---
"Useless trash."
Cardo walked over with a vicious expression, glaring at the corpses of Momochi Zabuza and Haku lying cold on the ground. He kicked them furiously, his anger boiling over.
"If Zabuza couldn't even kill a bunch of kids, what the hell was he good for?"
"Enough. Don't waste time."
Ye Dou's voice was cold and impatient.
"Yes, yes, we'll go now."
Cardo quickly changed his demeanor, putting on a sycophantic smile as he led the way.
Ye Dou lingered for a moment, walking over to the corpses. He bent down and picked up the famed Kubikiribōchō—the Executioner's Blade—one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist.
Though cracked in two from the previous battle, the sword was known for its eerie ability to regenerate by absorbing the iron from its victims' blood. With enough kills, even this broken blade could return to its former glory.
"Maybe in your next life, don't be born into the ninja world."
Ye Dou placed the two halves of the blade next to Zabuza and Haku.
"Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique."
Forming a series of seals, he pressed his hand to the ground. The earth opened, swallowing the two fallen shinobi in silence.
After paying his respects, he turned to leave.
"You said you wouldn't kill me!" Cardo cried out in fear.
"Here's some advice: never believe a killer."
---
Later, at Cardo's estate in the Land of Waves, Ye Dou systematically stripped the place of all valuables.
Without turning around, he drew the long blade at his waist and, in one fluid motion, beheaded Cardo.
"Aren't you worried about the consequences?" asked the mongoose at his side.
"The man who killed Cardo has a 100 million ryo bounty in the black market. He wasn't from Konoha... and his name wasn't Iori Ye Dou."
Ye Dou tossed a bloodstained mask onto the floor before vanishing into the shadows.
"He's not acting alone," the mongoose murmured, leaping to perch on his shoulder.
The amount they had plundered was staggering—at least 5 billion ryo in liquid funds. And that was just a fraction of Cardo's empire. If they had tried to claim his real estate and overseas holdings, it could have been tens—perhaps hundreds—of billions in total assets. But Ye Dou only took what could be carried.
Back in the forest, Ye Dou's shadow clone greeted him.
Kakashi had remained at the bridge to stand guard, while Naruto and Sasuke were practicing tree-climbing to improve their chakra control—a method Kakashi had taught after witnessing their weaknesses in battle.
"Thank you."
The clone gave a small nod, then dispelled itself in a puff of smoke.
Ye Dou returned to Tazuna's house to rest. Despite his regenerative constitution and highly active cellular structure, he still needed time to recover from his injuries.
---
A few days later…
On the bridge nearing completion, the last remnants of Cardo's hired thugs gathered, hoping to take over his smuggling business.
But they were no match for Team 7.
Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and even Sakura made quick work of them, and the Great Naruto Bridge—as it would soon be known—was completed without further incident.
"Thank you. Without your help, we never would've rebuilt the bridge," Tazuna said, bowing deeply to the team.
"No need to thank us. We were just doing our job," Kakashi replied, modestly.
What began as a simple C-rank mission had escalated into a battle against one of the Hidden Mist's most dangerous missing-nin. Given the risk and complexity, the Third Hokage would later reclassify it as an A-rank mission—a rare feat for Genin.
By the time they returned to Konoha, over two weeks had passed.
Team 7 split up for rest and debriefing, while Kakashi alone reported the full details to Lord Hiruzen.
Thanks to this mission, all four Genin had their records upgraded, gaining recognition that other Genin teams, such as Might Guy's Team, hadn't yet achieved—even after two years.
After all, A-rank missions often involve direct confrontations with Chūnin or Jōnin-level threats—well beyond the expected capacity of new Genin.
In other villages, the only exception to this would be prodigies like Gaara of the Sand, who was in a class of his own.
---
Visit patreon.com/Mikeo481 to get 50+ chapters