Chapter 38 A Master of Sarcasm

When summoned by the Hokage to inquire about her wishes, Mirei insisted on staying in the Anbu. She was also glad that her choice hadn't led her into a dangerous situation.

However, things didn't get much better. As her name spread, she was pursued by a series of assassination attempts, not only from other countries, but also from Konoha, which Mirei suspected was the prime suspect. The most likely suspect was Shimura Danzo, who always stared at her with longing eyes.

Initially, because she had not yet fully mastered the eye technique, she, like others, thought that the eye technique gave her the ability of a powerful and exquisite illusion.

Later, a chance near-death experience made her realize that this was not an illusion, but a space-time ninjutsu.

After all, the degree of fear people have for illusion techniques and space-time ninjutsu is completely different, so she has continued to disguise her eye techniques ever since.

Because of his severe injuries during the Third Shinobi World War, his eye techniques could no longer be used normally, which thwarted Shimura Danzo's schemes and caused him to show disdain upon seeing him.

Now that her daughter has inherited a healthier and more powerful eye technique, she worries that the old geezer will rekindle his ambitions.

She absolutely could not let her daughter repeat her mistakes, especially since her daughter's control over the pupil technique was truly unexpected...

But why did Kakashi become Haruko's teacher?

Could this be a hint?

In the morning, Meiling couldn't help but overthink. If what she thought was really what happened, then Haruko...

It seems that after so many years, she will once again meet the Hokage as Huan Chen.

"Mom?" Haruko called out to remind her mother, who was lost in thought.

At first, Haruko thought that the eye technique might be some kind of cheat code that she had when she transmigrated, but seeing her mother's serious expression every time, she guessed that it was not a skill that could be shown to others.

However, she has always been most proficient in the skill of surviving!

Haruko Hayama makes a resolution.

*

Lately, Kakashi Hatake has been frequently assigning them trivial tasks, such as finding a kitten, running errands, helping an old lady cross the street, and so on...

At first, only Naruto Uzumaki protested, but after a week of torment, Haruko Hayama and Sasuke Uchiha joined the resistance.

then.

"In that case, let's try giving you a C-rank mission," the Third Hokage decided.

"What kind of mission is it?" Haruko Hayama asked cautiously.

Is it possible they're going to find three cats at once or something...?

"Don't be in such a hurry, I'll introduce you now, please come in." The Third Hokage, with a pipe in his mouth, gave her a deep look.

...Lord Hokage, you're already so old, please stop imitating the crooked smile of male leads in idol dramas, it's just too much of an eyesore!

Haruko couldn't bear to look any longer and turned away.

The door opened, and a drunken middle-aged man carrying a bottle of liquor entered.

"What? Why are they all kids?" The drunk man took a few more sips of his drink. "Especially the shortest one, he looks really stupid."

Despite the fact that the Hayami family takes care of all three of Naruto's meals every day, and Hayami's loving mother goes out of her way to add extra nutrition to Naruto's lunchbox, Naruto is still the shortest of the three of them.

Naruto Uzumaki, who had been publicly mocked, immediately exploded, "What did you say?!"

Kakashi Hatake quickly grabbed him, his eyes showing exasperation, "What are you trying to do to our clients?"

The drunk man's expression turned serious, and he continued, "I'm a super celebrity in bridge construction. Dazner is talking about me. During the time I'm back in the country building bridges, you all have to protect me with all your might!"

...

"Yosh! Let's go!"

Naruto Uzumaki looked around everywhere as soon as he left the village, like a golden retriever that had been let go.

"What's so exciting, idiot?" Uchiha Sasuke crossed his arms, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Because I've never left the village before!" Naruto Uzumaki surprisingly didn't argue with him, it seems he was genuinely happy to go on a long trip.

“I did leave the village once before,” Haruko Hayama recalled. “It was when I went to Sunagakure. That place was quite… strange.”

It's all sand, nothing but sand. You can even find random lucky sand in your food at restaurants. I can't think of a suitable adjective. Haruko is struggling to maintain the image of Sunagakure in their minds.

Naruto Uzumaki, who is defined solely by his name, expressed his incomprehension, saying, "It's a rare opportunity to travel, and if it were me, I'd want to go to more interesting places!"

"Hey, are you guys protecting me or just kids on a picnic?" The drunken man couldn't stand their leisurely attitude.

Naruto Uzumaki curled his lip, giving the client who called him short a cold look. Haruko Hayashi appeared apologetic, but couldn't help but slander him in her heart.

What a master of satire! I wonder who would win if the old man and Sasuke were to go head-to-head?

Haruko glanced at Sasuke Uchiha in the morning.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke Uchiha asked, puzzled by her gaze.

"It's nothing, hahaha..."

Just as they were chatting enthusiastically on the road, two bladed chains suddenly rushed out from behind and tightly wrapped around Kakashi Hatake's body.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Haruko Hayama cried out in alarm.

With a pull of the chains, Kakashi Hatake was torn apart amidst the smoke and fire.

The two enemies that appeared were wearing headbands from the Land of Water. I never expected to encounter ninjas from another country on a C-rank mission.

Fortunately, Haruko and her two friends often trained together under Haruko's parents, so they quickly joined forces to fight this unexpected situation.

"Sasuke! Naruto!"

While Haruko was casting an illusion to intimidate the enemies for a few seconds, she pulled out two kunai from her ninja toolkit and threw them at them.

The moment she spoke, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha rushed forward together, leaping into the air to catch the kunai and stabbing them at the two enemies.

"Ahhh!"

The enemy, stabbed in the heart, collapsed instantly. The three breathed a sigh of relief, but one of them on the ground tried to fight back and suddenly lunged at Naruto, who was closest to him.

With a thud, the enemy was knocked unconscious by an elbow strike from Kakashi Hatake, who appeared out of nowhere.

"You guys actually did a pretty good job, I didn't expect you to do so well."

The three's teamwork did indeed surprise Kakashi Hatake.

"So it was a substitution jutsu. Kakashi-sensei, don't scare us like that." Haruko Hayama finally relaxed.

"Sorry, sorry." Kakashi Hatake waved his hand without any apology.

Later, under pressure from Kakashi Hatake, the drunk man finally revealed the truth.

He had been targeted by Gato, a wealthy businessman from a shipping company. Gato was ostensibly the owner of the shipping company, but in reality, he used thugs and ninjas to trade contraband and even annex other companies and countries.

A year ago, he set his sights on the Land of Waves and, relying on his wealth and violence, acted recklessly, instantly monopolizing the island's maritime traffic and transportation. Now, the only thing Kado fears is the completion of the bridge that has been under construction since the beginning.

Although the request was beyond their capabilities, Haruko and the others discussed it and decided that since they were already there, they might as well give it a try, given their abilities and teamwork. So they let it go.