Zabuza and Haku returned to the forest, and only then did Zabuza finally relax.
But the moment he thought back to what had happened inside Itsuki’s building, his expression shifted again.
But if all of that is real…
Just the promise of an A-rank Ice Release technique was enough to make his heart race.
And that was only one reward.
If there were A-rank missions, then S-rank missions couldn’t be far behind.
Even if there was only a chance Itsuki had been telling the truth, it was too valuable to ignore.
For Zabuza, this might be an opportunity.
He stared at the mission panel floating before him and took a deep breath.
With his experience, he could already see the consequences if Itsuki’s system truly worked as advertised.
The shinobi world would not stay peaceful for long.
And when that happened, just the two of them would be far too vulnerable.
After all, both Zabuza and Haku were still being hunted by Kirigakure.
The pressure was already closing in.
Looks like I’ll need allies.
One person immediately came to mind.
Raiga Kurosuki.
A former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
The wielder of the twin Lightning Blades, Kiba.
Like Zabuza, Raiga had defected from Kirigakure.
Like Zabuza, he was being hunted by the village.
Their situations were almost identical.
He might actually be worth working with.
The more Zabuza thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
He turned toward Haku, who was still studying the mission panel.
“Haku.
Change of plans.” Haku looked up.
“We’ll follow Kakashi’s group for now and gather information.” “Don’t attack them yet.” “After that, you’re coming with me to find someone.” “Understood, Zabuza-san.” Haku smiled faintly.
But his eyes soon returned to the mission panel, a thoughtful light flickering within them.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and the others continued toward the Land of Waves, completely unaware that they were being followed.
Not long after leaving Itsuki’s building, Kakashi had summoned Pakkun.
He entrusted the ninken with a detailed report containing everything he knew about Itsuki, along with a record of everything he had personally experienced.
Pakkun was already on his way back to Konoha.
As they traveled, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura bombarded Kakashi with questions about the Scenario.
Kakashi was still troubled by everything he had discovered, but he nevertheless explained quite a bit.
That only made the three Genin even more curious.
“I wonder what kind of Scenario I’d trigger?” Naruto said eagerly.
Sasuke and Sakura were clearly wondering the same thing.
None of them made any attempt to hide their anticipation.
Kakashi, however, looked at them with a complicated expression.
Especially Naruto and Sasuke.
Would letting those two enter their own Scenarios really be a good thing?
The thought alone made his mood darken.
Naruto’s past inevitably led back to the night of the Nine-Tails’ attack.
Sasuke’s past led straight to the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Kakashi had carried out countless missions over the years, especially during his time in the ANBU.
He had seen more than his share of Konoha’s darker side.
There were plenty of rumors surrounding both incidents.
Some involved Danzō.
Others even implicated the Third Hokage.
If Naruto or Sasuke entered a Scenario and uncovered something they were never supposed to know…
Kakashi didn’t even want to imagine what might happen.
“Damn it…” Then he remembered his own situation and let out a long sigh.
He already had more than enough problems of his own.
“Oh, right.” Sasuke, who usually tried to maintain a cool expression, suddenly spoke.
“Kakashi-sensei, what reward did you get from the Scenario?” Kakashi paused.
Then he gave a helpless smile.
“I forgot to claim it from Itsuki-san.” But they had already gone back once.
Turning around yet again would be ridiculous.
He would have to wait until the next time they visited.
With another sigh, Kakashi opened his Scenario Panel and checked the reward listed at the bottom.
Reward: One B-rank Physical Enhancement Potion “A Physical Enhancement Potion.” Kakashi looked slightly surprised.
Shinobi training wasn’t as simple as pushing the body harder and harder.
If that were all it took, most shinobi would destroy themselves long before becoming strong.
Medicinal treatments and specialized supplements played an important role in conditioning the body.
Kakashi had used plenty of such medicines throughout his own training, so he was very familiar with the concept.
“A Physical Enhancement Potion?” Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked puzzled.
Kakashi briefly explained the role medicinal supplements played in shinobi training.
Then he suddenly stopped.
A new notification had appeared on his panel.
His visible eye widened.
“The reward can be withdrawn directly?” He stared at the message.
“I don’t have to go back to Itsuki-san?” Kakashi quickly explained what he had discovered to the three Genin, then selected the option to claim his reward.
A glass bottle appeared in his hand.
It was filled with a pale blue liquid.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stared at it.
All three swallowed almost simultaneously.
The way they were looking at the bottle made Kakashi’s eye twitch.
He quickly removed the stopper.
“I’ll test it and see what it does.” Three pairs of eyes followed the bottle as Kakashi raised it to his mouth.
He drank the entire potion.
Almost immediately, warmth spread through his body.
The sensation was so comfortable that Kakashi instinctively closed his eye.
Then his expression changed.
My old injuries are healing.
My physical condition is improving.
The increase wasn’t overwhelming, but it was unmistakable.
His body really was becoming stronger.
And that wasn’t all.
My chakra…
Kakashi’s shock deepened.
My chakra reserves increased too.
By nearly a quarter of his previous total.
Kakashi was stunned.
This was only a B-rank enhancement potion.
If a B-rank reward could do this…
What about A-rank?
What about S-rank?
Would his limited chakra reserves even remain a weakness?
For the first time, Kakashi felt a genuine surge of excitement toward Itsuki’s reward system.
When he opened his eye again, he found Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura staring at him expectantly.
Their faces practically demanded an explanation.
Kakashi sighed.
Still, he told them what had happened.
“The increase in chakra alone is roughly comparable to the reserves of an average chūnin.” The three Genin’s eyes widened.
“That’s incredible!” “As expected from a mission reward!” “I want one too!” They stared at Kakashi with open envy.
Kakashi felt a headache coming on.
“If you want one, complete your own missions.” The three immediately nodded.
“Right!” “Then let’s hurry up and finish this mission!” Naruto spun toward Tazuna.
His eyes lit up.
There it was.
Their current mission.
“Tazuna-san, let’s move faster!” “I’m an old man, you know—wait, what are you doing?!
Put me down!” Before anyone could stop him, Naruto hoisted Tazuna onto his back and took off running.
“Naruto!” Kakashi stared after him.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” This was getting ridiculous.
To his surprise, Sasuke and Sakura didn’t agree with him.
“Kakashi, hurry up.” Sasuke glanced back impatiently.
“You’re too slow.” For the first time in his life, Sasuke seemed to think Naruto had actually come up with a good idea.
Kakashi shook his head and followed.
Still, as he watched Naruto sprint ahead with Tazuna on his back, he found the boy’s enthusiasm a little less irritating than usual.
What none of them noticed were the two figures following from a distance.
Zabuza and Haku.
“Haku.” Zabuza’s voice was barely restrained.
“You heard what they said, didn’t you?” “The mission rewards are real!” “I heard them, Zabuza-san.” Even Haku could no longer remain completely calm.
Itsuki’s face appeared in his mind.
“Itsuki-san really is incredible.” “Let’s go.” Zabuza’s expression hardened with determination.
“We need to find reinforcements.” “This mission absolutely cannot fail.” The two figures turned away and gradually disappeared into the distance.
At the same time— Kakashi’s report finally arrived in Konoha.