Transcending Realities: A Journey to Reclaim Home

Kakashi gave us the order to gather at the village gate in half an hour, making sure to bring all the necessary supplies for the mission. When the time came, we were all there—ready and prepared for the journey ahead. Though I knew things would get complicated once we left the village, I wasn't too worried. Whatever came our way, I was confident I could handle it.

We began walking through the forest, the dense trees surrounding us as we moved forward. Despite the seriousness of the mission, it felt relaxed—at least for me and Sakura. We walked hand-in-hand, chatting as if we were on a leisurely trip rather than an escort mission. Her smile and company made the journey feel lighter, and we talked about simple things, enjoying each other's presence.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Sasuke kept their eyes sharp, walking silently behind us. They weren't taking any chances, knowing that even on a C-rank mission, there could be unexpected dangers lurking. The tension of uncertainty always hung over us, and they were cautious, ready for anything.

Though I was engaged in conversation with Sakura, I was always aware of the bigger picture. I knew the dangers that awaited us, but I wasn't worried about our team. We were more than capable of handling whatever threats would come our way. For now, though, I was content to enjoy the peaceful start to what would soon be a much more eventful mission.

As we continued walking, I sensed two enemy presences ahead. They moved swiftly, their weapons—whip-like kunai—lashed out, seemingly strangling Kakashi. A burst of blood followed, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into wood. Kakashi had used the Substitution Jutsu to escape unharmed.

Even though Kakashi and Sasuke were alert, these two enemies had managed to conceal their chakra with an unusual technique. I had detected them earlier but chose to stay silent, knowing they posed no real threat to our team.

"Sakura, can you handle these two? I know you're strong enough to take on a group of chunins or even a couple of jonins. Consider this some practice," I said to her calmly.

Sakura's eyes lit up with excitement. "Okay, I will!" she replied enthusiastically, dashing towards the enemies with impressive speed.

"Just don't use too much force, or you'll kill them," I reminded her. With all the training she had undergone under Tsunade's guidance, Sakura had gained extraordinary strength—more than enough to overwhelm most opponents.

"Cha!" Sakura shouted as she smashed the ground with a powerful punch, breaking the earth beneath the enemies and disrupting their balance before they even realized what was happening. With their footing lost, she moved in swiftly, delivering powerful strikes to both of them. Her fists connected with their stomachs, sending them flying several meters back. Blood spilled from their mouths as they hit the ground hard, unconscious before they even had a chance to react.

The fight was over in seconds.

"Well done," I said with a smile. Sakura grinned, proud of her victory. The enemies, clearly outmatched, never stood a chance. It was just the kind of practice she needed. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Kakashi were both impressed by her quick and efficient takedown, though they didn't show it openly. We pressed on, knowing this was only the beginning of the challenges that lay ahead.

Kakashi interrogated the two enemies, hoping to extract some useful information about any future threats. Unfortunately, they didn't reveal anything useful, remaining tight-lipped. With no choice left, Kakashi eliminated them quickly and discarded their bodies, ensuring no further complications.

Once that was dealt with, all of us turned our attention to Tazuna, who had been unusually quiet throughout the attack. The fact that chunin-level enemies had targeted us on what was supposed to be a simple C-rank mission was a huge red flag. Normally, a mission of this rank would only involve bandits, who weren't even at genin level. This ambush told us that something much bigger was at play.

I stepped forward, fixing Tazuna with a firm gaze. "Old man, you're hiding something. You need to tell us the truth now, or things could get much worse—potentially leading to your death or worse consequences for everyone involved. If you keep concealing the truth, you're putting all of us in danger. So, spill everything. What aren't you telling us?"

Tazuna hesitated, looking uncomfortable as his eyes darted around nervously. It was clear that he hadn't been completely honest with us from the beginning. Finally, he sighed and spoke up.

"Alright, alright… I didn't tell you everything," Tazuna admitted, his voice heavy with guilt. "This mission isn't just about escorting me. The Land of Waves is in trouble… a dangerous man, Gato, has taken control of the area. He's a corrupt businessman with hired thugs and ninja working for him. I lied about the rank of this mission because I couldn't afford to pay for a higher-ranked one. But I needed protection, or I wouldn't have made it back home."

We all exchanged glances. This explained the sudden appearance of skilled enemies. What was supposed to be a routine escort had just become far more dangerous.

Kakashi crossed his arms, clearly processing the new information. "So, this mission is much riskier than we were led to believe. Gato's involved, and he's not the type to play fair."

Sasuke, Sakura, and I listened carefully as Kakashi weighed the situation. We all knew this would be more than just an escort mission from here on out. But none of us were about to back down, no matter the risk. We had already started, and we would see it through to the end.

With that our C-rank mission turned out to be A or atleast B-rank mission.