The gates of Konoha loomed behind them, tall and imposing, as two newly formed teams gathered at the village's border.
Standing beside the assembled genin was a man in his late fifties, slouched and looking perpetually annoyed with life. Tazuna, their client, had a face weathered by years of labor and worry. His graying hair stuck out from under a brown bandana, and his stubbly chin twitched whenever he spoke. He wore a faded poncho and carried a large bottle that smelled suspiciously of sake. Despite his unimpressive appearance, there was a stubborn glint in his eyes.
"This is who we're protecting?" Naruto whispered to Shin with a slightly awkward grin.
Tazuna grunted. "Tch. Don't look so surprised. I may not look it, but I'm the best bridge builder in the Land of Waves. And if I die, my country's economy goes with me. No pressure."
Naruto blinked. "That's… kind of dramatic."
"You want dramatic? Try fending off bandits with just a bottle of sake and a rusted hammer."
Kakashi cleared his throat. "Right. As you've all been briefed, our mission is to escort Tazuna safely to the Land of Waves. Bandit activity is expected, but nothing that should pose a serious threat to genin-level squads."
He glanced at Naruto, who stood beside Shin with a spring in his step and a massive grin plastered across his face. "It's really great to finally do a mission together, right Shin?" Naruto said cheerfully, slapping a hand onto Shin's shoulder. "This is gonna be fun!"
Shin barely reacted to the gesture. His brows were knit, his jaw tight.
"Yeah…" he muttered through clenched teeth.
He couldn't stop glaring at the boy just a few steps ahead: Sasuke Uchiha. The dark-haired prodigy stood with his hands in his pockets, glancing off into the distance as if none of this concerned him—but Shin could tell he wasn't any happier about the team setup than he was. Their gazes met briefly, and something unspoken passed between them: tension, rivalry, and maybe even mutual disdain.
Sakura, who stood beside Sasuke, noticed Shin's clenched fists and narrowed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Ayaka and Sakura locked eyes as well—and the air seemed to spark. Their ongoing cold war hadn't cooled in the slightest. Ayaka crossed her arms with a scoff, while Sakura mirrored the gesture with a smug smirk. It was clear they hadn't forgiven—or forgotten—whatever grudge had ignited between them.
Kakashi observed it all with a sigh, rubbing the back of his masked head.
'Those kids…'
Without Tadao, who had been reassigned to a separate mission deemed more fitting for a jonin, Kakashi was the sole adult leading the group. Hiruzen had concluded that for a simple C-rank like this, a single jonin was more than enough.
Naruto practically bounced on his feet, clearly relieved. No more blue-haired, lazy bastard to ruin the mood!
"Alright," Kakashi said, snapping everyone to attention. "No delays. Stay sharp, watch your surroundings, and follow formation. We move out."
As the group began to walk, Tazuna took a long swig from his bottle and muttered, "Just my luck. Babysitting a bunch of snot-nosed brats…"
"Hey! I heard that!" Naruto shouted from the front.
"Oh good," Tazuna replied flatly. "Then at least one of you has ears."
Ayaka chuckled under her breath. Sakura looked like she was ready to strangle both of them.
And so, with awkward tension, clashing personalities, and one extremely grumpy bridge builder, the two teams set off toward the Land of Waves.
...
The dirt road wound gently through a stretch of quiet forest, the rustle of leaves and the chirping of birds the only sounds accompanying the group as they marched steadily forward. Naruto had been humming some tune, while Kakashi trailed behind with his nose buried in the latest Icha Icha volume. The air was peaceful—at least for the moment.
"Hey, Tazuna-san…" Sakura suddenly spoke up, glancing at the older man walking a few steps ahead of her.
Tazuna grunted and took a swig from his ever-present bottle. "What, brat?"
"You're originally from the Land of Waves, right?" she asked.
"Yes, so what?" Tazuna replied, slightly annoyed, giving her a sideways glare.
Ayaka took the opportunity to nudge the conversation in a new direction. She turned to Shin, a curious smile playing on her lips. "Hey, Shin… are there any ninja in that country?"
She already knew the answer—but asking Shin was like flipping a switch. He always had the answer. He couldn't help himself.
"No…" Shin started, adjusting his stride slightly as he began his explanation. "There aren't any ninja in the Land of Waves, but there are in the larger nations."
The group slowed slightly, their ears catching his shift in tone. Even Kakashi flicked an eye up from his book.
"Each of the five main countries has its own hidden village," Shin continued. "They might have different traditions or cultures, but all of them are centered around a ninja village."
"The hidden villages represent the military power of the countries they belong to. They're meant to deter other nations from invading or provoking conflict."
Sasuke glanced at him briefly, but didn't say anything. Even Sakura was listening intently.
"But," Shin went on, "the ninja villages aren't directly ruled by their countries' governments. They have internal leadership and their own systems. That's why even though they're tied to the land, they remain somewhat autonomous."
"The Land of Waves," he explained, "is a small island state. It doesn't border any major country, so it doesn't have a direct external threat. That's why it doesn't need a ninja village."
Ayaka nodded, as did Naruto—slowly, as if processing it all.
"Among all the hidden villages," Shin continued, now fully in lecture mode, "ours is the Hidden Leaf. Then there's the Mist, the Cloud, the Sand, and the Rock."
"They are the biggest and most powerful villages. Together, they are known as the Five Great Nations of Ninja."
"Only in these villages do the strongest shinobi rise to the top… the ones who bear the title of Kage."
He raised a finger as he counted. "Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage… They are the leaders who rule over the other ninja within their respective villages."
When Shin finally stopped, there was a short pause. Ayaka smiled at him approvingly, while Naruto was visibly impressed—even if half of it had gone over his head.
Then came a low scoff from the side.
"Bookworm," Sasuke muttered with a smirk.
Shin's eye twitched, but he didn't reply. He just exhaled through his nose and kept walking.
"Don't be jealous because you didn't explain it first," Ayaka teased with a little smirk toward Sasuke.
Sasuke shrugged, clearly unfazed.
"I think it was really interesting," Sakura said quickly, glaring at Ayaka before turning her attention back to Shin.
"Y-Yeah!" Naruto added, grinning. "Kinda makes me wanna be Hokage even more!"
Kakashi sighed again, snapping his book shut with one hand. "Well, at least you're all paying attention to something. Let's keep moving. We've still got a long way to go."
Tazuna groaned. "And here I thought this would be a quiet trip…"
To be continued...
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