Departure, Land of Waves

"Enough with the noise. Please come in," the Third Hokage called. Given his position, he was quite respectful toward this master bridge builder; after all, the man held considerable influence in the Land of Waves. Sasuke frowned at the old man entering with a bottle of liquor in hand.

"What? Why are they all just little brats? Especially that shortest idiot—are you really a ninja?" the old man slurred drunkenly.

"Haha, who's the shortest idiot talking about?" Naruto mocked without realizing it. Sasuke immediately stepped beside him, and Sakura did the same. Sasuke was already a little taller than he had been in the anime, so the difference was obvious once he stood next to Naruto.

"Huh? I... I'm going to kill you..." Naruto caught sight of the fact that he was the shortest from the corner of his eye and immediately started shouting about killing the old man. But Kakashi grabbed him from behind. "Do you want to kill the person we're supposed to protect, idiot?"

Tazuna introduced himself, and after everyone exchanged some pointless words, they prepared to depart. Sasuke returned home to gather the necessary supplies. This time, he brought two Sealing Scrolls. Sealing Scrolls were used to seal items or ninja corpses, making them convenient to carry back to one's village. Sasuke had always wanted to learn Sealing Techniques, but the library only had introductions to them. He had not seen any in the Scroll of Seals last time either, and the Uchiha Clan was not skilled in such things. So, he had bought the Sealing Scrolls from the Sealing Corps, and he had bought quite a few.

Ninjas specialized in different things, so they needed to exchange what they had for what they lacked. Exploding Tags, for example, required people with the right expertise to make them. Fortunately, there were plenty at home, and he would bring some along this time. Sealing Scrolls, meanwhile, were something all ninjas needed, as they made it easier to carry supplies. The Sealing Corps made the scrolls, and any ninja could buy them with money. After all, the Sealing Corps had very few missions, so this gave them a way to earn some income.

The reason Sasuke brought the scrolls was that he wanted to bring back the Kubikiribōchō. Burying such a fine weapon would be a waste. Bringing it back for himself or trading it for something valuable would both be good options.

The group gathered at the village gate. After Kakashi completed the procedures for leaving the village, the five of them set off for the Land of Waves. The weather was exceptionally clear, and it had been the same for the past few days. Sasuke began to wonder whether the ninja planning to ambush them had ever gone to school. How could they leave such an obvious flaw?

The group moved slowly, but the pace did not matter. The two countries bordered each other, and most of the journey lay within the Land of Fire. Nothing happened for several days, and they gradually approached the border. Then, a small puddle appeared on the road ahead. So they really did this? The weather had been clear for days—what was the point of a puddle appearing here?

After passing the puddle, Sasuke became alert. A whistling sound cut through the air behind them, followed by the rattle of chains. "First one." The Demon Brothers wore masks, their voices hoarse and low. Kakashi was bound by the chains, but this was only enough to scare children. The Demon Brothers pulled, and Kakashi was torn apart. Without even looking back to confirm the result, they immediately attacked Naruto, who was closest to them. Naruto and Sakura were frozen in terror. Sasuke had no choice but to leap into the air and fling a Shuriken, pinning the Demon Brothers' chain to a tree. A Kunai followed close behind, lodging itself in the hole at the center of the Shuriken.

Sasuke landed directly on their arms and kicked backward with both legs, striking the Demon Brothers in the face. His kick was far heavier than it had been in the anime. The Demon Brothers were sent flying, though the chain kept them from going far, and they slammed straight into the ground. Sasuke immediately struck one of them in the neck, knocking him unconscious. The other released the chain and charged toward Tazuna. Naruto could only stare blankly, and Sakura was terrified as well, but she still drew a Kunai and stood defensively in front of Tazuna. Sasuke went all out, moving after him yet arriving first. From behind, he drove a Cannon Fist into the man's body. With a dull thud, this one also passed out. Sasuke had not dealt a killing blow; they still needed information.

"Yo, Sasuke did very well. Sakura was good too." Naruto had not been hurt, so Kakashi said nothing to him. He simply walked past him, picked up the Demon Brothers, and tied them to a nearby tree.

"Huh? Sensei, you're not dead?" Sakura shouted after recovering from her panic. "Sakura, Kakashi-sensei is an Elite Jonin. How could small fry like them kill him?" Sasuke shook his head. Were Jonin really that easy to kill? Sasuke did not say anything to Naruto either, as if he had completely forgotten about him. At a time like this, silence was better than speaking. Naruto would think it through himself.

Kakashi tied them to the tree, then woke them. The Demon Brothers looked at Kakashi and asked, "How did you discover us?" Kakashi replied in a half-dead tone, "With the weather being so good these past few days, isn't a puddle on the ground rather strange?"

"Kakashi-sensei, why couldn't those two understand something so simple?" Sasuke asked.

"That has to do with the ninja systems in each village. Other villages do not have proper Ninja Academies, and their educational systems are incomplete. Their training mostly centers on killing, and they place greater emphasis on actual combat. Konoha is different. We receive all kinds of basic education starting at the academy, followed by practical application. That is very important. Then come missions. That is the purpose of D-Rank Missions. So their combat ability is decent, but they are completely lacking in everything else."

"Naruto, did you hear that? Don't complain about me taking so many D-Rank Missions after we get back. They really are useful," Sasuke said naturally.

"Aren't you going to say something? In that fight just now, I was completely useless. Aren't you going to say anything?" Naruto shouted.

"That's normal. You've always been in the village, so you've never encountered death. I watched my entire clan fall in pools of blood. Didn't Sakura freeze up at first too? Her final defense was mostly for show, but still, she bravely stood in front of the person she was protecting in the end. That's what you need to learn."

"I'll do it. I swear, I'll do it." This incident had struck Naruto hard. He had not been injured this time, but the wound in his heart was deep. It would not heal without going through a real battle, especially when Kakashi and Sasuke said nothing in the end. He realized that he truly was useless, as though no one had placed any hopes in him.

"Then fine, kill them." Sasuke took out a Kunai and handed it to Naruto. Naruto backed away in fear. Sasuke immediately put the Kunai away. "Just kidding. They're still useful. But Naruto, as a ninja, you need to be prepared to kill and be killed." Sasuke's face suddenly turned cold.