"Kakashi-sensei, what's our mission today?" Naruto asked eagerly, bouncing on his heels.
He was already scowling at the mission board, where Kakashi stood flipping through scrolls.
The same old routine—again.
Naruto leaned in. He could already tell Kakashi had picked a D-rank mission, but a small part of him still clung to hope.
Please… not another lost cat… he clasped his hands like he was praying to every kami in the universe.
Kakashi leaned casually against the wall, eyes curved in a lazy smile. "Well… today's mission is a little special."
Naruto's head snapped up. "Wait—seriously? A special mission?!"
His mood instantly flipped. His eyes sparkled with excitement.
Even Sasuke, who usually ignored Naruto's outbursts, perked up slightly at the word special.
Sakura, as usual, remained glued to Sasuke's side, too busy admiring him to care about anything else.
Kakashi's tone shifted. "It's a D-rank mission Today."
"…"
Dark lines formed on Naruto's face. He deflated instantly.
I should've known… he thought, shooting Kakashi a deadpan stare. This guy is so unreliable.
Noticing Naruto's soul leaving his body through his eyes, Kakashi cleared his throat.
"Well, technically… it's your first mission that involves actual fighting."
Naruto's eyes lit up again. "Wait—fighting?! Are you serious?!"
He practically leapt in place. "Who are we fighting? Bandits? Thugs? A rogue ninja?!"
In his head, a scene had already begun to play out—
[Naruto's Daydream]
Three enemy ninja appeared in a dramatic flash of smoke, kunai gleaming in their hands.
Naruto stood alone in the middle of the dirt road, hands on his hips, looking like a hero straight out of a storybook.
Wind swept through his spiky hair. His orange jacket somehow flared like a cape.
"Looks like I'm outnumbered…" he said, narrowing his eyes, "but that's your problem."
One of the enemy ninja sneered. "You're just a brat. Who even are you?"
Naruto raised a single kunai. The blade glinted in the sunlight.
"Naruto Uzumaki," he said coolly. "The soon-to-be Hokage."
Without another word, they charged.
Naruto's eyes locked onto the three enemy ninja, kunai gripped tightly in his hand.
They came at him from all sides—fast and aggressive—but Naruto didn't flinch.
His feet shifted, knees bending as he exploded forward.
CLANG!
His kunai met the first attacker's blade with a loud metallic clash.
Sparks flew as their weapons slid and locked, but Naruto didn't wait—he ducked low under the enemy's counter-swipe, twisting his body as the blade skimmed inches above his head.
In one fluid motion, he launched upward, driving his knee into the ninja's chest.
The enemy gasped as the blow sent him flying backward through the air, crashing into a tree with a dull thud.
Before Naruto could land, the second enemy was already airborne above him, kunai raised high.
Too slow.
Naruto twisted midair, kicked off a branch to boost himself higher, and spun like a corkscrew.
His heel smashed into the ninja's shoulder, knocking the weapon from his hand and sending him spiraling to the ground.
The third ninja lunged from below, aiming to catch him off guard.
But Naruto had seen it coming.
As he landed, he let his momentum carry him into a slide, ducking under the swipe of the third kunai.
His hand snapped up and caught the enemy's wrist mid-strike.
With a smooth twist and a sudden pivot, he wrenched the kunai free and spun the handle in his fingers—flipping it back into a reverse grip.
Now holding two kunai, Naruto grinned.
He crossed them behind his back, blades gleaming.
The last ninja froze.
"Go ahead," Naruto said, voice low and cool. "Make your move."
The ninja took one nervous step back.
Then another.
Then turned—and bolted.
Naruto didn't even chase. He just stood there in the middle of the road as the wind picked up, fluttering his jacket behind him like a cape.
The three enemies vanished into the forest, shouting in fear.
Naruto stood tall, tossing his kunai in the air and catching it behind his back like a pro.
Just then—
"Naruto…"
He turned to see Sakura running up to him, eyes wide and sparkly, hands clutched near her chest.
"You were… amazing," she said, blushing. "And… so handsome…"
Naruto froze. His jaw dropped slightly. Did she just—
-
Back in Reality
"We're fighting pigs," Kakashi said.
POP.
The dream burst like a soap bubble.
(◣_◢)
Naruto stared blankly for a second, then slowly turned toward Kakashi, betrayed on a spiritual level.
"…What?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kakashi tilted his head. "Farm pigs. They escaped. We're rounding them up. You'll be using ropes."
Naruto stared at him.
Then he dropped to his knees like his spirit had physically left his body.
'This is the worst scam I've ever faced… Wuwu…' he sobbed internally, eyes hollow with disappointment.
But Kakashi, unbothered, casually closed his scroll and motioned for them to move.
"Alright, Team 7. Let's go."
On the Outskirts of the Village
The team crouched low behind a line of overgrown bushes, peeking out at a grassy field.
A dozen or so pigs milled around lazily, oinking and munching on weeds like they owned the place.
They were big, muddy, and completely unaware of the approaching chaos.
Naruto, however, was not so calm.
He sat hunched and sweating under a ridiculous pile of rope, a rope lasso tied awkwardly to his belt, with a makeshift cowboy hat flopped onto his head—Kakashi's idea of "gear."
"Kakashi-sensei… why are we doing this?" Naruto groaned.
Kakashi crouched beside him with a cheerful eye-smile. "Well, Naruto, scouting is an important skill for a ninja.
Observing your target, staying hidden, tracking movements. Stealth is everything."
Naruto blinked. "No no no. I get that part. I meant—why am I dressed like This?!"
He pointed dramatically at his outfit: the ropes crisscrossed his body like a human lasso rack, and the straw hat was way too big, dipping over his eyes.
Kakashi nodded like a proud stylist. "Mission efficiency. Plus, it looks good on you."
Naruto squinted suspiciously. "kakashi Sensei are you sure this isn't a prank?"
Kakashi gave him a thumbs-up. "100% mission-focused."
Sasuke and Sakura, crouched nearby, both nodded in sync. Their faces dead serious.
"Really?" Naruto asked again.
They nodded harder.
Even Sasuke said, "Very professional look."