𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍. ⁿᵃʳᵘᵗᵒ

005. 𝓲𝓽'𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓵 𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓸𝓸𝓻

⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺

      Ahma felt a silent sigh of indignation escape her parted lips. She was grateful for her freedom, but chasing after a cat wasn't exactly what she had envisioned as a way to repay her debt. It had been nearly three weeks since Kakashi's test, and she had been eagerly waiting for a chance to truly show her gratitude. This D-rank mission was a disappointment, to say the least.

Ahma stood among her team, watching as the same cat they had just rescued was now being squished by its overjoyed owner. Naruto watches proudly, satisfied that the cat's 'kindness' had been repaid with the smothering affection of its owner.

"OHH, MY TORA! OH HOW I MISSED YOU!" the woman exclaims, hugging the cat tightly.

"Now I understand why he ran away..." Sakura murmurs to her teammates as Tora and his owner exit the office.

As the Hokage turned his attention back to his list of mundane missions, Naruto couldn't help but protest. "No! No way! No more chores, I want an actual mission!" Ahma couldn't agree more. She wanted to prove herself as a strong Shinobi, not a cat-catcher.

Naruto's outburst caught Iruka off guard, and he scolded him for his lack of respect and restraint. Soon after the Hokage took over and began to explain the importance of the ranks and their corresponding missions. But team 7 quickly lost interest and became distracted by Naruto's strange rant about ramen.

The Hokage, noticing their lack of attention sighs. "Are you even listening?"

The group turns to him with an apologetic look. The old man sighs in frustration. "Fine... I have a C rank, I will assign it to you." Iruka turns to the Hokage with a surprised and somewhat confused look.

Disregarding this, the Hokage went on to explain some of the details.

"Okay... so where is he?" Naruto aska, his impatience bubbling to the surface. The Hokage turned to one of his Shinobi and gave a nod, signaling them to let their visitor in.

An old man stumbled through the door, his steps unsteady and his breath heavy with the stench of alcohol. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the young team before him. "What the-, a bunch of snot-nosed kids!?" he exclaims, his voice slurred but loud.

"And you, the little one with an idiotic look on his face! Do you expect me to believe you're actually a ninja!?" The blond boy turns to look at his comrades, confusion etched on his face as he tried to figure out who the man was referring to.

"Ha! Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his-..." Naruto began, his voice trailing off as realization dawned on him. The old man was talking about him.

"I will demolish you!" Naruto shouts, his face flushing with anger as he lunged at the man. But before he could reach him, Kakashi stepped in, his hand firm on Naruto's shoulder, holding him back effortlessly. "You can't demolish your client, Naruto. That's not how it works..." Kakashi says, his voice calm and composed, yet carrying a hint of amusement.

Naruto huffed, his fists still clenched, glaring daggers at the old man. The rest of Team 7 watched the scene unfold, a mix of annoyance and amusement in their eyes.

The old man held an amused look on his face as he took another long swig from his flask before introducing himself. "I'm Tazuna, a master bridge builder from the Land of Waves," he announces, his voice carrying a note of pride. "I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving your own life."