Chapter 32: First Mission – Land of Waves!  

Kakashi didn't know all the details, but it was possible that someone had secretly leaked some information. 

When questioned by Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, he dodged the topic. 

However, they still learned one thing from Kakashi—Naruto's last name was indeed Uzumaki. 

After finding this out, both Sasuke and Sakura, deep down, felt happy for Naruto. 

But to figure out the full story, they had to go to the Land of Waves. 

A few days later, after making all the preparations, Kakashi led the team out of Konohagakure. 

"Hiruzen, you're really letting Kakashi take Naruto out just like that?" 

"What else can I do? Naruto is already a Genin of Konohagakure. Back in the day, Genin were already fighting on the battlefield." 

The Third Hokage answered Danzo's question without hesitation. 

Danzo clearly wanted to keep Naruto under strict control, but to the Third Hokage, that seemed too cruel. 

"But Naruto is different. He's Konohagakure's Jinchuriki."

"Yeah, that means he needs to go out and get some real experience." 

The Third Hokage nodded seriously. 

Danzo had no choice but to pick up the mission details again. 

It looked like an ordinary C-rank mission. 

But that was just on the surface. Anyone with sharp eyes could see the problem right away—this wasn't just a simple escort mission. There would be fighting involved. 

"Pirates?" 

Fighting was, of course, dangerous. But when Danzo saw that the enemies were pirates from the Land of Waves, he didn't feel worried at all. 

Then he realized something—if he was concerned about Naruto, the Third Hokage must be even more so. 

Danzo wanted to control Naruto. The Third Hokage was thinking about the entire village of Konohagakure. Their goals were different, but one thing was the same. 

They had to make sure the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto, didn't get into danger. 

"A bunch of low-level pirates? Even regular genin could handle them, let alone with Kakashi leading the team. Don't worry about it." 

The Third Hokage spoke calmly. 

Danzo didn't dwell on it any further. He knew the Third wouldn't just leave things to chance. 

Besides, he had his own matters to deal with. 

Orochimaru had already set the date for his next Sharingan transplant surgery. He still needed to prepare the money for it. 

"Sarutobi, the Anbu funding needs to be released." 

*Cough…* 

The Third Hokage's health suddenly seemed to take a turn for the worse. 

— 

Meanwhile, Naruto's team had already set out on their journey. 

When Tazuna saw Naruto again, the smile on his face disappeared. 

He never imagined that a bunch of kids would be the ones assigned to this mission. 

Was the pay too low, so stronger ninja didn't even bother taking it? 

At least their "teacher" looked reliable. 

"Tazuna, tell us more about the Land of Waves along the way. As ninja, we need to know the right information." 

Kakashi was also interested in learning more about this so-called "New World." 

But unlike with Naruto, Tazuna didn't just spout nonsense in front of Kakashi. 

Instead, he told them the real situation in the Land of Waves. 

For as long as he could remember, Gato had controlled the Land of Waves. Even after becoming a pirate, his grip on the place only grew stronger. 

Not only did he take control of every ship in the Land of Waves, but he also forced skilled workers to work in the shipyard. 

So why hadn't Tazuna been taken? 

Because he wasn't a shipbuilder. He was just a bridge builder. 

That's why he and his group were still free and could move around the Land of Waves. 

Gato didn't have the time to keep an eye on them. 

And to Gato, the ordinary people of the Land of Waves weren't worth much anyway. 

Now, things were even worse. 

The Blade-less Pirates acted like kings, and they didn't care about the common people at all. 

This was mostly thanks to Gato. He was good at reading the situation, and since he had sided with Zabuza, he had to follow Zabuza's rules. 

So, the Blade-less Pirate Crew ended up with a new rule—never harm civilians who can't fight back, and never steal from them. 

At first, some members didn't understand this rule. But after Zabuza led them to hijack a ship from Kirigakure, everyone got it. 

Their captain was on a whole different level. If they were going to steal, it had to be from big shots. If they were going to fight, it had to be against strong opponents. 

Civilians? Those nobodies didn't even deserve to stand in the same league as the Blade-less Pirate Crew. 

Basically, after seeing how strong their captain was, the crew started thinking they were just as strong. 

Now this—this was what real strength looked like. 

"So, the captain and vice-captain of the Blade-less Pirate Crew probably won't get involved in this matter." 

Kakashi understood now. 

Since Tazuna wasn't important enough, they didn't plan to step in. 

"That makes things a lot easier for us." 

"But, Kakashi-sensei, if that's the case, how are we supposed to find out anything about Naruto?" 

Sakura was worried. If their captain didn't show up, they wouldn't be able to learn anything about the Four Emperors connected to Naruto. 

"Well…" 

"Gathering intel is one of the most important skills for a ninja. This mission won't be over anytime soon, so for now, just focus on gathering information in the Land of Waves." 

Kakashi scratched his head and gave his students their next task. 

From what Tazuna had told them, that "captain" didn't seem to be keeping Shanks a secret. Even regular pirates knew about him, so asking around should be enough to get some answers. 

Of course, Kakashi planned to do some investigating himself. 

As they traveled, nothing got in their way. Even the ambush from rogue ninja that happened in the original timeline didn't occur this time. 

Once they arrived in the Land of Waves, Tazuna started gathering workers to begin construction on the bridge. 

The next day, Kakashi escorted the construction team to the bridge site. When Tazuna didn't see those three brats around, he felt relieved. 

"Ninja-sama, are your students off gathering intel?" 

Tazuna asked. Even though the captain wouldn't be making a move, Gato and his men weren't exactly easy to deal with either. 

"Yeah." 

Kakashi nodded. 

"They should still be careful, though. The pirates might not target kids, but a couple of days ago, two ninja tried to pretend they were from Four Emperors Shanks' clan. They even claimed to be Uzumakis." 

"They've been hanging from the docks ever since." 

"If they want information, they just need to pay for it." 

Tazuna suggested. He had just heard about this himself and was surprised Gato even dared to take on ninja. 

Luckily, the ninja on their side weren't just any ninja—they were full-fledged Jonin from the Land of Fire's Konohagakure! 

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