The Famous Scene Arrives

"Who are you?"

Karot looked at the Uchiha leader guiding him and asked.

"I am Uchiha Shisui."

Hearing the name, Karot couldn't help taking a closer look. Uchiha Shisui, the tragic one. He possessed the most powerful Genjutsu, yet ended up falling to his death. What a tragedy.

Uchiha Shisui noticed the pity in Karot's eyes. He didn't know Karot well, so why was this man looking at him with such sympathy?

"Is there a problem?"

Shisui asked.

Karot composed himself and replied.

"You're the famous Body Flicker Shisui of the Uchiha. I didn't expect you to be the one welcoming me."

"Not at all. I can't compare to you, Leaf's Red Demon."

"Huh? Who's the Red Demon?"

Karot asked in confusion.

"Hatake Jonin, you don't know? That's the title the Raikage gave you. If you encounter the Leaf's Red Demon, you can abandon your mission without fear of punishment."

What an awful nickname. Just because I'm wearing a red martial arts uniform, they had to give me a name like that? Talk about judging a book by its cover. They have no culture at all.

"Achoo!"

Far away in the Land of Lightning, the Raikage sneezed.

"Who's talking about me?"

"How are things in the Mist lately?"

As the Supreme Commander, Karot had to do his duty.

"The Mist have been very active recently, constantly harassing the border. We've suffered heavy losses."

"Have we taken any measures?"

Karot asked. Any ninja with a title of their own in the Ninja World was no ordinary person.

"I've already ordered everyone not to operate alone. If they encounter Mist Ninja, they're to call for support immediately."

"Good. We need to minimize our losses as much as possible."

As soon as Karot arrived on the battlefield, Uchiha Shisui handed command of the front over to him.

Karot stopped walking. He'd spotted someone he knew.

"Guy, long time no see."

Karot greeted him.

"Big Brother Karot, it really is you! I almost didn't recognize you."

Karot had changed a lot. Most notably, he'd gotten even more handsome.

"Big Brother Karot, I heard you're a Jonin now. Congratulations!"

It was rare to run into someone familiar on the battlefield. A comrade who greeted you that morning might be lying in a body bag that evening, with no chance to say goodbye. For Guy, who had only just left the academy, the pressure was immense. After seeing the horrors of war, he was afraid he might be next.

"Thanks. I'm glad to see you here, too."

"Oh, you're a Chunin now!"

Karot said, feigning surprise.

"Yeah! I owe it all to your encouragement, Big Brother Karot. It gave me confidence."

Guy said happily.

"You two are doing well, too. You're both Chunins now."

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu lowered their heads in embarrassment at Karot's praise. They didn't know Karot well, after all. He'd only attended the Ninja Academy for a week before leaving, so they'd never had a chance to become friends. They wouldn't even have approached him if he hadn't greeted them first. The Ninja World was rigidly hierarchical.

Looks like the ninja ranks have taken a huge hit. Guy and the others had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy, yet they'd already been promoted to Chunin. With Konoha fighting on four fronts, the village had nearly emptied its reserves. Karot sighed.

"Then you can go on patrol. I have something to take care of."

"Okay. See you later, Big Brother Karot!"

Guy waved goodbye to Karot.

"Guy, are you close with Hatake Jonin?"

Ebisu adjusted his glasses and asked.

"You mean Big Brother Karot? He was the first person to believe in me. I've always looked up to him."

Genma rubbed his chin and said.

"Look beside Hatake Jonin. That's Uchiha Shisui. I heard they're sending a commander here. Do you think it could be Hatake Jonin?"

"How could that be? He's only eleven!"

Ebisu said, unable to believe it.

"Wow, Karot really is amazing!"

Guy had no trouble believing Karot was capable of it. Karot had recognized his potential when no one else had.

Two months had passed since Karot arrived at the camp. During that time, the Mist had eased off their harassment, and the entire front had grown quiet. Perhaps the Mist had heard about Karot's performance on the Cloud Ninja front and had no choice but to back down. After all, Karot also had the title Tailed Beast Killer, a name renowned on the battlefield. A name could be wrong, but a title like that couldn't. All the Mist Ninja had gone quiet, leaving Karot with nothing to do but fish every day to pass the time.

"Ugh, didn't catch anything again."

Karot had struck out yet again. He'd gone a whole month without catching a single fish. Wasn't there supposed to be beginner's luck protection? Had it disappeared now that he was in the Naruto world? The worst part was that the person fishing beside him was an expert.

"Got one!"

Shisui deftly pulled in the fish and cast his line again.

"Karot, you can't let yourself get frustrated while fishing. The fish won't bite otherwise."

Seeing how irritated Karot looked, Shisui tried to cheer him up.

"Little Shisui, if only your judgment were as sharp as your fishing skills."

Karot said with a sigh, thinking to himself:

The problem is, you keep catching fish right beside me while I can't catch a single one. I'm not bothered that you've got fish; I'm bothered that I don't. How am I supposed to be in a good mood? I'm showing incredible restraint by not beating you up. Look at you, not a shred of awareness. The boss is right here, and you can't even jump in the river to catch a fish and put it on his hook. You'll never get anywhere, kid.

Just as Karot was letting his imagination run wild, a Konoha flare shot up through the forest.

"Shisui, keep an eye on the camp. I'm going to help."

Before Shisui could react, Karot vanished in an instant.

Karot didn't want to return empty-handed. Every ninja who passed him looked at him as if they were judging him, without saying a word. It made him feel as if he were on trial. The Uchiha were all so rigid and inflexible. Didn't they realize their leader had a reputation to uphold? Whenever a distress signal appeared, Karot rushed to the rescue. I couldn't catch any fish because I was saving people! You'd better back me up on that!

Karot raced off and reached the distress signal in no time. What a legendary scene! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had surrounded Might Guy, and Might Duy was about to unleash the Eight Gates. Karot wasn't about to miss such a rare sight. He hid behind a tree; as long as he didn't want to be seen, no one could find him.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

Ebisu trembled as he spoke the name of the Mist Ninja before them.

"Oh? I didn't expect Konoha brats to know our name. What reward should we give you?"

He paused, then continued.

"We'll save you for last."

As soon as he finished speaking, waves of killing intent erupted from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Their overwhelming bloodlust left Guy and the others gasping for breath. They slumped to the ground, as if paralyzed with fear.

"Cowards."

Seeing Guy and the others cower, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen burst into raucous laughter.

Just then, a green figure stepped in front of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Might Duy made his dazzling entrance.