Chapter 40: The Vow

Forest

"Sorry, Naruto. I didn't get there in time to save you, and you got hurt. I didn't think you'd be so scared you couldn't move," Kakashi said, looking at Naruto after appearing.

"Sasuke, you did very well. Sakura, too," Kakashi continued, addressing them.

Sasuke, at this point, looked at Naruto and smirked. "Hey, you didn't get hurt, did you, scaredy-cat?"

Naruto, hearing Sasuke's taunt, didn't charge at him this time. He was filled with resentment. He'd been mocked by Sasuke, but he couldn't say anything back. His own performance had been far inferior to Sasuke's. Even though he was unwilling to admit it, Naruto couldn't deny that Sasuke had performed much better than him.

"Naruto, their claws were poisoned. We need to get the poison out quickly. Sakura, you've learned about antidotes from Tsunade, haven't you? Go and take care of Naruto," Kakashi said to Sakura.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied, ignoring Tazuna, who was still stuck in the swamp.

"Hey, little girl, aren't you going to get me out of here first?" Tazuna said urgently, seeing that Sakura wasn't planning to release him.

"Mr. Tazuna, please be patient. I have a few questions for you," Kakashi said, his deadpan eyes fixed on Tazuna.

"Gulp... Please, ask away," Tazuna said nervously.

"Mr. Tazuna, if I wanted to, I could have taken out those two ninjas instantly," Kakashi said, stating a fact before asking his question, to see if Tazuna would admit the truth on his own.

"Then...then why did you let the kids take such risks?" Tazuna still held onto a sliver of hope, refusing to admit that he'd lied about the mission rank.

"Sigh~~~~ Because I needed to confirm something. Who was the enemy's target?" Kakashi said, staring at Tazuna without emotion. "That young girl is Tsunade's disciple, so I needed to confirm whether the target was her or you."

Because Sakura had been away for three years, Kakashi wasn't sure who those Mist ninjas were after. The members of Team 7 he was leading were a complicated bunch; each had a unique background. But if he had to pick the most likely target, it would undoubtedly be Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke hadn't left the village, only Sakura had been traveling for three years, making her the most probable target.

Another possibility was Tazuna. After Sakura hid, the Demon Brothers didn't pursue her, instead attacking Tazuna. This indicated that Tazuna was the actual target.

Tazuna's back was drenched in cold sweat. He hadn't expected that young girl to be Princess Tsunade's disciple. A miscalculation! He'd thought it was just an ordinary Konoha squad, enough to safely escort him to the Land of Waves. Even if they encountered ninjas along the way, he could just push the responsibility onto the escorting ninjas; those ninjas likely had enemies of their own.

But he hadn't anticipated a disciple of Princess Tsunade. This was troublesome. People of Tazuna's age were even older than the Sannin, so he'd naturally heard of their reputation. In times of war, those who rose to fame were invariably powerful. If that young girl died because he'd lied about the mission rank, he'd face a pursuit more terrifying than anything Gato could muster.

But for the sake of the Land of Waves, he had to gamble. He was in a tight spot now, with no way out. He could only hope that this jonin wouldn't abandon the mission and that he had enough strength to protect them.

"Ha...haha...so did you confirm it? The enemy was after that blond kid," Tazuna made one last, desperate attempt, pointing out that the Demon Brothers had also attacked Naruto.

"Mr. Tazuna, why would enemies attack a defenseless civilian?" Kakashi looked at Tazuna emotionlessly. Only Tazuna lacked combat ability within the group; he could have been taken out at any time. So, why would the enemy choose to attack Tazuna? That was something Tazuna couldn't explain.

Tazuna, clearly realizing this point, turned pale and was instantly speechless.

"If Mr. Tazuna doesn't tell the truth, we'll have no choice but to abandon the mission," Kakashi continued.

"Sigh~~~~ Alright, I'm being targeted. The one after me is the Gato Corporation," Tazuna, seeing that he could no longer hide the truth, sighed and admitted everything. "The Land of Waves is a very poor country, and the reason for this is the Gato Corporation. Smuggling, drug trafficking, kidnapping... these are all things Gato does in the Land of Waves. The Land of Waves is surrounded by the sea, and all ships are controlled by Gato. By controlling the ships, Gato essentially controls the lifeline of the Land of Waves. The only way to break this situation is to complete the bridge. That's the only way to stop Gato's monopoly. To prevent the bridge from being built, Gato has hired ninjas to assassinate me."

"Even the Daimyo of the Land of Waves doesn't have much money. I certainly couldn't afford the expensive fees for a B-rank mission," Tazuna said. After revealing everything, the heavy weight on his heart was lifted considerably. Now, it all depended on what this jonin would decide. If it really came down to it, then...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Sakura was preparing to treat Naruto's wound and administer an antidote.

"Naruto, give me your hand," Sakura said, gathering chakra in her hand, ready to heal him. "Be more careful next time."

Hearing Sakura's words, Naruto felt a surge of frustration. Sasuke and Sakura, it was the first time facing an enemy for all of us. Why...why was it only me...? I've been training so hard every day, even after Sakura left. Why am I still so weak? I... I don't want to be rescued by others anymore. With these thoughts, he grabbed a kunai and stabbed himself in the back of his hand. "I vow on this pain, from now on, I will never run away again!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to Naruto. "Mission...continue," Naruto said, his eyes filled with determination, looking at everyone.

Kakashi, watching Naruto, sighed and covered his forehead with his hand. He really knows how to ruin the mood. Tazuna, meanwhile, felt a flicker of relief. Thank goodness for this foolish kid. But then he looked at Kakashi again and felt a renewed sense of worry, unsure if this jonin would still decide to abandon the mission.

"Naruto, while letting the blood out to remove the poison is courageous, if you don't let me treat you, you'll bleed to death," Sakura said kindly, seeing Naruto's determined expression.

"..." Naruto's heroic moment lasted less than three seconds. He frantically said, "Ah... Sakura-chan, help me heal it, quick!"

Sakura sighed helplessly, took Naruto's hand, and pulled the kunai out of his hand, causing Naruto to grimace in pain. Sakura's hands glowed with green chakra as she activated the Mystical Palm Technique.

"Oh~~~ The Mystical Palm Technique? As expected of Tsunade's disciple," Kakashi couldn't help but remark, seeing Sakura use the jutsu.

"So, Mr. Tazuna, only B-rank missions and above involve encounters with ninjas. Now, since the client lied about the mission rank, we have no choice but to abandon the mission," Kakashi said to Tazuna.