Naruto (SI) Starting With Glint Glint Fruit

"Those eyes… Sharingan, huh?"

Zabuza looked at Sasuke's eyes but didn't attack right away. "A member of the Uchiha clan? I didn't expect this many gifted kids in just one team."

"One Kakashi, one loudmouth blond kid, and now you—another Uchiha brat... If I kill all of you here, Konoha's going to have a serious problem."

Sasuke stayed silent, brows furrowed, eyes locked cautiously on Zabuza.

His Sharingan had just awakened the second Tomoe, and he wasn't used to using it yet. He couldn't be sure he'd survive Zabuza's next move.

But the next second, he relaxed.

Because a golden flash suddenly cut through the thick mist and appeared in front of him.

Naruto was back!

Somehow, without even realizing it, Sasuke had come to trust—and even rely on—Naruto this much.

That wasn't like Sasuke at all… but it was what he instinctively chose to do right now.

"Who did you say you were going to kill?"

Naruto stared coldly at Zabuza, like he was already a dead man.

"Tch… still too slow?"

"It's all those two damn brats' fault!"

Zabuza didn't look worried when he saw Naruto come back. It was like he already expected to fail.

Naruto noticed something was off with Zabuza's reaction and instantly kicked him at lightning speed, blowing his body apart.

But instead of blood, what splashed out was water!

"Another water clone!"

Naruto looked annoyed.

Kakashi also frowned. Zabuza too. Since they realized each other's abilities were tricky to deal with, both sides liked to use clones to test the waters.

Even though the clone was taken down by Naruto in a second, they had still gotten the intel they wanted.

Naruto was sure that after this failed attack, Zabuza would come back again.

Next time, he'd definitely be more prepared, and the situation they'd have to face would be even more dangerous.

But Naruto wasn't worried about himself. With the abilities of Zabuza and Haku, there's no way they could hurt him.

What he was worried about was Sasuke and Sakura!

"Sasuke, you okay?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm fine. But Sakura fainted."

"What about the old man?" Naruto asked as he walked toward Sakura.

"I'm over here."

Tazuna wasn't far from them, but Naruto had been too focused on Zabuza when he came back, so he hadn't noticed him.

"Seriously, weren't you guys supposed to protect me? In the end, all of you ran off. If it wasn't for the fact that I paid you so little, I'd definitely complain!"

Tazuna grumbled out loud, and also grumbled in his heart.

But he didn't dare complain for real.

After all, he didn't pay enough. Strictly speaking, even if he died, the Konoha ninjas wouldn't be considered to have failed the mission.

"This was my mistake. I didn't think about the possibility that the enemy would use clone jutsu. I'm sorry."

Naruto wasn't the kind of person who stubbornly refused to admit his faults.

Right is right. Wrong is wrong.

His poor judgment this time almost got his teammates hurt and nearly caused the mission to fail. He would seriously reflect on it.

Tazuna didn't expect someone like Naruto to actually apologize to him, and he was a little surprised.

"It's fine. I didn't die or get hurt anyway," Tazuna said, waving his hand to forgive Naruto's mistake.

At that moment, Kakashi finally showed up. He was slower than Naruto, and the thick mist made it harder to see, which delayed him.

"Everyone okay?" Kakashi looked at Naruto, who was carrying Sakura.

"No one's hurt. Sakura just passed out," Naruto said, shaking his head.

"That's good."

Kakashi let out a sigh of relief, then turned to the others and said, "Sorry, everyone. I shouldn't have chased after the enemy on my own…"

"No, it was my fault, Kakashi."

Naruto's face was blank as he apologized again. "You went after Zabuza because you trusted that I could protect everyone here, right? But I didn't realize that and still followed you on my own."

"Sorry."

Kakashi had warned Naruto before he ran off to chase Zabuza, which meant he had already considered the chance it could be a trap.

If there was any mistake Kakashi made during this mission, it was overestimating Naruto's ability to stay calm.

He thought that by going after Zabuza, Naruto would stay behind with Sasuke and Sakura to protect Tazuna.

Naruto had been doing so well lately that he had earned too much trust. Because of that, some reminders and warnings during the mission were overlooked.

Or maybe, Naruto had always performed so well that he hardly ever needed reminders. There was this belief that he could handle anything.

But the truth is, a genius is still just a genius—not an elite jonin.

Lack of experience leads to mistakes!

Naruto realized he had rushed ahead too recklessly. He had neglected Sasuke and Sakura's safety—and even the mission itself!

Like Kakashi, he thought that since an enemy had shown up, they couldn't just let him leave freely.

Otherwise, the enemy would come back again!

But Naruto didn't consider whether it might be a trap.

"Luring the tiger out of the mountains" isn't a rare phrase—Naruto was very familiar with it. But when it happened in real life, he still fell for it.

This clearly shows the danger of only knowing things in theory. There's a big difference between learning through explanations and learning through real experience!

You might understand certain strategies, and you might be familiar with military tactics, but once you're actually on the battlefield, you might not be as smart and calm as you think.

Thankfully, Zabuza's attack this time was only a test, just a way to gather intel.

If he had brought Haku to fight alongside him from the beginning, there's no way Sasuke and the others would have made it out alive.

Naruto didn't understand why Zabuza didn't let Haku fight either.

In the original story, Zabuza used the Water Prison Jutsu to trap Kakashi.

If at that moment Haku had stayed by his side, or joined in with a water clone attack, Tazuna would've been dead already.

Kakashi's team would've definitely failed their mission too.

But Haku didn't make a move!

Kakashi looked at Naruto, who clearly felt guilty, and gave his shoulder a pat without saying anything more.

The path of a ninja is full of bumps and setbacks. Failure and disappointment are just part of the process.

If you're unlucky, you might even watch your teammates die right in front of you.

Naruto was the most talented ninja Kakashi had ever seen—both in ability and leadership. For someone his age, he was the strongest.

But… battle experience and mission experience don't come overnight.

Naruto still needs time to grow.

"Mr. Tazuna, shall we get going?"

"Yes!"

...

After Zabuza was forced to retreat, they didn't run into any more trouble along the way and quickly arrived at Tazuna's home.

"Tsunami! I'm home!"

Tazuna called out at the door, and soon they heard someone running inside. The door quickly swung open.

"Dad! I'm so glad you're back!"

Seeing Tazuna return safely, Tsunami let out a breath of relief. "These are ninjas from the Konoha Village, right? Thank you for bringing my father home."

"Save the thanks for later. First, give us a room—one of our teammates is hurt," Naruto said.

"Yes! Please follow me!"

Tsunami didn't dare waste time. She didn't even have time to check on her father before she rushed upstairs with them.

She quickly tidied up the best room and had Naruto lay Sakura down on the bed.

Just then, it seemed Sakura had recovered a little. She murmured and opened her eyes.

"Naruto? Sasuke? Kakashi-sensei?"

"Where… am I? Where's the enemy?"

"This is Mr. Tazuna's house. The enemy's been driven off by Naruto. We're safe for now. Don't worry," Kakashi reassured her.

"That's good."

Hearing that Naruto had driven off the enemy, Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

That bandaged guy had been terrifying.

If possible, she never wanted to see him again in her life.

"Thank you for saving me, Naruto!"

"Don't thank me. When I got there, it was Sasuke who was protecting you. If you want to thank someone, thank Sasuke."

Naruto shook his head, then turned to Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, could you please check Sakura again and make sure she doesn't have any hidden injuries or lasting effects?"

"No problem. I know a bit about medical care too," Kakashi nodded.

As Konoha's all-rounder ninja, Kakashi was good at just about everything.

Scouting, assassination, guarding, healing… even Naruto had to admit how skilled Kakashi was!

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