Naruto: Chakra System

Tazuna, wearing a simple dark green sleeveless top, plaid pants, and sandals, carrying a large backpack on his back filled with tools, stood at the door, an annoyed expression on his face, looking down at Naruto.

"Hahaha! Sasuke, this old man is calling you short and dumb-looking!" Naruto burst out laughing, completely oblivious that Tazuna was looking at him.

Sasuke, who was at the side, reading the mission details with Sakura, glanced at Naruto and then at Tazuna with annoyance.

Sakura hearing him, silently stepped closer to Naruto. Sasuke also followed and stood close to Naruto's right.

Naruto, still laughing, looked around at Sakura on his left and Sasuke on his right, just then, realization hit him.

"!"

He stopped laughing, as he realized he was the shortest in the room. A short silence followed, as Naruto's face twitched, and then he glared at Tazuna.

He tucked up his sleeves, ready to lunge at Tazuna to attack, and yelled "You damn old man! I'll kick your ass, just stop there, calling me short!"

But before Naruto could take a single step forward, Kakashi swiftly grabbed Naruto from behind his collar. With Naruto's cat-like face because of his whiskers, it literally looked like Kakashi lifted a real yellow-orange cat.

Naruto flailed his arm as he yelled, "Kakashi-sensei, let me down, I will teach this old geezer a lesson!"

Kakashi shook his head, sighed, and said, "Not now, Naruto, he is our client, whom we are supposed to protect and escort to the Land of Waves."

Then Tazuna walked forward and announced, "I am the expert bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

Naruto stopped flailing his arms upon hearing Kakashi and pouted, but didn't try to lunge at Tazuna anymore; however, he still was glaring at him.

'Naruto's height really is short here, but that can't be called his fault,' Kakashi thought, staring at Hiruzen momentarily.

'After all, it was Hiruzen, who didn't even provide Naruto with proper and good food, what could he even eat with that small monthly allowance.'

Kakashi was completely blaming Hiruzen for Naruto's stunted growth. Otherwise, with the genes of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, how could Naruto even not grow properly?

He even remembered the vivid memories of time spent with Minato from the point he became his Jōnin Sensei to the Third Shinobi War. Minato's height was easily around 180 cm.

Naruto's height should also be good by now for his age, but years of malnutrition, Naruto's growth stunted, and Naruto was supposed to be Hiruzen's responsibility.

Hiruzen, after taking another puff from his smoking pipe, said, "Alright, now you understand about the mission, you can start it immediately."

Kakashi nodded, and Iruka said with a smile to Naruto, "Naruto, don't remain annoyed on the mission, and be safe, and you two as well."

Hearing Iruka, Naruto's annoyance at Tazuna died down and he replied, "Yes, Iruka-sensei!"

Sakura and Sasuke also nodded and all started to walk out, and moved towards the village's gate. Tazuna followed them, taking another drink from his sake and snorted.

—

It was only 10 AM in the morning, and the group gathered at the gate and started moving ahead for mission.

Naruto was the one ahead of all the group, bouncing and jumping in excitement and he shouted, "Let's Go!"

Sasuke also was excited a little, but made blank face expressions, crossing his arms and muttered, "What are you getting so excited for?"

Sakura, beside Kakashi, sighed and chuckled as she watched Naruto's excited look; after all, this was going to be their first mission, she was also excited.

Naruto laughed, scratching his blonde hair, looking around the area and said, "Haha, I never left the village before, it's my first time since I was a kid!"

Sasuke with normal expressions and Sakura with a small smile nodded and said, "Well, it's our first time too."

Tazuna, looking at Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto with a dissatisfied gaze and asked Kakashi, while pointing at them, "...Hey!! Am I really going to be safe with these brats? And this short one, bouncing like an overexcited monkey, he doesn't look smart at all."

Naruto's eyes twitched, Sasuke also frowned, and looked back at Tazuna while walking with the group with an annoyed look. Sakura was also dissatisfied with the way this old bridge builder had been insulting them.

Kakashi didn't answer him immediately; he paused and looked back and saw that they had walked a considerable distance from Konoha's gate.

Tazuna, finding that Kakashi was ignoring him, and stopped to look back, got more frustration and asked, "Hey, you ninja, why aren't you answering, and why do you stop to look back?"

Bang!

Immediately and suddenly, a kick hit Tazuna's guts. His bottle of sake fell and broke while Tazuna flew to hit on a tree at side.

This surprised not only Tazuna, but also Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, all looking at Kakashi with wide eyes, their jaws dropping.

Though Kakashi kicked Tazuna, he had controlled his strength, otherwise a kick alone from a Jōnin could kill a civilian old man easily, that's why Tazuna wasn't dead but still spit out blood.

Moreover, Kakashi's overall strength now could be considered a Kage level, considering his Chakra and Fūinjutsu expertise he had gained now.

Kakashi swiftly took out a Kunai from his Inventory Seal and Flickered in front of the downed Tazuna, and pressed his Kunai on his neck.

Tazuna, who was about to be angry and wanted to yell at him, gulped at finding a sharp Kunai on his neck; sweat started to flow from his forehead.

Sakura asked, with a hint of urgency in her voice, "K-Kakashi... sensei, w-what are..."

Kakashi turned his head, cut in and said, "Kids, this is another lesson, clients are the ones who need us and for that they pay money, but that doesn't mean they buy us, we are above them, not other way around."

Naruto would have laughed, but sensing the seriousness in Kakashi's voice just nodded sheepishly, same was done by Sakura and Sasuke.

Then Kakashi looked back at Tazuna, and said in a deep voice, "Listen, bridge builder, Tazuna, we are Ninja's and you, you are nothing, just a bridge builder, you better show us some respect, when we are the one risking our lives to protect you."

Tazuna gulped again as his body tensed with fear and said while stammering a little, "I... I paid yo—"

Kakashi cut in, and immediately replied, his tone becoming more threatening, "As I said, you didn't buy us, it's you who needs our help, and your small sum of Ryo isn't what that helps us surviving or Konoha, especially when you lied about mission difficulty to us!"