“Ugh!”
With a swift motion, a figure blurred past, eliciting startled cries from the two enemy ninjas.
As everyone regained their composure, they saw Kakashi standing calmly in the middle of the scene, holding one of the enemies in each hand with apparent ease.
Yukigetsu sighed in frustration. This guy always likes to show off. I didn’t even get to make a move!
“Kakashi-sensei, you’re not dead?!” Sakura exclaimed in surprise.
The others looked to the previously blood-soaked area, now filled with broken logs instead. It was a substitution jutsu.
Sasuke and the others had a sudden realization.
“Naruto… I’m sorry I didn’t rescue you immediately and let you get hurt. I didn’t expect you’d be unable to move,” Kakashi apologized to Naruto, then turned to Sasuke, “Sasuke… well done!”
Yukigetsu glanced at Naruto, who was feeling down, and shook his head. Kakashi was obviously creating an opportunity for them to gain combat experience. Both Naruto and Sasuke had their first real battle, but Naruto was paralyzed by fear, while Sasuke remained fearless. Not only that, Sasuke managed to keep his clothes clean and effectively thwart two Mist Chunin, known for their relentless combat style.
It’s not just Sasuke; Naruto also has tremendous potential. Once he overcomes his psychological barriers, he can unleash great power. Both of them are beyond the scope of ordinary Genin. Anyone underestimating them as mere Genin will be in for a rude awakening.
Yukigetsu glanced at Sakura last. As for her… well, she’s a solid Genin, but she’s even weaker than the average Genin and will likely hold the seventh squad back.
“Hey, Naruto, stop looking so down. Their claws are poisoned. You should treat your wound first,” Yukigetsu advised, noticing the black blood oozing from Naruto’s injured left hand.
Naruto suddenly stabbed his left palm with a kunai to everyone’s surprise, gritting his teeth in pain but with a determined expression. “I swear on the pain of my left hand! I will never retreat again!”
This guy…
Yukigetsu chuckled and walked over. “Naruto, using such a dramatic way to let out the poison is effective, but if you keep bleeding like this… you’ll die from blood loss!”
Naruto paused, then shouted, “Ahhh! No way! I can’t die here, not before I become Hokage!”
Yukigetsu facepalmed. Wasn’t this the same righteous guy from a moment ago? Now he’s back to being a typical hot-headed kid…
“Let me see.”
Upon closer inspection, Yukigetsu noticed Naruto’s wound was already beginning to heal. How is this possible? He frowned. Could it be related to the Nine-Tails?
Shaking his head, Yukigetsu looked at Naruto deeply. This guy is truly something, able to hurt himself like this. People who are ruthless to themselves often achieve great things.
“Uh, Yukigetsu, I’ll be okay, right?” Naruto asked cautiously.
“Yeah, you’ll be fine…” Yukigetsu replied nonchalantly.
Naruto sighed in relief. “That’s good, that’s good. I can’t die here!”
But Yukigetsu continued with a sigh, “… at least for a few more days.”
Kakashi, standing nearby, facepalmed.
“What…?” Naruto stammered.
Yukigetsu burst out laughing. “How can someone be as silly as you?”
“You’re too much!” Naruto shouted, feeling frustrated and embarrassed. How could he joke about something so serious? It almost scared me to death…
Tazuna, finally recovering from the scare, pointed a finger at Yukigetsu, still angry. “Hey, kid! Yes, you!”
Yukigetsu turned around, pointing to himself. “Are you talking to me? What is it?”
Taking a sip of his drink, Tazuna accused, “When those enemies appeared, why didn’t you move?”
“Oh, that,” Yukigetsu folded his arms, a look of disdain on his face. “Those kinds of enemies aren’t worth my time.”
Sasuke twitched. This guy just managed to belittle everyone in one sentence.
Tazuna squinted at him in disdain. “You were just too scared to move!”
Yukigetsu feigned surprise. “Wow, the old man’s eyesight is really sharp. Yes, I was scared. So what?”
Kakashi shook his head with a smile. This kid had clearly realized his plan and intentionally cooperated to give Naruto and the others a chance to fight, yet now he’s downplaying himself like this.
Tazuna, unaware of Yukigetsu’s true intentions, thought he had discovered the truth. “I knew you were bluffing, saying you could handle a B-rank mission. It turns out you’re the most problematic one! You forced me to raise the mission rank, but you’re the weakest! Don’t you have any self-awareness?”
But Yukigetsu didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Instead, he nodded in agreement and patted Tazuna’s shoulder. “Old man, you’re right. I should be more self-aware…”
Tazuna looked puzzled.
“Next time…” Yukigetsu said earnestly, “… I’ll just run away!”
Tazuna: “……”
…
“They failed!”
In a hidden location in the Land of Waves, a short, fat man with small round sunglasses questioned the masked man sitting in the main seat. “I heard you were very skilled, so I paid a lot of money to hire you!”
A massive sword suddenly appeared, scaring the fat man into retreating.
“Enough of your nonsense! I’ll handle it myself this time,” the masked man said arrogantly. “I’ll chop off those people’s heads!”
The fat man hesitated. “Are you sure? The ninja over there seem quite strong… and the failure of the Demon Brothers will only make them more vigilant…”
“Do you even know who you’re talking to?” The masked man’s eyes narrowed. “I am Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist!”
…
After tidying up, the group continued their journey.
Yukigetsu suddenly spoke up from behind the group. “Kakashi, just leaving them tied up like that isn’t a good idea. I’ll go handle it.”
Kakashi glanced back at him, understanding his intention. After a moment of thought, he nodded. “Alright.”
“Kakashi-sensei, is he going to release those two?” Sakura asked, watching Yukigetsu’s retreating figure.
Before anyone else could react, Tazuna exploded. “Release them? Why would we do that?! Those guys tried to kill me! Is that kid an idiot or crazy?”
Sasuke glanced back. He’s not going to release them. He’s probably going to kill them. This guy really is ruthless…
Boom!
A loud noise drew everyone’s attention.
Kakashi’s eyelid twitched. Did he have to make such a big scene?
Moments later, Yukigetsu returned.
Naruto asked curiously, “What happened over there?”
Yukigetsu replied casually, “Oh, nothing. Just a sudden collapse of the ground…” He sighed deeply, a look of regret on his face. “What a pity, those two Mist Chunin… I was going to release them, but they got buried alive…”
Everyone: “……”
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