Konoha: The Honored One

(A/N: Bonus chapters! Thank you all for your support!)

Within the territory of the Land of Waves…

"There are so many plants in this village that I've never seen before!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder as he looked around, a large bag slung over his shoulder. He looked like he was on a vacation rather than an actual mission, the pure embodiment of excitement and nervous energy.

This was his first mission, and he was buzzing with a mix of adrenaline and anticipation.

Sasuke, hands stuffed into his pockets, with his schoolbag lazily hanging off his shoulder, scoffed, his usual deadpan expression never wavering. "You idiot. Since it's an escort mission, we're likely to encounter enemies."

Sakura, not wanting to seem left out, shot Naruto a pointed glare. "Naruto, maybe you should take a page out of Sasuke's book. We're supposed to be on guard here."

Naruto puffed his chest out and waved her off dramatically, as if he were a seasoned ninja already. "Tch, what can I possibly learn from a loser like him? I know there might be enemies!" He pulled out a kunai and began dramatically scanning the area, peering around exaggeratedly as though he were in a full-blown action movie.

"I'm on guard against the enemy!" he declared with all the seriousness of a toddler playing pretend.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Enemies aren't going to just waltz right in front of us, idiot."

Sakura, of course, had stars in her eyes at Sasuke's calm demeanor. "Sasuke is so cool…"

Naruto fumed, his hands clenched in frustration. "Damn it, why do you have to show off so much, Sasuke?!"

Gojo, who had been lazily strolling behind them with his hands in his pockets and a lollipop dangling from his mouth, sighed loudly, snapping them all out of their little squabble. "Oh, come on. It's just a bunch of bandits. Just hit them with whatever you've got, I'm sure they'll fall over dead in no time." He smirked over at Tazuna, who had been quietly walking beside them. "Right, old man?"

Tazuna hesitated, guilt creeping into his expression. "Uh… yeah, that's right…"

Sakura turned to Gojo, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Gojo-sensei, you're way too relaxed! We're on a mission here!"

Gojo, ever the picture of nonchalance, didn't flinch. He had to remember, this was a C-rank mission after all. Sure, it could turn dangerous if they weren't careful, but danger was just another Tuesday for him.

With a playful grin, he ruffled Sakura's hair affectionately. "No need to fret. Your fears are already flat."

He was clearly teasing, but Sakura couldn't help the way her cheeks flushed. Oddly enough, even though Gojo was making fun of her, she felt a little more at ease.

"Hey! Don't underestimate me! I'm gonna grow really strong, you'll see!" she shouted, determined to prove herself.

Gojo chuckled. "Pfft! Look at you turning red! Even if I'm as handsome as I am, don't get any funny ideas. I'm only into girls with curves, not squishy little marshmallows like you."

"Little Sakura is such a dreamer," Naruto snickered.

"Who's dreaming?!" Sakura snapped, her face as red as a tomato. She rolled her sleeves up, ready to punch Naruto for his insolence.

"Ow! Why do you always hit me?!" Naruto yelped, ducking just in time to avoid the blow.

Before Gojo could tease them any further, his demeanor shifted. His Six Eyes had picked up something. He froze, scanning the area with renewed interest. Three men, dressed in black, were lurking in the shadows.

He tilted his head, noting something suspicious on the ground ahead of them. A puddle of water. "Huh… what's this?"

"Do we really need to think about it? It must have rained," Naruto shrugged, still half-distracted by the surroundings.

"Wrong." Gojo said, his tone cool as he glanced at Naruto with a look that could only be described as pity. 'The Nine Tails kid's brain really is something else.'

"Stop!" Sasuke suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop in their tracks. His expression turned serious. "That water…it hasn't rained in days, and there are no houses around here. It's definitely a trap."

Gojo smiled, approving of Sasuke's sharp observation. "Good thinking, Sasuke. But Naruto, seriously—get your head in the game."

"Of course I know! That water is probably a trap set by the enemy!" Naruto shouted, throwing a kunai at the puddle with all his might.

The kunai splashed harmlessly into the shallow water.

Sasuke couldn't hold back his sarcastic laugh. "You really think the enemy would be so obvious?"

"Ugh, forget it…" Gojo sighed, already mentally tuning out Naruto's antics.

And just as he expected, three men in black suddenly sprang from the shadows, their weapons drawn.

"Take out the troublesome Jonin first!" one of them shouted as they lunged at Gojo.

The weapons clanged against Gojo's body, and for a moment, the three men smirked, convinced they'd caught him off guard.

"Really? You're trying to take me out with that?" Gojo said casually, still chewing his lollipop, his hands still in his pockets. He looked down at them with a mocking smile.

The men froze. Their weapons had stopped mere inches from his skin.

"Still alive, huh? How embarrassing," Gojo drawled, unimpressed.

He had already decided these guys weren't even worth his time.

"Forget about this guy! Focus on the mission!" One of the men, wielding a sickle, turned and lunged for Tazuna, aiming for his neck.

Haruno Sakura was quick to react, dashing forward and positioning herself between Tazuna and the sickle. With a swift move, she blocked the deadly arc with her kunai.

"Good job, Sakura!" Gojo cheered, giving her a thumbs up.

Sasuke, always quick on the draw, moved silently behind the man with the sickle, striking with his kunai to the neck in one fluid motion.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the man falter. He was frozen, watching the scene unfold.

Sasuke had just taken down one of them, and Naruto—well, he was still shaking from the sight.

"Ha! Sasuke's doing great!" Gojo cheered.

Turning his attention back to the remaining two men, Gojo's smile turned slightly wicked. "Don't say I'm bullying the weak, but you guys really need to be faster."

With a lazy flick of his hand, Gojo tapped one of the men on the head.

"Om…" The man's head exploded like a watermelon, the spray of blood hitting the surrounding area.

Gojo didn't even flinch.

"Well, that was messy. But hey, look—another one to go," Gojo said casually, staring at the last man in black who was already turning to flee.

"Wait, what? How are you still—?!" the man gasped in fear, realizing Gojo was now standing right in front of him.

"You know, don't worry about it. The pain will only last a moment," Gojo said, giving the man a light tap on the forehead.

"Bang!" The man's head flew off like a cannonball, landing with a sickening thud at Tazuna's feet. His body crumpled to the ground, blood pouring out in torrents.

The man never even had a chance to react.

Gojo glanced over at Sasuke and Sakura, both looking slightly pale, but both were also trying to maintain their cool. "Even though it took two of you to take one down, I'm proud of you."

Sasuke, though still eerily calm, seemed to have become accustomed to the violence. He didn't even flinch.

It was probably all those traumatic memories of the massacre, right?

Sakura, on the other hand, took a deep breath, relief washing over her. Her protective instincts had kicked in earlier, but now that it was over, she was shaken.

As for Naruto… he was still kneeling on the ground, his face pale as he trembled, watching the brutal efficiency of Gojo's moves.

"Hey, you okay, brat?" Gojo teased, his voice almost friendly.

Naruto could barely meet Gojo's eyes. "I-I'm fine…"

But it was clear to everyone that Naruto wasn't quite as ready for this type of mission as he'd thought.