Naruto: Bonds Unbroken

The sun was high in the sky as Team 7 and Tazuna made their way through the village gates. Naruto walked with a noticeable bounce in his step, practically vibrating with excitement. "Finally! A real mission! No more catching stupid cats!"

Sakura sighed. "Naruto, it's just an escort mission."

"Yeah, but it's still better than D-ranks!" Naruto shot back.

Tazuna chuckled, shaking his head. "You kids sure are lively." His voice carried an edge, but he quickly masked it with a grin.

Kakashi, who had been quietly walking behind them, finally spoke. "Tazuna-san, you mentioned building a bridge. What exactly is the situation in the Land of Waves?"

Tazuna scratched his head, hesitating. "Ah, well… you see…" He trailed off before laughing. "Don't worry! Nothing to be concerned about. Just your average bridge construction."

Sasuke glanced at him with narrowed eyes.

He's hiding something.

Kakashi's gaze flickered toward Tazuna, but he didn't press. We'll find out soon enough.

---

The journey started smoothly, with Naruto excitedly chatting about what kind of strong enemies they might face, much to Sakura's annoyance. Sasuke, however, remained quiet, his senses sharp.

Hours passed before they reached a narrow forest path. It was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of birds and insects absent.

Kakashi slowed his steps. Something's wrong.

Then he saw it—a puddle in the middle of the road.

His eyes sharpened. It hadn't rained in days.

Before he could react, two shinobi erupted from the puddle, their chained gauntlets flying toward him.

KRRRRNK!

The chains wrapped around Kakashi and tore through his body, shredding him to pieces.

Naruto's eyes widened in horror. "K-Kakashi-sensei?!"

The two masked attackers didn't hesitate. One lunged toward Tazuna, while the other turned to Naruto.

Sasuke moved instantly. He kicked one of the attackers mid-lunge, sending him flying. Spinning, he pulled out a kunai and deflected the other's attack, landing smoothly in front of Tazuna.

Sakura pulled out a kunai, shaking but standing her ground.

Naruto, however, was frozen. His breath came in short gasps as he stared at the enemy shinobi, his mind flashing back to the image of Kakashi being torn apart.

"Move, dobe!" Sasuke barked.

The attacker lunged at Naruto, claws bared.

And then—

Kakashi appeared behind him in a blur.

THUD!

A swift chop to the back of the neck, and the shinobi collapsed.

Naruto blinked. "K-Kakashi-sensei?! But you—"

Kakashi eyed the fallen attackers calmly. "A substitution."

Naruto's fear shifted to frustration. "You let us think you were dead?!"

Kakashi gave him a lazy look. "I wanted to see how you'd react."

Sasuke scoffed. "And what did you learn?"

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, who was still visibly shaken. "That we need to work on a few things."

Naruto clenched his fists. He had frozen. Again. I… I need to get stronger.

Kakashi turned to Tazuna, his voice suddenly serious. "Alright, Tazuna-san. No more hiding. Who sent them?"

Tazuna hesitated before sighing heavily. "Fine. I'll tell you the truth."

---

As the group rested near a riverbank, Tazuna finally spoke. "The Land of Waves… is under the control of a man named Gato."

Sakura frowned. "Gato? The shipping magnate?"

Tazuna nodded grimly. "He's a criminal. He's been bleeding my country dry, and the bridge I'm building is the only hope of breaking his stranglehold."

Naruto clenched his fists. "Then why didn't you tell us this from the start?!"

Tazuna sighed. "Because… I didn't have the money to afford a higher-ranked mission. I lied about the danger."

Silence fell over the group.

Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temple. "This is far more dangerous than a simple escort mission. We should turn back and report to the Hokage."

"No!" Naruto shot up. "We can't just abandon him! If we leave now, Gato wins!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, his expression unreadable. "You're being reckless, dobe."

"But Sasuke, you saw those guys! If we leave, they'll just send more assassins!"

Kakashi watched the exchange before closing his book with a snap. "It's not up to Naruto. It's up to me. And…" He looked at Tazuna. "We'll continue the mission."

Tazuna's eyes widened. "You will?"

Kakashi nodded. "But if anything worse happens, we retreat. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

Sasuke remained silent, watching Naruto. Despite his impulsiveness, his words carried weight.

Maybe… this idiot really is something special.

As they resumed their journey, none of them realized that, deep in the forest, a pair of sharp, hungry eyes were already watching them.

Waiting.

Hunting.