JOIN:- patreon.com/The_GreatRed
[20% Discount on MostHigh Membership]
AND GIVE POWERSTONES
100 powerstone = 1 bonus chapter
.
.
.
Naruto, who wasn't even connected to the whole "Child of Destiny" prophecy to begin with, was already looking forward to the next day. To be honest, his days were getting a bit boring with the same routine over and over again. Hopefully, with these upcoming missions, he would get a bit of excitement—something different for once.
The Next Day
Naruto stood in front of Minato and Itachi as Minato began speaking.
"Well, Naruto," he said, "usually apprenticeships end when a student becomes a Chūnin. But because of your unique situation, we've decided that you will remain under the apprenticeship of Itachi for the time being. You'll begin taking missions alongside him."
Naruto shrugged. "I don't mind."
Minato nodded and handed them a mission scroll. "Here's your mission," he said, beginning to explain the details.
Once the briefing was over, Naruto and Itachi headed out.
"Well, hopefully this mission will go smoothly," Minato muttered to himself. "It's just a low B-rank mission. It'll help him gain more field experience—especially dealing with bandit camps and minor conflicts like this."
As Naruto and Itachi walked together, Itachi glanced at him and asked, "So, are you excited about this mission?"
Naruto looked at him with a neutral expression and replied, "To be honest, not really. But I'm hoping I can at least use it to tick off some of the requirements for more independent missions. After that, I'd prefer to take solo assignments."
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Do I bore you, Naruto?"
Naruto gave a small smirk. "Not exactly, Itachi-sensei. But I'd prefer something with a bit more danger—something exciting. Things inside Konoha have become a little too dull."
Itachi simply nodded, though inwardly he made a note to keep an even closer eye on Naruto.
"The mission is fairly straightforward," he explained. "The princess of the Land of Tea has been kidnapped by what appears to be a large bandit camp. However, there are rumors of shinobi activity, which is why it was upgraded to a B-rank mission. Otherwise, it would've been classified as a C-rank—standard bandit suppression."
Naruto shrugged again. "Doesn't matter. Sounds easy enough. Maybe I'll have some fun."
He was already thinking about how to hold back this time. The last time he fought seriously, the fight ended too quickly. If he kept going at full strength, it wouldn't be fun anymore. This time, he'd try to restrain himself a bit—to enjoy the challenge.
After some hours of travel, the two finally arrived at the outskirts of the target area. They could immediately sense the presence of chakra and hostile intent surrounding the camp.
Itachi narrowed his eyes. "This is a much larger camp than expected."
Naruto looked around as well. The area was swarming with bandits—at least 500 of them by rough estimation.
But that wasn't all.
Itachi narrowed his eyes, he realized that whoever the shinobi in the center was, they were likely very skilled—at least Jōnin level. Still, he was confident he could handle them.
Their main objective was to retrieve the princess as quickly as possible. If the opportunity presented itself, they would also eliminate any major threats. Itachi looked toward Naruto and signaled him with subtle ANBU hand signs, indicating shinobi activity nearby.
Naruto nodded in understanding and made a few hand signs of his own. "So, what's the plan?" he whispered.
Itachi responded with a quick series of hand signs: Retrieve the princess. I'll cause a distraction.
Naruto nodded again. "Understood."
Moments later, a massive blast of fire shot toward the camp. Flames roared as they engulfed a section of the outer perimeter. Some of the bandits and lower-ranked shinobi, who had been laughing and drinking carelessly, barely jumped out of the way in time. Others were caught in the blaze, screaming in panic.
Chaos erupted as the rest of the bandits scrambled to their feet, weapons drawn.
"An attack?! Who the hell is that?" one of them shouted.
Another narrowed his eyes. "It's just one shinobi... one guy. We can take him!"
They rushed toward Itachi, unaware of Naruto's infiltration already in motion.
Meanwhile, Inside the Main Camp
A man sat in the center tent, a massive sword strapped to his back. He was none other than Raiga, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist—known for wielding a blade that could harness the power of thunder.
Raiga leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, lost in thought.
"How are we going to get the ransom money for the princess of the Land of Tea?" he muttered to himself.
The princess, a woman in her mid-twenties, lay unconscious nearby, bound to a tall wooden pole. Raiga's bandit group had been growing larger by the day, and this kidnapping was supposed to solidify their wealth and influence.
But then he felt it—a blast of heat and a distant explosion.
His eyes snapped open. "What the hell was that?"
He stood abruptly and stepped outside the tent. The sky over the edge of the camp flickered orange from fire.
"Tch... must be a shinobi attack. A distraction," he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He quickly tried to sense any chakra signatures. Something was off.
Then, he turned toward the pole where the princess had been tied.
His eyes widened.
There were only loose ropes hanging from the post.
She was gone.
"What?! What the—?!" he growled.
Frantically, Raiga scanned the camp, searching for even the faintest chakra trail. But there was nothing.
"How did this happen?!" he roared. "Who the hell was that?!"
It had happened so quickly, so cleanly. Whoever took her had done it with such precision that even a seasoned shinobi like him hadn't noticed.
His heart pounded with anger—and the unmistakable sting of being outplayed.