Chapter 191: All drunk old men smell slightly of vomit.

Kakashi's team had managed to enter the Hokage's building in order to get another mission without any more infighting, however, this was not without its issues.

Naruto: Ahhh! No!!! I want to go on a real mission! Something challenging and exciting! Not this kid stuff!

Sasuke (Thinking): He's right for once…all we've accomplish so far…

Sasuke could not shake off that they should be doing something beyond their current missions.

Homura: (Thinking) He's right! What am I, a babysitter for hire or a cat catcher? Or a goddamn farmer?! If I am forced to work at a farm one more day... I am going to start stabbing people in the eyes! Starting with the old man!

Homura looks towards the hokage with a look of disapproval.

Kakashi: Homura, do you need to go to the bathroom or something? You look tense.

The Hokage looked at Kakashi a bit puzzled for a moment.

Homura: W-wha?! No!

After Homura's response, he looked at the remaining members of Team Seven and received a series of weird looks.

Naruto: If you need to go to the bathroom, you can go.

Sasuke: ...don't soil your pants on us, douchebag.

Naruto: Hahaha!

Kakashi: sigh

Iruka-sensei: Hmph!

Homura pretended that this did not affect him, but on the inside, he was raging.

Homura (thinking): (D*mn you, Sasuke!)

For a single moment, Homura felt like he heard another voice inside his mind.

Homura (thinking): (!? The f*ck?!)

This... was quite weird. Usually, he had a tight leash on his emotions. For him to almost lose his cool!

Homura (thinking): (!!! Wait! N-No! It can't be! Am I developing a second personality but I didn't use Yakumo's blood!?... N-No, no, no, that shouldn't be possible!... Right?)

Regardless of his mental problems, Homura didn't seem to realize that he was clenching his fist and making noises, perhaps his face showing some discomfort too, when he got mad remembering the missions the Hokage has been giving them lately. Making them believe that he needed to go to the bathroom or something... what an embarrassment!

Homura (thinking): (... Let's calm down. The missions that the old man gives us are always boring and time-wasting crap! But probably beats having to fight some monster or a rogue ninjas.)

The main issue is that these missions require a lot of hard work for very little pay... which has to be split among four people!

Homura (thinking): ( Hatake… even though he's a freaking Jounin, also takes out the commission reward money too and uses it to go drink and buy snacks…what kind of an adult does this…at this point, I'm poorer than when I was an academy student.)

Naruto: I want to go on a real mission!!!

Suddenly, Naruto's loud voice brought Homura back to reality.

Sasuke (thinking): (.... I can't believe I agree with Naruto but... he's got a point.) (sigh)

Homura: (muttering) A real mission, huh…(I knew that this was going to come up at some point... It is not a bad idea… plus, that could give me an opportunity to finally copy one of Hatake's jutsus.)

Iruka: How dare you, Naruto?! You're just a brand new genin without any proper skills! You will start with simple missions to build up your skills, like everybody else.

Iruka-sensei immediately retorted Naruto's claim by pointing out the obvious.

Homura (thinking): (.... But isn't that your fault that he has no skills, Iruka-sensei... thinking about it, Kakashi hasn't taught us squat!!! Just what exactly is going on with the teaching staff of this village?! All he keeps talking about is team synergy... Team synergy my ass! Naruto is a glory-seeking moron and Sasuke is a d*mn loner who barely speaks, and if he does, he says edgy cr*p.)*

Homura is still mad by the fact that no one has taught him anything worthwhile in almost seven years! Ever since the beginning of his training. If he hadn't trained by himself, he'd be a wrecking mess. Plus, there's the fact that he pretty much stopped making any progress strength-wise in almost seven months... this is eating him up inside.

Naruto: Are you kidding me!? Babysitting is not a mission! It is just stupid-argh!!

Kakashi put an end to Naruto's rant with a well-placed hit to his head.

Kakashi: Will you put a lid on it?

Naruto: Argh!!! My head!

Naruto was still suffering from the hit to the head that Kakashi gave him, almost paying no mind to the Hokage calling him. However, the Hokage continued to explain the importance of each mission the village receives.

Hokage: Explaining that all missions are important, but that the degree of importance and skill set varies greatly. The missions are classified from the highest at S-rank to the lowest and easiest to complete at D-rank.

Homura was confused by the weird exposition of general knowledge the Hokage decided to drop on them.

Hokage: We shinobi are also ranked by abilities. Hokage at the top, followed by Jonin, Chunin, and the very bottom Genin.

He continued to explain that missions are assigned according to the individual's rank, and missions one can take are often limited by it.

Hokage: And if the mission is successful, we receive a fee that supports the entire village. Since you've just become Genins, you are not trusted to take on more difficult missions. Instead, you are only given D-ranked missions. exhale Huh?

After the Hokage finished his boring speech, he soon realized that no one in Team Kakashi was actually paying attention to him any longer.

Naruto: So, I had tonkatsu cup ramen from this new brand I tried yesterday from the shop down the street close to the weapon shop. And the sauce they gave-

Iruka-sensei: Naruto, be quiet and listen to the knowledge is trying to impart on you!

huh?

Kakashi: Eh? Sorry.

Kakashi who also failed to listen to the hokage and got caught listening to the ramblings of Naruto, ended up apologizing as well. Though Sasuke and Homura simply pretended they were not concerned with the whole affair,

Iruka: Hokage-sama, please continue.

Hokage: Huh? V-very well…(Wasn't he who interrupted me though…where was I?)

Naruto: No, i've had it, I want to go on a real mission!!

Iruka: Why you little deliquent-!

Before Iruka could proceed starting a shouting match with Iruka the Hokage made a gesture to Iruka, signaling that he would take it from there; which made the latter calm down.

Hokage: Naruto.

Naruto: Hmph!

Hokage: …I know that the missions you've taken so far are far from lackluster or what you thought your life as a genin would be but every mission taken by our shinobi counts. Not only do they help with the lives of our citizens but they also serve to build a strong base for the development of every shinobi. If even one of those missions goes unanswered for too long they will become a bigger issue towards the prosperity of the whole village; and as a freshly graduated genin-!

Naruto: Ah! You always lecture me like my grandfather or something! But I'm not the little brat who used to pull up pranks all the time! I'm a ninja now! And I want a ninja mission!

Homura: Wait! Wasn't that less than a month ago that you painted the Hokage's stone rocks?

Homura pointed out the disparity of Naruto's words.

Hokage: T-that's different now! You see this headband! It means I am a proud Konoha shinobi! (pointing at his headband)

Iruka-sensei: Naruto...

Sasuke: ....(This guy…)

Kakashi: ... (sighs) (I'm so going to hear about that later.)

The room had quite the array of different feelings after Naruto made his proclamation about being a Konoha shinobi. From surprised to completely undisturbed, but those who knew Naruto for a long time were glad to see how much he had changed in a short while, except for Homura, who started to realize something.

Homura (thinking): (W-wait a second!? Is t-today-)

Hokage: Naruto! I understand!

Naruto: Eh?!

Hokage: Naruto! I understand! I've heard you loud and clear… Since you want oh so badly to prove that you're no longer who were once before and want a true mission to prove your will as a shinobi... I will give you a C-rank mission!

Iruka: Sandaime-sama, you don't mean!

Naruto: What?

Sasuke: Eh?!

Homura: (muttering) H-he can't…(So it was true! T-this is it!)

The diverse reactions of the people present were diverse but most were shocked by the current situation unfolded, but they were mostly of surprise by the decision of the hokage.

Hokage:…You will be assigned as bodyguards on a journey.

Naruto: ...Ah! Really? Alright! Who?! Who?! Are we guarding a princess? Or some big important lord?

Hokage: Don't be so impatient. I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor!

Homura (thinking): (he isn't bringing anyone in, he just shouted for someone to do it...rich people... )

Besides Homura's internal rant about wealthy individuals, after the Third Hokage said the following words, he dropped his pipe onto the table. The entire squad looked at the door behind them, and shortly after, it opened, revealing a drunk, chubby middle-aged man.

Drunk Man: What the?! A bunch of brats!?

After saying that, he started drinking from his alcohol bottle he was carrying in his right hand.

Naruto: Huh?!

Drunk Man: Hey, you! The little one with the idiotic look on your face... You truly expect me to believe that you're a ninja.

Sasuke: (chuckles)

Homura: !!! (That guy...smells of so many things, that I can't fully tell.)

Homura could not recognize the elderly man fully, but he had no doubt the person they were assigned to protect was the catalysis behind dreadful a chain of events. Though he tried to identify the man with C, he got a bunch of weird data on the man, especially as he burped. Which came out a series of foods and drinks he had eaten or taken in the last 24 hours.

Naruto: ...Hahaha! Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his face!? I bet it's you, Homura! Hahaha!

Homura: ...Naruto, I'm taller than you.

Naruto: Eh?

Naruto looked at Homura carefully, comparing both their heights, only to find out that what Homura had said was true—he was indeed, by a small margin, taller than him. Then he turned to Sasuke and realized that he was obviously shorter. He then looked around a bit more but found no one who was shorter than him or another brat within the room.

Suddenly, a realization struck him at full strength!

Naruto: ?!! What the?! I will demolish you! Just come here—

Kakashi: Ok. Ok. Settle down. No hurting the client before the mission even starts.

Naruto tried to rush at the client just to be stopped by Kakashi, lifting him up from the floor with one hand.

This exchange between a disgruntled client and an angry Naruto went on for a couple more minutes.

After all parties were done with the whole process of accepting the mission, Team 7 was officially given the right to undertake their first C-rank mission.

The mission was to escort the master bridge builder Tazuna, to his home within the Land of Waves.

Unbeknownst to all of them, this exchange marked the start of Team 7's epic legend within the shinobi world.