After chatting with Tazuna for a while, Kakashi gathered Yoruha, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura for a meeting.
In the room, Kakashi sat in front of the four and said, "I need to make some arrangements for this escort mission."
"While we're protecting Mr. Tazuna, we also need to focus on training."
"So, I'm planning to split you into two groups. The groups will take turns—one will protect Mr. Tazuna while the other trains with me."
Hearing Kakashi's plan, Naruto immediately raised his hand. "Kakashi-sensei, I want to be in the same group as Sakura!"
Sakura's mouth twitched as she replied with disdain, "I don't want that."
Her straightforward rejection left Naruto heartbroken.
"Sakura, let's be in the same group!" Naruto pleaded.
Although Sakura had always made it clear that she disliked Naruto and liked Sasuke, Naruto refused to give up.
To Naruto, Sakura was his goddess.
His persistence even bordered on being overly clingy.
But the more Naruto acted , the less Sakura liked him.
She rolled her eyes and said again, "I don't want to."
Quickly, Sakura added, "I want to be in the same group as Sasuke."
Sasuke, however, showed no reaction.
He didn't care which group he was in.
Yoruha shared the same indifference.
Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sakura, clearly troubled by their bickering.
"Alright, Sasuke and Naruto will be in one group, while Yoruha and Sakura will be in the other. It's decided," Kakashi said.
Hearing this, Naruto jumped up in anger. "Why?! I don't want to be in the same group as Sasuke!"
His face was filled with frustration—Sasuke was the person he disliked the most.
Sakura also froze for a moment. She didn't have a problem with Yoruha, but she still wanted to be in Sasuke's group.
However, seeing Yoruha's calm demeanor, she decided not to argue further.
Sasuke, noticing Naruto's disdainful expression as he pointed at him, also felt annoyed.
"You think I want to be grouped with a loser like you?" Sasuke retorted.
Naruto clenched his fists and glared at Sasuke. "You jerk! Sasuke, this isn't the academy anymore. Do you still think you're stronger than me?"
Although Sasuke wanted to fire back, he thought about Naruto's personality and chose to stay quiet.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Naruto—he just didn't want to waste energy arguing with him.
Seeing Sasuke fall silent, Naruto turned his frustration toward Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, you're being unfair! Why did you group Yoruha with Sakura?"
"Sakura isn't even part of Yoruha's team!"
Yoruha remained calm, completely unfazed by the grouping.
In fact, he would've preferred to work alone.
Kakashi glanced at Naruto and explained, "The reason for the grouping is that Yoruha's strength is enough to protect Sakura, while you and Sasuke, although not very strong individually, can still protect yourselves if you work together."
Naruto was momentarily stunned.
He looked at Sasuke and muttered, "I'm not teaming up with Sasuke."
But deep down, he was pleased—Kakashi had acknowledged his strength.
Sasuke nodded, showing he agreed with the grouping as well.
Sakura, however, sighed in exasperation. "Kakashi-sensei, are you saying I'm the weakest?"
Although it was true—during the earlier battle with Zabuza, Naruto hadn't performed well, but even that was better than Sakura's contribution.
This was a fact she couldn't deny.
Sakura was well aware.
When it came to combat, she was the weakest in the team.
In fact, Sakura at this point had little to no fighting ability.
She only knew the Three Basic Jutsu and some rudimentary applications of ninjutsu.
Her combat power was far inferior even to Naruto's.
Kakashi didn't respond to Sakura's comment, which was as good as an admission.
After dividing into groups, the team members went to rest.
On the other side, after escaping, Zabuza returned to his hideout in the forest.
Inside the room, Zabuza set down his Executioner's Blade and sat in thought.
After a long while, the door opened.
A beautiful person walked in from outside.
Seeing this person, Zabuza said, "Next time, you'll have to make a move. You saw the entire battle, didn't you?"
The person nodded calmly.
This was none other than Zabuza's assistant, Haku.
With an appearance so beautiful, one might mistake Haku for a stunning woman.
But in reality, Haku was a boy.
He was a ninja from the Yuki Clan of the Hidden Mist Village, possessing the Kekkei Genkai of Ice Release.
Haku's strength was undoubtedly on the level of a Jonin.
If not for his personality, he might even rank among the strongest Jonin.
Haku walked in and stood beside Zabuza. "I saw it. That person's strength is formidable, definitely not inferior to mine."
Zabuza's expression was serious. "Yes, his strength is on par with yours."
"To complete this mission, we must keep that kid occupied. If we can hold him off, I'm confident I can kill Kakashi and finish the job."
Recalling Yoruha's performance in the previous battle, Haku said, "He seems to be experiencing his first real combat. Although his displayed strength is impressive, he's clearly lacking experience."
Zabuza nodded. "That kid must be Kakashi's student, likely a Genin who just graduated from the Ninja Academy."
"If that kid is allowed to live, the Leaf Village will gain a powerful ninja."
"But that's not our concern. To complete this mission, that kid must die."
He didn't want to kill, especially someone like Yoruha, who bore no personal grudge against him.
Zabuza glanced at Haku, fully aware of his nature.
"Haku, you have to understand. If that kid doesn't die, we won't be able to complete this mission. We must succeed."
"Your compassion shouldn't be wasted on him."
Though Zabuza's words were harsh, they were true.
He didn't want to kill, but he knew that, just as Zabuza said, they had to complete this mission.
They had been constantly hunted by the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu and struggled to take on missions while on the run.
To survive, they had no choice but to complete Gato's task.
Haku understood that, in the end, he'd have no alternative.
As Haku and Zabuza were talking, the door was suddenly kicked open.
Two samurai wielding long swords appeared at the entrance.
Zabuza frowned, displeased by the intrusion.
The two samurai trembled under Zabuza's cold gaze.
They knew all too well how terrifying Zabuza was and quickly stepped aside.
Behind them, Gato appeared, striding into the room without fear.
As soon as he entered, Gato angrily shouted, "Zabuza! Why haven't you killed that old geezer, Tazuna, yet? Aren't you supposed to be a Jonin from the Hidden Mist Village?"
"I've paid you such a high fee, so why haven't you completed the job?"
Zabuza shot a cold glare at Gato, the chilling aura forcing him to take a step back.
But Gato, emboldened by his status as the employer, stopped retreating and glared back. "I hired you because I heard you're strong, but you've disappointed me!"
Gato's voice was icy.
Before Gato could continue ranting, he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his neck.
Looking down, he saw a faint red line appear on his throat—the Executioner's Blade was pressed against it.
Gato panicked, his body trembling. "W-What are you doing? Are you trying to kill your employer?"
"If you dare kill me, your reputation will be ruined! You'll never get another mission in the ninja world!"
Zabuza's voice was cold and filled with killing intent. "If you keep yammering, I'll cut your head off right now."
Feeling the overwhelming murderous aura, Gato gulped. He was genuinely afraid now.
He could feel it—Zabuza wasn't bluffing. This man would kill him without hesitation.
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