This mission was specially chosen by Naruto.
He had a purpose.
But for now, they needed to finish the mission first.
After the village chief explained the situation, Naruto made a solid plan.
"We'll use Shadow Clones combined with the Transformation Technique to disguise ourselves as children—the kind the kidnappers usually target."
"We'll use the clones as bait to lure the enemy out."
After hearing Naruto's plan, the village chief instantly felt relieved.
It seemed this blond kid wasn't ordinary after all.
But the village chief still had another question. He asked, "Master Ninja, what happens after the robbers come out?"
"Of course, I'll kill them all," Naruto replied matter-of-factly.
Traffickers deserve death wherever they are.
Naruto didn't see himself as someone who enjoyed punishment.
But when it came to human traffickers—there was no need to hold back.
The village chief felt even more relieved after hearing Naruto's words.
Now that the ninja masters from Konoha were here, those robbers were doomed.
…
The plan went smoothly.
Apparently, these robbers even worked overtime on weekends.
Naruto's Shadow Clone successfully drew several of them out.
Team 7 was hiding in the grass not far away.
Kakashi quietly observed through the bushes and said to Naruto, "Those are rogue Mist-nin. There's probably at least one Jōnin among them."
"Yeah," Naruto nodded and turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, you see them? Go kill them—but leave one alive."
Sasuke gritted his teeth as he looked at the robbers holding ninja swords, surrounding Naruto's clone with vicious grins.
He didn't need a reason to hate human traffickers.
He was about to rush out, but suddenly paused.
"Wait," Sasuke whispered. "Kakashi-sensei said there's probably a Jōnin among them. I can't handle that alone."
Naruto said calmly, "Don't worry. Kakashi's just making an estimate."
Sasuke frowned, still unsure. "I'm going to fight—what about you?"
Haruno Sakura raised her hand. "We'll cover you!"
Sasuke measured the distance between their hiding spot and the target, a bit worried. "If you're going to cover me, can you at least get closer?"
Sakura patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Sasuke. If you can't beat them, I'll throw all these ninja tools at once!"
As she spoke, she pulled out a storage scroll.
It was full of weapons she'd prepared for this mission.
"What?" Sasuke's scalp went numb. "Wouldn't that kill me too?!"
Naruto shook his head slightly. "What are you talking about? You'll just be seriously injured. You won't die that easily."
"Are you scared now? Even with our cover, you don't dare to act?"
Sasuke couldn't stand the provocation. Being looked down upon by Naruto made his blood boil.
His face turned red. "I'm not afraid!"
Naruto grinned. "Then prove it, you coward."
"You rush out when I count to three. Otherwise, don't tell anyone I ever taught you anything."
Sasuke's pride couldn't take it anymore.
He gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and burst out of the grass, charging straight at the ninjas kidnapping the children.
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Huh? He actually went?!"
Sasuke shouted back, "Don't stop me!"
Seeing these two clowns, Kakashi rubbed his temples helplessly. "Are you seriously letting him go alone?"
In Kakashi's view, a team should always advance and retreat together.
He had already come to agree with his father's philosophy:
Sometimes, giving up a mission to save your comrades is the right thing to do.
A ninja who fails a mission might not be a good ninja.
But a ninja who abandons his comrades isn't even qualified to be one.
Naruto understood what Kakashi was thinking.
But he said, "Don't worry. He's someone I've personally trained."
Ever since the team was formed, Sasuke had been challenging Naruto twice a week.
Though, in practice, he challenged him even more.
Every time, Naruto beat him mercilessly.
And every time after, Sasuke came back stronger.
It could be said—Sasuke was someone who grew through defeat and humiliation.
Before engaging the three rogue ninjas, Sasuke activated his Sharingan.
He formed hand seals and created two Shadow Clones.
Including himself, there were three of them—perfect for a one-on-one fight.
The rogue Mist-nin noticed Sasuke's presence, but didn't take him seriously at first.
Then they saw his Konoha forehead protector—and their faces changed instantly.
Damn it!
A kid from Konoha?!
Bad luck!!
They all knew that Konoha's Genin teams usually consisted of one Jōnin and three Genin.
If this brat was here… that meant a Jōnin was nearby.
Maybe even an Elite Jōnin!
If that wasn't bad luck, what was?
Sasuke charged forward with a kunai in hand.
His movements were sharp and precise. The rogue ninjas were strong, but sloppy—there were plenty of openings.
Sasuke's clones engaged two of them while his real body targeted one.
The Mist rogue swung his sword and sneered, "You've got those red eyes, kid, but aren't you being a bit arrogant fighting all three of us alone?"
He thought he only needed to hold out until his comrades finished off the clones.
But Sasuke didn't bother talking. He vanished in a blur with the Body Flicker Technique and appeared behind the enemy, driving a kunai straight through his skull.
"How… can a brat… know the Body Flicker…?"
Those were the last words the man ever spoke.
The Body Flicker was a high-level technique—one of the most vital for improving a ninja's strength.
It could be said:
A great ninja could live without mastering it.
But a ninja who had mastered it was bound to be great.
Sasuke swiftly killed one.
The other two destroyed his Shadow Clones.
Realizing Sasuke was dangerous, they no longer underestimated him.
They carefully closed in, surrounding him.
Sasuke stayed calm and quickly retreated. Seeing this, they gave chase.
As he moved, Sasuke formed hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Seeing him unleash ninjutsu, the rogues instinctively dodged.
But the next second, they noticed—no fireball came from Sasuke's mouth.
Instead, they felt intense heat behind them.
"Oh no!"
Boom!!
It was a trap. Sasuke's clone had been hiding behind them, casting the jutsu.
He'd distracted them by performing seals up front, making them lower their guard.
The Great Fireball hit perfectly.
Dirty trick? Maybe.
But this was the way of the ninja.
It was also something Sasuke learned from Naruto.
So really—it was Naruto who was despicable. Sasuke was just infected by him.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
One of the rogues screamed as the flames engulfed him.
His partner quickly used Water Style to douse the fire.
Zzzz~
White steam rose as the flames died out—but the man's body was charred beyond saving.
Seeing this, the last remaining rogue ninja turned and ran.
Sasuke's chakra was nearly drained. He felt weak and frustrated.
If it were Naruto, he thought bitterly, he wouldn't have let him escape!
And just as that thought crossed his mind—
A flash of golden light streaked past him.
That speed—unbelievable.
Even with the Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't fully see the figure.
Boom!
Naruto's fist slammed into the fleeing rogue's chest.
"Ugh!"
The man's face twisted in pain as he spat blood and collapsed lifelessly.
Sasuke stared at Naruto in shock. "How the hell are your Body Flicker and attacks so fast?!"
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