“Thanks for coming,” The third Hokage said. “Now, we just need to wait for Kakashi.”

Kakashi sure had the balls to make even the Hokage wait. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for him to show up. He tried to excuse himself while laughing and scratching the back of his head, but it didn’t work.

“The mission that I have for you all today is a bit higher than you supposed rank once again. There are many reasons for that,” The third Hokage said. “First of all, there is still the threat of attacks on the borders, so that we will keep a certain number of shinobi there. The second one is the fact that the client couldn’t pay the appropriate fee for the job. However, this client can help the land of fire with his job.”

Sasuke was surprised when the old man mentioned Tazuna and the construction of the bridge connecting the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire. Sasuke was taken aback by the sudden mention of Tazuna, not by name. It seemed that their next mission was going to involve the bridge builder sooner than they expected.

However, much to Sasuke's surprise, Tazuna was nowhere to be found in the office. The Third Hokage explained that Tazuna had sent a request for a job, indicating that he needed assistance with the construction of the bridge. It was an unexpected turn of events, but it meant that they would soon be embarking on another mission to aid Tazuna and ensure the completion of the vital bridge. Or so he thought anyway.

“The client's name is Tazuna, and he is a bridge builder. Long story short, a criminal syndicate got in his way and tried to stop him. When he gave up on that, the crime boss decided to involve the shinobi from the hidden mist village… they are rogue ninjas,” The third Hokage said. “Your job is to stop them all and free the captured family of Tazuna.”

Rogue ninja are shinobi who have abandoned their village and severed ties with their home country. These individuals operate outside the established ninja system and are considered to be criminals by their former villages. Rogue ninja are typically driven by personal motives such as revenge, ambition, or disillusionment with their village's leadership.

There are various reasons why a ninja might become a rogue ninja. Some rogue ninja may have been expelled from their village for committing crimes or violating the village's laws. Regardless of the reason, once a ninja becomes a rogue, they are considered to be a threat to their former village and are often pursued by their former comrades. For all intentions and purposes, that was definitely another rank B mission, and soon Sasuke confirmed that.

(You received a new quest: Rescue Tazuna’s family without letting any of them die. Reward: 10.000 experience.)

“There has been no mention of Zabuza yet, even though he is clearly involved in this,” Sasuke thought. Anyway, this is very different from what had happened before. Still, this is a good chance for me.”

Sasuke could see Kakashi and Zabuza in action and then have the chance to learn some of their techniques as well. Haku was also involved, and Sasuke could check if he could learn Ice Release. Techniques bounded by bloodlines were something that he had never had to deal with before, so it was a good chance to check the limits of the system.

“Understood, Lord Hokage, we will depart immediately,” Kakashi said. “Pack your things and meet me at the gate of the village in one hour. This mission might take a while, so ready yourselves.”

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto left the Hokage office in order to pack their things. This time around, Naruto seemed more confident that he would do better than in the last mission. Still, Sakura looked a bit hesitant.

“Criminals, and now criminals and rogue ninjas… our beginning as shinobis is quite weird, to say the least,” Sakura said after a sigh.

“It will be fine. The third Hokage wouldn’t send us to our deaths,” Sasuke said. “Besides, there are people who have it worse. Way worse.”

Zabuza Momochi's path to becoming a shinobi was notably harsh, as he hailed from the Village Hidden in the Mist, known for its brutal graduation exam. In this test, aspiring ninjas were required to undergo the "Bloody Mist Graduation Exam," a brutal trial where students were pitted against each other in a fight to the death.

For Zabuza, this test was a defining moment in his life. He emerged from the Bloody Mist Graduation Exam as one of the few survivors, having proven himself as a formidable and merciless shinobi. His success in this brutal trial marked the beginning of his journey as a feared and respected ninja, ultimately leading him to become one of the most renowned mercenaries and assassins in the ninja world and their most difficult target for this mission.

“Even Kakashi will have a hard time against him in the beginning, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t stand a chance,” Sasuke thought. “I also want his sword, it will be much better to use than kunai.”

Chapter 63 is already out on my Patreon page!

Hey, everyone! Author here! Thanks for reading my book! I would like to make some announcements. First of all, I opened a Patreon for those who want to read ahead. Currently, there are thirty chapters on Patreon, and I will be posting three chapters daily. If you are willing to support me in becoming a full-time writer, you already have my thanks! The second announcement is that I am planning to post one chapter daily here, but for every 500 power stones, I will post one extra chapter, and there are no limits on how many I can post! It is up to you all! 

Here is the link for the patre on: patre on.com/WritingMachineG

Here is the link for our discord: https://discord.gg/JWcXhu6ZsA