Konoha's Fuinjutsu Psycho | Naruto x Male Reader

C Rank Mission My A**

Being a genin was supposed to be about learning the ropes—picking up the basics, taking on easy missions, and slowly building up to the more serious stuff. 

But as it happened, Naruto wasn't having any of that. He was tired of the repetitive D-rank missions, sick of chasing after lost pets or pulling weeds. He wanted something more, something that would actually challenge us as a team.

So when Naruto loudly insisted on getting a more exciting mission in front of the Third Hokage, I could only sigh and shake my head. Kakashi-sensei had tried to talk him down, but Naruto was nothing if not persistent.

"C'mon, old man!" Naruto shouted, practically bouncing with energy. "We're ready for something bigger! I'm not cut out for this boring stuff—I'm going to be Hokage one day, remember?"

The Third Hokage, clearly amused by Naruto's enthusiasm, smiled gently. "You think you're ready for something more serious, Naruto?"

Naruto puffed out his chest, his grin wide and confident. "You bet I am! And my team is too! Right, guys?"

I glanced at Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke's expression was as unreadable as ever, though I could tell he wasn't exactly opposed to the idea of a more challenging mission. Sakura, on the other hand, looked a bit nervous, but she didn't protest. And as for me? Well, I wasn't sure if we were ready, but I trusted Kakashi-sensei to keep us in check.

Finally, the Third Hokage relented. "Very well. I have a C-rank mission that might be suitable for your team."

Naruto's eyes lit up as the Hokage explained the mission: we were to escort Tazuna, a master bridge-builder, back to the Land of Waves. It sounded straightforward enough—keep him safe while he completed his work. But something about the way the Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke made me uneasy. Still, I kept quiet, trusting that Kakashi-sensei would make sure we were prepared.

The journey to the Land of Waves started off uneventful. Tazuna was a gruff, older man, who immediately started questioning our abilities the moment we met him. Naruto, of course, took it as a challenge and spent most of the trip bragging about how strong he was going to become. Sasuke remained aloof, while Sakura tried to keep Naruto from saying anything too embarrassing.

As for me, I kept to the back, keeping my senses alert. Something about this mission didn't sit right with me. The Hokage had agreed to it too easily, and the way Tazuna kept glancing over his shoulder made me wonder if there was more to this mission than we'd been told.

We were about halfway to our destination when it happened.

The road we were traveling on was quiet, lined with trees on either side. It seemed peaceful enough, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. That's when I noticed a puddle on the ground ahead of us. It hadn't rained in days, and the weather was dry, so a puddle made no sense.

I opened my mouth to warn Kakashi-sensei, but before I could say anything, two figures shot out of the puddle, chains clanking loudly as they aimed straight for our team.

"Look out!" I shouted, instinctively reaching for a kunai.

But the enemy was fast—too fast. Naruto froze in place, his eyes wide with shock as one of the attackers lunged at him, his metal gauntlet gleaming in the sunlight. In that split second, I saw Naruto's fear, his body locking up as the realization of the danger hit him.

I wasn't fast enough to stop the attack, but Sasuke was. He sprang into action, darting between Naruto and the attacker, deflecting the gauntlet with a kunai of his own. The clash of metal echoed through the trees, and in a blur of motion, Sasuke managed to kick Naruto out of the way.