Provoking

"Who are you?" Sasuke Uchiha frowned, looking at the two guys blocking his path. Both wore Konoha standard Chunin vests. One had his forehead protector tied to his arm, while the other's was hanging crookedly around his neck.

"Heh heh, I thought you were just some ordinary kid, but I didn't expect to run into an Uchiha."

The burly, hairy Chunin grinned wider upon seeing Sasuke's face.

His companion was much thinner and shorter, with an even more ferocious expression. He stared intently at Sasuke's face like a famished wolf, wanting to tear a piece of flesh from it.

When had the eldest young master of the Uchiha family ever experienced such treatment? Before that incident, it was his own Uchiha Clan who was responsible for Konoha's security...

Yeah, there's no clan anymore.

Without the clan, these villains start to run wild.

Sasuke Uchiha subconsciously reached for his waist, where he always kept a ninja tool pouch. But this time, he felt nothing.

But...

That's right, that ninja tool pouch was a gift from that man. It's already been thrown into the hospital's trash can, mixed with blood-stained bandages and discarded needles.

His Shuriken and kunai were now tied to the other side, directly opposite their original position.

"Look, look, hahahaha, a little brat from the Ninja Academy actually trying to pull out a kunai? Who does he think he is? Hatake Kakashi?" The burly ninja puffed out his beard and laughed heartily, leaning on his companion's shoulder.

His companion also bared his teeth, revealing a row of uneven, exceptionally yellow teeth.

As the ninja laughed, Sasuke moved. His right hand drew an arc, and the moonlight glinted coldly.

"Hahaha, are you really a student at the Ninja Academy? Can't even throw a Shuriken properly?"

The ninja laughed even harder. His first instinct was to raise his own Shuriken to block, but the few kunai and Shuriken Sasuke threw weren't aimed at him. Instead, they flew into the night sky.

But after only a couple of laughs, he heard the sound of metal clashing behind him. The whistling sound that had just faded suddenly grew louder again.

"Hmph, you were careless. Throwing ninja tools is what us Uchiha brats do best," the skinny ninja companion said, pulling out his Shuriken and knocking down the kunai attacking from behind. He stepped forward, his grin growing more ferocious.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you attacked first. We're just defending ourselves, and I doubt the Security Force will care too much," he continued.

Sasuke didn't bother with them. He threw another Shuriken, which was again easily deflected.

He knew the Three Basic Jutsu and could use some Taijutsu, but facing two Chunin, he was no different from an infant.

I have to take a gamble. He looked at the approaching ninjas and began to form hand seals.

Snake-Unicorn-Monkey-Boar-Horse...

The two ninjas watched Sasuke Uchiha forming hand seals with amused smiles. At his age, being able to perform the Three Basic Jutsu already made him a top student in his class, let alone any more complex Ninjutsu.

They were waiting for Sasuke Uchiha to make a fool of himself, waiting to loudly mock his overestimation of his abilities, waiting to see his Ninjutsu fail and even harm himself.

Tiger!

But to their horror, after Sasuke Uchiha formed the last seal, his cheeks began to puff out. Then, they felt a wave of heat wash over them.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

At such close range, only the Body Flicker Technique could evade such a massive fireball. But even a regular Jonin would have trouble using this Ninjutsu effectively, let alone two small Chunin.

However, the moment the fireball formed, the two of them uncontrollably dropped to the ground. The flames grazed their scalps, setting the hairy ninja's hair ablaze.

Seeing his Ninjutsu fail, Sasuke was also greatly alarmed. He wanted to throw a couple more Shuriken, but before he could even swing his arm, he, like the two Chunin, instantly dropped to the ground.

The three of them were in the same posture and orientation. He wanted to struggle, but he couldn't even move a finger.

"Not sleeping late at night and bullying a little ninja in an alley?" a tired voice echoed under the night sky.

"And you almost got killed by a little ninja. Are you two really Chunin from the village?"

The voice grew closer. Sasuke, tilting his head, saw the face of the newcomer in the moonlight. It was a woman also wearing a Chunin uniform. From beneath her long boots, three dark shadows extended, connecting to him and the other two ninjas.

"Officer Luyu, it wasn't our fault this time," the burly ninja suddenly felt his mouth move and quickly said.

"We were just walking normally when we ran into this Uchiha brat, and he cornered us here."

"Pfft..." Shikaru Nara couldn't help but laugh: "He, a little ninja just discharged from the hospital, cornered you two Chunin?"

But she clearly underestimated the shamelessness of the two Chunin.

"Officer Luyu, please see clearly. We were the ones being beaten. If you hadn't intervened, we would have been burned to ashes by the Great Fireball Technique."

"Exactly! This Uchiha brat first threw Shuriken at us, then, without a word, used the Great Fireball Technique. We never expected him to be so ferocious."

"But he's from the Uchiha Clan, so it's not surprising he's so ferocious."

"Yeah, yeah. I was bullied by the Security Force managed by the Uchiha before. Now that there's a new director and officers like you, Officer Luyu, they'll definitely back us up."

"You!" Sasuke Uchiha, listening to their brazen tone, was so angry he wanted to spew another fireball.

"What 'you'? Shameless Uchiha brat, why weren't you killed by Uchiha Itachi?"

"Yeah! Even though Uchiha Itachi did such a good deed, why did he become a rogue ninja? Was it because he... Ouch!"

Luyu finally couldn't stand it anymore. She kicked both Chunin.

"I know what kind of people you two are. Don't pretend here."

Then, she began to manipulate her shadows, transforming them into three tentacles. She lifted the two Chunin and Sasuke Uchiha and headed towards the newly established Security Force.

The direction she was heading was the same as Sasuke's way home. The newly established Security Force hadn't changed its office location; there was no need to build a new building or move various documents and files.

Sasuke dangled upside down, looking at the familiar streets and shops. Their doors were shut, and they were deserted. Even at this hour, this street should have been bustling.

Walking further, there wasn't even any light around. Only a solitary small building still had its lights on. That was the former and current Security Force building.

"Why is it you two again? And why did you bring a child back?" Sarutobi Kou asked, looking at the three people Luyu had brought back.