A Sense of Déjà Vu

Wu Yu was the last to arrive.

"Why are you even slower than Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto Uzumaki, carrying a large backpack that looked quite heavy, loudly complained to Wu Yu at the main gate.

"Shorty, weren't you the second-to-last to arrive?" The client who wore a pointed straw hat—the old master bridge builder Tazuna, the target they were escorting on this C-Rank Mission—couldn't help mocking the noisy Naruto Uzumaki. "You don't seem too bright. Are you really a ninja?"

"Don't think I won't beat you up just because you're the client!!"

Naruto started bickering with the client, leaving Kakashi both amused and exasperated. Then he heard the question from the tardy Wu Yu, and an enormous sweatdrop appeared on his forehead.

"I'm saying, Wu Yu, what exactly do you think our village is? Though it is a hidden village, it's still a town in the Fire Country. As long as they're residents of the Fire Country, anyone can freely come and go from Konoha... In fact, this main gate is rarely ever closed."

Who knew whether Kakashi was taking the opportunity to promote the village to Tazuna, their foreign guest from Wave Country...

Wu Yu remembered then. In the manga's homecoming arc, after Sasuke learned news of Itachi Uchiha, he had rushed out of Konoha in desperate haste to search for him in a neighboring village. No one had stopped him, and no one had particularly watched him either, despite him being the last survivor of the Uchiha...

Sasuke Uchiha, who was also carrying a backpack, felt a little uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

Sasuke somewhat misunderstood and pointed toward the east and west.

Wu Yu followed his gesture. Far off on both the eastern and western sides of Konoha's wooden "city wall," he could see a sentry post atop each wall.

So that was it. The two sentry posts' watch ranges overlapped around the main gate...

Loose on the outside, tight on the inside.

It was a ninja village, after all.

"All right, everyone's here, so let's get going," Kakashi Hatake said.

Sakura Haruno punched Naruto Uzumaki in the back of the head and shoved him forward. "Stop arguing, idiot. What kind of ninja argues with the client like you do?"

Once Sakura spoke, Naruto finally stopped grumbling. Gripping his backpack straps, he strode forward in big steps.

It was his first time leaving the village in his life. He was actually quite excited!

It was also Wu Yu's first time leaving Konoha. He wouldn't say he was excited, but he did find the scenery outside somewhat novel.

Sasuke Uchiha walked with his hands in his pockets, as calm as ever.

Kakashi Hatake walked beside Tazuna, the client. Seeing Sakura continuously ask him about Wave Country, he reassured the Genin, "Don't worry. A C-Rank Mission won't involve combat between ninja, and Wave Country is one of the few countries that doesn't have ninja of its own..."

Not only were there ninja, they were vicious characters who carried door-sized blades around and hacked people apart!

Hearing Kakashi say that, Wu Yu silently complained inwardly.

Thinking of Zabuza Momochi, thinking of that Snow Country Boy whom even Kakashi had praised so highly... this was the first time he would face real combat since coming to this ninja world.

Wu Yu couldn't quite describe how he felt. His fingertips tingled slightly... Was he nervous, or excited?

[Wu Yu, there are two unfamiliar Chakra signatures ahead. They've been staying still on the ground?] Jade Rabbit's voice pulled Wu Yu's wandering mind back to reality.

Wu Yu's steps paused for a moment before returning to normal.

"He noticed too?" Kakashi Hatake noticed the subtle change in Wu Yu's expression and gait, wondering inwardly, "Without entering Sage Mode, he still has such sharp perception?"

Along the road they traveled, they passed a very conspicuous puddle.

After they walked past it, two ninja swiftly emerged from the puddle back-to-back. They wore Kirigakure forehead protectors, and their right arms were both equipped with heavy iron armor and sharp claws.

The armor on their right arms was connected by an iron chain. After emerging from the puddle, one of them forcefully hurled the other forward. He landed before Kakashi Hatake, and together they skillfully wrapped Kakashi tightly in the connected chain.

"Huh?!"

The sudden appearance of enemies left Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and even Sasuke Uchiha utterly shocked.

"First one."

The two Mist Ninja spoke coldly. Their armored right arms pulled simultaneously, and the chain violently tore Kakashi from head to toe into several pieces! Naruto and Sakura went pale with fright...

As the severed limbs scattered through the air, the two had already vanished from where they stood, flashing behind Wu Yu.

"Second one."

They repeated the same trick, wrapping Wu Yu tightly in the chain before pulling with all their strength.

Wu Yu, too, was torn into several pieces...

Hm?

Sensing that something felt wrong with the chain, the two Mist Ninja immediately saw that the Genin brat they had torn apart... was merely an ordinary clone, like an illusion!

When had he used a clone...? As one of the Mist Ninja was still startled by that thought, Wu Yu's knee had already reached his left cheek.

Bang!

Wu Yu, who had been hiding in the shadows, sent one of the Demon Brothers flying with a flying knee strike.

The other Demon Brother had no time to be surprised. He decisively released the chain's connection, raised his sharp iron claw, and lunged directly at Tazuna, the assassination target.

The panicked Sakura Haruno took a deep breath and forcibly calmed herself.

Just as the Demon Brother was about to take Tazuna's head, Zabuza Momochi suddenly descended from the sky and blocked his path before Tazuna!

Dragging the blood-drinking Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza radiated terrifying demonic aura as he walked toward him step by step with a horrifying presence...

The Demon Brother froze for an instant.

"Nice job, Sakura." Sasuke Uchiha grabbed the stunned Tazuna and pulled him away, then slammed the distracted Mist Ninja with an Iron Mountain Lean, sending him flying. Wu Yu happened to be running toward the direction he flew, his hands forming a gesture.

Sasuke smiled faintly and rushed after him. He and Wu Yu launched spinning kicks at the same time, one from the front and one from behind.

Boom!

Caught between the front-and-back spinning kicks, the Demon Brothers convulsed as if struck by lightning and collapsed limply to the ground. Blood quickly seeped from the gaps in their mask respirators.

On the other side, the Demon Brother who had first been sent flying by Wu Yu's flying knee struggled to get up, only for Kakashi Hatake to suddenly appear, pinning his head beneath his foot and gripping his throat as he warned, "Don't move." What had been shredded into several pieces and scattered across the ground earlier had merely been a log used for his Substitution Technique.

My strength still isn't enough... Wu Yu thought to himself, glancing at Demon Brother One, who could still move.

From the moment the Demon Brothers suddenly emerged to attack to the moment they were subdued, no more than thirty seconds had passed.

Sakura, who had been shielding Tazuna, finally let out a breath of relief.

Only Naruto stood frozen in place. From beginning to end, he had not moved, feeling like nothing more than a foolish bystander. Why? We trained so hard together—so why am I the only one this useless?

"Not bad," Sasuke said, only to strangely discover that Wu Yu was standing there in a daze.

Wu Yu stood motionless, staring at his hands.

He had a strange feeling, one that somehow seemed familiar...

Mysterious Kaguya suddenly turned her head and looked toward a spot several kilometers away. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu...? She glanced at the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who was still spacing out, pondered for a moment, then quietly withdrew her gaze.