Chapter 20

"Take your stupid ugly cat, fat lady."

Naruto handed the cat, Tora, to Lady Shijimi, the wife of the Fire Country's daimyō.

The woman looked at him, scandalized by his words.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, remained silent as he listened.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't escape a scolding from Kakashi.

When Lady Shijimi left, Naruto turned to Kakashi, still annoyed.

"No wonder that cat keeps running away from her! Just look at her! She's probably raising it as emergency food."

"That..." Since Lady Shijimi was no longer present, Kakashi didn't reprimand him.

In fact, he was left speechless, unsure of how to respond.

"I'd run away too if I were him... When she hugged him, it looked like she was hurting him..." Sakura chimed in with a more measured comment.

"Who cares about a fat lady and her ugly cat?" said Sasuke, frowning.

[Mikoto Uchiha: I don't like the way he speaks.]

[Izumi Uchiha: I also remember he used to visit my house often with Itachi to play with my cat.]

[Shisui Uchiha: Sasuke has always liked cats, but he's such a tsundere.]

The Third Hokage coughed a couple of times to get their attention.

All of Team 7, along with Kakashi, turned toward him.

[Tobirama Senju: No matter how much I look at him, I just can't get used to it… He looks incredibly old!]

[Naruto Uzumaki: He's one step away from a heart attack.]

[Tobirama Senju: …]

[Kushina Uzumaki: Naruto, you shouldn't joke about things like that… Though I'd be the happiest if that old man died!]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Mom, you have to understand, dark humor is the healthiest kind.]

[Minato Namikaze: What's worse than six kids hanging from a tree? One kid hanging from six…]

[Kushina Uzumaki: MINATO, SHUT UP!!!]

[Minato Namikaze: I just wanted to try…]

Wiping a small tear from his eye after holding in his laughter, Naruto focused on the Third Hokage.

His father turned out to be funnier than he expected. He had always imagined him as the typical stiff dad with a stick up his ass.

"Let's see… The next mission for Kakashi's Team 7 could be…" Hiruzen flipped through a mission report and started searching.

Just as Naruto was about to intervene, Kakashi beat him to it, much to his pleasant surprise.

"With all due respect, Hokage, I believe the kids are ready for a higher-risk mission."

Iruka, seated next to the Hokage, frowned.

"Kakashi, they are still rookies who just graduated from the Academy. These missions will help them gain experience over time. Everyone starts with simple missions."

Kakashi completely ignored Iruka's words and nodded toward Hiruzen, who smiled while smoking his pipe.

"Alright. I'll give them a C-Rank mission."

Iruka wanted to protest, but since it was the Hokage's decision, he sighed in defeat and remained silent. He had no choice but to accept it.

Kakashi observed his team for a few moments.

All three had demonstrated skills beyond those of an average Genin.

The weakest link was Sakura, but to his surprise, he discovered that the girl went to the hospital every day to learn the Mystical Palm Technique.

Her chakra control was excellent, and with the help of Naruto and Sasuke, she had improved her combat skills.

There was no doubt that Sakura would become an excellent kunoichi in the future.

As for Naruto and Sasuke… both were immensely talented.

They advanced at an astonishing pace, growing stronger every day.

Naruto trained constantly, overexerting himself. He was always the last one to leave the training grounds.

Kakashi observed him silently, but to his surprise, he never saw him train with Guy.

He was still trying to figure out the source of Naruto's incredible taijutsu skills.

Maybe he should just ask Guy directly…

The thought made him shake his head in amusement. He would never willingly approach him.

At that moment, the door opened.

An old man with a bottle of alcohol in his hand entered the room.

Seeing the children in front of him, he frowned.

"Are they the ones who will escort me? But they're just brats…"

"Brats who could slit your throat in the time it takes you to finish opening that door."

Naruto's voice startled him for a second.

Kakashi's fist landed forcefully on Naruto's head.

"You need to learn to be less direct with clients… It's not polite."

Naruto rubbed his sore head and looked at Kakashi, annoyed.

[Kushina Uzumaki: This time, I have to agree with Kakashi. You deserved that hit, Naruto.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Isn't it good to be honest? I never hold back what I think.]

[Minato Namikaze: There's a time and place for everything, Naruto.]

The old man decided to introduce himself.

"I am Tazuna, a famous bridge builder. You must protect me with your lives until I reach the Land of Waves and finish an important bridge."

Sasuke's eyes lit up.

Even Sakura felt excited, realizing they would finally leave behind the boring D-Rank missions.

What no one knew was that, although the mission was classified as C-Rank, it would eventually escalate in difficulty along the way, becoming at least a B-Rank mission.

"Let's head out as soon as possible! The longer we delay, the more likely this old bastard gets drunk!"

Naruto headed for the exit.

Tazuna looked at Kakashi with a huge grin, not even bothering to deny it.

...

Half an hour later, Team 7, led by Kakashi, crossed the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village toward the Land of Waves, escorting Tazuna.

During the journey, Naruto had to restrain himself from cutting off the old man's head.

That bastard was disrespectful and egotistical; every word he spoke was laced with sarcasm and mockery.

Naruto was this close to drawing his tantō and slicing his throat, but miraculously, he managed to hold back!

As they walked, Kakashi fixed his gaze on the tantō strapped to Naruto's back.

How the hell could he not recognize that weapon instantly?

He frowned.

"Naruto…" he approached, pointing at the sword. "Where did you get this weapon?"

"Why? Do you like it? Are you interested? It's mine, and I'm not giving it to you!"

Of course, Naruto knew that Kakashi had recognized it, so he joked about it.

The Jōnin shook his head in amusement.

"I was just curious."

"I bought it from a weapons shop near the Hokage's Mansion. They make exact replicas of the weapons of former ninjas."

In reality, Naruto hadn't started using Sakumo Hatake's tantō until he found a place similar to the one he just described.

That store did exist and manufactured replicas of weapons from the village's legendary ninjas.

Unfortunately, Naruto could never afford anything from there, but Kakashi didn't need to know that.

"Are you interested in Konoha's White Fang?" Kakashi asked indifferently.

He tried to hide it, but his eyes gleamed.

[Sakumo Hatake: That store really exists? With my reputation… I never imagined anyone would want to buy a replica of my tantō.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: No one does. They're dumped in a box in the corner of the store.]

[Sakumo Hatake: …]

[Rin Nohara: Uncle Sakumo, don't get discouraged. When you come back to life, you'll clear your name, I promise.]

[Kushina Uzumaki: Naruto, that was inconsiderate.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: I told you, Mom, I'm honest and direct. Don't try to change me.]

[Kushina Uzumaki: …]

Naruto looked at Kakashi and shrugged without much interest.

"From what I've heard, the White Fang of Konoha was as respected as the Sannin. He even competed for the Fourth Hokage position against my father, Minato Namikaze…"

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.

Nowadays, the White Fang's name had been forgotten, and hardly anyone spoke of him.

But what truly stunned him was Naruto's last statement.

Naruto knew Minato was his father?!

According to what the Third Hokage had told him, Naruto had no idea about his lineage!

Not only was Kakashi stunned.

Sasuke and Sakura, who were walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned to look at him.

"Your father was the Fourth Hokage, the hero of the village, Minato Namikaze?!" Sakura was the first to react.

Sasuke said nothing, but his gaze demanded answers.

They had spent weeks training together, and Naruto had never mentioned it.

When was he planning to tell them?!

Even Tazuna looked at him in surprise. His expression shifted slightly, showing a tiny bit of respect—though just barely.

To think he was being escorted by the son of the Fourth Hokage…

"When were you planning to tell us?" Sakura pressed.

"You never asked. Why would I mention it?" Naruto replied indifferently.

[Minato Namikaze: Is it wise for you to reveal that information, Naruto?]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Honestly, it would be stupid if I hadn't figured out that the Fourth was my father.]

Minato's face appeared in the history books at the Ninja Academy.

There were pictures of him in them.

And Naruto… looked way too much like him.

Besides, why would the Fourth Hokage—a hero—kidnap someone else's child just to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox in a boy who happened to look exactly like him?

Naruto noticed the way Kakashi was looking at him and simply said:

"I'm not stupid, even if the Third thinks otherwise."