As the leader of Team Seven, a jōnin.
At this moment, Kakashi looked at the three subordinates standing in front of him, especially Naruto, and felt a distinct headache coming on.
Kakashi was one hundred percent certain.
It was Naruto who had insisted on following along, dragging the other two with him.
There was absolutely no need to doubt it.
"Naruto, didn't I tell you to return to the village first?"
Kakashi looked at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura with an unusually stern tone. These brats had actually dared to ignore a direct order from their squad leader. If he didn't make things clear now, Kakashi could already foresee nothing but trouble and endless headaches for himself during their future mission careers.
Facing Kakashi's serious gaze.
"Ahahaha… that… well… this…"
Naruto laughed awkwardly, scratching his head while his eyes darted away with obvious guilt. There was no way he could honestly say, I suspected you'd be involved in the Land of Waves mission, and I wanted to find Gatō to get rich, so of course I followed you. That would definitely earn him a harsher lecture.
Naturally, with a forced casual expression, Naruto threw out a few vague and perfunctory words, hoping Kakashi would just fill in the rest on his own.
Naruto laughed it off, and Sasuke beside him also turned his head slightly, looking somewhat unnatural. As for the "honest" Haruno Sakura, the moment Kakashi's gaze swept over her, she visibly trembled. This caused the three members of Team Eight, including Kurenai, to show puzzled expressions. Kakashi's expression was indeed serious, and his tone was stern, but it didn't seem frightening enough to warrant that kind of reaction.
What Team Eight didn't know was that Sakura's response was entirely due to the deeply ingrained memory from the previous day. Kakashi's current tone overlapped far too closely with the cold and merciless demeanor he had shown during training, and the association instantly sent a chill through her body.
Seeing the different reactions from the three, Kakashi shook his head helplessly.
"I was just a little curious, so I followed along…"
Naruto cleared his throat lightly and replied with a weak excuse. Although the reason sounded flimsy, it was at least something that could barely pass. Sasuke maintained his usual silence, which was entirely in line with his normal behavior. Sakura, still shaken, stayed a step behind the two of them and wisely chose not to speak.
"That's exactly why I say you're far too bold, you little brat…"
Kakashi raised his hand and knocked Naruto lightly—but firmly—on the head, his words filled with helpless resignation.
"Heh…"
Naruto grinned and didn't say anything more.
He understood very well that Kakashi's reaction essentially amounted to tacit approval of their "unauthorized action."
More importantly, now that the three of them were already here, and so close to the Land of Waves, it was practically impossible for Kakashi to send them back. Moreover, he had already agreed to assist Team Eight in completing their mission. Judging from what he had just learned, the bridge construction was nearing its final stages. Waiting a few more days before returning to the village wouldn't be a big issue. Kakashi was never the type to get hung up on such details.
Through this exchange between Naruto and Kakashi.
Everyone in Team Eight more or less understood what had happened with Team Seven.
Especially Kurenai. As a jōnin of Konoha and someone familiar with Sarutobi Asuma, she knew quite a bit about Kakashi's team.
After learning that Kakashi was Naruto's squad leader, Hinata became even more determined to look into Kakashi's background once she returned to the village.
For Hinata, anything related to Naruto was of great importance.
Among everyone present, only Kiba was relatively simple-minded and didn't think too deeply about it. At the moment he saw Naruto and the others, he was simply eager to show off.
"Hey Naruto! Is your Team Seven also out on a mission? Let me tell you, our Team Eight accepted a C-rank mission this time! But something unexpected happened, and it turned straight into an A-rank mission!"
Kiba said proudly to Naruto and the others. It wasn't that he had any hidden meaning; it was just the natural competitiveness of a teenage boy. Before graduation, Naruto and Sasuke had always ranked above him. Now that they were genin, comparing missions and achievements was the most direct way to compete, and receiving such an extraordinary mission right after graduation made it hard for Kiba not to brag a little.
Or rather, it was simply typical Inuzuka behavior.
As classmates of the same age, Naruto understood Kiba's personality quite well.
A straightforward boy who loved to show off.
"Yeah, our Team Seven just finished a mission. But being able to take on something like that right after graduation is really impressive."
Naruto replied with a gentle smile, his tone sincere.
As someone who had foreknowledge of events, the moment Naruto saw Dazna, he already understood what kind of mission Team Eight was on. Especially after sensing the lingering tension and danger in the air before approaching, Naruto felt both shock and a surge of lingering fear.
Looking at Kurenai's slightly weary appearance.
Even without witnessing the fight personally.
Naruto could conclude that Team Eight had definitely encountered Momochi Zabuza.
And it was only because of Kakashi's timely arrival that Zabuza had been forced to retreat. Otherwise, Team Eight would almost certainly have been wiped out here.
And if that outcome had occurred.
It was something Naruto absolutely never wanted to see.
Even if he didn't particularly care about everyone in Team Eight, Hinata alone was someone Naruto could never ignore. As mentioned before, in his previous life, Naruto had harbored many regrets regarding Hinata. One of his biggest frustrations with the original story was that Naruto himself had been so fixated on Sakura.
In this life, having crossed over directly into the Naruto world, after spending time with Hinata, his feelings for this gentle girl with a classic Yamato Nadeshiko temperament had grown naturally. What would happen in the future was uncertain, and Naruto couldn't predict it. But at the very least, if Hinata had died here because of the butterfly effect caused by his presence, Naruto knew he would never be able to forgive himself.
Fortunately, the worst outcome did not come to pass.
The moment Naruto saw Hinata standing there, safe and unharmed.
The heavy stone weighing on his heart finally fell away completely.
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