Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 32

The sound of Kakashi turning the pages of his book stopped abruptly.

Two chains wrapped with barbs burst from the water, attacking Kakashi like venomous snakes!

The chains gleamed with a bluish luster in the sunlight, clearly indicating they were coated with a potent poison.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura's scream pierced the forest.

A sickening sound of bones cracking rang out.

Under the strangulation of the chains, Kakashi's body was broken into several pieces, and blood splattered like a fountain onto Dazna's face.

"One solved!"

Two men wearing headbands shrouded in mist leaped out of the puddle.

The taller one swung the chain, while the shorter, stockier one brandished a sickle.

Sasuke and Sakura, who were both top students, recognized the two as rogue ninjas from Kirigakure by the markings on their headbands.

"Next up are you kids!"

The head licked the blood off the scythe and suddenly charged at Sakura, who was protecting Tazuna.

The chains of the demon leader coiled around Naruto and Sasuke like living things, shouting, "Go to hell and regret taking this mission!"

"Hey, aren't you guys getting a little too excited?"

To everyone's surprise, Naruto was not afraid at all. Instead, he formed hand seals and a dangerous smile appeared on his lips.

Sasuke's eyes instantly transformed into crimson Sharingan, the black tomoe locking onto the enemy: "One person, one enemy."

Immediately, the two of them pressed their fists together.

The chains howled and bound the three shadow clones. Before Ye Tou could even feel smug, the ground beneath his feet suddenly softened.

"Earth Release: Heart-Slaying Decapitation Technique!"

Naruto's true form grabbed his ankle from underground and pulled him down sharply.

This time, he wasn't digging a hole with his bare hands. After training, Naruto had already mastered the technique.

"What—" Ye Tou's body was half-buried in the ground, and the chains went out of control.

Naruto flipped over and leaped up, his knee slamming into Naruto's chin.

"This kick is to avenge Kakashi-sensei!"

With a dull thud, two broken teeth were mixed in with the blood and foam that spurted from Ye Tou's head.

Ye Tou struggled to form hand seals: "Water Release: Mist Concealment—"

"Too slow!"

Naruto clenched his fist and punched the other person in the forehead.

The immense force of the punch caused Ye Tou's eyes to roll back and he to faint.

On the other side, the cold light of the scythe drew a deadly arc, but Sasuke turned his head slightly as if he had foreseen it.

The moment the blade grazed his ear, the kunai pierced the wrist of the man holding the knife.

"Ah!" Mingtou screamed in agony as the scythe slipped from his hand.

Sasuke spun around and delivered a spinning kick, striking his opponent squarely in the temple.

The head of the demon slammed into the tree trunk like a broken sack, and before it even hit the ground, a kunai was pressed against its throat.

"Tell me, who sent you?" The tomoe in the Sharingan slowly rotated.

Tazuna slumped to the ground, watching the pink-haired girl assume a defensive stance: "Please step back, Mr. Tazuna!"

However, the battle lasted less than fifteen seconds from start to finish.

“Snap, snap, snap.”

Kakashi emerged from behind the tree, clapping his hands, not even a speck of dust on him: "You exceeded expectations."

"Kakashi-sensei?!" Sakura looked at the corpse in surprise: "Then what was that—"

"It's just a substitution technique."

Kakashi glanced at the wooden stake that had been broken in two on the ground: "However..."

He looked at the ghost brothers, who were bound like dumplings, and said, "I originally thought I would at least wait until they hurt one of you before making my move."

Naruto proudly gave a thumbs-up: "Hehe, I wouldn't be afraid of ten more of these small fry!"

Sasuke withdrew his Sharingan: "A boring test."

Tazuna pointed at Kakashi, trembling: "You...are all you ninjas insane?!"

Kakashi crouched down to look him in the eye: "Now you can tell me, right? Why did the Hidden Mist Village's pursuit force appear in a C-rank mission?"

His single eye opened fully for the first time: "After all, I am the Jonin in charge of this mission. Your request clearly exceeds the level of a C-rank mission and has reached the level of a B-rank mission. We have the right to abandon this mission."

The forest fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint groans of the ghost brothers echoing through the air.

Chapter 37 Dazner's Request

Golden sunlight streamed through the forest, bringing warmth that couldn't mask the icy chill emanating from Kakashi's single eye.

Tazuna's Adam's apple bobbed as he faced Kakashi's gaze.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the broken pieces of the wine pot.

“I…” Tazna opened his mouth, but couldn’t utter a complete sentence.

Kakashi sighed. He knew he wouldn't get any answers now, so he could only turn and walk towards his demon brother, who was tied up like a dumpling.

He crouched down, reached out and removed one of the menacing headbands, revealing the hideous tattoos underneath.

"Tell me, who sent you here?"

Kakashi's voice was soft, yet it carried an irresistible sense of pressure.

The ghost brothers didn't say anything, but exchanged a glance, and a strange smile suddenly appeared on their lips.

The next second, they simultaneously crushed the venom sacs hidden in their molars, black blood spilled from the corners of their mouths, and their eyes quickly became unfocused.

"Damn it!" Kakashi slammed his headband to the ground. "The assassins from Kirigakure..."

Looking at the two still-warm corpses on the ground, Kakashi stood up, dusted off the fragments in his hands, and turned his gaze back to Tazuna.

“Now, you only have two choices.” Kakashi said, holding up one finger: “First, tell us the whole truth, and I will decide whether to continue the mission based on the situation.”

The second finger is raised: "Secondly, we will return to Konoha immediately, and you will face breach of contract penalties."

Tazner's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled wallet with only a few coins clinking inside.

"I...I really have no other choice..."

Tazuna's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping: "The Land of Waves... is almost finished..."

Naruto frowned: "Hey, old man, what are you talking about?"

Tazuna took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind: "Our Land of Waves... is now controlled by a beast named Gato."

Dazner's voice was deep and suppressed, as if each word weighed a ton.

"Kado is the owner of a shipping company. On the surface, he does legitimate business, but in reality, he controls all maritime transport in the Land of Waves."

Dazner's fists clenched white: "He deliberately raised freight rates, suppressed fishermen, and plunged the entire country into poverty..."

Sakura couldn't help but ask, "What about your names? Doesn't the government care?"

Tazuna gave a bitter laugh: "Daimyo? He was bought off by Gato long ago. Now the people of the Land of Waves can't even afford to eat, and the children can't even go to school..."

Sasuke's eyes flickered slightly: "So you're going to build a bridge?"

Dazner suddenly became excited: "As long as this bridge is built, we can break free from Cado's maritime monopoly!"

However, halfway through his sentence, Dazner deflated like a punctured balloon: "But how could Kado allow it? He's already assassinated three engineers... I'm the last one."

Kakashi narrowed his one eye: "So you deliberately concealed the mission level and tricked us into accepting a guard mission that was at least B-level with a C-level reward?"

Tazuna lowered his head in shame: "I... I only have enough savings to pay the deposit for a C-rank mission. Last night, when I passed by the tavern, I just couldn't resist..."

His voice trailed off: "I only had one drink... and now I'm even short of money..."

Naruto pointed at Tazuna's strong smell of alcohol: "You call this a cup?"

Tazner blushed slightly: "It might be two or three cups..."

Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tailed Fox sneered: "Humans are so hypocritical."

Minato shook his head helplessly: "But this is truly gambling with your life."

Ban snorted coldly: "Foolish, but at least you have some backbone."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then turned to Team 7: "According to the rules, we should immediately terminate the mission and return to Konoha."

Upon hearing this, Tazuna suddenly knelt down with a thud: "Please! If even you leave, the Land of Waves will truly be without hope! That bridge... that bridge is our only way out!"

Kakashi replied, "But the difficulty of the mission exceeds what my students can handle."

Seeing that Kakashi wouldn't listen to reason, Tazuna pointed at Naruto with trembling hands: "Didn't you say you wanted to be Hokage? Isn't the Hokage supposed to protect the weak?"

He then pointed at Sasuke: "Are Uchiha ninjas just going to stand by and watch innocent people die?"

Finally, he looked at Sakura and said, "Girl, can you bear to watch the children of the Land of Waves starve to death?"

The three students in Class 7 were caught off guard by this sudden moral bombardment.

Naruto scratched his head, looking at Kakashi with annoyance: "Um... Kakashi-sensei..."

Kakashi sighed: "What do you three think?"

Sasuke hesitated, "Troublesome."

Sakura bit her lip: "But...those children..."

Naruto suddenly punched a tree: "Damn it! That old man is too cunning!"

Seeing that his moral blackmail was working, Tazna quickly put on an indifferent expression: "Forget it, I won't force it. It's just a pity for my daughter and grandson, who will have to live alone from now on in that cruel, inhuman hell."