LRAB Page 61
Page 61
If Minato-sensei were still alive back then, he certainly wouldn't have allowed Kumogakure to be so arrogant and rude.
If the Fourth Hokage were still alive, how could he possibly tolerate such an outrageous demand?
"Ugh……"
Kakashi couldn't help but sigh, his heart filled with a mix of longing for his former teacher and resentment towards the past.
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +400!]
on the screen.
Naruto felt a little proud when he heard Neji praise his father like that.
But he always felt that Neji's performance was a bit too exaggerated.
Is it necessary to get so worked up?
Naruto muttered to himself.
However, although he spoke softly, Neji heard him clearly.
Neji, with his sharp ears, immediately stood up, his expression extremely solemn, and gazed intently at Naruto as he earnestly replied, "Absolutely necessary! The Fourth Hokage not only saved my father, but also gave me a lifelong goal. My goal is to become a Hokage as great as the Fourth Hokage!"
Neji's resounding declaration echoed in the air, and Naruto's mouth gaped open slightly, momentarily stunned by Neji's fervent gaze and words.
Everyone around held their breath, watching Neji's excited expression.
After a moment, no one spoke again. The scene in the dream slowly froze, and the light screen in the theater gradually dimmed.
[This time, the dream-fulfilling recipient is: Naruto Uzumaki]
[Viewers: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Hinata, Hatake Kakashi]
[Total Emotion Points Gain: 33100!]
[Current sentiment score balance: 215431 points!]
[Current Dream Fulfillment Level: 3 (269931/300000)]
……
The next morning.
The morning light filters through the trees, casting dappled shadows.
After camping overnight in the wild, Class 7 continued their journey to the Land of Waves.
Naruto woke up from his sleep, his mind still replaying the scene of Neji's speech from the previous night, unable to come to his senses for a long time.
Unexpectedly, that guy's target was also the Hokage, and he was also a huge fan of his father.
Naruto lay on the made-up bedding, lost in thought. Recalling the adoring expression on Neji's face, he couldn't help but marvel at how great his father truly was.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle, a surge of pride and longing welling up inside him. He muttered to himself, "Want to become Hokage? Hmph, defeat me first."
A silly smile appeared on his face.
"Naruto! Stop grinning like an idiot, hurry up and pack your things, we're getting ready to go!"
Kakashi's slightly helpless shout came from not far away.
Naruto then realized that it was already broad daylight and quickly got up from his cot.
"Oh! Come here!"
He hurriedly rolled up his sleeping bag, haphazardly brushed the dust off his body, and ran like the wind to rejoin the group.
Before long, Kakashi led Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and their client Tazuna back on their journey.
Walking along the winding country road, Naruto was full of energy. Last night's dream experience filled him with enthusiasm, and he couldn't wait to prove his strength in reality.
However, they hadn't gone far when Sasuke glanced at Naruto with an awkward expression and muttered discontentedly, "Loser, you completely wasted your precious dream opportunity yesterday."
"You finally got in and spent so much time experiencing it, what did you do all this time?"
"If it were me, I would never be like you, only caring about eating, drinking, and having fun!"
"You bastard!" Naruto was both embarrassed and annoyed by his words, his face turning bright red. "I want to! It's my dream, I can do whatever I want, it's none of your business! Besides..."
Sasuke couldn't hear the last muttered sentence, but seeing Naruto's unreasonable argument, he became even angrier: "Hmph, nonsense! In short, you're wasting your chance!"
The two argued back and forth, neither willing to give in, their voices rising and falling on the empty forest path.
They bickered and argued all the way, keeping the whole group constantly on edge.
Sakura walked to the side helplessly, sighing and rubbing her forehead: "Those two are here again..."
Kakashi lazily followed behind, holding Icha Icha Paradise. Occasionally, he would glance at his two subordinates arguing in front of him, let out a soft sigh, but did not interfere, seemingly used to it.
Just as the two were arguing fiercely, Sasuke suddenly stopped talking and stopped walking, alert.
Naruto, walking ahead, didn't notice the commotion behind him and continued his incessant chatter: "You arrogant fool! What I did yesterday was—"
He turned around and found that Sasuke had activated his Sharingan at some point, his scarlet eyes spinning rapidly as he stared intently at a certain direction behind Naruto.
Naruto was startled and subconsciously turned around to look in the direction Sasuke was looking.
Suddenly, two strange dark figures appeared on the side of the road behind him!
They were two figures completely shrouded in black cloaks, their faces covered with masks resembling respirators, and even more horrifyingly, both of their right arms were encased in heavy, dark iron gauntlets.
The two men stood stiffly in the middle of the road, their eyes lifeless, motionless like puppets.
"W-What? Where did these two come from?!" Naruto was startled and quickly drew his kunai on guard.
The two appeared without a sound, and he didn't even notice them.
If Sasuke hadn't reminded me...
Naruto belatedly realized that something was wrong.
The two men, with their unfocused and lifeless expressions, were clearly under a spell and being controlled.
The most likely caster—Naruto—suddenly turned around and looked at Sasuke, blurting out, "Sasuke, it's you..."
Sakura, who was standing at the back, then realized what had happened.
Seeing the two strangely dressed strangers standing frozen in place without any resistance, and recalling Sasuke's appearance after activating his Sharingan, she immediately understood and couldn't help but exclaim, "Sasuke, you're so cool!"
Sakura's eyes lit up as she looked at Sasuke with adoration.
Kakashi then put away the novel, looked up, and showed a surprised expression.
In fact, with his keen senses, he had already sensed the murderous intent lurking in the puddle ahead when he passed by.
He had already spotted the two attackers disguised as puddles.
Kakashi, however, was fearless and decided to wait and see how his student council would respond. He was confident that he could protect the three little ones and his client in a crisis.
However, to his utter surprise, Sasuke discovered the truth much faster than he had anticipated, and acted decisively and swiftly.
"This is the power of the Sharingan, you loser!" Sasuke slowly withdrew his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips as he sarcastically remarked to Naruto.
"I told you long ago, going into that dream is a waste of your time."
"After staying for so long, I haven't made any progress at all."
Chapter 70 A Serendipitous Naruto-Sasuke Combination Attack
When did Sasuke become so strong?
He subdued the two ambushing ninjas without a sound, and he didn't even notice...
This huge contrast left Naruto feeling uneasy.
Naruto was getting a little anxious.
"Don't get too cocky! All you do is steal the spotlight... Hmph, I can easily handle these two small fry myself without you having to lift a finger!"
Sasuke glanced at him dismissively and scoffed, "Tch, stubborn loser."
Naruto was so angry that he jumped up and down again, but the other party's strength was undeniable, and he couldn't refute it for the time being. He could only stare at Sasuke with wide eyes.
Seeing the two men on the verge of exchanging blows, Tazna seemed to wake from a dream, recovering from his shock.
He glanced at the two subdued ninjas, then at Naruto and Sasuke who were still arguing, and couldn't help but swallow.
These young devils are surprisingly skilled; they took care of the enemy in no time.
Tazuna felt increasingly uneasy as he recalled how he had lied to Konoha about the mission's level before setting off.
At that moment, Kakashi quickly stepped forward and tied the two attackers tightly with ropes. After confirming that they were temporarily unable to move, he turned around, his expression unusually serious.
Kakashi stared at Tazuna, his voice low and demanding, "Mr. Tazuna, we need an explanation. According to the mission description, this escort should have been a C-rank mission, meaning we shouldn't have encountered any hostile ninjas. But just now, ninjas suddenly ambushed us—if encountering ninjas is possible during a mission, then it should at least fall into the B-rank category. Is there something you didn't disclose in the mission description?"
The oppressive aura emanating from Kakashi made Tazuna involuntarily shiver.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Sasuke snorted and crossed his arms, saying, "Lying isn't a good habit."
Sasuke's casual display of strength had already deeply shocked Tazuna, and now even a casual, cold remark from the other party sent chills down his spine.
Dazner looked embarrassed and regretful, knowing that he could no longer hide it.
He lowered his head and bowed deeply: "Red Bean Paste Secret Marseille! I deceived you."
"Actually... I concealed the true situation of the mission. The Land of Waves is currently controlled by a despicable merchant named Gato. He monopolizes all shipping and trade within the country, and our people are suffering terribly from his exploitation. The reason for building the bridge was to break free from Gato's control and allow everyone in the Land of Waves to live a normal life. However, Gato sent many assassins to obstruct me. The ninjas who attacked you this time were probably hired by him..."
At this point, Tazuna burst into tears, his voice choked with emotion: "The Land of Waves is too poor; it simply can't afford high-level guards. I was desperate, which is why I resorted to issuing low-level requests by concealing information... My esteemed ninjas, I had no choice but to do this! Please forgive me this time, I beg you!"
He lowered his head in shame and bowed deeply.
Naruto scratched his head, looking at the old figure in front of him who was willing to put aside his dignity for the future of the country, and felt a little uncomfortable.
He glanced furtively at Kakashi, then at Sasuke and Sakura.
Sasuke calmly nodded, and Sakura sighed.
Kakashi remained silent for a moment after hearing this, before finally calming down.
The Chunin Exams in Konoha have already entered the preparation stage. If we abandon the mission and go back now, we may not be able to find a suitable C-rank mission. For now, we can only continue.
Anyway, Sasuke and Naruto are now more than capable of handling even B-rank missions.
"Alright, we understand." He shook his head helplessly. "Fortunately, we've already dealt with the enemy. Although the mission level has changed, Team 7 will continue to fulfill our duties as ninjas and safely escort you back to the Land of Waves."