Yoruha's growth in strength was simply too rapid.
Even though Kakashi had always thought Yoruha's talent was extraordinary and that he had the potential to rival the Fourth Hokage someday, he hadn't expected his power to increase this quickly.
Now, Yoruha only lacked a few high-damage jutsu.
And considering his exceptional aptitude for learning techniques, it wouldn't be long before Yoruha truly attained jonin-level strength—or perhaps even elite jonin.
Shaking his head, Kakashi formed a series of hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
In an instant, earthen walls rose around the two ninjas' corpses, burying them within.
After completing the task, Kakashi emerged from the forest, his gaze scanning the broken trees along the way.
Even Kakashi couldn't help but feel amazed.
How strong is this kid to break these massive trees ?
This wasn't even a direct attack—just the residual impact—and yet so many trees were destroyed. Even most ninjutsu couldn't achieve this.
When Kakashi reached the group, Yoruha stood calmly, his expression unruffled.
Seeing Kakashi approach, Yoruha asked, "What happened to those two ninjas?"
"They're both dead," Kakashi sighed.
"Do you know who they were?"
Though Yoruha knew the two were from Kirigakure, he still asked.
"Two chunin from the Hidden Mist. Their target was likely Mr. Tazuna," Kakashi replied, his gaze turning to Tazuna.
Kakashi was certain Tazuna had concealed the true difficulty of this mission.
Two ninja—chunin, no less—made this far more dangerous than a C-rank mission. This was more akin to a B-rank mission, and Kakashi suspected the chunin wouldn't be the strongest opponents they'd face.
It was clear these two had been sent as scouts.
This mission could very well involve jonin-level enemies, which would classify it as A-rank.
The gap between a C-rank mission and an A-rank mission was immense, not just in difficulty but also in cost. While a C-rank mission would cost no more than 50,000 ryo, an A-rank mission required at least 150,000 ryo.
Yoruha also turned his gaze to Tazuna.
With two pairs of eyes fixed on him, Tazuna grew visibly nervous.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, trying to maintain his composure.
Kakashi's tone turned cold. "Mr. Tazuna, those two ninja were targeting you."
Tazuna quickly denied it. "That's impossible! They were clearly after you guys!"
Sensing Kakashi's displeasure, Yoruha intervened. "Mr. Tazuna, if you don't explain the full details of this mission, we cannot guarantee we'll continue to protect you."
"There's no need to hide anything. I believe those two ninja won't be the last ones we encounter. If we abandon the mission, what do you think will happen to you?"
Yoruha knew that if he didn't press Tazuna for answers, Kakashi might call off the mission entirely.
Tazuna initially hesitated, but when he saw the seriousness in Yoruha's eyes, he sighed and confessed the truth.
After explaining everything, Tazuna turned to Yoruha and Kakashi with a pleading look. "The Land of Waves desperately needs that bridge. I know I hid the true difficulty of the mission, but our country is so poor—we don't even have our own ninja."
"We can't afford the commission for an A-rank mission. Please, help the Land of Waves," Tazuna pleaded, bowing his head.
Saying this, Tazuna knelt on the ground.
Yoruha glanced at Kakashi without saying anything.
He was waiting for Kakashi to make the decision, as it was ultimately Kakashi's call whether or not to proceed with the mission.
Kakashi helped Tazuna to his feet and turned to Yoruha and the rest. "What do you all think? Should we continue with this mission or head back to the village?"
Kakashi left the decision to the group.
Yoruha remained silent.
Sasuke, meanwhile, had his eyes fixed on Yoruha, still reeling from the sheer power Yoruha had displayed earlier.
Sakura, seeing that Sasuke didn't speak, kept quiet as well.
Naruto stood there frozen, still in shock, unable to process what had happened.
No one spoke, and Tazuna grew increasingly anxious.
If Kakashi and his team refused to escort him, there was no way the bridge in the Land of Waves would ever be completed.
After all, Gato had hired a jonin-level ninja, and only someone like Kakashi, a jonin himself, could offer sufficient protection.
And after witnessing Yoruha's strength, Tazuna was confident in him as well.
In Tazuna's mind, as long as Kakashi and Yoruha were around, even Gato's hired jonin wouldn't stand a chance.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura and shook his head.
The three of them were still novices, completely shaken by the events they had just experienced.
Finally, Kakashi turned his gaze to Yoruha.
Yoruha was a bit speechless.
He hadn't intended to say anything since this wasn't his mission. It was Team 7's responsibility, not his.
But Yoruha also felt that if he stayed silent any longer, Kakashi might actually decide to call off the mission.
"Kakashi-sensei, I think we should continue the mission. I'm willing to trust what Mr. Tazuna has said," Yoruha said at last.
Kakashi nodded. "Since you've said so, we'll continue with the mission."
"But Mr. Tazuna, you need to tell us exactly what kind of ninja have been hired to kill you so that we can prepare accordingly."
Hearing that Kakashi agreed to proceed, Tazuna was overjoyed.
He quickly explained Gato's involvement and added, "Gato has hired a jonin from the Hidden Mist—apparently a very strong one."
Kakashi murmured to himself, "As I thought, there really is a jonin."
His expression grew serious.
This was no simple task, especially since he was responsible for four genin.
He wasn't too worried about Yoruha.
But Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were genuine genin with no experience. Against a jonin, their chances of survival were slim.
Kakashi turned to Yoruha. "Yoruha, I'll leave Mr. Tazuna in your care. No matter what happens, you must ensure his safety."
Then he addressed the others. "Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, you three must stay close to Yoruha. If you get separated, the enemy will easily pick you off one by one."
Sasuke was clearly displeased. Kakashi's words implied that Yoruha was stronger than him.
But remembering the power Yoruha had just displayed, Sasuke reluctantly nodded.
Sakura had no objections.
After all, Yoruha had just saved her life. Without him, she would have been killed earlier.
Seeing Sasuke agree, Sakura naturally followed suit.
Naruto, however, still stood there, dazed.
Kakashi sighed and looked at him. "Naruto, what about you?"
Snapped back to reality by Kakashi's words, Naruto stammered, "Huh? I—I have no objections."
In that moment, he fully realized the gap between himself, Yoruha, and even Sasuke.
Although Sasuke hadn't performed as well as Yoruha earlier, he had still been the best among the three genin.
As for himself, he had done absolutely nothing, standing frozen the entire time.
Biting his lip in shame at his own weakness, Naruto vowed to himself: Next time, I'll stand in front of Sasuke and Yoruha. I'll surpass them both.
Determined, Naruto suddenly drew a kunai and stabbed it into his own palm.
Everyone was stunned.
Naruto's self-inflicted injury was completely unexpected.
Kakashi quickly nodded. "Though your earlier performance wasn't ideal, it's good that you're reflecting on your actions."
Truthfully, Kakashi wasn't entirely satisfied with Naruto's behavior earlier.
But considering it was his first mission outside the village and his first encounter with such dangerous enemies, his poor performance was understandable.
Now that Naruto was showing self-awareness and determination, it was a positive sign.
As for the earlier crisis, Yoruha hadn't originally planned to intervene.
After all, this was Team 7's mission, meant to train Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.
If he stepped in, it would defeat the purpose of their training.
However, when the two enemy ninja were about to kill Sakura and Kakashi still hadn't appeared from the forest, Yoruha had no choice but to act.
Yoruha suspected Kakashi had intentionally delayed his intervention to gauge Yoruha's combat abilities.
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