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Chapter 96 The Devil's in the Details
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Konoha was not reckless. Missions weren't handed out like cheap festival trinkets. Every assignnt underwent extensive scrutiny. Behind every mission stood an entire departnt—analysts, intelligence officers, and strategists—combing through reports, weighing risks, predicting possible threats. When the assignnt to escort Tazuna reached Kakashi, Gatō's na had already been flagged.
There was a high probability that Gatō would send rcenaries. Maybe even rogue shinobi. The likelihood of combat was undeniable.
And yet, the mission was approved.
Because the reward outweighed the risk.
A completed bridge ant a new trade route to the Fire Nation. New trade routes ant comrce. Comrce ant missions. More missions ant money for Konoha. And for a shinobi village that thrived on the economy of war, that was an opportunity too good to ignore.
As for the danger? That was why Kakashi was sent.
The instant the Demon Brothers attacked, Kakashi didn't react—not at first. He had a shadow clone grab Tazuna, assigned Sasuke and Sakura to provide support, and vanished into the shadows. The real him had moved unseen, poised to strike the enemy down the second things went wrong.
But that mont never ca. Instead, he found himself watching in complete disbelief.
He had planned to let Naruto handle the fight—to gauge his progress, to see how far the boy had co. But what Kakashi saw went beyond anything he had expected.
Brutal efficiency.
The speed. The sheer force behind each attack. The way Naruto cut through the enemy like a seasoned warrior, not a fresh genin.
As he analyzed the fight, his Sharingan traced every movent, every technique. He asured Naruto against the standard shinobi ranks in his head. In terms of technique and experience? Chūnin-level. But in terms of raw power?
That was Tokubetsu Jōnin-level.
"Minato-sensei…"
The way Naruto moved, the way he dominated the battlefield—it was almost eerie how much it reminded him of his late teacher. Kakashi exhaled slowly, forcing himself to remain still. If this was how much Naruto had grown in a few weeks… what would he be like in six months? A year?
And yet, despite the pride welling in his chest, there was sothing else. Sothing that didn't sit right.
Mysteries.
Because power wasn't the only thing Naruto had gained.
His Sharingan burned, morizing every detail.
The iron-rusted ring on Naruto's finger.
At first glance? Utterly mundane. Worn down, unimpressive, easily dismissed as a cheap trinket. But in the heat of battle?
It glowed.
Not with chakra—but with sothing else. Sothing his Sharingan couldn't trace. Chakra had a flow, a rhythm, a natural movent that his dōjutsu could read like a book.
But this?
This didn't flow. It didn't move like chakra. It just was. And not just was—it did. Even subtler than fuinjutsu, the ring's power didn't act like chakra but still created effects.
Like an artifact.
Kakashi's mind whirred.
He had seen the small, invisible platforms forming beneath Naruto's feet as he sprinted across unstable mud—Gozu's Mud Swamp Terrain should have slowed him down. But it didn't.
Naruto ran across it like it wasn't there. And then there was another unknown ring.
"Where the hell did these co from?"
And then, there was the sword.
It was unlike anything Kakashi had ever seen. It wasn't steel. The surface was organic—faint, muscle-like threads woven into the blade, as if it were a living thing.
The closest thing Kakashi could compare it to was the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist.
Artifacts from the Warring States Era. Weapons created from a fusion of master blacksmithing and fuinjutsu.
Each sword a national treasure.
Had Naruto stumbled upon an Uzumaki vault?
That would explain the sword.
Maybe even the rings. But not the rest. Not the other strange energy surrounding him. Not the impossible growth. Not the sense of otherworldliness Naruto had started to carry.
Kakashi forced himself to breathe. He cataloged everything.
Hiruzen's words echoed in his mind. "It would be foolish to dismiss mysteries just because they involve Naruto. But from now on, we separate the two. Naruto and his mysteries are not the sa. Treat them as such."
Kakashi had agreed. Back then. But now? Now, he wasn't so sure.
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"We're supposed to be subtle, Naruto," Kakashi said dryly as he flickered into the clearing, his voice calm despite the battlefield that looked like a small-scale natural disaster had occurred.
"You're slow, sensei."
"That's because I trust you, Naruto. I believe in you."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."
Naruto gestured toward the battlefield, the unconscious form of Gozu sprawled in the dirt. "Well, I killed one ninja and captured the other. Mission accomplished, right?"
Kakashi nodded slowly, his gaze lingering on the destruction. He crouched down and picked up Gozu's limp body with one arm, easily slinging the unconscious man over his shoulder. All the while, his mind was racing.
Kakashi's visible eye studied Naruto briefly, noting the boy's calm deanor, though Kakashi didn't miss the slight nervous twitch in his fingers. Sothing was on his mind.
"Sensei," Naruto started. "Do you… want to et Oscar?"
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat. His thoughts imdiately derailed, his mind going utterly blank for a mont as questions flooded in.
Oscar?
Did that an Oscar was here? Now? When? How?
Kakashi's grip on Gozu tightened slightly, his expression unreadable, though his mind was racing. Wasn't Oscar supposed to be dead? Did Naruto sohow have so kind of connection to him?
But before Kakashi could process any of it, Naruto brought two fingers to his lips and whistled.
A faint digging sound broke the silence. Kakashi's eye flicked to the ground, where a patch of mud began to shift. Slowly, a small, glittering creature erged. A large crystal protruded from its back, glowing faintly with a pulsing energy.
The crystal lizard scurried forward, leaping onto Naruto's leg and climbing up to perch comfortably on his shoulder. It chirped softly, tilting its head as the crystal on its back shimred like a prism.
"And what is that?" Kakashi asked flatly, his voice as monotone as he could muster despite the growing headache he felt brewing.
Naruto bead, proud as could be. "This is Oscar!"
The lizard chirped again, its crystal pulsing faintly as if responding to its na.
Kakashi stared at the strange creature, then at Naruto, and then at the utterly destroyed clearing. His mind made the connection imdiately—this wasn't the Oscar.
Clearly, Naruto had nad the creature out of rembrance for the man. But as Kakashi studied the crystal lizard perched on Naruto's shoulder, he couldn't help but wonder: what exactly was this thing?
It wasn't a summon—that much was obvious. Summons bore the distinct signature of chakra, and this creature radiated none of that. It wasn't a normal animal, either. The glowing crystal embedded in its back wasn't natural, not in the slightest.
The lizard chirped again, and Kakashi's Sharingan shifted instinctively beneath his forehead protector, his trained reflexes compelling him to analyze the creature further. Yet, even with his heightened perception and years of experience, he couldn't make sense of what he was seeing.
The crystal lizard didn't have a chakra network—not in the traditional sense. Instead, there was sothing else, sothing foreign pulsing through its body in regular, rhythmic bursts. The energy wasn't chakra; it didn't flow like chakra did. It moved differently, almost chanically.
It was subtle, but Kakashi's trained eye could see how the creature's presence interacted with the environnt. Tiny ripples of the sa strange energy spread outward from the crystal on its back, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. It wasn't disruptive—it didn't damage the surroundings or influence chakra flows—but it was there, like a faint hum of static in the air.
The boy seed completely at ease with the lizard, scratching under its chin as it trilled happily, the sound almost soothing. To Naruto, this was clearly nothing unusual—he acted like it was just another part of his strange, ever-growing list of mysteries.
Kakashi felt even more exhausted. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his visible eye for a mont as he exhaled deeply.
For a brief second, Kakashi understood why so many shinobi turned to alcohol.
"Maybe I should've beco an alcoholic," he muttered under his breath before shaking his head. Hell no. Jiraiya-sama's masterpieces are better than alcohol.
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A few minutes later, Naruto stood proudly, holding his crystal lizard high like a prized trophy. Sakura and Sasuke looked at him, their expressions ranging from mild disbelief to quiet resignation.
"Isn't he the cutest?"
Sakura leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. "Where did you find him?" she asked, reaching out a hand to pet the strange creature.
Before she could touch it, Oscar hissed, his small mouth opening slightly to reveal tiny, sharp teeth. Sakura recoiled with a startled yelp.
"Oh, I found him injured in so barrels while I was fighting this damn flea-ridden cow," Naruto said matter-of-factly, releasing a long sigh through his nostrils, as if reliving the mory was exhausting.
"What happened to the cow?"
"Oh, it burned itself to death, I think."
Naruto said it so casually that Sasuke imdiately regretted asking. He shook his head, muttering sothing about how talking to Naruto never made sense.
anwhile, Tazuna stood off to the side, sweat dripping down his brow. He watched the scene nervously, his gaze darting between the tied-up assassin and Kakashi, who had just finished securing Gozu to the tree.
"Tazuna-san, it seems your C-rank escort mission is far more dangerous than we were led to believe."
Tazuna swallowed hard. "I… I apologize," he said. "I didn't lie to deceive you. It's just… I couldn't afford anything more than a C-rank mission after months of saving up. I have no choice but to beg for your help."
The old man pulled off his hat and bowed low. "Please, protect until I can complete the bridge. I'll pay you the appropriate amount once it's finished. My daughter, my grandson… my village is counting on this bridge. It's our only chance to free ourselves from the greed of that tyrant. I beg you, oh great Konoha shinobi."
Kakashi humd, rubbing his chin as he considered the man's words. "Tazuna-san, Naruto just fought two chunin-level assassins. Shinobi specializing in killing, no less. We might face even stronger enemies ahead."
Sasuke's eyes lit up at the thought.
Naruto's grin widened. He stepped forward, raising his Zweihander slightly.
"Precept the First…" he said, his voice steady. "A knight's purpose is to serve… to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
As if on cue, Oscar raised his small arms, as if mimicking Naruto's sense of grandeur.
Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. "Precept?"
Naruto turned to him, still grinning. "It's a thing I follow. You wouldn't understand, sensei."
Sasuke spoke. "We're more prepared than a normal genin team, Kakashi. You can't coddle us forever. We need to face the real world."
Sakura nodded, though she looked less certain. "Sensei, he's right. If we don't face these kinds of missions now, we'll never grow. We're ready."
Kakashi let out another long sigh, though there was a faint trace of pride in his expression.
"Fine," he said finally. "We'll continue the mission, Tazuna-san, but you'll be charged the appropriate amount once the mission is over."
"Thank you," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. "If you had declined… you would've left my daughter and grandson heartbroken."
The words hung in the air, and though the team smiled faintly at his gratitude, Kakashi noticed sothing deeper in Tazuna's tone. Those words weren't ant to guilt them, nor were they a plea for sympathy.
No—those words were for himself.
A quiet mantra, a way to reaffirm his own resolve.
"Alright," Kakashi said, clapping his hands lightly to gather their attention. "But first, we need to prepare."
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are aweso. Now, if you're interested in supporting on P@treon, let just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 47, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comnt! Honestly, your comnts make my day, and they let know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!
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