The Decisive Blow

Kill a rogue ninja from the Mist Village?

Sasuke looked up at Naruto, frowning almost instinctively.

With just the three of them, could they really kill an Elite Jonin who was as strong as Kakashi?

Not to mention the masked boy of unknown strength beside Zabuza, how could that possibly be achieved?

It was sheer madness.

Sakura stared at Naruto in disbelief, feeling like her ears had malfunctioned.

"Naruto, the three of us are still Genin! Killing a Jonin... that's impossible, right?"

"I can." Naruto raised his hand, blazing Lava Style chakra surging into his palm. "If I get an opening, I can kill them."

"What is this?" Sakura was instantly stunned.

"I don't know how I can do it either," Naruto said, feigning innocence and scratching his head. "I just used it once in a moment of desperation."

Sasuke was speechless, his gaze drifting away, as if realizing the gap had widened since they left the Ninja Academy.

That guy had mentioned before that the other teams were mostly from ninja clans, likely possessing inherited Ninjutsu like the former Uchiha Clan.

But the Uchiha Clan no longer existed... Sasuke's eyes dimmed for a moment, a sense of powerlessness washing over him before quickly vanishing.

"What should we do?" Sasuke looked up, his eyes hardening with resolve.

Either get stronger in battle or die in battle. If he continued like this, he would never have the chance to kill that man.

"Strike while the iron is hot!" Naruto said decisively. "Teacher Kakashi is already seriously injured, not to mention Zabuza, who was at a disadvantage then."

"That masked boy's arm is half-crippled. Now is the best opportunity!"

"Naruto!" Sakura listened, dumbfounded. She finally understood; these two really intended to go and kill those two Jonin.

"But we don't even know their location."

"I do!" Naruto suddenly smiled. "They can't escape. They must be hiding in some dwelling in the forest."

"Perhaps a small cabin, or maybe a house."

Hearing this, Sakura looked at Naruto, then at Sasuke. Knowing that their minds were made up and there was no turning back, she understood.

"Isn't that too risky?"

As soon as she said it, both Naruto and Sasuke looked at her.

Sakura was a little flustered, feeling helpless, and stammered, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Naruto replied. "Sakura, if we don't act now, it will be even more dangerous when those two recover."

"We have no other choice. Zabuza has Gato behind him. Didn't you hear that old drunkard, Gato, say it?"

"Gato has many rogue ninjas and samurai under his command. If we don't eliminate Zabuza and that masked boy, we'll face an attack from both forces."

Naruto then held up four fingers.

"There are only four of us, one Jonin and three Genin. Our chances against Gato and Zabuza would be almost zero."

"Now there are three of us, and we only need to deal with a masked boy with a crippled arm. No matter how you look at it, attacking now is the best strategy."

Naruto's reasoning was sound and logical. Sakura's eyes widened, but she had no way to refute him. Finally, biting her lip, she nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Naruto scanned the two of them and said solemnly, "Trust me."

"We will win this time. Once Zabuza is dealt with, Gato will be nothing more than an insect."

He wasn't boasting. Zabuza was the strongest ninja Gato could afford. Gato, a profit-driven and unscrupulous businessman, would never spend a fortune to hire legitimate ninjas.

After all, his subordinates were a bunch of rogue ninjas and samurai, essentially thugs. He hired Zabuza only because of his rogue ninja status, hoping to get a free ride.

So, the whole situation was easy to understand. Gato wanted to kill the bridge builder, Tazuna. But upon learning that Tazuna had hired bodyguards from Konoha, he also called for a backup.

Gato wanted a free ride, so he didn't look for hitmen on official platforms. Instead, he privately contacted Zabuza, promising to pay him after the job.

But Gato never intended to pay. He planned to double-cross them when both sides were weakened.

Night fell.

Team Seven's first solo group operation, they crept into the forest under the cover of darkness.

"Found them," Naruto reported after assessing the situation, returning to the other two and speaking in a low voice. "They're in that two-story cabin in the woods."

Upon hearing this, Sakura couldn't help but feel nervous.

"I'll go for a frontal assault, you flank from the rear, and Sakura provides Genjutsu support. How's that?" Sasuke quickly proposed a combat plan.

"Okay!" Naruto nodded. "But there's something I want to confirm."

"What is it?"

"The Uchiha Clan can activate the Sharingan and all that," Naruto said casually. "Sasuke, you'd better go all out from the start. That way, Sakura will be a little safer."

"The longer we drag this out, the more dangerous Sakura's situation will become."

"Me?" Sakura was a little confused, but she couldn't help but become more nervous. "Don't worry about me, I can protect myself."

"Sakura, your strength doesn't lie in combat," Naruto said, looking at Sakura deeply. "You don't need to pretend. Sasuke and I will take responsibility for the fighting."

"You just need to provide genjutsu support. When the situation changes, we'll also rely on you to escape."

Hearing this, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little touched and nodded heavily.

"Don't worry, I can do it!"

Whether she could do it or not, Naruto didn't know. But he knew Haku and Zabuza were right in front of them. If he and Sasuke unleashed their killing moves from the start, one Haku wouldn't be able to stop them.

The three took their positions, appearing on either side of the two-story wooden house.

After exchanging glances, Sasuke made the first move. Still in a running stance, he unleashed three shuriken, which flew towards the wooden house at a strange angle.

Naruto went directly behind, dark red chakra surrounding his entire body, and the scorching Lava Style enveloped him. This time, he released all his chakra, aiming for a one-hit kill.

Sakura took a deep breath, tracking the landing spot of the shuriken Sasuke threw. The moment the window was shattered by the shuriken, she formed hand seals, and the genjutsu was immediately activated.

The wooden house was directly smashed by Naruto, and the scorching Lava Style instantly set the house ablaze. Haku, carrying Zabuza, fled the wooden house in a sorry state, his left arm hanging limply in front of him, already useless.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.

At this moment, Sasuke was blocking the escape route of Haku and Zabuza, his scarlet, single-tomoe Sharingan suddenly activated!

Haku, who was still forming hand seals with one hand, was caught off guard and froze on the spot. Even though this lasted less than a second, Sakura seized the opportunity to cast genjutsu again.

"Die!" Naruto was almost insane, his pupils blood-red.

Grabbing the moment Haku froze again, he charged at the two with his body full of scorching heat, directly piercing Haku's chest.

The scorching lava burned through the extremely weak and immobile Zabuza. The two widened their eyes in disbelief, ultimately capsizing in the gutter.

[Gato's treasure has been stored in the warehouse.]