Chapter 21

Here @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.

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[Minato Namikaze: Naruto, don't lose your composure. You're being followed.]

When Naruto read his father's warning in the chat group, he rolled his eyes.

Naruto was grateful for his father's concern, but how could he not have noticed?

[Naruto Uzumaki: I've noticed, and I'm sure Kakashi-sensei has too.]

Naruto didn't hesitate to reassure his father.

Walking a little faster, he approached Sasuke.

"Stay alert. We're being followed. Stick close to Tazuna."

Naruto hadn't forgotten the purpose of this mission—to get Tazuna safely to the Land of Waves.

Sasuke's expression didn't change, but he nodded in agreement.

Within seconds, Sasuke discreetly positioned himself even closer to Tazuna.

Kakashi, noticing what his students were doing, smiled.

"With them here, I can treat this mission like a vacation…"

Kakashi thought this, but he would soon realize how wrong he was.

Of course, Sakura was also warned about the danger, though Naruto noticed her face tense slightly.

Naruto was pleased to realize the mission was starting to get a little interesting.

Because of Sakura's curiosity, Kakashi had given them a rather long geography lesson along the way.

Luckily, that was over, and the action was finally starting.

As they walked, Naruto's gaze landed on a puddle of water in the middle of the road.

It was a very hot day—the sun had been beating down on their necks the entire journey, and it hadn't rained in days.

When they passed the puddle, it vanished, and in its place, two Hidden Mist ninjas appeared.

With coordinated movements, their chains shot toward Kakashi.

"One down!" they shouted in unison.

The chains wrapped around the Jōnin instantly. With a brutal pull, his body was torn apart in a burst of blood.

Sakura screamed, stepping back in shock.

Sasuke tensed, but immediately positioned himself in front of Tazuna, kunai in hand.

Naruto, on the other hand, just sighed.

"What a hassle."

The two Hidden Mist ninjas looked at him mockingly.

Naruto's hand moved with blinding speed, throwing a three-pronged kunai.

The kunai didn't even come close to either of the Mist Ninjas, passing between them.

Sasuke stared at Naruto in disbelief.

How could he have such terrible aim?!

Suddenly, Naruto disappeared.

Once again, Sasuke looked at Naruto in disbelief.

There was a flash of light just as Naruto appeared behind one of them, holding the same three-pronged kunai he had thrown.

The Mist Ninja barely had time to widen his eyes before the blade sank into his throat.

There were no words. Just a choking gurgle and a torrent of blood spilling onto the ground.

Naruto withdrew the blade with indifference, letting the corpse drop.

The other enemy froze.

A chill ran down the Mist Ninja's spine as a vortex of blue chakra began spinning in Naruto's palm.

This was the first time Naruto had used the Rasengan.

The Mist Ninja's instincts screamed danger.

Without wasting a second, he hurled a flurry of shuriken and leaped backward, trying to create distance.

Naruto vanished once again in a golden flash.

The ninja felt a heavy impact on his back before his vision blurred. An instant later, his body slammed into the ground with brutal force. He barely registered the attack when a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.

Naruto had kicked him in midair with such strength that he was driven into the earth.

Still airborne, Naruto descended rapidly, Rasengan in hand.

A wet, crunching sound mixed with the roar of the impact.

The ground cracked around the mangled corpse.

Naruto straightened up and shook his hand. Without wasting time, he retrieved his kunai from the first body and stored it away.

The fight had ended in mere seconds.

Sasuke and Sakura had barely had time to react.

That's when a calm voice broke the silence.

"Well… that was something…"

Kakashi was sitting on a branch, flipping through his book, completely unharmed.

Sakura felt a mix of relief and irritation. Sasuke simply scoffed.

Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance and took one last look at the corpses.

This was the first time he had taken a human life with his own hands.

The feeling was…

Naruto didn't know how to describe it.

That uncomfortable sensation was sealed deep within his mind, but seeing all the blood covering his hands, Naruto had to fight back a gag.

Luckily, no one around him seemed to notice. Or so he thought.

Both Kakashi and all the chat group members had realized it.

Kakashi jumped down from the tree he had been sitting in and approached him at a slow pace.

"We'll talk later. For now, I think it's best if we head to the nearest river so you can clean yourself up…"

Of course, Kakashi wouldn't let his display of power go unnoticed.

Both the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Rasengan were techniques he wasn't supposed to know.

Naruto was sure Kakashi would also give him a talk about not feeling bad for what he had done.

And truthfully, Naruto didn't feel bad about killing those two scumbags.

It was just that the sensation of taking a life and feeling it fade away firsthand… he didn't like it at all.

All the chat group members remained silent, knowing that the last thing Naruto wanted right now was words of comfort.

Even Madara understood this and refrained from making his usual derogatory remarks.

But, as expected…

[Kushina Uzumaki: Naruto… you… are you okay…?]

Kushina chose her words carefully. As a mother, she couldn't stay silent. She was worried about her son—how could she not be?

[Naruto Uzumaki: I am. Though I almost threw up at the sight of the blood, red doesn't suit me. I prefer orange.]

Naruto joked about it, trying to reassure his mother—or rather, trying to reassure himself.

[Minato Namikaze: You can talk to us if you want.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Why are you all acting like this? I already said I'm fine.]

[Madara Uchiha: You heard the brat. Leave him be.]

Naruto was surprised to see Madara speaking on his behalf.

Was the Ghost of the Uchiha, the Great Madara Uchiha, going soft?

[Naruto Uzumaki: To be honest… I'd feel better if you guys sent me some nice gifts…]

Once again, everyone in the chat group fell silent, much to Naruto's annoyance at being ignored.

He wouldn't give up. He'd keep pushing for the rest of the day.