90: Chapter 90 Vigilance! A Mission That Must Be Done"In short."
Tazuna's voice carried an almost desperate calm: "If you abandon the mission now and turn back.then from the moment I set foot on the Land of Waves until I return home.I will surely die."
He paused, waved his hand, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace than a genuine laugh:
"But.it's nothing!You don't need to worry about it, really!"
He suddenly raised his voice, speaking in a deliberately exaggerated, almost tearful tone:
"Even if I were really killed.I'd only have my almost eight-year-old, incredibly adorable grandson left."
Seeing the obvious change in the expressions of the Team 7 members, especially Naruto and Sakura, Tazuna's voice became even more "mournful":
".They'll just cry their hearts out!"
He then added, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with a "mournful" look:
"And then there's my.poor daughter.She'll definitely hate you Konoha ninjas for the rest of her life.and then.die alone.and die in despair."
After saying that, he sighed heavily, his tone filled with self-blame and resignation:
"However.none of this is your fault!It's all my fault, this useless old man Tazuna.and our.poor Land of Waves.we only have ourselves to blame!"
"It was our.destiny to die!"
This textbook-perfect performance of "moral blackmail" and "playing the victim" plunged the entire Class 7 into a deathly silence.
Naruto lowered his hand from his mouth, his brow furrowed, and an image of a little boy crying his heart out and a sad, desperate woman seemed to appear in his mind.His heart felt like it was being squeezed by something.
Sakura's face was filled with pity and sympathy, and her eyes even reddened.
Although Sasuke remained expressionless, his eyes flickered slightly.
Kakashi was utterly speechless, a vein throbbing on his forehead—this old man had a complete grasp on human nature!
After a suffocating silence, Kakashi let out a long, helpless sigh, raised his hand, and vigorously scratched his messy silver hair.
"Sigh.fine, fine.I just can't do anything with you."
He drew out his words with a resigned tone, "It seems we.have no choice but to continue protecting you.until the bridge is completed."
The exaggerated sorrow on Tazuna's face vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised surprise and "gratitude." He immediately grabbed Kakashi's hand and shook it vigorously, his tone utterly "sincere":
"Really?Thank you so much!I knew the ninjas of Konoha were all righteous and kind!May you all live long and prosper!"
The boatman, who had been silently rowing the boat the whole time, witnessed Tazuna's amazing performance and couldn't help but twitch his lips, looking utterly exasperated.He silently sighed to himself:
'Old ginger is indeed spicier!Tazuna.he's really going all out for the sake of the bridge and the Land of Waves.'
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The small boat continued its journey in a depressing yet slightly absurd atmosphere, finally passing through the dark, dripping water-filled archway beneath the bridge.
Suddenly, everything became clear!
The thick fog seemed to have been partially dispelled by the bridge, and bright sunlight once again streamed down.What appeared before everyone was a tranquil town built on a lagoon and waterways.
The emerald green waterways crisscross the landscape, with rustic wooden houses built along the water and small boats moored in front of them, creating a beautiful scene of a water town.
Sakura and Naruto were immediately struck by the sight.
However, the boatman looked at the mostly dilapidated and neglected wooden houses on the shore, and the few fishermen on the shore with their ragged clothes and numb eyes, without any appreciation in his eyes, only a deep sigh.
Beneath the surface of prosperity lay poverty and stagnation that were difficult to conceal under Cado's rule.
The boatman carefully led everyone to a simple little dock, and whispered to Tazna again, giving him a final warning:
"Brother Tazuna.please.be extra careful!"
His eyes were filled with worry, and then he said nothing more, rowing his small boat alone and quickly disappearing into the thick fog and the depths of the waterway.
After landing, guided by Tazuna, Class 7 embarked on the road to his home.
They needed to pass through this seemingly peaceful but impoverished and oppressive water town and re-enter the forest outside the town.
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Forest trail.
Having just left the hustle and bustle, or rather, the deathly silence of the town, Kakashi's vigilance instantly rose to its peak as he stepped back into the dense forest.
Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in his heart.
'The next enemy.will definitely not be a Chunin of the same level as before.'
Kakashi's sharp gaze swept across the shadows of the surrounding bushes.'Given Gato's wealth and his hatred for Tazuna, he'll definitely send out.Jonin!'
He sighed silently, feeling a growing headache: 'Ugh.this is such a pain in the ass.'
It was originally just a regular, easily completed C-rank mission.
To ease the tension and to lull any potential enemies into a false sense of security, Kakashi deliberately maintained a lazy demeanor.
Naruto pointed at a strange flower by the roadside and chattered away, while Sakura joined in with exclamations of surprise.Sasuke remained silent, but pretended to be observing the birds in the tree.
On the surface, the group seemed to be on a picnic, laughing and chatting, completely ignoring any potential threats.
But upon closer inspection, each of them had eyes as sharp as a hawk's, vigilantly scanning every corner around them, and not a single rustling sound could escape their perception.
Not long after they ventured deeper into the forest—
"Found it!"
A voice full of excitement and pride suddenly came from the left.The sound echoed from the depths of the dense forest to the side!
The voice.it was Naruto's!
"alert!"
Kakashi gave a low shout, and the three members of Team 7 instantly moved in unison, forming a solid triangular defensive formation that firmly protected Tazuna in the center!
Naruto himself immediately assumed a fighting stance, but his face showed a smug smile of success.
"How are things?Kakashi-sensei!Sasuke!Sakura!"
Naruto grinned, making no attempt to hide his credit, "My Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is so convenient, isn't it!It was already spread out all around!"
It turned out that even before entering this forest, Squad Seven had anticipated that the enemy might be lying in ambush.After a brief discussion, they unanimously decided:
Naruto, whose chakra reserves are the largest and could even be described as "monster-like," created dozens of shadow clones that silently lurked in the dense forests surrounding the group, acting as mobile scouts!
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