Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 143 Heading to the Land of Waves

"What's going on?"

A drunken Tazuna swept his critical gaze over Naruto, Satsuki, and Sakura with obvious disdain. "Why are you sending such a bunch of greenhorn brats?"

"Hey, are you sure those few can protect me? They don't seem reliable at all!"

Naruto, hands in his pockets, ignored the old man who was feigning drunkenness and deliberately picking a fight. But Satsuki and Sakura, standing nearby, instantly felt severely underestimated. Satsuki's gaze turned icy, while Sakura glared at him angrily.

"Mr. Tazuna, I can't pretend I didn't hear what you said."

Just as the atmosphere was becoming a little tense, Kakashi stepped forward at the opportune moment. Although he still maintained a lazy demeanor, his exposed right eye held an undeniable seriousness.

"The mission you entrusted to Konoha was clearly a C-rank escort mission. According to the rules, this type of mission should theoretically not involve encountering enemy ninjas. And my Team 7, without exaggeration, is absolutely the best of all the rookie teams in Konoha this year."

His gaze swept over his three subordinates as he continued, "These three of my students are all among the best graduates of this year's Ninja Academy. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, their combat abilities far surpass those of their peers, and they are even capable of handling many experienced Chunin."

Then, he looked at Sakura. "As for Haruno Sakura, although she currently lacks practical experience, her theoretical knowledge is recognized as the best in the entire school, and her potential and learning ability are outstanding. The team of the three of them is fully capable of handling your C-rank escort assignment."

"Oh? Really?" Tazuna seemed to sober up a bit after hearing Kakashi's resounding introduction, and his heart began to pound.

He looked at the Third Hokage behind the desk with a mixture of belief and skepticism, as if seeking final confirmation.

"Yes, Mr. Tazuna, Kakashi is right."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, nodded slowly. "Naruto, Satsuki, and Sakura are all outstanding ninjas far beyond the level of ordinary genin. Although they have just graduated, their strength and potential mean they are capable of fighting even against some experienced enemies."

The Third Hokage's assessment was actually quite conservative. He knew very well that Naruto not only possessed extraordinary talent, but also had already begun to guide and control the immense power belonging to the Nine-Tails within him.

From a certain perspective, the strongest fighter in Team 7 might not be the Jonin Kakashi Hatake, but rather Naruto Uzumaki.

Seeing the undisguised pride and affirmation in the Third Hokage's eyes regarding his subordinates' abilities, Tazuna belatedly realized that he might have gotten a huge bargain with the reward for a C-rank mission.

The drunkenness and disgust on his face instantly subsided, and he immediately changed his attitude, slapping his thigh with great delight.

"Alright! Since the Hokage has said so, then I'll entrust this old body to these young people! The mission is settled!"

Perhaps because Naruto was unexpectedly calm and composed, without any impulsiveness, the old man did not deliberately provoke or target him as he had in the original work.

However, Naruto himself wasn't interested in the "getting slapped in the face and then slapping back" trope. Since the trip to the Land of Waves held many important figures and resources that could be "gained," it was still very necessary to go.

"Alright, you three," Kakashi said to his students, "The mission has been accepted, and we're about to head to the Land of Waves to carry out this escort mission. This will require us to be away from the village for a long time, so go back now and pack your necessary luggage and ninja tools. Meet at the village gate in half an hour, and we'll depart on time."

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In Satsuki's room at the Uchiha clan head's residence.

Satsuki stood by the bed, her face filled with hesitation and unease, her gaze fixed on the life-size custom-made Naruto body pillow she treasured. This pillow was an indispensable comfort to her every night as she fell asleep, carrying countless secret joys and peaceful dreams... But this time, she was going on a long mission with Naruto...

What if... what if Naruto himself accidentally sees this on the way...

The mere thought of that possibility sent a burning sensation through Zuoyue's cheeks. A mix of extreme shame and a sense of social death made her almost want to immediately hide the pillow in the deepest drawer and lock it away.

On the other hand, she really couldn't bear to spend so many nights without it.

Should I bring it or not?

At the entrance to the clan head's residence, Fugaku Uchiha stood silently leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed. His gaze fell with mixed emotions on the enormous backpack his daughter had prepared, which was almost as tall as herself.

As a father, he saw it all clearly. In that backpack, besides the clothes and ninja tools that Zuo Yue needed, it was filled with supplies far exceeding what a genin needed for a short mission—a generous amount of dry rations and water, a full set of medical supplies and ration pills, and even a lot of carefully prepared snacks and treats.

Moreover, all of these supplies were clearly intended for two people.

Even a fool could tell who this extra portion of food for his daughter was for.

...But why was only one tent prepared?

His gaze swept over the carefully packed tent, clearly designed for two people, and he felt a slight darkness before his eyes. An indescribable feeling of heartache instantly welled up in his heart.

"Um... Dad, I'm ready."

His daughter's slightly shy voice came from behind him. Fugaku turned around and saw Satsuki, her face slightly flushed, struggling to place a particularly conspicuous large package next to the mountain of luggage.

Since her parents accidentally discovered her hobby, Zuoyue realized that she couldn't hide it anymore, so she simply stopped trying to conceal it.

"Sasuki..."

Fugaku stared at the conspicuous package, his lips twitching slightly. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you... sure you want to bring that on this mission?"

After all, you can't really sleep with Naruto in your arms...

Faced with her father's question, which was tinged with helplessness and a hint of confusion, Zuo Yue felt a little down, but she still nodded firmly and gave a soft but stubborn "hmm".

"But how can you carry all this stuff by yourself?"

Fugaku made a final effort, citing the basic principles of ninjas: "When ninjas carry too many unnecessary supplies on missions, it will seriously affect their speed and stealth."

However, Satsuki gave her father a strange look and did not answer directly. Instead, she carefully took out another scroll from her ninja tool bag.

"Dad, have you forgotten this?" Satsuki said softly, her fingertips gently tracing the surface of the scroll. It was a gift that Naruto had made and given to her by hand, and it was one of Satsuki's most treasured possessions.

A specially made storage scroll that can be easily used simply by injecting chakra.

As Zuo Yue skillfully formed hand seals and channeled chakra into the scroll, the pile of luggage on the ground, along with the conspicuous pillow bundle, was instantly sealed into the small scroll.

After packing up, Satsuki carefully put away the scroll and prepared to leave for the meeting point. At that moment, her mother, Uchiha Mikoto, also came to see her off. She gently tidied the stray hairs on her daughter's forehead, her eyes full of concern.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going out on a mission." Zuo Yue straightened up, trying to appear more reliable. "Don't worry about me."

"Yes, be careful on the road and pay attention to safety," Mikoto gently instructed, her eyes filled with trust in her daughter.

"Oh, right... that..." Satsuki seemed to suddenly remember something, her voice becoming as soft and delicate as a mosquito's buzz, her cheeks turning even redder, "Mom... in my desk drawer... the one I deliberately locked... please, please don't open it..."

Seemingly afraid her mother would misunderstand, she quickly looked up and added, her tone urgent, "But there's absolutely nothing suspicious inside! I promise!"

Treasured in that drawer were countless moments of Naruto, secretly captured by her small camera… though Naruto himself was completely unaware of them. These frozen fragments of time were her most secret treasure.