Chapter 18 (Patreon)

The following day, Team Seven officially began taking missions.

As a newly formed genin team, however, they were assigned only D-rank work: catching cats, finding lost dogs, delivering letters, and even pulling weeds.

Naruto deliberately acted reluctant and unenthusiastic, making a point of “slacking off” during their assignments.

His way of slacking off was rather unusual. He wasn’t sleeping or sneaking food. Instead, his hands were constantly moving as he practiced his hand signs.

The original Naruto’s fundamentals had been so poor that he now had to start from scratch. Fortunately, he had his [Super Clone] ability—the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.

His proficiency with the jutsu had already reached [Perfected]. His clones could now travel up to ten kilometers from his real body and remain active for an entire day.

Before he knew it, two months had passed.

“Naruto, can’t you take this a little more seriously?”

Sakura frowned at the large cat Naruto had pinned beneath his foot.

Her attitude toward him had improved since the bell test. She no longer found him quite as irritating, and even when she scolded him, there was less hostility in her voice.

Before that test, their relationship had actually been worse than in the original story. This Naruto had stopped chasing after her and had teased her several times instead, giving her even more reasons to dislike him.

Today’s mission was to retrieve the missing tabby belonging to the Fire Daimyo’s wife.

They had found and captured it successfully. But since Naruto was busy practicing hand signs with both hands, he had stopped the cat with his foot instead.

“It ran straight at me. It’s got no one to blame but itself!” Naruto replied with a grin.

His hands kept moving even as he spoke.

Sasuke’s expression remained composed, but Naruto’s dedication was putting him under considerable pressure. His own fingers were quietly working through hand signs too.

He was a little too self-conscious to do it as openly as Naruto.

Kakashi continued watching Naruto.

The Nine-Tails’ chakra had nearly erupted from the boy two months earlier, and the incident had badly shaken him. He couldn’t understand what had brought on such a reaction.

Afterward, the Third Hokage had summoned him for a lengthy discussion. They had eventually reached a conclusion: Naruto was so desperate to become stronger that Kakashi’s refusal had angered him.

Even so, the change in Naruto was too unusual to dismiss. They would have to keep observing him.

They also couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t lose his temper again. Helping him make progress seemed the best way to prevent another incident.

The Third Hokage was therefore selecting a suitable C-rank mission to give Naruto and Team Seven some experience.

…

At the mission desk, Team Seven returned the cat to the Fire Daimyo’s wife, completing their D-rank assignment.

“Anything else, Kakashi-sensei? If we’re done, I’m going to train.”

Naruto made sure to sound impatient.

On the surface, he was behaving just as Naruto always had. A sudden switch to polite smiles would only make Kakashi and the Third Hokage suspicious.

The Third was seated in the mission assignment room, watching Naruto from the moment he entered.

He rarely came here himself. Today, however, he had not only come in person but also called Iruka over, having explained Naruto’s situation to him well beforehand.

Today, he intended to give Naruto a suitable C-rank mission.

“Well, let’s see. For Team Seven’s next assignment, you can help an elderly villager babysit, or dig up sweet potatoes…”

The Third calmly lifted a mission list, watching Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

Since obtaining the [God Bloodline] and [Uzumaki Sage Body], Naruto’s senses had become remarkably sharp. He could already detect an old man waiting outside the door.

The man had been waiting since morning. Only now, in the afternoon, after Team Seven arrived at the mission desk, had he been summoned from his inn.

Clearly, this had been arranged for Team Seven.

More precisely, it had been arranged for Naruto.

Seeing the Third put on an act, Naruto decided to play along. He needed to go to the Land of Waves, after all.

“Hey! I’ve had enough of those missions! Give us a tougher mission!”

Naruto shouted, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

Beside him, Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement.

“You idiots! You’re all fresh out of the Academy! Everyone starts with the simplest missions and builds up experience!”

Iruka suddenly rose from his seat beside the Third Hokage and scolded Naruto.

Despite his stern words, worry showed on his face. He was afraid a more difficult assignment would put Naruto and his teammates in danger.

The Third lowered his Hokage hat slightly, hiding the smile tugging at his mouth.

This was one of the reasons he had called Iruka here. Iruka always reacted so earnestly when Naruto was involved, and his concern for the boy was unmistakable.

“But all these missions are boring!” Naruto protested, even louder this time.

Thwack!

“That’s enough.”

At a glance from the Third, Kakashi smacked Naruto on the back of the head.

“Naruto, it seems I need to explain what our missions actually involve.”

The Third drew on his pipe, then slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

“Missions are divided into ranks…”

The explanation continued, but Naruto had already stopped listening.

Mission ranks, rules, another lecture… He knew all of it already.

Once the Third finished, Naruto put on a disgruntled expression.

“You’re always lecturing me, Old Man! I’m not a little kid anymore! Stop acting like all I know how to do is pull pranks!”

He deliberately turned away with a huff, refusing to look at the Third again.

The Third watched his every movement closely, though his face remained kindly. Then he gave a seemingly helpless smile.

“Alright, alright. If that’s how you feel, I’ll give you a C-rank mission. You’ll be protecting someone.”

“Huh? Really?”

This was what Naruto had been waiting for.

Now came the big moment.

He spun around, his face lighting up and his eyes narrowing in delight.

“Who is it? The Daimyo? A princess?”

“Heh. Neither.” The Third smiled. “Allow me to introduce your client.”

Then he turned toward the waiting room and called in a deeper voice.

“Send him in.”

The door opened, and a disheveled old man walked in with a bottle of liquor in his hand.

His first words were a complaint.

“What’s this? They’re all children!”

He took a few more swallows from his bottle, acting as though he was too drunk to care who heard him.

Naruto looked at him and sneered inwardly.

‘Another actor joins the cast.’

The old man leaned against the doorframe and continued complaining.

“Especially the shortest one! He looks like an idiot. Are you really a ninja?”

Naruto’s inward sneer deepened, but outwardly he laughed and looked around as though he had no idea who the man meant.

“Who’s he talking about? The shortest? The one who looks stupid?”

Sasuke and Sakura promptly stepped up on either side of him.

With the three of them together, there was no mistaking who was shortest.

Naruto exploded at once and lunged at the old man, only for Kakashi to stop him.

After a little more struggling, he finally settled down and made a reluctant show of accepting the mission.

Afterward, Naruto gave himself ninety-nine points out of a hundred for that performance.

He held back the final point to keep himself from getting too pleased with his own acting.

‘The world owes me an Oscar for that performance!’