Karin stared at Sato. The man was standing by the doorframe, hands folded across his chest. It was a small round house that housed the clan elders. The eternal people who simply refused to die. It looked small from the outside, but inside, it was another space entirely.
"I'll be waiting for you."
"You're not coming with me?"
"No."
"Why not?"
She was suddenly summoned. Nobody really liked coming here to meet the elders, except for Naruto. They gave up on trying to force her to master Fuinjutsu. They detest anything scientific. They detested her attitude. Karin was without doubt if she wasn't Uzumaki, they'd have expelled her already. The family matriarch had even said straight to her face that saving her had been a waste of time. The only thing that pacified her contempt toward her was the fact that she could help with restoring the clan .
Sato had no reason to go in. Besides, they wanted to talk to Karin alone. He'd rather not have his blood boiled so early in the morning. He was still reeling from the fact that Naruto wasn't a part of his household anymore. He didn't need these people trying to force another child into his house or talk about marrying again.
"Just go in."
"You're cruel."
Karin stepped into the room through the door. The beauty of space/time ninjutsu. If only it could be understood through a machine or scientific experimentation. Inside the hut, it was a large hall, just devoid of any life. The concrete walls were not coloured. The ceiling was also concrete. On a small podium, three white-haired people sat. Their hair was white because they'd lived for far too long. They may as well have been alive since the founding of the shinobi nations.
Karin fell to both her knees and glanced up.
The matriarch sat in the middle. She was a wrinkled old man with an intense stare. Nothing pleasant ever came out of her mouth. She was usually spitting out venom. The other two were her pacifiers. Without them, she may have already ordered the clan to begin plans for the destruction of all Great Nations. She was that extremist. Karin liked to call her a terrorist.
"You called me."
"You still lack discipline." The matriarch said in a cold tone. "Naruto has requested you join him in Konoha. But with your attitude, I'm wondering if I should even let you go."
To leave this village, away from these people and be with Naruto? Karin would jump. She didn't even hide her excitement.
"I'll study seals if it means I can go."
"You hate the village that much?" The elder on the right asked.
"I just hate her."
"We have decided to allow you to go to Konoha. You'll be running a shop there. You can also use it to do your little experiments while gathering Intel. Remember, those people are not our friends. They folded their arms while we were being slaughtered."
The old tale of Konoha's betrayal incensed the clan elders, who wondered why the Leaf did nothing. Not even trying to find survivors and bring them to Konoha while still proudly wearing the Uzumaki symbol. Karin didn't care much about the politics. But, she didn't need a reminder that people are self-serving. She'd experienced the horrors first-hand before the clan rescued her.
"Nobody must know about your abilities. Nobody. You're not to take any shinobi duties that may expose them."
Karin didn't have to worry about Naruto. He had freakish regenerative abilities. He was the sort to shrug off a stab through the chest, so long as he had chakra.
"I understand."
Karin stepped out of the hut with a giddy smile on her face. She leapt into the air in celebration. If Sato hadn't been behind her, she might have released her chakra chains in celebration. At last, she could experience something new. There were still fears that she might be trapped in the tragedy that had befallen both her and her mother. But her saving grace was that she wasn't alone this time. She wasn't powerless anymore.
"I suppose you have something to say."
"It won't be long before the other notice our existence. Both you and Naruto will be looked at."
"Great!"
"You must be careful. Especially if your ability is discovered."
How she cursed her blood. Did she have to live in fear, because of her special chakra? Was it for everyone with something special?
"Go get your things. I'll accompany you to the outskirts of Konoha."
Karin turned around to face Sato. It would be dangerous to let her go alone. She would probably even get lost in the Land of Fire and stumble into dangerous areas. With her sensory abilities, she could always avoid powerful people, but that wasn't always a given.
Sato wasn't the only person who could accompany her. "You just want to see how Naruto was doing, don't you?" She asked with a knowing smile.
"I want to see if he isn't getting too excited while fooling around and forgetting his duties." Sato said in a dead serious tone. A tiny smile graced his lips. "I do want to see how well he is doing."
Karin rolled her eyes. She was still dumbfounded about how Sato didn't get along with the elders, even though they had a hateful attitude. It was fair to say that Sato would be the first to drop bombs on all those villages that had doomed their village. The loss of his wife only turned a bitter man into a hateful demon.
"He is Naruto... I'm sure he is getting well just fine."
"You'd think." Sato wouldn't be surprised if Naruto made more friends with Danzo's ROOT shinobi than genin his age. "You'll do well not to be attached."
"I'm not cold hearted like you."
Tanzaku
The client was a giant. His belly was so large, he may as well have been carrying a handful of children inside. He was clothed in what was obviously expensive clothes. The gold and silver pieces of jewellery on his body were enough to reveal he was a wealthy man. No wonder he could afford the services of a famous man such as Kakashi.
Civilians could afford to be that fat. It was fatal for a shinobi. Naruto couldn't even imagine the man jogging, let alone walking for more than a minute. His steps were surely laboured. Shinobi and civilians truly lived in different worlds. But they often collided. And when they did, civilians usually held more power because they had money. Naruto thought it a travesty, but it was the order of things. After all, they were all just glorified mercenaries.
"You're finally here." The man said with impatience, barely hiding his contempt. "I have been waiting ages for you!"
"We arrived as soon as we could." Kakashi replied diplomatically.
"Not fast enough." The client said coldly.
"It is rather unusual for a client not to reveal the full details of the mission." Kakashi said, not wanting to get into an argument with the client.
"I wanted my privacy. It shouldn't matter if I paid. And if you want more, I'll pay more." The man said this, and one of the men with him took out a cold bar. "This is worth more than an S-rank mission. Succeed, and I'll give you a bonus."
Maybe it was the order of things. Perhaps to avoid tyranny. There were various sources of money. Shinobi villages should not have to suffer when they had the power. Living gold mines to civilians was just a waste. If he was Konoha, Naruto would confiscate all mines within the Fire Nation and use the funds to support Leaf activities. It didn't even have to be in the open. Anbu could always run covert operations.
"Can you give us the details?" Kakashi asked.
"A month ago, my eldest son was kidnapped at one of our casinos. A ransom for his release was demanded. We paid the money and he was released." The client's eyes turned dark and his voice colder. "But the bastards captured my daughter and demanded more money. They are not just your normal bandits. There are shinobi. You're to rescue my daughter, unharmed. Bring back the leader, alive, and the money I have already paid them."
"When did they take her?"
"Is that important? You're already wasting time asking me that." He threw a scroll toward Kakashi. "I want her returned tomorrow!"
"We will try our best to complete the mission."
Kakashi did not give any promises about getting it done tomorrow or that he'd return the daughter alive. Nothing good ever came out of it. They didn't even know if she was alive. And one mistake, she could end up getting killed, or one of them killed. It was a dangerous world. They'd need to act with caution, not to the whims of the client.
"Come on, let's go." Kakashi said to his students.
Naruto stared at the client for a moment and then smiled. He bowed a bit and turned away. How could someone be so disrespectful to his saviours? It was a mission they had to do well. Success went with the reputation of the Leaf. Missions were heavily relied on by shinobi villages. Bad reputation meant there would be less mission requests and the village would suffer. But such people were distasteful.
As soon as they were outside, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "I expected you to tell him something nice."
"I'm thinking about the mission to care for what he says."
Naruto laughed. "I suppose, whatever he says doesn't matter when you can snap his neck anytime you want."
"Saying such things for you is easy, isn't it?" Sasuke asked.
"Is there something wrong?"
"You're talking about killing a client."
"Has being with Danzo for a week damaged your head?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kakashi sighed deeply and then spoke before the two could argue. "Well, you all did well in not saying anything. You must remember never to get emotional when dealing with clients, regardless of their attitude. We must simply do our job and be on our way back home."
"That scroll contains location?"
"Should." Kakashi replied. "We don't have time to rest. We'll have to do a bit of reconnaissance to see what awaits us and figure out how to proceed."
"Arg," Naruto said with disgust. "That is just boring."
"You want to charge in and endanger the client?" Sai asked with surprise. "It's standard for us to do recon. Did they not teach you any of this in Uzushiogakure?"
"It seems he was only taught to destroy things." Sasuke added with scorn.
Surely, these two knew Naruto was smarter than them, right? They had to know. Kakashi was certain of it. Naruto clearly knew the dangers. He wasn't that stupid. The blond was clearly trained in strategy and once complained that he just liked doing things without strategy for the fun of it.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fools," he said. "And don't be so smug, Sasuke. I'd avoid recon just because I want to rebel against my training," he said. "But, do you really think they'll just kill the hostage?"
"What makes you think they won't?" Sai asked.
"I didn't say they won't." Naruto replied with a smile. "They'd kill her, eventually. But not at first. They'd try to fight and then when they see a loss, kill her."
"The mission would have been failed and you'd ruin Konoha's reputation." Sai replied.
Naruto glanced at Kakashi for a moment and then sighed. "He clearly said they captured the first child and then released him once payment was made. They are both smart and greedy. If I were to attack head-on, I'd obviously try to... Ah..." Naruto groaned. "Never mind..." he said.
Kakashi led his students to the outskirts of the town. He was mindful that the bandits could have someone in the town watching. At any rate, they had to move swiftly if they were to succeed in their mission.
Sai had particular skills that could be used for scouting the area. He could have Naruto use his mask or create clones. He did want to see just what the Uzumaki was capable of doing in such situations. However, the situation was dangerous—for their client's daughter at least. He couldn't afford any mistakes that would result in the victim's death.
"Sai, you'll create a something to fly over the area and scout from the air." The Jonin said.
Aerial power was undervalued. No, it was just that shinobi did not possess such a power and thus, had no defences against it. It could always be used devastatingly against the enemy.
"Hai." Sai was ready for action. "I'll also create some mice to scout."
Kakashi nodded. "Good," he said. "I'll also be scouting. Once you're done, return here. I'll track down the bandit camp and find the girl's location."
"So, me and him are just going to be sitting ducks?" Naruto asked.
"Do you have your mask? The one you use to hide your chakra." Kakashi asked, ignoring what Naruto had said.
"I can tell you I don't have it just because you're ignoring me."
Kakashi sighed deeply. "Yes... you'll just be sitting."
Naruto held out his right hand and the mask appeared in a puff of smoke. He handed it to the Jonin. "You require a set of special seals to use it."
"Nothing more?"
"As long as you do the hand signs, while wearing the mask, it will activate. It's nothing special. If you know the hand signs, you'll use it."
Kakashi nodded. "Okay. Show me."
"I'm just kidding," Naruto said with a smile. "You don't need any hand signs. It will activate as soon as you put it on."
Kakashi rolled his visible eye and then put on the mask. As soon as he did, he quickly removed it from his face, and looked laboured. The moment the mask rested on his face, he felt his chakra being sucked, and then as if his whole body was being sucked into a black hole. Nothing was happening, it was just creepy.
"You could have warned me."
Naruto shrugged. "You didn't ask for anything else."
"What does that even work?"
"I'm not telling you anything." Naruto said with a smile and then walked over to a tree. He sat in a meditative posture and closed his eyes while everyone just watched.
With everyone gone, Sasuke folded his arms across his chest and turned to Naruto. Frustration built up in him very quickly. He could never stop hating the fact that the Uzumaki was better than him. He had the tools to be better. With Danzo around, Sasuke thought he would eventually surpass the blond and get closer to vengeance.
He walked over to a tree and leaned against it. "What don't you know?" The Uchiha asked in a cold tone.
"That's coming out of nowhere."
"For someone who wasn't raised in Konoha, you seem to know a lot." Sasuke said. He'd never bothered with other details about the Leaf or the shinobi world. He was only interested in vengeance and training methods.
"Knowledge is important." Naruto replied. "Of course, it you're ignorant, you're just a fool... like you."
Sasuke's annoyance grew, but he held himself. "What have you heard about Itachi?" He asked with gritted teeth.
Naruto's eyes snapped open and he stared at Sasuke. This, coming from a person who almost always exploded whenever Itachi's name was mentioned. "Nothing about his movements. Though, I do wish I'd see him and ask a few questions."
What possessed a man to slaughter young children? Shinobi were immoral creatures. But killing infants and grandparents who just wanted to live out their remaining days was despicable no matter the reason. It was the sort of thing he'd expect from a cold-hearted person like Orochimaru. Itachi had to be insane. It wasn't necessarily killing. Naruto had no problem with it. It was butchering your own blood. The Uchiha were family, and Itachi murdered his own family members. It was levels of depravity no man should reach.
Sai returned about an hour after his spy mission. Naruto could only imagine Sai dropping some heavy explosive tags down on a village. There would be no stopping such attacks. The Uzumaki could create some nasty tags. He could write tags with the Kyubi's chakra and always resulted in chaos and destruction. Tactics against all Great Nations were always explored in Uzushio. After all, their survival depended on it. Their own village had been decimated because of their own failure.
No more.
Kakashi returned two hours later after Sai. The Jonin didn't look pleased with what he saw. If anything, he seemed like he'd seen a ghost. Then again, nothing ever went according to plan. They were dealing with scavengers here. Bandits were the kind of scum who abducted little girls and sold them to perverts. If scorching the entire Fire Nation meant ridding of such low-lifes, Naruto would happily supply the fuel and even ignite the flames.
"We have a problem," Kakashi said in a low tone. He threw the mask back at Naruto, who gracefully caught it. "I infiltrated the camp. But, there was hardly anything there. There were some remaining but the girl was dead." Kakashi didn't need to say he found her head severed and spiked on a pole. Such graphic details could be omitted for the children.
"There are three groups. The Majority remain at the camp. A smaller group of about five is heading toward the River country. The other is heading toward Taki. They are not far."
"The leader is in the group," Kakashi said after Sai. "It seems they found out we were coming and then decided to split."
Bandits. Scums, but they were not idiots. They were not going to stay and fight shinobi. Some would do it. After all, even some Shinobi died in battles with shinobi. Numbers could always wear anyone down.
"Ah," Naruto said, shaking his head. "Then we ought to have come into Town in silence. What next?" He asked the Jonin.
"I've sent a clone to speak to the client about this. The most important thing was a rescue mission. This changes the mission parameters and increases the danger," he said, shaking his head.
"Well, this sucks." Sasuke said with contempt. "We could end up going home without a fight. Can't we just go after them?"
"You do realize the client will probably blame us and say we failed the mission. This will be bad for Konoha." Sai said sternly.
"But we didn't fail."
"Doesn't matter. The mission is a failure. We didn't technically fail, but we're not able to achieve the objective. The mission will have to change." Sai said. "All that matters is what the client has to say about this."
Naruto stared at Sai. "Logically, that makes the man a threat to the Leaf if he intends to do that, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
Kakashi knew where Naruto was going with this. "Do you think we should kill him?" He asked with a stare.
The blond laughed. "You ask funny questions, sensei." He said, shaking his head slightly. "I'm merely pointing out how someone like Danzo's boss would look at the situation. That is why I didn't ask you but him."
Sai was certain that he would order his agents to neutralize the man if he threatened the Leaf. There was no way around it.
Tanzaku
Takada was pacing around, with sweat around his forehead. There were broken things, and someone was trying to pick up the pieces. Given the dark cloud looming over him, Kakashi was surprised there were no slight tremors on the ground. A giant was dancing. Perhaps there were no vibrations because he did so with baited breath.
His presence brought the man to a halt. His eyes were devoid of emotion. But his body language said otherwise. It looked as if the man wanted to lunge at him, while barraging him with one too many questions.
How did he even go about telling the man his daughter was dead? There was no simple way to say it. Even if he found a way to land the blow, the fact was that his daughter was murdered, and as the messenger, he'd likely take some heat. Inwardly, the clone heaved a heavy sigh.
"Why have you returned alone?" the client demanded impatiently.
"We were still scouting the area and need to relay something to you," the clone said. "But it seems you have received a message."
The client froze as soon as he digested the Jonin's words. After a second, he fell down, a dreadful realization hitting him like thunder. He hit the floor with his butt, his mouth gaping. He mumbled something, but nobody understood.
"We received a word from the bandits saying they'd killed her." One of the men in the room said in a cold tone. "Is it true?"
"Yes. I scouted the camp and saw her."
"Why did you return then?"
"How did this even happen?"
"They'd warned us about this. We didn't think they'd go through with it. They said as soon as they saw Konoha shinobi, they took action."
"This changes things. The mission request was a rescue mission." the clone said.
"Hunt them down and bring back the leader. We will consider it mission success."
"Success!" The client found his voice and screamed as he stood up. "My daughter has been killed by those scums! And you call it mission success?" The anger was palpable. He was spitting saliva as he spoke. With the way the other man tried to avoid it, you'd think he was vomiting venom.
"They have failed me!"
The man ignored Takada and faced Kakashi. "Bring us the man alive. Not dead. If the leader is dead, don't bother coming back to us. We will spread the word of Konoha's incompetence. This is something a man as famous as you should be able to do."
"It will be done."
Back with the Team
New mission parameters, but the enemy wasn't that strong. Still, Kakashi didn't want to make decisions that would put his students in grave danger. If he left them to their devices, and something happened, he'd never be able to forgive himself. They were strong, but this was the shinobi world—anything could happen. It took one mistake, a simple blink of an eye, and a life was lost. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if Sasuke or Naruto was killed.
"Fear is a powerful emotion, isn't it?" Naruto asked, dragging Kakashi out of his thoughts.
The Jonin blinked and then stared. Naruto's perceptiveness sometimes bothered him. He was still able to act perfectly oblivious to everything around him when it suited him. Then again, he was still just a child. Still, Kakashi imagined that once experience built up, Naruto would be a very scary person to deal with once he was serious. Has the blond ever been serious about anything? He seemed to do everything half-heartedly.
"It saves lives."
"And sometimes screws up opportunities."
"You can always get another opportunity. But you only live once," Kakashi sternly pointed out.
Naruto shrugged. Perhaps he was indifferent because some extreme measures were required to end his life. "What is it then?"
"We have to bring leader alive. I suppose the money as well." Kakashi said in a serious tone. "But they want others dead."
It would have been simpler if they simply had to bring the leader. But there was an order to kill. It was a part of life. Sai has obviously killed before. Kakashi didn't know about Naruto but there appeared to be some hidden sadistic side about him. The kids were all grown that he didn't have to worry about their mental health for such a mission. Still, he'd rather be the one doing the killing.
"We can go in separate directions if that is the case. The largest group is the one that remains at camp." Sai said. "It's likely that only important people removed themselves from the camp and left the others to be killed."
"You can always find new tools," Naruto said with a cold smile. "The world is truly a cold place. Power determines everything. Weak, and you will be trampled."
The Uzumaki learned of this in the cruellest way. Relying on allies? What good was a friend? Konoha abandoned Uzushiogakure for its own safety. The elders would never forgive the treachery. If the Leaf had bothered to look for survivors, maybe things would have been different. But they looked the other way. Only because the Uzushiogakure had no power. But the Uzumaki would rise from the ashes, and no one would trample upon their lives.
"You sure seem to be taking it personal." Sasuke remarked.
Naruto laughed. "Sure," he said. "But you of all people should know what it's like to be powerless."
Sasuke glared murderously. "Are you hinting at something?"
"Must you two always bicker? We have a mission." Sai questioned coldly.
Kakashi wanted to agree with Sai, but Naruto spoke first. "Do I look worked up to you? I'm capable of carrying out a conversation without getting distracted. It might not look like it, but I sympathize with Sasuke. Tell me, Sai, have you lost someone you loved?"
"Is he even capable of that?" Sasuke asked.
Sai's eyes flickered for a moment but he denied it. Naruto gave the teen a smile but didn't press. "What are we to do then..? No, why are you hesitating?"
"The client wants everyone else dead. But there are three locations. I don't want the separated."
"It's a crucial time." Naruto said.
"I agree with him." Sasuke was quick to jump in. "If we're going to grow, we need to face such situations ourselves. We won't grow if you always have to hold our hands."
"You could end up dead."
"I'm not getting killed by a bunch of bandits." Sasuke replied with arrogance.
"That is the attitude that gets people killed."
"The leader is obviously the strongest." Sai said, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "You can always handle that. And we will handle the rest. I alone would be enough to raid the camp. But Sasuke is strong and Naruto even stronger."
"The more we stay like this, the more distance they make. And we could end up losing their trail."
Kakashi sighed. "Fine," he said. "The two of you can go after the others. Naruto, you'll send a clone with them. If anything happens, you can use the Kyubi's chakra, right?"
"Yeah, sure."
"I don't want to be babysat!" Sasuke replied forcefully.
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice." Kakashi replied sharply. "Will you be okay alone?" The Jonin asked Naruto with concern.
"You should be worried about the bandits," Naruto said with a laugh. When they all looked at him, he shrugged with nonchalance and then created a clone. "Well, I'll be off."
"Do you even know their location?"
Naruto smiled. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I know my around a forest. Do we return to this place once we're done?"
"Yes. But if there is danger on their side, shoot a flare into the air." Kakashi said. "You have that, right?"
"Yes." Sai replied.
Minutes Later
Sai's large bird flew high above the ground, its eyes scanning for their targets. Sasuke was sitting comfortably, his hands folded across his chest. Naruto's clone was running through the ground, following after the bird. Enviously, it was keeping up the speed. The disgusting levels of stamina Naruto had just stirred all nature of negative emotions within Sasuke. He tried to ignore it, but until he was better than the blond, the pill would always be bitter to swallow.
The reason Naruto's clone was on the ground was simple—Sasuke didn't want any interference from him. He was already taking issue with the fact that Naruto was getting the bigger party. He conceded the blond was stronger and he wisely had to fight what he could. Even if all that debate occurred in his head, his pride still felt beaten.
"Found them," Sai announced.
Sasuke stood up and glanced down. There were five of them, each carrying a bag. Valuables, possibly. He didn't care for any of it. They were simply enemies he had to defeat. If the valuables were destroyed along with them, then so be it.
They were walking casually, partially hidden by the dense forest of the Fire Nation. He could take them on without Sai. "I don't need your help."
Sai glanced at the Uchiha but did not disagree. He wanted to see how the Uchiha was handling himself before making a report. He had the feeling Sasuke wanted to get this done quickly and then have them rush back to fight another battle.
"You want fight where Naruto is?"
"Yes."
"It makes sense for us to handle this together."
Sasuke glanced at Sai with narrowed eyes. "So, you want to see how he fights," he said.
"Yes." Sai didn't deny it.
"I have no interest." Sasuke said. And while it was a good idea, he felt more compelled to go against it because it was what Sai wanted to do.
"Then do it quickly." Sai said in a cold tone. "They are just bandits, after all." He added, just to press the Uchiha. The response was a low growl. An angry dog growling at him with menace. But Sai just smiled with his eyes shut.
The bird's nose suddenly pointed down in a quick dive. It was a silent whistling sound as they flew. The wind pressed against them, but they held on to the bird. By the time the bandits noticed them, it was too little, too late.
Sasuke leapt from the bird as it whistled above the bandits. His body moved like a blur before both his legs crashed into the bandit who was walking in the middle. He literally stomped on the man's shoulder. The man cried, as his feet became buried into the ground, knees forced to the bed. Sasuke quickened by hitting the man across the back of his head. By the second his knees touched the ground, he was out cold.
Two leapt away, while two attacked the Uchiha. The first crouched down, sweeping his right foot across the ground. The other drove a short sword toward the Uchiha's shoulder.
Like a seasoned Shinobi, Sasuke disappeared from the range. He was so quick, the bandits didn't even blink before he appeared behind one of them. The Uchiha wrapped his arms around the one who'd tried to stab him with his sword while glaring down at the other. The Sharingan spun, and the bandit let out a shriek before his eyes rolled upside down and he hit the ground in a thud.
Sasuke proceeded to strangle the man he was holding with his arms locking around his throat and head.
From a tree branch, Sai frowned deeply. Sasuke moved quickly, and did not waste movements. He took down three like an experienced shinobi. They were bandits, but still shinobi. His skill was worth appreciating.
However, he did not kill anyone. It was deeply concerning that Sasuke just wanted to defeat them. He supposed he would have to clean up the mess. And he would have to report this to Danzo.
Main Camp
'It's been a while since I saw human blood.' Kurama said to Naruto in a gleeful tone. He sometimes said this, just to mess with the blond. It never worked, at least for now. Nothing would be more useful to him than a mad host. He could easily find a way to escape this wretched seal and the damn Uzumaki.
'Don't be like that.'
'Why not?' Kurama asked. 'It's not like you're not planning to use them for experiments.'
'You're making me look evil.'
Naruto sat on a tree branch, swinging his legs as he watched the camp. It was surrounded by trees, with six tents, and another in the middle, a little bigger than the rest. He counted seventeen bandits. None of them above Genin. It was a little disappointing that there wasn't even a Chunin. Some appeared to be just bad civilians. Regardless, he had mission orders, and he would complete them with a certain degree of care.
'Still, humans are truly evil creatures. We call you demons, but we're worse than that. After you, all you Bijū are mere victims of our greed,' Naruto said with a slight shake of his head.
'You'd release me if you thought of me as a victim.' Kurama had no shame in saying it. But he knew, Naruto truly thought so. They didn't get along, but the blond considered him a partner.
'Wouldn't you like that?' Naruto said with a laugh.
He proceeded to drop a smoke bomb below him. It was nothing to mirror, just to get the bandit's attention. Within seconds, five of them stepped into the clearing. The others remained hidden in the tents. For a second, Naruto considered turning all the tents into burning infernos. But he wanted to see how his seals worked.
"Come out!" As one of the men shouted, six more bandits stepped out from the tents.
Naruto didn't waste any time before he jumped from the tree. He landed a fair distance away from the bandits and then offered them a beaming smile.
"A Genin, huh?"
"The boss was right then. They sent Genin to face us."
Naruto tilted his head to the side. The 'boss' must have told them this much to convince them to stay behind. It was a cruel thing. But then again, these people were disposable tools to be sacrificed for the boss's sake. He had no mercy for them. They chose this life. As Nagato would say, "If you murder others, prepare to be murdered as well."
"He is still a Konoha shinobi." One of the bandits said cautiously.
"I don't like giving false hopes. My sensei has gone after your boss. But you were not left behind because you're facing a Genin. You were left behind because you're tools to be disposed." His voice became cold as ice and his expression deadly. "None of you will live. You will die, in different ways."
"Chilling words from a brat." One of the bandits said dismissively. "We'll capture you alive and sell you off in the black market as a slave. Shinobi do fetch a good price because they work hard under the right conditions."
Naruto could have opted to release his killing intent to scare them off. But he decided against it. He needed something much more practical to show them the severity of the situation.
Small gusts of wind picked up around him, and he vanished into thin air, leaving behind dust.
"Where the hell did he go?!"
Naruto flashed in front of one of the bandits. The man saw his expression and froze, but none of the others had even noticed him. They didn't notice his presence until their friend screamed as he was struck by six kunai. Two hit both his knees, two around his belly, and two on his shoulders. They were imbedded deep into his body. In the blink of an eye, he was thrown into the air, above his comrades.
Before they could attack him, Naruto jumped backwards, creating some distance. While he was still airborne, the man he'd hurled into the air exploded. Six different explosions. There were no flames, just the sound of something detonating.
The explosions ripped the bandit apart in ungodly fashion. The bandits were showered by the blood of their friend, followed by small pieces of body parts. One of the men let out a frightened scream when intestines fell on his head.
His scream was silenced when one of the bandits severed his head from his shoulders. "Coward." The huge man spat coldly as he wiped the blood from his sword.
Naruto landed gracefully and sat down. A wind-based explosive tag was effective. It was just a pity it required so many tags. He needed to develop something much stronger. Well, at least he knew it worked. He could have them sold. Shinobi would rush to his shop to purchase them. He imagined even smaller nations making orders. He was going to be a very wealthy person soon. The very thought was enough to bring a huge grin on his lips.
"Do any of you believe in a deity? If you do, I'll give you a moment to say your prayers."
He heard scornful sounds. "We were just going to capture you. But we'll just kill you. And, we will tear off your limbs one by one." Like hyenas, they started giggling. It was honestly a little unnerving.
"While saying your prayers, you must ask your deity which way you want to be killed."
"Get him!"
Three bandits lunged at him. They were so slow, Naruto heaved a heavy sigh and waited for them to get closer. They were weak. So weak this felt like he was bullying the weak. They were trash, of course, so, he would not let them go.
"Stop there." Naruto said calmly. Chakra chains protruded from the ground, and swiftly grabbed the three. The chains wrapped around the bandits tightly, holding them to place. "Move back a little. I don't want your blood on me." As he spoke, the chains moved them a fair distance, and Naruto held out his right hand and then made a fist.
The chains tightened in the blink of an eye. It wasn't a slow tightening. The sound of bones snapping, pained cries, and blood vessels exploding caused the entire camp to be brought to a halt. When the bodies hit the ground in a thud, the sound was very loud. None of the bandits moved as it became clear that Naruto was not a normal Genin and they were likely to be killed.
"We have money with us. We can give it to you if you let us live!" One of the bandits blurted out while dropping to his knees.
Another stated just how much they had.
Naruto had heard that there were shinobi who could accept such an offer. Just because a person wore a headband didn't make them a bad person. Some became shinobi because they had permission to murder and steal while being protected by the village.
He slowly stood up. "It seems none of you have a god." He said. "Well, then..."
A few minutes later
The tents were painted red with blood, dismembered and crushed bodies lay scattered around the camp. It was a gruesome scene that they expected from a bloodthirsty murderer. But there hadn't been a thirst for blood when Naruto attacked. He had simply used some kind of Fuinjutsu to make the bodies explode, while crushing some with his chakra chains. He hadn't been laughing but did it with cold indifference. He'd lingered for a minute and left the scene as it was.
"That was ruthless."
Behind her mask, Yugao found herself agreeing. Her team had been sent by the Sandaime Hokage to observe Naruto. None of them expected this kind of scene. Some would throw up their lunch, but they'd seen worse. They'd seen people younger than Naruto doing worse.
"In times of war yes, but seeing someone at that age comfortable with killing like this is kind of chilling." One of the Anbu said.
"Kind of kid who'd fit in just fine in Anbu."
"Yeah." They all agreed on that point.
For Yugao, the frightening thing was not that Naruto was comfortable with killing, it was the level of chakra he possessed. She'd trembled when he stopped suppressing it as he butchered the bandits. No one person should have that amount of chakra. No one in the village had anything close to the levels of chakra Naruto possessed. It shook her to the core. He may as well be a Tailed Beast.
There was just no way he possessed that level of chakra and didn't know freakish Jutsu. He must have a fine level of control over it if he could suppress it that well. He was the kind of person who could throw around Jutsu just for the fun of it.
"You're awfully quiet, captain."
"You're looking at what he did." Yugao smoke in a quiet tone. "But he wasn't even trying. But that is not the scary part. We were told he has more chakra than anyone in the village. But, that does injustice. He has chakra to compete with a Bijuu."
"Well, he does have the Kyubi, inside of him."
"He doesn't even need it!" Yugao said sharply. "Let's just clean up and report back."