Flame Ninja System

"Mr. Tazuna, I hope you'll be honest with us. Those two Kirigakure ninjas who ambushed us earlier—were they specifically targeting you?"

"Uh, well…"

Hearing Kakashi's question, Tazuna hesitated, clearly reluctant to admit the truth. 

But secrets can't stay hidden forever. With a sheepish nod, he finally came clean.

"To be honest, there's this thug leader in the Land of Waves named Kado. He's trying to stop me from building a bridge there, so he wants me dead. That's why I asked you Konoha ninjas to escort me."

"But you paid for a C-rank mission. That means we're only prepared to deal with bandits or thieves. If we're up against ninjas, that's at least a B-rank mission!" 

"The Land of Waves is dirt poor, so I'm begging you—please help me until the bridge is finished! Besides, that kid Kazama is crazy strong, and you're his teacher, so you've gotta be even stronger, right? This mission should be a breeze for you guys! Please, help me out!"

*You're a smooth talker, aren't you? Kazama's strength has already surpassed mine. This mission might be easy for him, but not necessarily for me,* Kakashi thought to himself.

"Whether we keep helping you isn't up to me alone. I need to hear everyone's opinions."

Truth be told, Kakashi mainly wanted Kazama's take. 

If Kazama was willing to keep escorting Tazuna, Kakashi would feel confident moving forward. 

But if even Kazama wasn't sure about continuing, Kakashi couldn't guarantee he'd be able to protect Tazuna successfully.

When Kakashi shared the situation with the team, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura fell into deep thought. 

Those two ninjas who'd ambushed them earlier were already way out of their league. 

If they kept going, the enemy would likely send even stronger shinobi. 

And they were just teenagers—how could they take on such a serious mission?

"Kazama, what do you think?" 

Seeing that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura weren't speaking up, Kakashi turned to Kazama.

"As the saying goes, 'Kill and plunder for riches, but build bridges and roads for nothing but bones!' If we abandon this mission now, it's no different from letting Tazuna die. I'm taking this mission. Not only am I gonna escort Tazuna home, but I'm also gonna make sure he finishes that bridge!"

"Heck yeah! If Kazama's in, then I'm in too!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically.

"Kazama, you're so cool! I'm with you all the way!" Sakura swooned, sidling up to Kazama.

"Fine, count me in!" Sasuke mustered his courage and agreed.

"Alright then, let's hit the road again!" 

"Thank you all so much—especially you, Kazama!" 

Tazuna hurried over, thanking Kazama profusely.

"Hmph! Just a bunch of ants!" 

Suddenly, a cold voice sneered from above. 

"Get down!" 

Almost at the same instant, Kakashi urgently ordered everyone to duck. 

A massive beheading blade was hurtling toward their heads. 

"Not a bad sword! I'll take it!" 

Kazama, now cloaked in the Flame, had become near indestructible. 

With a casual flick of his hand, he grabbed the spinning Kubikiribōchō mid-air. 

Seeing this, Zabuza, perched in the trees, nearly fell off his branch in shock.