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Chapter 0076: Confusion
🕑 Added 2024-10-17 15:44:45 +0000 UTCChapter 0076: Confusion
"Damn! This is trouble!"
"This is bad."
"We were careless. I didn't expect so many of them."
In a grassy hollow, several young Konoha shinobi were surrounded by Sand ninjas, their situation looking grim.
It was hard to blame them. Even after that previous wave of bombardment, the Sand forces still greatly outnumbered us. While sheer numbers were no threat to Konoha’s elite, for these younger shinobi, it was proving too much to handle.
As the two sides faced off, I approached the scene slowly, my long blade at my side, walking as if I were taking a casual stroll after dinner—completely relaxed.
When I got closer, the Konoha shinobi caught sight of my forehead protector, and one of them gasped. "It’s one of ours!"
"I recognize him. He’s Tsunade-sama’s disciple!"
"Is he here to save us?"
"Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just a kid. He’ll probably get himself killed too."
The mood grew somber. These shinobi had seen too many young kids, like me, rush to the frontlines, only to be cut down before they could even react. The battlefield didn’t discriminate between the living and the dead—these kids had come from both Konoha and Suna, and their blood was already on our hands. Such was the brutality of war.
But while the Konoha shinobi were filled with regret and helplessness, the Sand ninja were laughing coldly.
"Look at this! A kid who doesn’t know when he’s about to die."
"He's acting all casual. Is he crazy?"
"Well, no matter. Another corpse for us to add to the pile."
"Is that so?" I replied with a smirk, my voice suddenly close to one of the Sand ninja’s ears.
"Huh?" The Sand ninja turned, eyes widening in shock. "When did you—"
Before he could finish, pain shot through his chest as my blade pierced straight through his heart.
Thud.
His lifeless body collapsed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The surrounding shinobi audibly gasped. My speed had been too fast—even those who had been watching could only catch a glimpse of a white flash before the Sand ninja was already dead.
"You... who are you?" The remaining Sand ninja finally realized they weren’t facing easy prey, but a tiger descending from the mountain.
"Leaf Jonin, Hiroto of the Evening Sun," I said, raising my blade once more. In the next instant, I vanished again.
In the air, the gleam of my blade shone brightly.
Thud, thud, thud.
One by one, the Sand ninja fell, their bodies hitting the ground like harvested wheat. "When you reach the underworld, don’t forget to tell them my name," I added.
Jonin? This kid was a Jonin?
The Konoha shinobi were frozen in place, their faces filled with disbelief. But the corpses littering the ground made it hard to deny the reality in front of them.
I casually flicked the blood from my sword and sheathed it. For me, dealing with these Sand ninja was nothing more than a trivial task. Still, something was bothering me. I needed to talk to someone about it, so I turned to the side. "Have any of you seen Shikaku-senpai?"
The Konoha shinobi exchanged confused glances, until one slightly chubby youth spoke up, "I-I saw Deputy Commander Shikaku earlier, in the forest to the south."
"Thanks. Be careful out here." I nodded and vanished in a blur.
"That guy... he’s incredible."
"Yeah, his speed is insane. He was like a flash of light."
"His swordsmanship is even scarier. Those Sand ninja were like watermelons, split open without a chance to fight back!"
"No doubt about it. I bet he’ll be a legend, just like the Sannin."
Listening to his comrades, the chubby shinobi shook his head. "Just wait... the Sannin might not even be his limit."
South of the battlefield, in the forest.
Nara Shikaku lay low in the brush, keeping a careful eye on a few approaching Sand ninjas.
Tap, tap, tap.
As they drew closer, a shadow suddenly extended from under Shikaku, wrapping around their necks like a noose and strangling them in seconds.
"This is strange," Shikaku muttered after dispatching the enemies. There was no joy in his voice, only a furrowed brow.
"Do you find it odd that these Sand ninjas seem aimless?" A sudden voice rang out, putting Shikaku on high alert. He scanned his surroundings, muscles tensing. Whoever had managed to sneak up on him was powerful—he hadn’t sensed them at all.
"Relax, Shikaku-senpai. It’s me."
"Hiroto?" Shikaku exhaled a breath of relief as I appeared, jumping down from a nearby tree branch. Though relieved, there was a trace of frustration in his expression.
A kid had snuck up on him, after all. If I had been an enemy, he’d be dead by now.
Then again, this was Hiroto. With his speed and skills, even Shikaku couldn’t blame himself too much. In his mind, Hiroto’s abilities had already reached a level that was simply... abnormal.
