"What... what kind of jutsu is this?!"
Pinned firmly to the ground, the Mist ninja struggled to turn his head, his face filled with shock and disbelief. Instant movement? He had never seen or even heard of such a bizarre technique!
"Answer my question." Naruto pressed the kunai at the man's throat a fraction closer. "Is your team's scroll on you?"
"..."
Seeing the man's face turn deathly pale as cold sweat poured down it, Naruto understood—this guy was not carrying a scroll at all. He was merely a disposable pawn sent out to test them.
At that moment, the fear of death had completely seized him, leaving him unable to utter a single coherent sentence.
Expecting his companions to save him? The Mist had not yet fully rid itself of the remnants of the Bloody Mist Village policy. Although Obito had already left, how could such a cruel tradition of mutual slaughter be erased so easily? In an environment where even graduation exams required students to kill their companions with their own hands, how could anyone expect teammates to risk themselves for a rescue?
Just then, Satsuki slowly stepped forward, her expression terrifyingly dark. The kunai in her hand was already raised, her eyes surging with icy killing intent—this fool had actually dared to ambush Naruto and had nearly hurt him! For that alone, he was already dead in Satsuki's eyes.
However, just as Satsuki's kunai was about to come down, Naruto reached out and stopped her.
"Naruto...?"
Satsuki looked at him in confusion, her eyes questioning. Naruto offered no explanation and merely lowered his voice as he spoke quickly.
"Satsuki, Sakura, get on guard immediately. Someone's coming."
"Someone? Is it an enemy?" Sakura nervously scanned their surroundings.
"Yeah." Naruto's reply was brief, his tone grave. "Protect yourselves."
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