bridge connecting them to the outside world, hoping to break free from Gato's tyranny. Tazuna returned to the Land of Waves to oversee the construction of this bridge.
Since the bridge would break Gato's monopoly, he saw Tazuna as a threat and hired ninjas to assassinate him. However, due to financial constraints, Tazuna couldn't afford a high-level mission request and could only issue a C-rank mission.
If Konohagakure withdrew their protection, not only would Tazuna be killed by Gato, but the people of the Land of Waves would continue to suffer under his oppression, with no hope of change.
After listening to Tazuna's emotional plea, Kakashi and his team fell silent.
Naruto and Sasuke were weighing their options. Naruto wanted to establish himself as a true believer in the Will of Fire by saving the Land of Waves, while Sasuke was eager to face more enemies and grow stronger through real combat.
Kakashi, however, was thinking on a deeper level. He finally understood why the Third Hokage had approved this mission.
This was never just about escorting Tazuna, it was about helping him and the people of the Land of Waves deal with Gato.
If Team 7 could take down Gato, the Land of Waves would not only align itself with Konohagakure, but there was also the matter of Gato's fortune, a staggering amount of wealth ripe for the taking.
After a moment of deliberation, Kakashi put on a troubled expression and said, "Tazuna-san, technically speaking, you issued the wrong mission request, putting us in unexpected danger. Under normal circumstances, we should terminate this mission and return to the village. But considering the hardship faced by the people of the Land of Waves, we're willing to make an exception. As long as my subordinates agree to continue the mission, we'll keep our promise and escort you to the Land of Waves."
Hearing this, Tazuna's heart leaped with joy. He immediately tried to appeal to Naruto and Sasuke emotionally. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances before agreeing to continue. Seeing that everyone had made their decision, Sakura also nodded in agreement.
With the mission back on, the team didn't set off right away. Instead, they turned their attention to the two rogue ninjas, hoping to extract information from them.
Sasuke stepped forward, activated his Sharingan, and used a genjutsu, quickly obtaining valuable intel from them. The two rogue ninjas were actually defectors from Kirigakure, former Chunin. Upon hearing this, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke remained unfazed, but Sakura was visibly shocked.
She had already found it astonishing that Naruto and Sasuke had the strength of Chunin, but to see them effortlessly take down actual Chunin-level opponents was even more unbelievable.
Did this mean that Naruto and Sasuke, her peers, were already close to Jonin level? The gap between them was so vast, would she ever be able to catch up?
The one who hired these rogue ninjas to assassinate Tazuna was none other than Gato.
Apart from these two Chunin-level rogue ninjas, Gato had also reached out to several well-known black market ninjas, all with the sole purpose of preventing Tazuna from returning to the Land of Waves.
The fact that Gato was behind this was no surprise to Team 7.
What did catch their attention, however, was that Gato had hired even more mercenary ninjas from the black market. While Gato himself was no threat to them, rogue ninjas were a different story. Most black market ninjas were either from small villages or defectors, and some of them were dangerously powerful, S-rank missing-nin included.
If Gato had somehow managed to hire someone like Kakuzu or Orochimaru, Team 7 wouldn't stand a chance. That said, a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber wouldn't even bat an eye at Gato, let alone work for him.
After learning more about Gato's situation, Kakashi swiftly eliminated the two rogue ninjas. Normally, they should have been taken back to Kirigakure or Konohagakure, but with the mission still ongoing, there was no time for that.
Watching Kakashi kill with such ease left Tazuna shaken, he swallowed hard.
As the journey continued, the once stubborn and prideful Tazuna became much more reserved, even proactively trying to get along with Naruto and Sasuke. However, as Naruto looked at Tazuna's back, he couldn't shake the doubts forming in his mind.
Naruto was no longer a simple-minded hot-blooded youth. After learning the truth about his identity, he read extensively, and common sense told him that even if the bridge was completed, it wouldn't be enough to free the Land of Waves from Gato's control.
If Gato could monopolize all transportation, controlling a single bridge would be effortless for him. And even if he allowed Tazuna to complete the bridge, destroying it afterward wouldn't be difficult either, allowing him to maintain his grip over the region.
Then, suddenly, it clicked for Naruto.
Tazuna wasn't just building a bridge to connect to the outside world, he was challenging the myth of Gato's invincibility. By defying Gato and proving that he wasn't some untouchable god, he was planting the seed of rebellion in the people's hearts.
And perhaps escaping Gato's rule wasn't impossible after all because they were here. To the people of the Land of Waves, Gato was an all-powerful ruler. But to the Third Hokage, no matter how wealthy Gato was, he was nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
If anything happened to him or Sasuke in the Land of Waves, Gato would pay with his life. Realizing this, Naruto couldn't help but admire the Third Hokage's methods. If he hadn't met Black Zetsu and learned to think independently, he would have been foolishly carrying out the mission without understanding the bigger picture.
---
After several more days of travel, Team 7 finally arrived at the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.
As the salty sea breeze filled the air, they looked across the mist-covered island in the distance and the half-finished concrete bridge that connected the coastline to it.
The bridge, spanning several kilometers, was already more than halfway complete from the Land of Fire's side.
Only a few dozen more meters remained before it would be finished, officially linking the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves, breaking Gato's stranglehold over the region.
After taking it all in, the team turned to Tazuna, considering how to cross the strait. As ninja, they could walk on water to reach the other side, but Tazuna, being an ordinary man, couldn't possibly swim across.
Just as they were debating, a thick fog suddenly rolled in over the sea. Moments later, a small boat emerged from the mist, gliding towards them. The ferryman cautiously called out,
"Are you the ninja and Tazuna-san?"
Tazuna nodded and shot Kakashi a smug look.
In Konohagakure, he was a poor country bumpkin, but in his homeland, he was a hero who dared to defy Gato and build a bridge.
Just then, as the waves surged, the small boat was overturned by a massive wave.
Two figures emerged from the dense mist, blocking the shoreline. Their eyes first landed on the target, Tazuna, before shifting to Kakashi and his team.
Upon spotting Kakashi, one of them showed a complex expression and said in a low tone, "Kakashi, I didn't expect us to meet again."
The moment Sasuke saw this man, he gritted his teeth, raised a kunai, and charged forward.
Because the ninja standing before him was none other than his elder brother, Itachi Uchiha, the man responsible for wiping out the Uchiha clan overnight.
Kakashi extended a hand to block Sasuke, "Sasuke, don't be reckless, you're not his match!"
Sasuke knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat Itachi, but his killing intent remained unchanged as he locked eyes with his brother.
Meanwhile, Naruto turned his gaze to the towering figure beside Itachi. The man had a shark-like face and radiated an aura of overwhelming strength. Naruto's instincts screamed that this man was extremely powerful.
After glancing at both Itachi and Kisame, Kakashi's expression turned grim.
He had worried earlier that Gato might have hired a powerful figure like Orochimaru, but to his shock, instead of Orochimaru, Gato had enlisted Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.
Itachi's power needed no explanation, his Mangekyō Sharingan and the annihilation of the Uchiha clan had made him infamous across the ninja world.
As for Kisame, although he had no dazzling achievements, the massive blade Samehada in his hands spoke for itself. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had no weaklings, the weakest among them was at least Jonin-level.
Faced with such a terrifying duo, Kakashi felt immense pressure. He could only hope that Anbu would detect their presence soon and send reinforcements. Otherwise, not only would the escort mission fail, but Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura would be in grave danger.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Kakashi looked at Itachi and said, "Itachi, it's been a long time. I always thought it was a pity that you became a rogue ninja. If you hadn't made that choice, you might have become the Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force by now."
Hearing this, Itachi chuckled, "The position of Police Captain is just a title, it holds no real benefit for me. But you, Kakashi, why are you still in Konohagakure? Do you really have a reason to stay?"
Kakashi's expression darkened slightly before he replied, "You don't need a reason to stay in Konoha. So, are you saying you came here as Gato's subordinate to kill my client, Tazuna?"
"Not entirely…"
Itachi glanced at Sasuke before continuing, "Before I saw you all, eliminating Tazuna was my top priority. But now that you're here, you have become my main target. Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. Uzumaki Naruto. And my dearest little brother. If I take you all down in one move, Konoha will suffer a major blow."
Kisame raised an eyebrow at Itachi and murmured, "Itachi-san, aren't we revealing too much information? We're here to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but this mission was just about eliminating Tazuna."
Due to the distance, Kakashi couldn't hear Kisame's words, but that didn't stop him from remaining on high alert.
Pulling out a kunai, Kakashi shielded Tazuna behind him and instructed, "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, take Tazuna and retreat! I'll buy you time."
Having been through battles before, Naruto and the others didn't hesitate. They immediately grabbed Tazuna and began their escape.
Watching Tazuna being led away at high speed, Kisame unsheathed Samehada and was about to pursue them when Itachi spoke calmly, "Kisame-san, leave Kakashi to you. I'll take care of the remaining ninja."
Kisame trusted Itachi completely. He nodded slightly and slowly advanced toward Kakashi, cutting off his escape route as he said, "I've long heard of the famous Kakashi Hatake. Let me see what you're capable of today."
Seeing himself cornered, Kakashi had no choice but to raise his kunai and face Kisame. Nearly a decade of service in Anbu had honed his abilities, elevating him from a Jonin to an Elite Jonin, one of the strongest in Konoha. But even so, he wasn't confident he could defeat Kisame. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were simply too formidable.
Without any hesitation, Kakashi pulled up his headband, revealing his permanently activated Three-Tomoe Sharingan. This Sharingan allowed him to use Raikiri (Lightning Blade) without restraint but also left his chakra consumption unstable.
If he wanted to defeat Kisame, he had to end the fight quickly. The longer it dragged on, the more likely he was to lose.
Forming hand seals rapidly, Kakashi's hand erupted with crackling lightning, and in the next instant, he launched forward with Body Flicker Technique.
The dazzling lightning forced Kisame to squint, so he raised Samehada to block.
With a deafening boom, Raikiri struck Samehada head-on.
However, to Kakashi's dismay, Samehada remained unscathed.
Its defensive capabilities were far beyond what he had anticipated. If he couldn't bypass the sword and strike Kisame directly, then any attack would be meaningless.
And against Kisame, conventional ninjutsu might not even work.
If he truly wanted to defeat Kisame, he needed to come up with a precise strategy in a short time.
Meanwhile, Kisame also found himself in a tough spot.
As an Elite Jonin of Kirigakure, Kisame excelled in Water Release Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. His mastery over Water Release was so profound that he considered himself second only to the Mizukage. However, this particular battlefield posed an unusual challenge.
His Taijutsu strength was superior to Kakashi's, but his speed was slower. Hitting Kakashi cleanly was difficult, making it hard to land a decisive blow. Although they were close to the sea, where his Water Release should be at full power, there was a critical problem, Kakashi specialized in Lightning Release.
If Kisame flooded the battlefield with water, he would only be helping Kakashi by enhancing his Lightning Jutsu. Given the circumstances, he could only defend and look for an opening.
As long as he could land one attack, Samehada's chakra-draining ability would allow him to finish off Kakashi instantly. At the same time, Kisame hoped that Itachi would finish his battle quickly.
If Itachi could defeat the others and return to help, then capturing Kakashi would be effortless.
Not only would they complete their mission by eliminating Tazuna, but they could also capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in one go.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Kisame raised Samehada once more and continued his defense.