Rescue!

Sasuke's sudden attack caught the Grass ninjas completely off guard. Only Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo had been prepared; everyone else was stunned.

The Jonin leading the Grass team hurriedly cried, "Stop! It's just a misunderstanding!"

After the war in Grass Country, Kusagakure had abandoned its ambitions of conquest and fully embraced peaceful coexistence. The entire village placed great importance on its relations with the Five Great Shinobi Villages—especially Konoha, which the Grass ninjas regarded as their biggest ally.

"Hmph!"

Seeing the Grass ninjas back down, Sasuke gave a quiet snort and prepared to put away his kunai.

Just then, Shinji Kotera, the Grass ninja with a kunai pressed to his throat, suddenly grinned. "Nothing special, is it?"

Sasuke's expression changed. He was just about to strike when Shinji Kotera threw a punch, landing it squarely in his stomach and knocking him backward.

"You bastard!"

Feeling the sharp pain in his abdomen, Sasuke furrowed his brow.

Shinji Kotera stepped out from among the Grass ninjas and smiled. "You can't even beat me. Looks like your Taijutsu really is as mediocre as the rumors say!"

Sasuke smiled back. "Mediocre?"

Whoosh.

Sasuke instantly used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed at Shinji Kotera. Shinji Kotera met his charge without hesitation, drawing astonished looks from the Grass ninjas.

"Why is Shinji suddenly provoking Konoha's Mangekyo Uchiha?"

"Has he gone crazy?"

"Even if he wants to make a name for himself, isn't this a bit too reckless?"

The Grass ninjas cleared the area as they whispered among themselves.

The Jonin leading Kusagakure's team looked even gloomier, as if he could drip water.

When he'd arrived in Konoha today and heard that Kumogakure's ninjas had defeated Konoha's Mangekyo Uchiha, he'd felt a little schadenfreude. He'd thought Konoha's Mangekyo Uchiha wasn't all that impressive.

But that had only