Naruto (SI) Starting With Glint Glint Fruit

"What about these two?" Sakura looked at the Demon Brothers tied to the tree and asked.

"To keep them from escaping and coming back to cause trouble, we'll have to finish them here," Kakashi said.

Then he looked at Naruto and Sasuke. "You two do it?"

Now that the mission had come this far, Kakashi felt it was time to toughen them up a bit.

A ninja can't just have the will to kill—sooner or later, they have to actually do it.

If they're too soft, not only will the mission get harder, but they could also put themselves and their teammates in serious danger.

Back then, the reason he didn't ask little Sakura was because he felt she wasn't ready yet.

After receiving Kakashi's order, Naruto shot a beam of laser straight through one man's chest.

His face was emotionless, like a devil who didn't care about life at all.

But that wasn't the truth.

If you could measure his heart rate, you'd know that deep down, Naruto wasn't as calm as he looked.

Killing someone and fighting all out are two very different things.

Especially when the one you're killing can't even fight back...

Sasuke handled it better than Naruto, because he had survived in a pile of corpses when he was very young, so killing didn't really bother him anymore.

He threw a kunai that pierced straight into another man's brain.

His face and mind stayed completely calm.

Kakashi checked the brothers' breathing. Once he confirmed they were dead, he said, "Let's go."

Before leaving, little Sakura took one last look at their bodies. She felt really uneasy, like she might have nightmares that night.

Just as Kakashi had guessed—she still wasn't ready at all.

...

After rushing non-stop, they finally arrived at the port before noon.

But because they were close to the sea, the area was covered in thick fog, making it hard to tell whether it was day or night.

"Over here!"

Tazuna found his partner at the port and called him over.

He was a middle-aged man wearing plain clothes and a straw hat shaped like a spinning top.

His wrinkled face looked simple and honest, but he didn't seem to be the same age as Tazuna.

"You're finally here. If you were any later, I was going to leave."

"Thanks for the trouble."

Tazuna said as he led everyone onto the boat.

Once they were seated, the small boat slowly pulled away from the port and headed toward the Land of Waves.

"Mr. Tazuna, can you tell us now? If you're not going to tell us everything, then we might drop the mission once we land. I have to take care of my team," Kakashi said calmly.

"Sigh~"

Tazuna let out a deep sigh. "It all started because a very dangerous man set his sights on me."

"Who?" Sakura asked.

"Gato."

"Gato?"

When he heard the name, Kakashi's pupils shrank a little—it was clear that this name meant trouble.

"You mean Gato from Gato Company?"

"Yeah, that Gato—the billionaire ranked among the richest in the world," Tazuna said with another sigh. "On the surface, he runs a shipping company, but in the shadows, he's a scumbag who hires thugs and rogue ninjas to deal in drugs and illegal goods. He uses that to take over other companies and even countries."

"Around a year ago, Gato set his sights on the Land of Waves. Using violence and money, he quickly took control of all sea transport in the country."

"A small island nation like the Land of Waves—once someone controls its sea routes, they basically control its wealth, politics, and people."

"The only thing Gato fears now is the large bridge we've been building for a long time!"

"So that's why... It makes you a roadblock in Gato's eyes," Sakura muttered, deep in thought.

"Then the ninjas we ran into before must've been sent by Gato too," Sasuke added.

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"If I were Gato, I'd just wait until you finished building the bridge. Then I'd take control of it. That way, I wouldn't have to waste money hiring ninjas to kill you, and I'd still get a bridge I can use to collect 'protection fees,'" Naruto said.

"..."

Everyone turned to look at Naruto, eyes full of disbelief.

"Naruto, good thing you're not the boss of Gato Company. Otherwise, the Land of Waves would be doomed," Sakura said.

"I think someone like him is dangerous even if he's not Gato's boss," Sasuke added.

Naruto glanced at the two of them, and they immediately shut up.

"Ahem."

Kakashi cleared his throat twice, breaking the awkward silence. "Gato… Mr. Tazuna, there's one thing I don't understand. If this job is so dangerous, why didn't you tell us everything when you hired us?"

"Why else? Because I'm poor."

Naruto, who's always been broke, really felt that one. In that moment, he and Tazuna were in sync.

"That's right, the Land of Waves is a poor country. Even the lords here don't have much money, let alone someone like me."

Tazuna suddenly acted all sad and said, "Oh well, if you cancel the mission after we land, I'll probably be killed before I even make it home."

"But don't worry too much about it. If I die, it just means my eight-year-old grandson will cry his eyes out every day, that's all."

"..."

"Oh, and my daughter will hate the Hidden Leaf forever, and live the rest of her life all alone until she dies!"

"But that's okay, it's not your fault anyway. I mean, it's my fault for not being able to pay you."

"..."

The four of them fell silent. Kakashi touched his forehead protector with a troubled look.

After thinking for a bit, Kakashi finally sighed and said, "Looks like there's no other choice. We'll keep protecting you until the bridge is finished."

"Really? Oh, thank you so much."

Tazuna said it flatly, then secretly gave a little 'yes' gesture to his companion behind him.

"Hey, don't think we didn't see that," Naruto said, annoyed.

"Hahaha, don't sweat the small stuff, it's not a big deal, hahaha!" Tazuna scratched his head, a bit embarrassed after getting caught.

"Honestly, there's no dealing with you," Sakura muttered, lowering her head in frustration.

Out of everyone on the boat, she was the least willing to take on this mission.

But Tazuna, that old man, was just too sneaky and shameless.

Her remaining bit of kindness wouldn't let her walk away from such a pitiful old guy.

"We're here!"

Tazuna's companion suddenly said, "Looks like we made it without being spotted, Tazuna."

"You've really worked hard," Tazuna replied.

As the boat passed under an arch bridge, the Land of Waves finally came into view before Naruto and the others.

By the water, there were many trees with thick roots, but it was hard to tell what kind they were.

On the shore were small houses with middle-parted rooftops.

After a while,

Tazuna's companion docked the boat at a wooden bridge.

"This is as far as I can take you."

"Thanks so much! Be careful on your way back!"

As they watched the boatman leave, the group started moving again.

But as they walked, Kakashi felt a bit uneasy.

The Demon Brothers were Chunin. If they had already been defeated, then whoever comes next will definitely be a Jonin.

If Kakashi had to fight alone, things could get tricky.

Naruto might be strong, but he lacked real battle experience, so Kakashi couldn't fully count on him like a true Jonin—

Even though Naruto had the power to defeat him.

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