"When I grow up, Inuzuka Hana, I'll definitely marry you..."
...
"Hm? Is Training Ground Three really this big?"
Inuzuka Hana looked at the dense forest ahead in surprise, while the Ash Pill at her feet happily ran back and forth.
"Your dog hasn't gone out for a long time, right? It's a bit energetic."
Naruto smiled and pointed at Haimaru, who was sniffing around the area.
Hana couldn't help glaring at Naruto.
"Haimaru is a ninja dog! Not like those ordinary wild dogs!"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well… I thought it was something like a trained husky..."
To Naruto, it really looked like an Alaskan husky from his previous life.
In this world, ninja beasts were almost like their own race in the summoning world.They had their own territories, society, and culture.
Just like how Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto once took care of the cat clan, the society of ninja beasts was not very different from humans.
"Then why can't your ninja dogs talk? I remember that Kakashi's summoned dogs can talk, right?"
Hana explained helplessly,
"He specializes in tracking, so he needs special training. Besides, the language of ninja dogs isn't something we humans can understand."
She snorted and complained to Naruto.
"And since you have that Byakugan-like perception, can you hurry up and find our mission scroll? It's been almost an hour! We still don't know anything!"
Since entering the forest, Naruto had been wandering around lazily and hadn't done anything except occasionally dragging them back.
Hana began to wonder if Naruto really had the talent everyone talked about.
Could it be that the teachers in the academy were exaggerating?
After all, she and Uchiha Izumi were among the best students in the academy.
Especially Izumi, who ranked first in the graduation exam.
On the night of the Uchiha massacre, she even awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
And earlier, after losing her father during the Nine-Tails incident, she had already awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan.
Seeing Hana becoming a little anxious, Uchiha Izumi quickly comforted her friend.
"Hana, don't worry. It's only been an hour. Captain Yamato gave us the whole day."
She then looked at Naruto and said gently,
"After all, Naruto only studied at the academy for one year. It's normal if his basic knowledge isn't very strong."
She smiled kindly.
"We'll search slowly. We'll definitely find it soon. Besides, Captain Yamato said this mission is only meant to help us discover our weaknesses."
Seeing such a gentle girl, Naruto suddenly felt a little emotional.
Such a kind girl...
Yet she would die at the age of thirteen.
Damn... Uchiha Itachi really was ruthless.
Naruto smiled at Izumi.
"I think I saw a scroll in that corner when we first arrived. Do you want to check it?"
Following Naruto's direction, Haimaru pulled a scroll out from a crack in a large tree.
Hana immediately glared angrily at Naruto.
"You were watching us struggle on purpose! You must have found it a long time ago!"
Naruto didn't deny it and shrugged.
"I was just training you."
"Hmph!"
Hana turned her head proudly and opened the scroll.
"What does the mission say?"
Izumi quickly stepped forward.
Hana frowned and handed the scroll to her.
"What?!"
Izumi exclaimed.
"We have to find the tracks of fugitives in Training Ground 44 and locate their position?!"
Hana looked shocked.
"How could such an outrageous exercise even exist? Training Ground No. 44 is called the Forest of Death! It's full of snakes and insects. I don't want to go there!"
Izumi laughed helplessly.
"Don't joke. We're ninjas. We'll face many missions like this in the future."
Hana muttered unwillingly.
"But I only wanted to become a veterinarian in the medical department..."
Naruto blinked twice when he heard that.
Sarutobi Hiruzen actually assigned me a veterinarian...
Of course, Naruto knew that medical ninjas in the shinobi world were far more important than that.
Despite Hana's complaints, she still headed toward the Forest of Death.
Outside Training Ground Three, Yamato was surprised.
They found it so quickly?
After all, to deal with the Inuzuka clan's nose and the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, he had even used medicine and special charms to hide the smell.
He secretly followed them into the Forest of Death.
Soon, Haimaru caught the scent left on the scroll.
"Wang! Woof!"
He barked twice and ran straight into the depths of the forest.
Hana quickly chased after him.
"Haimaru, slow down! There are many wild beasts there!"
But just as she finished speaking—
A huge forest python suddenly shot out from a tree and swallowed the Ash Pill in one bite.
Hana froze.
"...Ahhh!!"
At that moment, Naruto's calm voice sounded.
"Wind Style!"
Two high-pressure wind blades instantly cut the giant snake into several pieces.
Haimaru crawled out from the broken body unharmed.
Seeing that Haimaru was safe, Hana finally sighed in relief.
The sudden shock made her legs weak, and she stepped back.
Before she could fall, Naruto suddenly appeared behind her and grabbed her slender waist.
"Looks like you'd be in trouble without me."
Seeing Naruto's handsome face so close to her, Hana's face instantly turned red.
What she didn't know was—
While Naruto had been wandering around lazily all day...
He had actually been quietly flirting with her older sister the whole time.