Chapter 43: A Commission from the Land of Iron

Chapter 43: A Commission from the Land of Iron

Hokage Building.

Kakashi had come to see the Third Hokage originally to discuss taking on a B-rank mission, but the Third was currently dealing with a different kind of headache—

"Grandpa Hokage!~"

"No."

The Third Hokage's face remained expressionless.

"Dammit, it seems I have no choice but to use my ultimate trump card. This is a ninjutsu I created through painstaking effort, and it's definitely worthy of the Book of Creation. Please take a look!"

"..."

Was that voice Naruto?

Kakashi froze for a moment.

He actually created a technique too?

You really can't judge a book by its cover...

Filled with a sliver of curiosity, Kakashi pushed the door open to see what kind of jutsu Naruto had invented. The moment he stepped inside, he saw Naruto forming hand seals.

Immediately afterward, chakra converged.

"This kid's chakra reserves are truly astonishing."

Kakashi thought to himself.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Naruto's physical form transformed the very next second.

"Grandpa Hokage~~"

"Puff!"

"Screech~"

The Third Hokage fell right on cue, tumbling backward out of his chair.

Kakashi fared a little better; he managed to cover his eyes in time, putting on a "can't bear to look" expression that warded off the instantaneous shock.

The next instant—

"Naruto, don't go showing off such mindless ninjutsu in front of Lord Third!"

Bang!

Naruto was knocked flat onto the ground by a single punch from Iruka.

He bounced up with a wronged expression and shouted, "How can you call it a mindless ninjutsu? Grandpa Hokage was knocked right to the floor by me! That proves it's an amazing jutsu!"

"Naruto, that kind of thing doesn't count as ninjutsu innovation at all."

The Third Hokage straightened up and assumed a dignified posture.

"No way, absolutely impossible! Nobody has ever used a jutsu like this before, so it is an innovation!"

Naruto argued loudly.

Iruka was about to flare up again when he noticed Kakashi stepping slowly into the room.

"That jutsu of yours is still just the Transformation Technique, only with a mindless application added to it. It's not that other people can't do it, they just choose not to transform into such foolish things."

"Damn it, who do you think you are?!"

Naruto snapped, annoyed.

"An ungraduated kid should step outside first and not interfere with serious business between me and the Hokage."

Kakashi said coldly.

Iruka hastily bowed. "Yes, I am terribly sorry. This child Naruto... I will discipline him properly. Sorry for the trouble!"

With that, he grabbed the still-bickering Naruto and hauled him toward the exit.

Kakashi and the Third Hokage fell silent together, neither knowing what to say for a moment.

What a disaster!

If Kushina ever found out her son turned out like this, wouldn't she butcher the both of them?

Kakashi touched his waist pouch, his hand trembling slightly.

His former master's wife would definitely assume he was the one who corrupted Naruto, wouldn't she?

He remained silent for several seconds more.

The Third Hokage gave a light cough and said, "Ahem, Kakashi, is there something you needed?"

"Ah, yes. It's like this: I believe Chiba and the others have reached the standard for B-rank missions, so I'm applying to take part in one."

Kakashi pulled his thoughts back.

There was no use dwelling on it; he would just have to figure out how to straighten Naruto out later. For now, the priority was Chiba and his team.

B-rank missions involved ninja combat.

Ordinarily, newly graduated teams were never allowed to participate in them.

However...

As for Chiba...

The Third Hokage deliberated for a moment and said, "Chiba should be fine. The main concern is the other two kids, but if you approve as well, then there's no problem."

With that, he drafted a letter of approval.

Kakashi took it and turned to leave, but he lingered with an expression that suggested he had more to say.

In the end, he summoned his courage.

"Lord Hokage, I'm not yet certain whether I'll be able to mentor Naruto next year, so you should really keep a closer eye on him. As for that kind of ninjutsu... well, having imagination is a good thing, but..."

"Ahem, rest assured, I'll pay closer attention."

The Third Hokage's old face flushed red.

To be honest, he hadn't engaged in that sort of nonsense for many years, and Naruto's antics genuinely had nothing to do with him. Fortunately, most people who knew about these things were no longer in Konoha.

He felt a mixture of relief and a faint trace of sorrow.

Kakashi departed with a complex expression on his face.

...

"Wasn't that somebody from the lower grades just now?"

Tenten muttered softly.

"Naruto? A very hardworking and clever kid, though his direction might be slightly off."

Chiba couldn't help smiling.

Though he didn't know the exact details, judging by the sight of Iruka dragging Naruto away while scolding him the entire way, there was a high probability Naruto had already developed the Sexy Technique and displayed it right in front of the Third Hokage.

What a pity.

He wasn't even there to witness such an iconic scene.

Chiba shook his head in deep regret.

"What is it?"

Wasa asked quietly.

She rarely spoke in crowded settings, but she liked observing others, so she had keenly picked up on the subtle shift in Chiba's mood.

"Nothing. I just feel like something very interesting happened."

Just as his voice trailed off, a fluctuation of chakra signaled Kakashi's arrival via Body Flicker right before them.

He walked over and handed the slip of paper to Hiraga.

Hiraga checked it over, then pulled out the list of available B-rank missions with a complicated expression for Kakashi to review.

Kakashi patted Chiba on the shoulder.

"Take a look."

"Me? Alright."

Chiba stepped forward and glanced over the document briefly.

There were numerous missions, categorized by destination from the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Rivers, and so on.

Judging by the locations, missions concerning minor nations still made up the majority.

After scanning the list, he quickly locked onto a target.

"Sensei, let's take this mission."

"Assist in capturing a fugitive from the Land of Iron? Hiraga, what's the story behind this mission? Usually, isn't this kind of thing handled by the ANBU?"

Kakashi frowned.

Jobs like tracking down and capturing fugitives were generally handled by the ANBU and shouldn't be publicly posted as standard commissions.

"Lord Kakashi, this mission wasn't issued by the Land of Iron itself, but rather by the Kiyota clan of the Land of Iron. The client is currently inside the village," Hiraga explained.

"Issued by a clan?"

Kakashi was somewhat surprised.

"This fugitive should be an outsider samurai adopted by the Kiyota family. They probably stole a weapon or a secret sword technique, which is why the master's household has put a bounty on them. What's strange is precisely this point."

Moonlight Wasa spoke in a low voice.

Both the Hatake and Moonlight clans had once been samurai families, so they understood certain samurai rules. Normally, the Land of Iron would assist in hunting down such targets internally, yet in this case, the clan was handling it themselves.

"The item taken must be something they can't afford to bring to light."

"That must be it. For the target to escape from the Kiyota clan, their strength is definitely out of the ordinary. This mission is quite dangerous, so think it over carefully before accepting."

Kakashi tapped his finger against the table.

Silence fell over the squad.

Chiba looked at Tenten and Wasa. Seeing that neither of them spoke, he smiled and said, "You two decide. I support whatever choice you make."

"I'm quite interested in the sword techniques of the Land of Iron, but I worry this matter might drag us into something deep."

Tenten murmured quietly.

"The Kiyota family."

Moonlight Wasa chimed in briefly and directly.

"This isn't something you need to worry about. Are you two interested in the swordsmanship of the Land of Iron?"

Chiba asked.

Both girls nodded in unison.

Chiba looked toward Kakashi. "Sensei, do you want to take it?"

Kakashi smiled. "As a Konoha ninja, this kind of mission isn't strictly my concern, but given my background, I have to weigh other factors as well. Since that's the case, there's no need to overthink it. Hiraga, we'll meet the client."