C-Rank!

The Hokage's office was filled with warm afternoon light, spilling through the large windows and illuminating the stacks of paperwork on Hiruzen's desk—most of which he was actively ignoring.

Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi stood before him, their presence barely acknowledged as he took another long, slow puff from his pipe.

Naruto vibrated with barely contained excitement.

This was it.

The moment they'd been waiting for.

A real mission.

A C-rank.

No more fences. No more babysitting. No more listening to Sakura be cool for free.

Sasuke stood at his usual level of mildly annoyed neutrality.

Sakura's collar was perfectly positioned, the light hitting her face just right as she folded her arms and stared at the Hokage, waiting.

Hiruzen exhaled smoke. "Your C-rank mission will be an escort mission."

Naruto's excitement skyrocketed. "YES! Finally, something cool! Who are we escorting? Some kind of lord? A prince? A beautiful princess?!"

Kakashi turned a page in his book, unfazed. "You'll be escorting a bridge builder."

Naruto froze mid-fist pump.

"...Huh?"

At that moment, the door creaked open.

In stepped an old man—grizzled, scruffy, and already several drinks in. He carried a large bottle of sake under one arm and gave them a once-over with zero confidence.

"...These are my bodyguards?" he slurred.

Sakura blinked.

Naruto flared up instantly. "OI, WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, OLD MAN?!"

Tazuna took a long, slow sip from his bottle, smacked his lips, and sighed. "Means exactly what I said, brat. You look like you'd fold if I sneezed too hard."

Naruto's entire soul left his body.

Sasuke's eye twitched.

Sakura merely adjusted her hood, the movement fluid and calculated.

That boy… no matter how much she taught him…

It was evident, Naruto was not an aura farmer. Not at her level anyways. It was quite unfortunate.

Ding!

 [Aura System]

 +10 AP Gained.

 (Farming Method: Maintaining Unshakable Aura Under Direct Verbal Assault.)

Tazuna looked over at Kakashi. "You're the real ninja, right?"

Kakashi turned a page. "Sure."

Tazuna nodded. "Good enough for me."

Naruto was foaming at the mouth.

Hiruzen, wisely ignoring the growing tension, handed Kakashi the mission scroll.

"The job is simple," he said. "Escort Tazuna to the Land of Waves. Ensure his safety until he completes the bridge."

Kakashi closed the scroll with one hand. "Understood."

Tazuna hiccuped. "And make sure I don't die."

Naruto pumped a fist. "Yeah, yeah, we got this! Just you wait, old man! We'll protect you so hard!"

Sasuke exhaled. "This is going to be a headache."

Sakura simply nodded, already calculating.

A mission outside the village.

This was her moment.

An opportunity to gain real experience.

An opportunity to farm aura at an international level.

Naruto was still loudly arguing with Tazuna. Sasuke was trying to pretend neither of them existed. Kakashi was flipping another page.

Sakura?

She turned slightly, letting the sunlight catch the edge of her face, collar perfectly positioned, as she smirked just enough to be mysterious.

Ding!

 [Aura System]

 +20 AP Gained.

 (Farming Method: Subtly Teasing the Reader That You Know Something They Don't.)

She was so ready for this.

***

The next morning, the sun had barely begun to rise when Team 7 gathered at Konoha's village gates.

The air was crisp, the sky tinged with early dawn hues, and the scent of damp earth lingered from last night's rain.

Tazuna was nursing a hangover.

His posture was slouched, his sake supply mysteriously absent, and he looked about one more brat-induced headache away from retiring early.

But despite the dull throbbing in his head, despite the blond loudmouth he was now contractually stuck with, despite the emo one who kept glaring at everyone like they personally offended him—

His gaze involuntarily slid over to the pink-haired one.

And damn it, even in his hungover state, he could admit…

She looked cool as hell.

Her high collar slightly down, strategically framing her face. Beneath it, her usual sleeveless shirt was replaced with something sleeker, a more tactical coat that flayed out on her sides… dark colors, layered but not overdone. 

The metal plates on her gloves and sandals subtle but deadly.

She exuded the kind of effortless, quiet coolness that made people feel like they should know who she was.

Ding!

 [Aura System]

 +25 AP Gained.

 (Farming Method: Causing an Alcoholic to Acknowledge Your Fit.)

Tazuna blinked. Then scowled. 

No, he wouldn't be impressed by some kid.

"Alright, brats," he grumbled, scratching the back of his head. "Try not to get yourselves killed."

Naruto, buzzing with excitement, nearly vibrated out of existence.

"HAHA, THIS IS IT! WE'RE REALLY LEAVING THE VILLAGE! WE'RE GONNA GO ON A REAL ADVENTURE! WE'RE GONNA—"

Kakashi clamped a hand over his head and forced him into a bow.

"Apologize to the mission gods before you jinx us," he sighed.

Naruto flailed. "But I—"

Kakashi gave him a look. "Apologize."

Naruto grumbled. "Fine. Sorry, mission gods."

Sasuke exhaled sharply, arms crossed.

"This is going to be a waste of time," he muttered, adjusting his arm and leg bandages. But even he was subtly watching Sakura.

Because unlike Naruto, who was all over the place, and unlike Kakashi, who was reading instead of acknowledging reality, and unlike himself, who was actively annoyed at everyone—

Sakura was calm.

Not just calm. Perfectly composed.

She hadn't spoken much. Hadn't overreacted or underreacted.

She had simply been existing at an elite level.

With no further delays, Kakashi gave the signal.

"Alright, let's move out."

And just like that—

Team 7 left the gates.

Sakura didn't look back.

Not because she didn't care.

But because cool people don't look back at explosions.

Or in this case, their home village before an important arc.

Team 7 walked in formation, with Tazuna in the middle, grumbling to himself about how kids these days were too loud, too energetic, and too fashionable (he still hadn't fully gotten over Sakura's fit).

Naturally, Naruto was the loudest.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" he called out, practically bouncing with every step. "So, uh—does Wave Country have ninjas too?"

Kakashi turned a page in his book, only half-interested. "Not really. Smaller nations don't have their own ninja villages. They usually hire mercenaries or request help from the Five Great Nations when they need it."

Naruto frowned. "So… then why does Konoha have a Hokage?"

Kakashi nearly choked.

Sasuke scoffed. "Idiot."

Naruto bristled. "WHAT?! It's a serious question!"

Kakashi sighed, closing his book. "Alright, listen up. The world is split into five major countries. Each one has a Hidden Village led by a Kage—basically, the strongest ninja in the entire village."

Sakura raised a brow. "Strongest ninja?"

Kakashi nodded. "That's right. Konoha has the Hokage. The other villages have the Kazekage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage. They're not just leaders… they're the strongest warriors, the ones who defend their nation when things get serious."

Naruto squinted, thinking hard.

"…Wait, so that means old man Third is the strongest in Konoha?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Exactly."

Naruto made a face.

"…But he's, like, old."

Tazuna snorted.

And that's when it happened.

Sakura exhaled.

The wind chose that moment to sweep through the trees, rustling her coat, making her collar billow just right.

Her arms were crossed. Her posture immaculate.

She tilted her head just slightly, letting the dappled sunlight hit her cheekbones at the perfect angle... framing her face in shadow and light, in mystery and authority.

Ding!

 [Aura System]

 +40 AP Gained.

 (Farming Method: Cinematic Wind Utilization.)

And then she spoke.

"Being old doesn't make the Hokage weak," she said, voice smooth, precisely controlled.

Silence.

Kakashi's eye twitched.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen," Sakura continued, "has lived through two Shinobi World Wars. He's fought S-rank enemies long after his prime. He was trained by the First and Second Hokage, mastered every nature transformation, and is known as 'The Professor' because of his unparalleled knowledge of over a thousand jutsu."

Naruto gulped.

Sasuke, against his better judgment, was actually listening.

Even Tazuna, despite himself, looked a little intrigued.

Kakashi gritted his teeth.

That was his moment. His lesson. His time to explain something cool.

And Sakura stole it.

Again.

Ding!

 [Aura System]

 +15 AP Gained.

 (Farming Method: Stealing Your Sensei's Narrative Spotlight.)

Sakura continued, voice unwavering.

"He's not just some old man. He's one of the strongest, most dangerous shinobi on the entire continent."

She let that sink in.

Naruto looked spooked.

Sasuke was considering things.

Tazuna squinted, stroking his beard.

Kakashi felt his soul leave his body.

Ding!

 [Aura System]

 +50 AP Gained.

 (Farming Method: Making a Jonin Rethink His Entire Existence.)

Sakura lowered her chin, shadows from her collar casting half her face in mystery.

She crossed her arms once more.

A long silence stretched between them.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "...Huh. Guess I shouldn't call him old man anymore."

Sakura nodded sagely.

Ding!

 [Aura System]

 +3 AP Gained.

 (Farming Method: Teaching Proper Respect for Kage-Level Threats.)

Kakashi opened his book again. Defeated.

"…Let's just keep walking."

And of course, they kept on walking, paying no attention to the ground whatsoever.

Definitely not paying attention to the puddle on the ground.

Not at all.

Sakura smirked.

Finally.

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The wave arc has a slightly less focus on comedy and a bit more seriousness so just a slight warning.

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