Naruto, born from the world of his parents.

After the previous reprimand, Sakura quieted down completely. Sasuke and Kakashi weren't exactly chatty either, and Naruto was busy trying to build a good relationship with Kurama, so the atmosphere in the team suddenly became incredibly quiet.

This quiet atmosphere also made the whole team move much faster.

After traveling for less than a week, they entered the territory of the Land of Waves.

Walking at the very back of the group, Kakashi held up a book and glanced at the entire group out of the corner of his eye.

Because Naruto and Sasuke often use shadow clones for missions, this was the first time their team had assembled and deployed together, which finally gave Kakashi a comprehensive understanding of the team members.

Sakura Haruno, needless to say, is a girl from a typical ordinary ninja family, with a strong sense of crisis and an ambition to break through the limitations of her family.

Although Sakura Haruno's ambition made her one of the most fundamentally sound genin Kakashi had ever encountered, it was precisely this cunning that made Kakashi dislike her.

After all, the profession of ninja has always been a solo performance by geniuses. Even his friend, who was known for his hard work and passion, could be considered exceptionally talented in some ways.

Kakashi didn't see this talent in Sakura.

Let alone Jonin, in Kakashi's opinion, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Sakura's ceiling is probably only at the level of an elite Chunin.

After all, being a ninja isn't like taking an exam, so memorizing texts isn't very useful.

And Sasuke.

Thinking about the child's performance at the border of the Land of Fire, Kakashi felt a mix of emotions.

He later reviewed the incident and concluded that, in some ways, Sasuke's performance at the time was perfect.

It's just that strong sense of adolescent angst that makes it hard to resist.

As for Naruto...

Although Naruto didn't show any outstanding performance after the bell-collecting battle, this only increased Kakashi's interest in him.

Not just because he is the teacher's son, but also because of Sasuke.

It's important to know that during the bell-collecting battle, Kakashi had already figured out Sasuke's level; he was just an excellent genin.

But less than half a month later, Sasuke was able to defeat two Chunin on his own. This progress made Kakashi suspect that Naruto, who had been training Sasuke for the past half month, had done something.

But what's even more important is Sasuke's attitude along the way.

Although Sasuke was much more cheerful now than he was when they first met, he is much more gloomy now.

At least his eyes were no longer lifeless.

But Kakashi could see that Sasuke's pride had never diminished; on the contrary, it had grown stronger with his increased power.

Even so, Sasuke kept a close eye on Naruto throughout the journey, and he would agree with whatever Naruto said.

This unusual attitude piqued Kakashi's curiosity; what else was Naruto hiding?

As he pondered, Kakashi glanced at Tazuna, who was walking quietly in the center of the group.

Although the man who always acted like he was old and condescending had become somewhat silent because no one had paid him any attention along the way, Kakashi keenly noticed that Tazuna had become even more silent after entering the Land of Waves.

Moreover, in his eyes, Kakashi saw no joy in returning home, but instead caught a fleeting glimpse of guilt.

A mysterious squad, a client with ulterior motives, and a ninja who suddenly appears on the road.

Thinking about these things, Kakashi rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

As they boarded the ship at the beach, about to embark on the final leg of their journey, Kakashi looked at Tazuna and casually said, "The mission is about to end."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; this mission had been incredibly agonizing for her.

It was a great opportunity to spend time with Sasuke, but not only did Sasuke ignore her, even Naruto ignored her. This feeling of being ignored made the girl feel like every day was an eternity.

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow, and seeing that Kakashi didn't say anything more, he closed his eyes and continued refining his chakra.

Only Naruto glanced at Tazuna upon hearing this.

Just as he had thought, Tazuna, who had seemed uneasy since entering the Land of Waves, immediately changed his expression upon hearing Kakashi's words.

Tazuna looked at Kakashi, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he swallowed those words.

Seeing that the old man still didn't speak, Kakashi suddenly put away the book in his hand and jumped into the water.

This sudden scene startled Sakura. She rushed to the ship's side almost immediately, but she was stunned when her head popped out of the ship's side.

Kakashi, whom she thought would fall into the water, was standing perfectly fine on the surface, as if he were standing on solid ground.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked up and saw the people sticking their heads out of the cabin. He said, "Come down, everyone."

"what?"

Kakashi glanced at the silent Tazuna out of the corner of his eye and explained, "The ship will be docking soon, and our mission is almost complete. It's time to go back, so let's disembark and head back. This place is perfect for our water-treading training, so let's go back from here."

Before the three-person team could speak, Tazuna, who had been silent until now, suddenly blurted out, "You can't leave!"

"Oh? Why?"

Kakashi's tone remained as lazy and cold as ever. Hearing this voice, Tazuna felt a tightness in his chest and was momentarily speechless.

But the sound of Naruto stepping on the water as he climbed out of the cabin forced him to speak.

Seeing that Sakura was the only one left on the ship, Tazuna's last shred of hope was shattered. He looked at Kakashi, took a deep breath, and suddenly knelt down, pressing his face tightly against the deck with his hands. He said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry, Ninja Master, I shouldn't have hidden it from you, but I really had my reasons."

"A predicament?"

Hearing Kakashi's question tinged with doubt, Tazuna breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they hadn't left, there was still hope.

Just as he was about to speak to explain, he heard Kakashi's cold voice: "Let me guess, you've simply messed with someone you shouldn't have, but you don't have enough money, so you lied about a mission involving ninjas, which is at least a B-rank mission, and reported it as a C-rank mission. You want to use Konoha's name to achieve some kind of intimidation."

Tazuna was stunned by what he heard. He never expected that his hidden schemes would be exposed by this seemingly lazy ninja. This made Tazuna panic and feel an inexplicable fear.

His face pressed even closer to the deck, his voice utterly humble and sincere: "I'm so sorry, Ninja Master, I shouldn't have done this, but we really had no other choice."

He then recounted the story between Nagato and the Land of Waves.

But when Naruto heard Gato's name, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Kakashi listened patiently to Tazuna's story without saying a word, then nodded: "I see. In that case, what you did is indeed understandable."

Tazuna felt a surge of relief upon hearing this, but Kakashi's next words shattered that feeling.

"But what does that have to do with us?"

Kakashi stood on the water, arms crossed: "Everyone in this world has their own misfortunes. No one is obligated to save others, right?"

"Your story is tragic, and this bridge is related to the lives of the people of the Land of Waves, but like I said, what does it have to do with us?"

"We are just ninjas, not saviors of the unfortunate. As a supervising jonin, although I sympathize with you, I have no obligation to help you. After all, this is a high-risk mission involving ninjas, and I need to be responsible for my subordinates."

"so."

Kakashi waved his hand: "I wish you all the best."

"Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, let's go."

He then prepared to leave, which made Tazna extremely anxious: "Wait, I can pay more!"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi's interest was piqued, and he asked, "Add money?"

"right!"

Tazner, as if grasping at a straw, hurriedly said, "I can add money! Please have mercy and help us complete the bridge construction!"

"Do you know how much more money you're asking for?"

"what?"

Kakashi glanced at the old man kneeling on the ship and did some calculations for him: "According to what you said, this merchant named Gato is extremely wealthy, and even the ninja who intercepted you was only at the Chunin level. So his real trump card may be far more than that. At the very least, there will be Jonin appearing in this mission."

"A mission involving Jonin is at least an A-rank mission, and such missions require ten times the reward of a C-rank mission. Are you sure you can make up the difference?"

"I, I..."

Upon hearing this astronomical sum of money, Tazuna was momentarily speechless. But seeing Kakashi preparing to leave, he didn't hesitate and quickly exclaimed, "Rich! Rich!"

"Where's the money?"

"Not now, but it will be once the bridge is built!"

This foolish, almost naive answer made Kakashi unable to help but smile.

He waved his hand and replied without hesitation, "Then come find us in the village after the bridge is built."

This time, Kakashi ignored Tazuna and simply waited quietly on the water for Sakura to disembark.

Seeing the three people waiting on the water, Sakura couldn't say she was afraid to get off the boat, so she gritted her teeth, braced herself against the side of the boat, and jumped into the water.

She tried to concentrate her chakra in the soles of her feet, but as soon as she stepped on the water, she fell heavily into it.

Just as her entire body was about to submerge in the water, Naruto grabbed her and stopped Kakashi, saying, "Kakashi-sensei."

"Um?"

"I think the client's suggestions are very feasible."

Hearing Naruto's words, Kakashi raised his eyes: "Like what?"

"It can't be explained in just a few words, Kakashi-sensei, are you willing to believe me?"

Looking at the face that combined the features of Minato and Kushina, Kakashi was momentarily dazed. He took a deep breath and replied casually, "Then go and give it a try."

He didn't really care about this mission, and only revealed it when he arrived at the mission location because it was a mission that the Third Hokage had specifically asked him to accept.

He had to give the Third Hokage face, but that was all.

No ninja village would welcome someone who lies about the mission's level. Even if Kakashi left now and returned to the village, the Third Hokage wouldn't have any objections.

The reason he was willing to give the choice to Naruto was simple: apart from a little guilt, he didn't care much.

As Konoha's Copy Ninja, Kakashi has completed at least a dozen of the most dangerous S-rank missions, not to mention the current A-rank missions that may involve Jonin.

Therefore, he was confident that he could complete the mission while ensuring the safety of Naruto and the others.

After getting Kakashi's permission, Naruto tossed Sakura to Sasuke and looked at Tazuna, who was looking dejected on the ship.

"Mr. Tazuna, hello. It's really impolite of me not to introduce myself after we've known each other for so long."

As he spoke, Naruto placed his hands together in front of his abdomen and bowed slightly.

"First of all, I want to apologize to you on behalf of Kakashi-sensei. He was somewhat inconsiderate of your feelings, but I believe you can agree with what he said. After all, being a ninja is a high-risk profession where one lives a life of constant danger. If the rules are broken because of a moment of good intentions, it would be a very bad start. Do you understand?"

Naruto's gentle attitude and his decision to leave Kakashi behind rekindled Tazuna's dying hope. However, having just witnessed what happened, he no longer dared to act arrogantly and domineeringly as the person who had entrusted him with the task. He knelt on the deck and replied with utmost humility.

"I understand, but..."

Naruto waved his hand to interrupt his explanation and continued...

"I'm glad you understand. But I'm very interested in what you just said about the money coming in after the bridge is built. Would you mind if I told you more about it?"

Upon hearing this, Tazuna grasped at a straw and quickly said, "The Land of Waves is actually quite good in terms of both its products and the level of its artisans, but it's isolated overseas, and all its overseas trade is monopolized by Kado, which is why it's so poor..."

"Once the bridge is built and communication between the Land of Waves and the outside world is established, money will naturally be made, is that what you mean?"

"Uh, yes!"

"I just heard you say that this isn't the first time you've tried to build a bridge, is that right?"

Tazner nodded somewhat dejectedly: "Yes."

As he spoke, he clenched his fist: "It's all that bastard Kado's fault. He interferes with us every single time, a total of six times! Every time the bridge construction is ready, he shows up and destroys everything. That's why I lied about the mission level."

Tazuna said with immense bitterness, "The Land of Waves truly has no extra money."

"So, this is the last chance?"

"Yes."

"So, Mr. Tazuna, one last question: do you think the Land of Waves can succeed without our help?"

Tazna remained silent for a long time before shaking his head with difficulty.

"So, can I understand that we are the key factor in whether this bridge can be built?"

"Yes, so please help us."

"Mr. Dazner."

Naruto shook his head.

"Please understand one thing: this is not help, it's a transaction."

"trade?"

"Yes, it's a deal, a deal that benefits both of us."