Chapter 51: Mission Complete

Wave Country Town

Naruto was slightly taken aback by Sakura's words.

Sakura continued, "This world is full of powerful people. The only thing I can really do is protect you guys. To protect you, I'm willing to sacrifice others. After all, we're still not strong enough."

"Being kind to your enemies is being cruel to yourself, Naruto. I spent three years studying abroad with Master Tsunade, and I saw a lot of things like this. I'm not the strongest in the ninja world; I can't dictate the rules. So, all I can do is protect myself."

She wasn't sure if Naruto had taken her words to heart. She was just another ordinary person trying to scrape by. At first, she hadn't felt any sense of belonging in this world. If it weren't for the bonds she'd formed with her family and friends, she probably wouldn't have chosen to become a ninja. She'd probably just have hidden until the very end of the story.

Naruto remained silent for a moment, then lifted his head with a determined look. "I'm going to become the strongest in the ninja world and change it!"

Sakura looked at Naruto's resolute gaze and said, "Alright, then give it your best shot. The first step is becoming Hokage."

As long as Naruto could resolve his inner conflict, that was fine. Sakura didn't want to get involved any further; helping people sort out their emotional baggage was the biggest hassle.

"Naruto, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll teach you a chakra control technique. It'll help you get stronger," Sakura said, remembering that Naruto still couldn't walk on water. There was a small river nearby, perfect for practice.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked excitedly. It had been a while since he'd learned anything new. Sasuke had performed better than him in both of the recent incidents, and Naruto wasn't happy about it.

"Watch closely, Naruto," Sakura said, jumping off the bridge and landing softly on the surface of the water.

"Naruto, you just need to focus your chakra in your feet and release it outward, like this, and you can stand on water," Sakura called out to Naruto, waving from below the bridge.

"Isn't that what Kakashi-sensei was doing when he fought on the water today?" Naruto said, jumping off the bridge as well. However, he misjudged the amount of chakra needed and sank straight to the bottom of the river.

"Keep practicing. Once you master this, you won't be helpless in situations like today's battle on the water," Sakura said with a smile.

"Hmph," Naruto grunted, displeased at Sakura's reminder of the day's fight.

"Then keep at it. I'm going back to rest," Sakura said, walking back onto the shore and waving to Naruto. "Don't practice too late."

After saying goodbye to Naruto, Sakura returned to Tazuna's house to rest. The mission was to protect Tazuna until the bridge was completed, so it looked like they would be staying here for a while.

The next day, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke had woken up.

Sakura rubbed her sleepy eyes as she entered the dining room, finding Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Naruto already there.

"Sakura-chan, I've already learned how to walk on water, hehe!" Naruto said to Sakura with a grin.

"Hmph," Sasuke clearly wasn't pleased that Sakura had taught Naruto the water-walking technique he'd traded his present for.

"Sakura, thank you," Kakashi said, opening his eyes and realizing he was in a tidy room, indicating they were no longer on the battlefield. "Sakura, where did you put Zabuza's weapon?"

The Kubikiribocho (Executioner's Blade). Kakashi was well aware of it. It was one of the famous Seven Swords of the Mist. While Kakashi hadn't wanted to bring back the bodies, he had considered taking the weapon.

"Oh, that, Kakashi-sensei? I buried it with Zabuza. That sword is pretty famous; I heard Master Tsunade mention it before. I didn't want to risk attracting the Mist's attention, so I buried it on the spot," Sakura replied, sipping her miso soup.

The Kubikiribocho wasn't suitable for Sakura. It was too heavy and too long. Besides, the group had injured members to care for; carrying the Kubikiribocho would have been a burden. There was also the risk of attracting the attention of the Hidden Mist Village, so Sakura had chosen to dispose of it.

"Buried it, huh? Then it's fine," Kakashi said. He wasn't suited to using the Kubikiribocho either. Moreover, if a Mist Village weapon appeared in Konoha, there was no guarantee they could keep it. It would likely end up being returned as part of some negotiation. So, hearing that it was buried, Kakashi didn't question it further.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are we doing today?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm? ...Ah... training," Kakashi stammered out after a moment.

"Training?" Naruto was disappointed.

"I haven't fully recovered yet. The ninjas hired by the enemy have been eliminated, so we shouldn't have any more ninjas coming for a while. Our mission is to protect the client until the bridge is finished, so during this time, you need to protect Tazuna," Kakashi explained. "Therefore, use this time to train hard. It'll be difficult to deal with another ninja like Zabuza if one shows up."

And so, until the bridge was completed, Sakura and the others found themselves with nothing to do. No other ninjas came to harass them in the following days.

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto spent their time sparring, getting to know each other's strengths. Sakura's current strength, without using the Strength of a Hundred Seal, was enough to defeat one of them but not both. With the seal activated, she could overwhelm both.

However, this power comparison was meaningless at the moment. Naruto and Sasuke hadn't fully developed yet, and there were certain killing moves she couldn't use. She was simply a step ahead of them.

Sakura had initially thought that after defeating Zabuza, Gato would be more cautious and wouldn't cause any more trouble. However, one day, while the bridge was under construction, Gato showed up.

On the unfinished bridge, two groups of people faced off. On one side were Gato's hired thugs, basically a mob, and they were numerous. On the other side, apart from Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto, were only the bridge builders.

"Now, all of you, stop working! If you don't stop, don't blame me for what happens next," Gato said with a sinister smile.

Sakura looked at the confident Gato, utterly speechless. What gave him the courage to challenge them? Had he heard that Kakashi-sensei was still bedridden and decided to bring a bunch of riffraff to cause trouble?

"Hey, you three Konoha brats, if you leave now, I'll let you go. But if you interfere, you'll die with them," Gato said, clearly not taking the three of them seriously.

"Sasuke, Naruto, he's looking down on us," Sakura said, her interest waning.

"Yeah," Sasuke said with a cold smirk.

"Then I'll leave it to you two. Show me the results of your training," Sakura said.

"Alright! Let's go, Sasuke!" Naruto said, full of energy.

The gap between ninjas and ordinary people was significant, even for children. Aside from everything else, the boost in physical strength provided by chakra alone was something a normal person couldn't match, not to mention ninjutsu.

Sasuke unleashed a Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, and the densely packed mob on the other side would be incinerated.

Before long, the opposing force had been completely beaten down by Naruto and Sasuke.

Sakura stepped forward and fired a Water Bullet, killing one of Gato's henchmen.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto was visibly distressed at seeing Sakura kill someone.

"Naruto, stay back and watch," Sakura said, giving Naruto a stern look. Naruto immediately fell silent.

"Now, you have one chance to make me spare you. Go kill Gato, or you'll all die," Sakura said, killing another of Gato's henchmen with another Water Bullet.

The two she had just killed had been Gato's personal bodyguards, easily distinguishable from the rest. They had stayed close to Gato, not engaging in the fight initially. Only after Naruto and Sasuke had dealt with the mob did they step forward, and it took some effort for Naruto and Sasuke to take them down.

Gato was now filled with regret. With the bridge nearly complete, he'd received information that the Konoha Jonin who defeated Zabuza was seriously injured. Only three Genin remained. For the sake of money, Gato had decided to take a risk. Three Genin, all children, and he had gathered a large number of men. He figured he might be able to scare them off without even fighting.

In truth, if they hadn't encountered Sakura's group, and it had been a group of newly graduated, ordinary Konoha Genin, they might very well have been intimidated and retreated. Gato's good luck had simply run out.

"Hurry up!" Sakura said, looking at the fallen, silent thugs. She raised her hand, forming a Water Bullet at her fingertip, ready to fire.

Finally, the person being targeted couldn't bear the threat of death any longer. He let out a yell, brandishing his weapon and charging towards Gato. With one person taking the lead, others followed. Soon, Gato was overwhelmed by the very mob he had brought with him.

"Sakura-chan, why did you do that?" Naruto asked, confused. "They were already defeated."

"Naruto, do you want to protect Tazuna-san?" Sakura asked.

"If you want to protect him, you have to eliminate Gato. If you don't, he'll just come back after we leave," Sakura continued, not waiting for Naruto's response.

Naruto wasn't stupid. It was just that this kind of event was a bit hard for him to accept. So, Naruto only remained silent for a moment before quietly following Sasuke and Sakura back. Perhaps the experiences of this Wave Country mission would plant a seed in Naruto's heart, waiting to grow.

Now that Gato was eliminated, regardless of whether the bridge was finished or not, the mission was essentially over at its source. It was time to return to Konoha. She wondered if Kakashi-sensei had recovered.