Naruto ran to the old man Tazuna and politely asked him to stop drinking, saying that if not for his own health, then for the sake of his loved ones. She also suggested tips for slow rehabilitation and that since the mission would take at least 2 weeks, that time could be used by her or a clone of hers to help him.
Woah! Just woah! She had thought of simply getting him to stop drinking during the mission, but had her words had tried to change the man as whole! Kurama didn't even hesitate to face-palm, and even wanted to bang his head on a tree in the mindscape. His kit had a heart too big for her own good under the tough and serious look. Whenever Kurama pointed out that she was a big softie, though she denied it sometimes, she excused herself, saying that Tobirama and Madara had been big softies too, for their loved ones, and are perfect examples of shinobi. Upon Kurama asking how she knew of their personalities, she simply replied that her intensive research, scrutinising of the words, and a bit of intuition led her to form the conclusions. Not that she likes bragging, but she opens up only to Kurama, not only because he could read her thoughts, but because he earned her respect and trust, and it's only a matter of time, dear readers, before Kurama realises how special he is [Just kidding, no need to make this completely Naruto-centric, unless we want unnecessary problems].
On a side-note, Naruto requested Tazuna to excuse Kakashi's habit of reading the not-so-innocents in public. It was an escape from the dredgery of Shinobi life and she said she would try to do something about it. She also requested him to not mention anyone of this conversation. The old man was quite happy after the talk. Naruto had even obliged to help him pack for the journey since she had him occupied for almost half an hour. Shadow clones were helpful in helping both of them pack and they reached the gates 15 minutes before time. Naruto hid in a tree, masking her chakra, while Tazuna took a nap. 5 minutes before time, Sasuke arrived, soon followed by Sakura who flirted with him, disturbing the naps of Tazuna and the gate keepers.
Naruto never understood what was so special about Sasuke that every girl was after him. Okay, he was good at studies and skills, but others were good too. Just because he was from a prestigious clan doesn't mean he was God. He didn't look too bad, but his hairstyle didn't help his looks. Her father's unruly hair enhanced his good looks much better than Sasuke. Naruto and Hinata seem the only sane girls of her age. Kakashi was surprisingly only 10 minutes late. Well, this was their first C-rank mission, first mission outside the village. First mission outside the village...
What better excuse to act out a bubbly outburst?
That's what she did.
"Yeah!" she yelled. "Stop shouting, Baka!" Sakura yelled even louder. "What's got you so excited, Naruto?" Kakashi asked amused. "This is my first mission outside the village-dattebayo!" Came the happy reply. Sakura wanted to retort and scold her, but once she realised what she said, (even) she was excited. Kakashi chuckled and patted Naruto's head as they set off. Sakura was switching between flirting with Sasuke and attempting to get Tazuna in a good conversation.
Turns out Nami no Kuni was one of the very few small lands that didn't have Shinobi villages. The land was too small for a shinobi village, and they believed that the sea surrounding them was a good enough barrier for them. Naruto heard some rumours and facts revolving around the land, but didn't confront Tazuna on that, because, One, she respected his privacy, two, she hadn't had the time to discuss it as others topics were discussed.
Dammit, she is still being a child. She had to prioritize her thoughts and think calculatedly within seconds or milliseconds. She needed to take Shogi (Shinobi chess) training seriously and train her mind. Hopefully Kurama would help her. Best not to stress her mind and practice strategies. She consulted Kurama while being mindful of her surroundings in case her suspicions were correct.
Soon enough, she sensed two chakra signatures and pinpointed their location to a puddle on their way. Kakashi too had understood that the puddle was a genjutsu that disguised the two enemy-shinobi, but he played along. When they were close enough, two men jumped out. They had masks covering their faces except the eyes and with the headband of Kirigakure- Village hidden in the mist and horns on heir head and a set of sword and chains each. They 'sliced' Kakashi, who simply substituted himself in the last moment, but played dead as he chose to observe. The enemy now split to attack Sasuke and Naruto, who were able to the enemy after a struggle. Sakura, however, stood frozen, though she was standing before Tazuna in a protecting stance. Kakashi then came out from the trees, 'mysteriously alive'. He tied the enemy, now identified as the Demon Brothers of the Mist, to a nearby tree. [Naruto made a mental note to check the Bingo Book- the book that consists of powerful shinobi wanted by at least one nation/village including many criminals and Nukenin- rogue nin; and almost cursed since her suspicions were confirmed. They might meet another Ninja from the Bingo Book. She groaned mentally].
A bit of coaxing from the brothers and Tazuna revealed that the target was Tazuna, and the man behind the attack was Gato, a shady, filthy-rich businessman who seized control over Nami no Kuni and deprived it of its wealth. He was opposed to the building of the bridge Tazuna was working on, since it would lead to the betterment of the land and the gradual loss of his control. Tazuna had lied about the ranking of the mission, since giving it a higher rank of its true status would mean paying more money to the shinobi, which the land couldn't afford to do so.
Kakashi turned to his students to see if they wanted to continue the mission despite the seriousness of the situation. Sakura began, "Sensei, I think we should head back-" Naruto cut her off, "I believe we should help him sensei. We can't abandon the client in spite of the circumstances, dattebayo. I want to help Tazuna-san and his home." Sasuke added, "I'm not backing down from a challenge." The jounin sighed, "Fine, we are continuing with the mission. Be alert and keep your senses sharp." On the journey, Kakashi appreciated his students, "Sasuke, Naruto, good job fighting off the enemy. Sakura, your reflexes had brought you to guard Tazuna, but you froze during the battle. Try not to repeat that." Sasuke smirked at the complement as his ego just inflated. Naruto had the urge to facepalm as she noticed this, and decided to have another talk with Itachi about this.
They had to cross a water body and the only boatman on the only boat there was talking to Tazuna in hushed voices. The team got the message to keep silent, while Sakura, apparently hadn't. When the bridge came into the view amidst the slight fog, she yelled, "The bridge is so big!" "Hush, why do you think our voices are down?" The boatman whisper-yelled and she flushed. When they reached the shore, they continued walking. Naruto noticed two chakra signatures and was impressed that she couldn't notice them until they were closer, and that they have been masked almost as perfectly as herself. One of the signatures was farther away. She noticed movement in the bushes where the other signature was and threw a kunai there as a reflex, but a frightened rabbit came out. "What do you think you are doing Naruto? You scared the poor bunny!" Sakura scolded her as she approached to hit her head. Naruto smoothly ducked down in a pretence of scooping up the rabbit and stroking its soft, white fur.
Wait. White fur? It's spring, right?
Naruto berated herself as she had almost lost faith in her senses for a moment.