Sakura finished speaking, and Sasuke frowned slightly, nodding gravely.
On the other hand, Naruto, looking utterly confused, leaned in and asked, "What? What?"
Last night, Naruto had slept soundly, completely unaware of the commotion.
Sakura rolled her eyes at him.
She then turned to Sasuke with an expectant expression.
Although Sasuke usually acted aloof, he had clearly noticed the explosion last night.
Moreover, the explosion was anything but ordinary.
Sasuke had never witnessed such a terrifying explosion—so much so that he had briefly wondered if another village had launched an attack.
"I'm not sure, but I can tell you this much: even a jonin couldn't pull off an explosion like that."
Sakura froze for a moment. She had only known that last night's explosion was loud and massive.
She hadn't considered anything beyond that.
"Not even a jonin? Not even Kakashi-sensei?"
Sakura glanced at Kakashi.
Naruto, walking beside them, scratched his head, desperate to join the conversation but completely clueless about what had happened.
Sasuke also turned to look at Kakashi.
Kakashi, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed their stares and stayed silent.
"Kakashi-sensei, you must know what happened last night, right? Even you couldn't have done that, could you?"
Under the trio's watchful gazes, Kakashi shook his head and said, "I couldn't either. But last night's explosion was just the village's research department testing a new ninjutsu. There's no need for you to overthink it."
Sasuke seemed pensive after hearing this.
However, he didn't press further.
He could tell Kakashi wasn't telling the full truth.
Still, since it involved the village's higher-ups, Sasuke decided not to probe.
Seeing that Sasuke had dropped the subject, Sakura also chose to let it go.
Naruto, however, remained completely baffled.
He had no idea what was going on.
The four of them arrived at the Hokage's office.
Seeing Kakashi's team, the Third Hokage glanced at Kakashi.
Kakashi gave a slight nod in return.
Both of them understood what it meant.
As soon as Naruto stepped into the office, he rushed up to the Third Hokage, complaining, "Old man Hokage, stop giving us those boring, low-level missions!"
The Third Hokage looked at Naruto and sighed, "You've only just graduated from the ninja academy. You're still an apprentice ninja, so it's only natural for you to gain experience through lower-level missions."
"Besides, you're still just genin. At most, you're only eligible for D-rank missions."
But Naruto shook his head and said, "But those D-rank missions are way too boring! I want higher-level missions!"
While the Hokage's words were reasonable, Naruto was so fed up with D-rank missions that he resorted to whining.
On the side, although Sakura and Sasuke didn't voice their opinions, they secretly agreed with Naruto.
They, too, were tired of doing low-level missions.
Kakashi, on the other hand, sighed internally, thinking, I knew this was coming.
At that moment, his thoughts drifted to Yoruha.
I wonder how that kid's doing now. After having all his chakra drained yesterday, he only rested for one night before waking up. I hope there are no lasting effects.
In that instant, Kakashi's mind was miles away.
Meanwhile, as Naruto continued pestering, the Third Hokage finally gave in.
"Alright, fine. I'll assign you a C-rank mission."
Naruto, who had been sitting on the floor with his back to the Hokage, immediately jumped up upon hearing those words.
Naruto jumped up excitedly.
"Really? What kind of mission is it?"
Seeing Naruto's eager expression, the Third Hokage chuckled. "It's a protection mission."
The moment Naruto heard it was a protection mission, his imagination ran wild. "Protect who? A daimyo? Or maybe a princess?"
Kakashi glanced at Naruto's expectant face and felt speechless. Protecting a daimyo wouldn't be just a C-rank mission.
Although Sasuke and Sakura didn't indulge in wild fantasies like Naruto, they were still curious and hopeful.
After all, they didn't want to continue doing tasks like chasing stray cats and dogs.
The Third didn't answer Naruto's question but instead called toward the door. "Please, come in."
All four turned their attention to the entrance.
Soon, the door opened.
An old man holding a bottle of sake walked in, leaning against the doorway as he scrutinized the group.
Taking a swig from his bottle, he said grumpily, "What's this? Just a bunch of brats? Especially that short one—he looks so stupid. Are you really a ninja?"
Hearing the old man's words, Naruto laughed awkwardly, "Haha, who are you talking about? The short one who looks stupid..."
As he spoke, Sakura and Sasuke silently moved to stand behind him.
When he realized the comparison, Naruto's grin froze instantly.
"You old geezer! Who are you calling stupid? I'll kill you, you jerk!"
Naruto lunged forward, flailing, but Kakashi easily restrained him.
"Are you planning to kill the person we're supposed to protect, idiot?"
Ignoring Naruto's outburst, the old man said, "I'm Tazuna, the world-famous bridge builder. That's me."
"During the time I'm building my bridge, you brats better protect me properly."
Naruto glared at Tazuna, crossing his arms in frustration and turning his head away, clearly unhappy.
Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke, upon hearing it was a protection mission outside the village, were full of anticipation.
This was their first real mission as ninjas.
Kakashi, however, frowned. "An out-of-village mission?"
Not because leaving the village for a mission was dangerous, but because he was worried about Yoruha's safety while he was gone.
After all, who could say for sure if the Third Hokage would keep the promise he had made the previous night?
What if the Third used this mission as an excuse to send him away and then targeted Yoruha?
Could Kihon Toichi stop them?
Clearly, the answer was no.
Though Kihon Toichi was a jonin from the Anbu, his status in Konoha couldn't compare to Kakashi's.
The Third held Kakashi in high regard.
And rightfully so—Kakashi was currently the strongest jonin in the village.
With Tsunade and Jiraiya absent and Guy in his normal state, Kakashi was unmatched among the jonin.
This made him the only one the Third trusted to protect Yoruha.
If Kakashi were present, the Third would honor his word.
But if he left, it was uncertain whether the Third could resist pressure from Danzo and others to abandon Yoruha.
Noticing Kakashi's complicated expression, the Third Hokage understood his concerns.
He said, "Kakashi, this mission will allow Naruto and the others to see the world beyond the village. As their teacher, this is your responsibility."
The Third was reminding him not to neglect his current role.
But the more the Third insisted, the more uneasy Kakashi felt.
Naruto, hearing the Third Hokage's words, grinned broadly and said, "Haha, old man! I'll complete this mission perfectly and show you how amazing I am!"
Kakashi stayed silent.
As the group was about to leave, Kakashi couldn't hold back any longer.
He turned to the Third Hokage and said, "Lord Hokage, since this mission involves leaving the village, I'd like to bring Yoruha along."
"Jonin Kihon requested that I take his student along when I went on missions outside the village."
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