In Naruto: Reborn with a Chat Group

Tazuna listened to Makoto's words, his entire body drenched in cold sweat. His hands trembled as he stared at the boy in disbelief.

"Y-You're just a child... How can you say something so cold? I'm already suffering so much! can't you have even a little sympathy for me?!"

Makoto shot him a sharp, icy glare. "Shut up."

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

"You lied about the mission details, which means I have every right to kill you. The only reason you're still breathing is because I haven't bothered to do it. So instead of whining, maybe you should be grateful."

Tazuna froze upon hearing his words. His face turned pale, and this time, he really didn't dare to say another word.

Kakashi sighed, scratching the back of his head before turning to Makoto. "Alright, Makoto, what do you suggest we do? Should we cancel the mission and go back to the village, or should we at least escort Tazuna to the Land of Waves before deciding?"

Makoto shook his head. "Do whatever you want! I don't really care. But if this mission is going to continue, then the rank needs to be adjusted properly."

"And more importantly, Tazuna has to pay up."

He crossed his arms. "I'm not doing a B-rank or higher mission while getting paid C-rank wages. Do I look like an idiot? I'm not some naive fool like Naruto who's easy to trick!"

Hearing his words, Naruto jumped up in protest.

"Oi, Makoto! Who are you calling a fool?! I'm not stupid! I'm actually really smart, believe it!"

Sasuke sighed and shook his head at Naruto's actions. "Idiot."

Meanwhile, Kakashi nodded at Makoto's words and turned his attention back to Tazuna.

"Mr. Tazuna, as you can see, this mission has far exceeded the scope of what we originally accepted."

"So, we have two options. We can end the mission right now, or you can officially upgrade it to B-rank. Of course, that means you'll need to pay the proper commission."

Hearing this, Tazuna snapped back to his senses, his face breaking into a nervous, desperate smile.

"No problem! No problem at all! I'll pay for a B-rank mission, just please don't abandon me! I beg you!"

Kakashi's lips curled into an amusing smile.

'Hah... Sometimes, it really does take a villain to deal with a villain.'

Just moments ago, Tazuna had been guilt-tripping them with sob stories and trying to play the victim.

But the second he was confronted by Makoto's merciless reasoning, he folded immediately.

Still, while Makoto's approach worked this time, Kakashi knew he needed to adjust his mentality.

Tazuna was now completely out of options and could only apologize repeatedly and swear he would pay the B-rank commission. He begged them to continue protecting him until the bridge was completed.

With that, the group got ready to set off once again toward the Land of Waves after making their final preparations,

Kakashi adjusted his gear and looked at his team.

"Alright, let's move out. Time to complete our B-rank mission."

Hearing this, Naruto leaped into the air, pumping his fist. "AWESOME!!! I never thought my first mission outside the village would be B-rank! The Land of Waves, here I come!"

[Uchiha Madara: Tch! Kid, I'm telling you, you're still too soft-hearted. Wouldn't it have been easier to just stab him and be done with it?]

[Senju Hashirama: Madara! Your anger issues are out of control again!]

[Uchiha Madara: Hmph!]

[Namikaze Minato: There's no need to kill him... just make him feel the pain.]

[Senju Hashirama: Minato...even you...? Sigh...]

[Senju Tobirama: Well, since the mission rank has been upgraded and the payment increased, it's better to just finish the job. Now that we actually know what we're dealing with, we should see it through to the end.]

_______

With their mission upgraded to B-rank, Team 7, along with Makoto and Tazuna, continued their journey to the Land of Waves.

Fortunately, they encountered no dangers along the way.

Eventually, they reached the coastline, where they boarded a small boat that ferried them across the waters. As they landed in the Land of Waves, their eyes fell upon the unfinished bridge stretching over the ocean.

Kakashi remained alert, his single visible eye scanning the surroundings. 'If an enemy attack was going to happen, now would be the perfect time.'

Makoto also sharpened his senses. He already knew what was coming next. 'Zabuza and Haku should be making their move soon...'

Ever since awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan and obtaining Kotoamatsukami, Makoto had been carefully plotting his future moves.

And now, everything was falling into place.

Zabuza was undoubtedly a skilled ninja who could be controlled with Kotoamatsukami and the best part was that it was a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

If Zabuza pledged loyalty, then Haku would naturally follow. That meant a single use of Kotoamatsukami could secure two elite ninja under his command.

Zabuza was a man who could go evenly against Kakashi, Infamous Copy Ninja. On top of that, Haku possessed the Ice Release, a rare and powerful Kekkei Genkai.

As they stepped onto the shore, everyone remained alert. They all knew an attack could come at any moment.

Naruto scanned his surroundings, eyes darting left and right, then suddenly, he pointed ahead.

"Huh?! There!"

Without hesitation, he threw a kunai straight ahead.

Kakashi froze for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief. Makoto didn't react at all, while Sasuke immediately tensed, thinking there was a real threat.

Then, in the next moment, they saw it, a small, white rabbit, trembling in the grass, its fur barely grazed by Naruto's kunai.

Sakura and Sasuke both exhaled in relief.

"What the heck, Naruto?! It was just a rabbit!"

But Kakashi...felt something was wrong.

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Sparky's Note: You lot got the bonus chapter for 1000 power stones.

We're currently 395 power stones away from the next bonus, so let's keep it going!